The Bush years broke the spirits of a lot of people, but it did not kill our spirits entirely. In fact, we were all fired up and ready to go. Si, se puede! Hope and change! I had hopes for change, and there was a little bit of change, but a lot of really yucky stuff happened in this “most transparent” of administrations. I don’t need to list them all here, and enough has been written about this morning's fresh disappointment.
Since the Clinton presidency of the 90s, I have felt that neither of the two major parties represented me, but I always voted Democratic anyway for the big ticket items.
I 2008, was truly inspired by Obama and decided to register as a Democrat so I could be a part of history. And I did, I caucused and became a delegate. I was elected (!) by the local Democratic party to be a Precinct Committee Officer, I delivered buttloads of voter information to registered Democrats in my neighborhood. I phone banked, went to button making parties, Super Tuesday happy hours, I hosted and organized fund raisers for Obama. (I did skip most of the weekly Democratic meetings though because I have a low tolerance for boredom.) And I VOTED for Obama. In 2008.
I watched TV as thousands flocked to Grant Park, tears rolling down my face.
Today, Obama made me cry, again. And not for the first time since the election. To say that I (along with many of my progressive cohort) was disappointed is a understatement. I will make a confession, and I know I’m going to catch a lot of flack for this, but here goes. I voted in the 2010 mid-terms, yes I did. I did my duty. I even went to Hemp Fest with my son, and we registered young people to vote so they can take part in the mid-terms.
But by the time 2012 came around, I was fed up. I did not vote for POTUS. I simply did not cast a vote. I ignored it. I live in Washington, it wasn’t like my no-vote was going to cause ripples, but you know what? It made me feel GOOD. And while I wasn’t exactly done with politics, my heart wasn’t in it like it was before.
Democrats have moved so far to the right, that they are now the de facto left wing of the Republican party. Yes, I agree that there are differences between the two parties on some very important social issues, but both the left and right wing of the Republican party are bought and paid for by dark money and other big money interests.
These interests include the crooks that tanked our economy, the crooks that profit off warmongering, the crooks in the insurance racket holding our national health hostage, the crooks that are fucking killing this planet.
Who do you think Hillary Clinton's donors are?
I’ve often felt that casting a vote was a waste of time. Last May, when Kos came out with his support for Hillary Clinton, I figured “Oh, here we go again. Now I can choose between full-on fascism or friendly oligarchy. Yaay. Maybe I’ll sit this one out too.”
Until, of course, a “long-shot” candiate announced. Suddenly, I’m all, like, “Hey, am I registered to vote at my new address?” And I’m signing up to volunteer, and I’m back at DailyKos fairly regularly, eager to read the next diary because it makes me feel good to be a part of this zeitgeist. It makes me feel like maybe, just maybe, what I do, can make a difference! I could be fooling myself, but if I didn’t believe that, why bother doing anything?
Never before has the line been drawn so brightly between what progressives stand for and what corporatists stand for. Never before has it been so clear: 1% versus the 99%. We used to play the “who is more progressive” game here at DailyKos on a regular basis. Who is a “real progressive” and who just pays lip service, but it was all still a lot of innuendo and name calling and labeling to make a point, sustain a grudge, make a point, or sometimes it was just thrown around to be mean to one another.
But here it is folks, you are faced with a choice between something new and bold, or same-ole, same-ole.
Who you vote for, the policies you support will describe you as a Progressive or Corporatist. We won’t have to use the term as an insult anymore, it will just be fact. You are either progressive and will support Bernie Sanders (or a similar candidate if not Bernie). But if you support Clinton in the primaries, you are a Corporatist. There will be no more mystery about who is Progressive and who is not.
This is ours to lose, people, and lose it we will if we’re going to sit around and mutter about polling and talking points and up who can and who can’t win, who is more electable, who is inevitable, who is ineluctable. Here is your chance to stand up and be counted as a Progressive.
If you actively campaign for and support Clinton against Sanders in the primary, then you really can no longer consider yourself or call yourself, a “progressive.”
Well, you can, but no one will believe it and they will call you out on it.
Bernie Sanders speaks to the people and what he says resonates with them. He has a broad appeal. He’s smart. He says stuff we used to only WISH we could hear politicians say. I’m surprised that every single Democrat isn’t throwing his or her support behind him, but what do I know?
I’m just an average voter who was on the verge of becoming a non-voter forever, and that verge is still there. Because you know what? People are fed up. Someone wrote an angry diary that said if Clinton wins the nomination, s/he won’t vote. I feel that person’s pain, I really do. When the choice is voting for the left wing of the corporate party or voting for the right wing of the corporate party, there are those, such as myself, who will simply throw up their hands in disgust, and turn their backs on the establishment. When people feel that politics is a rigged game and their vote doesn’t matter, they will note vote.
I’m not in love with Bernie, what I love is his message, and I love his courage and his chutzpah. But right now, it’s still just a lot of hope, and we all know how hope turns out when you’ve been rope-a-doped.
We are excited, but cautious. Our voices are finally and at long last being heard, because someone with the guts enough picked up a bull-horn and started saying what we have been pushing our Democratic leadership to say all along. If your response to Bernie’s message is tepid, I’m sorry for you. I really and truly am.
If the Democratic establishment wants to win this one, then they MUST put their support behind Bernie Sanders.
A bright, bright line has been drawn in the sand. Who you support – WHAT YOU DO – is going to determine if you are progressive or you’re down with corporate. It’s really that simple.