I've been asking myself what's wrong with DKos for a long time, and I have narrowed it down to the irrational denial of what the Democratic Party really supports. The prevailing view here is that the Democratic Party is the Jimmy Stewart character (George Bailey) in Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life." The Republicans are the nasty plutocrat character (Mr. Potter). But the modern Democratic party has gone way beyone Frank Capra; it has given us the pervasive delusional framework of The Matrix.
Unfortunately, this view does not check out with the historical record. The Democratic Party is very happy playing nice with nasty plutocrats. The anger here at Cindy Sheehan's challenge to Pelosi is largely motivated by the painful spotlight it shines on the policies Democratic politicians actually support. Cindy Sheehan is the Red Pill of the Matrix. It's called severe cognitive dissonance, and this diary explains what is causing it.
Posturing vs. performance: What do Democratic politicians vote for?
As champions of the downtrodden, you would expect the Democratic Party to oppose legislation that favors the rich and hurts the poor, but the Democratic party has supported the following:
- Privatization of student lending at high interest rates
- Farm bills skewed against small farmers and harmful to consumers
- Deregulation of media that concentrates corporate control
- Tightening of bankruptcy regulations
- Out-of-control weapons spending
The last point is the one that I find particularly egregious. There used to be a feeble movement for reform of military procurement in this country, by the Terror War frenzy persuaded the Democratic Party to halt all efforts to curb military spending and fully fund the gravy train of the military-industrial complex.
How can a political party that advocates "defense" spending greater than that of all the rest of the world's nations combined possibly be considered healthy and respectable? Make no mistake, it is a bedrock commitment of all the leading democratic candidates that they will spend vast sums on military hardware.
We are supposed to believe that the Democratic Party, which has poured vast public funds into the pockets of the plutocracy, is going to bring us a sharp correction to the disgusting economic "priorities" of the Bush administration. But where is there a shred of evidence for that?
Kossacks seem to lack the fundamental abiilty to distinguish between posturing and performance. Joe Biden (D, MBNA) will make a fine sounding speech, that says all the right things, then vote to tighten the screws on bankrupt Americans. Nancy Pelosi will release the dove of peace, then vote to build more missile interceptors and nuclear powered aircraft carriers.
The plutocracy does not suffer from this mental confusion. They request and reward the passage of favorable legislation, and the Democratic Party complies. They don't give a crap about empty speeches made against them, as long as they get their money.
Kossacks, by contrast live for the crumbs that Democratic Politicians brush off the table after the plutocrats have been fed their feast. Student loan rates are going to be reduced a percentage point - Wow! What a victory. The rate of Social Security benefit cuts has been slowed - Hurrah! Another breakthrough. Americans will die at a slower rate in Iraq as the five-year withdrawal process continues - Bravo! Well, done, President Clinton.
Just stop it. Stop listening to the words and pay attention to the votes in Congress. Democratic Senators and Congressmen are consistently voting in favor of plutocratic interests and against the interests of the mass of Americans. They are serving the concentrated wealth of America, not the American people.
But this Democratic Party blog community can't stop. It is addicted to the fairy tale of "It's a Wonderful Life." It's not a wonderful life. It is a life that is deteriorating steadily under the assault of corporations and wealthy individuals who desire feudal power over a miserable mass of humanity. The Democratic Party has become a Wonderful Delusion, carefully crafted by the best political operatives, lobbyists, and PR technicians plutocratic money can buy.
Morpheus: You take the blue pill and the story ends. You wake in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. (a red pill is shown in his other hand) You take the red pill and you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. (Long pause; Neo begins to reach for the red pill) Remember -- all I am offering is the truth, nothing more.