I have voted straight ticket Democrat since my first time in the voting booth with Jimmy Carter. I have not missed an election since then. I have opened my thin wallet—and often my piggy bank—and given to Democrats. I have talked up Democrats. Helped fundraise for them. Volunteered for them. I have been a good soldier.
And like many good soldiers, I have dug in and fought hard in a lot of losing battles, but I believed in my leadership, hoping they knew better than I what was best to do. And like many good soldiers badly led, I began to doubt. Those doubts grew and festered, and that took my heart for the fight.
When a soldier sees his leadership has no guts, or skill, no heart for the fight themselves, he begins to wonder why he should keep fighting. As a good Democratic soldier, I have seen my leadership through the years squander opportunity again and again through uncertainty, too careful planning, self-preservation, and just plain cowardice. Always they waited for the perfect ground on which to fight, for the enemy to be at his weakest, for the sun to be at their backs, waiting for a better day to risk battle. They compromised, falling back from barricade to barricade, never attacking, always waiting to counterattack, but never with enough force to win.
Well, here it is, from a soldier in the trenches. It is time for our leaders to stand and fight. The Public Option is the opportunity, this is the fight, this is the ground on which to say thus far and no farther. Here we fight.
To paraphrase Captain Harris in Platoon’s final battle, "Where you gonna fall back to, Democrats?" To fall back farther is to admit you will NEVER fight. So here it is, from a grunt who has been in the trenches forever. Again quoting Captain Harris, "You will stand and you will fight." Because if you don’t, you aren’t gonna have the soldiers for the next round of useless saber rattling at the GOP. The AFL-CIO has drawn a line in the sand. So has the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. Stand and fight for the Public Option and health care reform. Or we in the trenches will lay down our weapons and go home. For good.