How often do you put the words "strong" and "Democrat" in the same sentence when reflecting on the current cast of political characters in Washington DC these days? My answer is rarely and unfortunately almost never if I'm simply thinking about the US Senate or White House. Sloganeering aside (Obama, Grayson etc) for whatever reason, my political party simply does not go for the jugular the way it needs to in order to get anything accomplished that might affect positive change for our future. This is an enormous problem, because very, very sadly, we are the only game in town when it comes to pushing for any sort of progress in this country. The GOP hasn't been involved in anything resembling bettering people's lives since the 19th Century. It's up to us and us alone. And we are proving, once again, not up to the challenge.
So how do we change this? Here's a few practical ideas that might help transform the Democrats from perpetually playing the Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (even with 60 Seats in the Senate) into an effective political operation.
- The word bipartisanship can be flushed down the toilet after the opposing political party makes it perfectly clear they are going to tell you to go fuck yourself, every minute of every hour of every day while a Democrat sits in the White House.
Bipartisanship was a nice thing to campaign on and a worthwhile effort to try at the outset of the Obama administration to show that we do indeed want to try to find consensus. But what have we achieved with these efforts? Virtually nothing. Here's an inventory:
A watered down stimulus bill, heavy on tax cuts that haven't accomplished jack shit, and light on money for jobs which has resulted in 10%+ unemployment that the very same GOP who blocked the job money, through the compromise insisted up by Senators Specter, Collins and Snowe, are going to use to fry our asses at the polls next November.
1 Republican Vote in the House of Representatives for the Health Care Reform Bill.
ZERO Republican Votes in the United State Senate to even consider Health Care Reform. Let's count them one more time. Zero. That's it. We're done counting.
Yet Democratic leaders still bring up the word bipartisan with a straight face when talking about the Health Care bill. Are we the World's Biggest Suckers? Schmucks on Wheels? These people need to wake up, and pretty goddamn fast, and realize they will never, ever get anything whatsoever accomplished working with today's Republican party. Never.
- USE RECONCILIATION, OFTEN. Republicans have already filibustered Democratic legislation in the Senate a record number of times since the Democrats took control back in the 2006 "Thumpin" elections. It has tragically become reality that 60 votes are needed to pass anything in a legislative chamber of 100 seats. Nobody even seems outraged about this in the press or in Congress for that matter. Nobody even seems to remember that in a democracy the Majority rules, with a simple Majority. But we should be outraged, virulently outraged, that the Republican party has turned the simple legislative tactic of the filibuster into their dream for governance in this country: a paralyzed government, incapable of doing anything. We need to break this cycle and the Health Care Reform bill is the perfect time to do so. Use Reconciliation now. Use it again on the Global Warming bill. Use it as often as the Senate parliamentarian will let you use it, and if that's not enough, then do your damndest to eliminate or weaken the filibuster provision in Senate rules forever.
The Republicans did it for the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthy. It's what any serious political party would do for something they truly believed in. They would do whatever is necessary to get the job done. Whatever is necessary to improve the lives of millions of people. Sounds like a pretty strong reason to me. Certainly one that outweighs vague, asinine concepts like "the traditions of the Senate" or "bipartisanship" with a group of people who compare the leader of your party to Adolf Hitler on a good day and a Chimpanzee on a bad one.
- ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK. How did we let the Republicans off the mat? Why did we let the Republicans off the mat? These people crashed the economy and plunged us into debt and we have let them pin the current recession we are in on the Democrats. We let them get away with lame ass excuses about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (they're Quasi-Public don't you know) being the ones to blame for all of our financial ills and Barney Frank dictating the financial policy and deregulation of the financial marketplace while in the Minority in Congress.
It would be comical if it wasn't so sad. The Democrats should take a page or two out of the GOP playbook and use every single day to attack, blame and discredit their opponents. If you're not on offense, you're on defense in politics and we have been on the defensive for months on end at this point, as reflected in the poll numbers. It's called the BULLY PULPIT for a reason, Obama, to Bully the opposition around. Not to make endless peace overtures to a party filled with bonafide assholes (Van Jones, you never should have been fired).
So those are my starter ideas for getting this train back on track. Feel free to add your own in the comments below.