Kos’ diary this morning on the Rec list is way too late.
After decades as a Democrat, I switched my party registration to Declined to State in CA in February of 2016. I’ll mostly vote Democratic but by changing my party status, I now feel free from the rhetoric that I HAVE to vote for a Democrat — I simply have relieved myself of that pressure and burden. Now, I don’t HAVE to do anything I don ‘t want to and moving forward, Democratic nominees will have to earn my vote rather than take it for granted.
Why did I change my registration? Because it has become clear the Democratic Party has the nomination process rigged — the super delegates, the lack of debates, etc. Another reason — hearing Clinton supporters yell and scream that Bernie was not Democrat and shouldn’t be running in the primary. Perhaps that was true last August but Bernie stated clearly that he had switched to become a Democrat, and states like New Hampshire certified him as a Democrat and he was placed on the ballot. But in February, even Hillary Clinton was appearing at rallies publicly stating he was not, snubbing millions of Democratic leaning independents. But this campaign really made clear to me that the Democratic Party no longer represents my values due to the corrupting influence of big money from corporations who use their dollars to influence policy — anyone who denies this is simply a liar in my book.
One other thing has to be mentioned — Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. DWS has been a train wreck as head of the party — the most destructive party leader I have ever seen who stacked the deck for Clinton, at the expense of the good of the party. The party has been corrupted by money from Wall Street, the fossil fuels industry, etc., etc., etc., and most Democrats seem fine with that, being lead by Hillary Clinton. The party has morphed into something I don’t even recognize anymore. And DWS is the poster child for the rigged, corrupt political system that now defines the Democratic Party.
And yes, I am pissed and upset Bernie has lost, but my level of anger is much more this year than it has been in the past when I have been on the losing side of a Democratic Party primary. I feel about the presidential race how many Clinton supporters on this site feel about Donna Edwards loss. Edwards was trashed by the Democratic establishment, the congressional black caucus, etc., etc., etc., and the same can be said for Bernie Sanders. The establishment and the CBC hated Edwards for taking out 15-year incumbent Albert Wynn in the 2008 Democratic primary (Ironically, Edwards clerked for Wynn when Wynn was a memeber of the state legislature) and they never forgave her, and blamed the Netroots, Daily Kos, etc., for her win. They extracted their revenge, denying the nomination and ultimate election of the second African-American woman to the U. S. Senate. And the establishment feels the same way about Bernie Sanders, their anger on full display for him trying to interrupt the coronation.
Read both articles below:
en.wikipedia.org/...
en.wikipedia.org/...
One last word:
Work the inside game, help cleanse the party of the assholes. Help good Democrats get elected.
Kos’ word from above — I worked my heart out in 2015 and 2016 to cleanse the party of the assholes and help good Democrats get elected — and I am not done until I cast my vote for Bernie in the June primary. But surveying the landscape this morning, it is painfully obvious that the assholes are in firm control of the Democratic party and a lot of good Democrats are not going to get nominated, never mine elected. But Kos needs to accept responsibility for some of this. Kos himself has aligned himself with the Democratic establishment by supporting Clinton and undermined his very goal stated above. But the most damage he did was his stupid ultimatum to try to silence folks on this site with his March 15, 2016 ultimatum to silence Hillary Clinton’s critics on this site. Primary voters were not ready to end it but the Czar of Daily Kos was — and he needs to take responsibility for that.