Yesterday, Dick Durbin came to my town. He brought along TV cameras and newspaper reporters. He came to tell the students at Illinois State University how the changes the Republicans made to student loans was going cost them a lot of money. He had a couple of "non-traditional" students talk about how important student aid was to them. Then he told us what he wanted us to do about the awful things the Republicans had done to student aid. He wanted us to email our (Republican) members of Congress and tell them to change the changes. He told us to email other students and tell them to email the Congressmen to tell them to change the changes. I thought about it a while, and then I asked him what we could do to tell our Democratic pary leadership to help the candidates who were running against those Congressmen, so we could defeat them. Then our Democratic Congressmen would change the changes. Dick Durbin told me that my "very partisan" question would be better answered after the meeting. In other words, sit down and shut up. Dick Durbin never did answer my question.
I thought about this all night. I remembered when the DLC took over my party, and started pandering to the right, and to the pundits, and to the corporations. I remembered, years ago, seeing Al From on Washington Journal. A caller called to complain about this. Al From told the caller that if he wanted to keep on being a member of a 30% party, he should keep that attitude. And, I promise you, Al From sneered. Sit down and shut up.
True enough, Bill Clinton did get elected. Then the DLC types cut the legs out from under him about universal health care. I remembered that we've been in the minority ever since. Sit down and shut up.
Now the pary leadership is again only supporting those races they consider "winnable". Coincidentally, only a few true progressives are in those races. I've been working for David Gill in IL-15 since October. The latest FEC filings show him leading Tim Johnson(R) 3 to 2 in individual contributions. But Dr. Gill isn't "winnable" enough for party support. I read the blogs. This is going on in district after district, state after state. But sit down and shut up.
I wonder if the Republicans would still be in power if they held their base in such contempt; if they told the wingnuts to sit down and shut up while they pandered to the moonbats. I wonder.
So, all night I thought about what we could do about it, and I think I have a plan of action. Here goes:
1. Do what Dick Durbin said. Email your (Democratic) senators and congressmen. Ask them the same queston I asked Dick Durbin. Ask them what you can do to tell the party leadership to support ALL Democratic candidates in ALL races. Email them and email your friends to email them.
2. Ask the question in person. Put on the tee shirt and button of your chosen candidate and attend every meeting a Democratic incumbent is addressing. Ask what you can do to tell the party leadership to support your candidate. If your question makes it onto the evening news, you've started a movement.
3. Stop sending money to the DCCC and DSCC. Look around your state and find your own David Gill. Send your money to that candidate directly. Make sure your support is going where you want it to. Your candidate may not win, but at least the Republican will have to work to beat him/her.
4. Stop voting for those Democrats who do not represent you. Just because someone calls himself a Democrat doesn't mean they stand for Democratic principles. If they want to act like a Republican, let them cross the aisle.
Yeah, it's a little radical, but it's better that sitting down and shutting up.