Where are my people? Where are you?
What’s become to the mighty grassroots army of hard-workers and spirited Americans of passion...those who believed in free-speech, organizing, registration of new voters into the political process.
Where are my people who (for a time) lived and breathed those principles for the progressive cause?
That brief time, cascading towards the inauguration of Barack Obama, which the progressive community (white, black, brown, yellow, native American, straight, gay, transgendered) we felt we were headed in the right direction. The differences between us seemed petty; though the commonalities were greater STILL.
That sense of activism, solidarity, and goodwill was reflected on sites like Daily Kos. – And, at times is still, but, I’ve realized that before we can MOVE FORWARD past the current hiccups in the progressive dream of open democracy. We’ve got to get a few things straight.
Some of you are the enemy.
You don’t realize, while you’ve been running your mouth off, pontificating on our rise to power. We did YOUR work. And LET you take credit for it. Because it’s not you, or me, it’s ALL of us.
Together.
I have been a democratic activist nearly half of my life. My plight of the poor, the dispossessed, the working class, and our shrinking middle hope is now ebbing towards cynicism, callousness, online bullying, amidst the acceptance of the unthinkable – DOING NOTHING.
Let the progressive dream die a slow death, until (somehow, somewhere) like Barbara Streisand, the Democratic Party finds the progressive ‘song’, and we can lead once more.
My fellow Democrats, like it or not, we are living in that time RIGHT NOW.
Party control and influence means comprise, with the risk of sometimes being compromised. But, we are in the game, even at our legislative worst, still pulling the societal levers of progress in OUR direction.
That’s why, even at our lowest as Democrats, during the Bush years, I didn’t give up hope. I still went to that phonebank. I still canvassed door-to-door ALL DAY. When people yelled at me and called us a nuisance campaigning, I kept my smile.
Why?
I wasn’t campaigning for myself, the candidate, the platform, or the Party. I did it for YOU – those who didn’t have the time to work, but wanted to. CHANGE means sacrifice and patience, and we’ve waited too long NOT to stay in the driver’s seat. I will do whatever I can to help promote the progressive cause with passion, humility, and respect.
But, TODAY, I was disrespected on Daily Kos.
Comment thread
As a progressive campaign activist who is loyal to WORK and ORGANIZING, I was shocked people were more concerned with hearing their own voices DICTATE, rather than LISTEN.
In this thread, I listened to them. In my diary, they will have to listen to US - those who are here to actually build a progressive majority. And as a good liberal, I have only ONE request: when a political race which can affect not only health care, 2010 midterms, but perhaps, even the future aspiration’s of President Obama’s reelection (such as helping contact MA voters for Martha Coakley).
In this state of emergency, let us recruit.
Organizing for America
[NOTE: I am in no way affiliated with OFA.]
Daily Kos receives tens of thousands of unique visitors everyday. Many of whom newbies potential kossacks curious about the progressive agenda, esp. how to get involved. Every opportunity should open and available to them.
Let activists on DKos, teach others how to fight ‘the big fight’, the ONLY fight, against the MSM which envision a corporate Hillary Clinton versus a corporate Rudy Giuliani for President. A MSM who didn’t think Obama could get past Jeremiah Wright. A MSM loves conflict and the status quo far more than educating the American people on the issues of the day. The real revolution not televised, but written by Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Katrina Vanden Heuvel.
Where are my people?
There is a BRIDGE from here to there. And the progressive workers should feel an obligation to let Daily Kos fulfill that purpose instead of threats, back-biting, and pathological surrender.
Or shall I put it another way:
“Let us who have CARRIED your ASS across the presidential finish line COMPLETE our work.”
To SAVE Martha, the time for talk is over. We need action and those we are willing to perform the work and complete as organizing as necessary.
We are needed. NOW. TO WORK.
And so, wiith humility (in true Kos fashion), I’m going to step back and LISTEN. I need to know (NOT from the people who crave order and power, but those who will ACTUALLY WORK for justice).
And, YES, I am talking to the enemy in our midst: those ‘progressive’ talkers, who have LONG surrendered themselves to the authoritative right (YES, we know you’ve been hiding under our aprons, with your calls of ORDER and threats of BANNING for trying to ORGANIZE online).
I’m going to remain calm, composed, and CIVIL: Internal enemies of change, pathological defeatists more concerned about hearing your own disaffected voice, than the country we serve. I have one message and one reply to the online vanguard of political MORASS..
Don’t you DARE stand in our way.
And, as for my friends, my online progressive community, tired of being the peons of our corporate overloads, I have one question:
"Where are MY people?"
For Massachusetts, for progressives, for Democrats, for our country, and our world (even against the darkness, feeling hope –knowing SHE WILL WIN!):
Tomorrow - ALL DAY – we go to work.