I came to Daily Kos after having left the Democratic Party in 1991. I used to be very active in the Democratic Party at the precinct & district level, and I worked on the front lines of several causes, such as protecting womens' access to clinics during the bad old days. It pains me to think I may have to stand toe-to-toe with those nutcases again, but that's for another diary.
I don't understand why so many cling to the Democratic Party as the only alternative to the Republican party when, in my view, they're only as different as two sides of the same coin can be.
The fundamental principle of democracy is that the power of government comes from the people and operates at their consent. The power does not lie with the Democratic or the Republican parties.
The power lies with---
The people here at Daily Kos and at MyDD, Atrios, My Left Wing....
The people of Democracy Now!
The people who got together in their community using MeetUp
The people who talk politics with their friends, neighbors & coworkers
The people who vote
The people working to form Independent World Television
The people who organize in their community
The people of Pacifica radio
The people who channel their outrage into activism
The people who are active in 3rd parties
Many of the folks I talk with and whose thoughts I read here on dK seem to believe that only the Democratic Party has sufficient power to oppose the NeoConned Republican Party. But the power of the Democratic Party is the same as the power of the Republican Party and is based in Corporate Power, not in the power of the individuals of this still-great nation.
I left the Democratic Party, joined the Libertarian Party, and ran for office against a Democrat put in office with Enron money so they could remove a true progressive. I ran against a Democrat who couldn't make up her mind whether she was for or against the war in Iraq. I ran against a Democrat who is sort of against the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, and 10th amendment violations of the U.S.A.P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act. I ran against a Democrat who co-sponsored a bill to re-instate the draft in violation of the 13th amendment. I ran against a Democrat who supports the so-called No Child Left Behind Act. I ran against a Democrat who routinely refuses to meet with constituents. I ran against a Democrat who publicly agreed on 5 occasions to debate the issues but refused to discuss a date.
I came to Daily Kos because I read Lakoff and he said that my libertarian, anti-authoritarian, anti-corporate positions are a part of the progressive spectrum. Daily Kos seemed like a good place to take the pulse of, and participate in, the dialog of progressive politics. I read Kos' recent piece on what types of diaries are appropriate here and with my next paragraphs I may cross the line.
The Democratic Party is beyond repair. It won't get most DKos readers where they're trying to go. Look at the Democrat I ran against. Look at the last presidential candidate. Just like the Republicans, they pander to corporate interests and don't represent you or your progressive positions. The inescapable fact of the political landscape of the last 100 years is that nothing happened without the active participation of both Republicans and Democrats.
We are where we are today either because they are incapable of leading us to a better place, or because this is where they want us to be.
The power you think the Democratic Party has to move this nation in a more progressive direction is a mirage.
If you think a 3rd party can't influence the political course of this nation I would refer you to the Socialists in the late 20's and 30's. The individuals of this nation were in a state of unrest. Corporations controlled politics and the nation. The Socialists organized and began winning local and state offices. And then FDR adopted every major Socialist position into his New Deal.
That could have never happened by working from inside the Democratic Party.
If you really want to change the direction of this nation, leave the Democratic Party en masse. Some of you will find your home in the Libertarian Party. Some of you will find your home in the Green Party. Some of you may start a new party and find your home there. If you're a progressive, your home isn't in the Democratic Party--that's a corporate condo and your rent feeds the beast that perverts the promise of our nation.