Is anyone else feeling dispirited? Am I only the one who's getting tired of being "Sister Souljah"-ed every time there's a presidential election?
The issue is not whether I'm going to vote for Barack Obama in November, because of course I will. The issue is why it is that EVERY SINGLE TIME, our Democratic nominees are never able to articulate any kind of progressive vision in an effective manner, instead choosing to run on "We won't make any Scary Changes; we're as traditional and conservative as they are, only we aren't completely, utterly bats**t crazy."
Is this really the best we can do? Is this the best our candidates can do?
[more on the flip]
In the last week, we've seen Barack Obama cave on FISA. We've seen him throw us under the bus by criticizing Moveon.org. We've seen him throw WESLEY FREAKING CLARK under the bus. And now we've got him saying he'll continue to throw money at evangelical Christian groups.
Last year all of the Democratic presidential candidates showed up at Yearly Kos. Last year we were allowed to have a voice. All of the candidates wanted to know what we thought. Now that we have a nominee, we are expendable, and the ONLY voters who matter are those who are unreliable and go whichever way the wind blows on a given day.
In a few weeks, I, like many of you, will be spending close to $1000 (between airfare, hotel, conference registration, and meals) to go to the renamed Netroots Nation. I can't speak for the rest of you, but I find myself sometimes wondering why the heck I'm bothering. Our nominee isn't going to be there, because he's engaged in the ultimately futile task of trying to dodge the attacks of a mainstream media that's already made it clear that they will not rest until John McCain is president.
When does OUR voice start to matter? When do those of us who want to see a nation that does something other than stuff the pockets of the rich and dump more treasure -- human and monetary -- into endless war, get a voice? When do candidates start to really lobby for OUR votes? Why is it always the most ignorant and fickle voters who are courted?
I've been voting since 1976. I have been a "good soldier" every election and voted for the Democratic candidate. But after 32 years, I am tired of watching our candidates sell us down the river again and again and again and again. And this year it's particularly egregious because we are dealing with an Administration with a 24% approval rating -- and the Democrats are STILL running scared.
So what is it with the Democratic Party? Is the whole thing just a rigged system, where the Democrats are getting paid by the same people as the Republicans and they're just there to make us think we have a choice? Are they so entrenched in the Beltway politician/media axis that they really believe the memes that the media put forth? Do they genuinely want to just be "Republican-lite"?
I was an Edwards supporter, knowing full well that what he was talking about was often at odds with his voting record. I was a supporter with the cynicism that comes from decades of having my hopes crushed by party hacks. I supported Obama after Edwards dropped out because I felt that his charisma and personal gifts, combined with his potential for healing our relationship with the world, made him the better choice (as opposed to Clinton) to run against John McCain. I have never believed that he was going to be the progressive dream candidate, but so far I am not convinced that this is just "doing what he has to do" -- because I'm not at all convinced this IS "what he has to do to get elected" -- when running to the right has failed in the last two presidential elections and is the main reason why the Democratic Congress has an approval rating as dismal as that of the Bush Administration.
My question is NOT one of how we should vote this November. John McCain is SO dangerous that even staying home is NOT an option. Instead it's this: Is this really the best we can do? Is the best we can do to run candidates who continue to bob and weave and think they can somehow dodge the Republican/Media attack machine? What will it take for us to learn to frame our ideology in sound bites that someone in a hurry can understand? What will it take for our candidates to learn that Americans want someone with GUTS? What will it take to return our party to the people instead of the corporations? We thought at YKos last year that we were on the way. This year our nominee will be as far, far away from us as he can get, while we spend four days wonking about how to get him elected.
What does that tell us?