Contrary to popular punditry, the protest vote that matters this November is your own. We know the Tea Party and Republicans are fired up with their billionaire-sponsored, major network propagandized astroturf "protest" rallies. We know that electorate is demagogued up to run to the polling booth.
The under-publicized, undecided question whose answer will determine the future of our Democracy is whether the Democrats can get fired up this fall. The undecided question is whether Democrats will mobilize to stop Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and their elected Republican followers, billionaire activists and misguided citizenry from wrecking the progress made thus far and any hope for a progressive future in America.
Will Democrats remember how the Republicans drove America into a deep economic, political and moral ditch? Will you protest? Will we remember how Republicans then blocked every effort at reform by playing procedural partisan dirty pool to an unprecedented level in American politics? Will we protest?
Yes our President and Congress are far from perfect and leave a lot to be desired as progressives. Do we appreciate, however, that in the face of historic waves of obstructionism President Obama and the Congressional Democrats passed vital fiscal stimulus that probably staved off another Depression, then went on to pass major healthcare reform and passed major financial reform, and are on the verge of reversing the regressive Bush tax cuts that have proven to be so disastrous?
Will we the progressive and Democratic people stop the Republicans from taking power to shut down government reform until they can recapture our government and continue to destroy it? Will we let Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin complete their takeover of the opposition party by engineering a victory in the House in November that would grind any further progressive reform to a halt and could catapult the Republicans into ousting President Obama in favor of another Bush, or worse, in 2012?
It is unnecessary to go on. This boils down to one thing. Energy. Our energy. This fall the White House and our politicians are broadcasting from Ground Control to our Major Tom Democratic electorate, "Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong, Can you hear me, Major Tom?"
Will that be how it goes? After all this, will we throw in the towel? If we want to keep turning Battleship America to the left just the way the Reagan Republicans turned it to the right, it is up to us.
Of course it will be tough. Mid-terms always are, and with demagogues like our friends at Fox and Co. this one is tougher than ever. Can we do this? Look into yourself. We know we can. We did. We are. And we will.
Our work is not done. It is time to hit the pavement, write blogs, tell our friends, tell the world we are a nation that rejects taxing future generations to fund tax cuts for those who need it least, and a nation that cares for all its citizens and workers.
SAY IT ALOUD NOW. VISUALIZE IT. IF WE BELIEVE IT WE CAN DO IT.