Every time the Democratic Party listens to its misguided, self-described "vital" center, it loses.
Every time.
NAFTA.
Patriot Act.
War in Iraq.
FISA bill.
Wall Street Bailouts.
Anti-Choice, Pro-Insurance pocket-lining HCR.
Every time.
Every democrat I know in person - doesn't tweet, doesn't come to this site, and doesn't know a damn thing about progressive blogs which shall remain nameless.
But here's what they do know: this is not what they wanted. They're disappointed. They are disillusioned, and losing faith.
They had no clue this administration would put 100% into a health care bill that would promise an insurance giveaway the likes of which have never been imagined, that used womens' equality as a bargaining chip. They had no idea that after 8 long, miserable years of near dictatorship by a fringe neocon faction that seemed more a coup than a democratic (small-D) administration, we would ignore international war crimes done in our name, the invasion of privacy, and the eroding of civil rights here at home.
Every one of them understands there's an economic mess given to us by Bush. They're not confused on that point: they're confused by why this democratic party leadership has been so tone-deaf to a simple, cohesive idea of health care as basically extending Medicaire to all as an option. They don't understand why we're still fighting a war overseas, and why Wall Street, who has stolen from us aren't being stopped. They don't understand why they and their GLBT friends don't have marriage equality under the law.
They know that these aren't issues that can be fixed overnight - however. When it becomes clear that this isn't even close to the trajectory, they either speak up - or worse, don't. It's one hell of a lot to ask this party's base to care about this party's future, when it doesn't represent our values and platform.
The same acquiescence we suffered under the bush administration continued with a so-called "supermajority" - another ridiculous meme, as our own party has been overrun with conservatives that don't share our values in any way, and therefore, vote with corporations and bigots instead of in line with the party base. These so-called "centrists" do not walk down the center of anything. They walk down pretty hard lines of corporatism and/or conservatism. It is not the "middle of the road" to advocate that taxpayers are mandated to pay corporations for insurance; it is not "middle of the road" to advocate against womens' access to reproductive health care. And because HCR has been the only game in town, it's been months since we even understood, seemingly, what else this congress is busy actually doing.
Whoever thought up this shitty strategy needs to be sent packing; and the come to jesus moment needs to occur. I'm tired of the excuses about why we can't follow our platform in our legislation as a party. It's a ludicrous proposition that our ideals are superior but they don't sell, so don't try... while the centrists use every dirty trick to subjugate the party base into supporting watered down, or even an opposing legislation agenda which never sells and which basically does the work of the Republican Party for it. Result? We continue to hold our noses for legislation and candidates we at best tolerate but mostly hate, become more disenfranchised - and so, apathetic.
Sure, the bottom line is that Coakley ran a shitty campaign - but this would have been unthinkable a year ago. So I think it's important to state what I see as a huge threat to our moving forward: If centrists are successful in demonizing the left for this loss, and successfully use it as a means to drive the party any further rightward, they will lose the party itself, and I believe this November will be a bloodbath for lack of any actual identity.
I am just as convinced that it's time to double down on the agenda we all knocked ourselves out campaigning and voting for in 2006 and 2008. If we do this, as proven with the success of Obama's campaign, we will not only hold on to our majority, I believe we can increase it. But to do this is not a matter of speeching, but a matter of legislating. So - we shall see.