I've seen quite a bit of bickering in regards to those who aren't true Dems, or aren't Obama's true base. I never really write diaries as I prefer to let reality speak for itself (read: somewhat socially phobic, as well as an introvert, neither of which stopped me from storming the Madison Capitol the night SB10 was illegally passed), but I feel the need to speak out as a Republican refugee of & from Reaganism. I was raised Republican (much like kids who are "raised Christian", without any say in the matter, as Richard Dawkins would say--due to an incipient indoctrination based on a particular worldview) and thus voted Republican my very first election in 2000.
Flash forward through seven years of learning many of life's hard lessons firsthand (unemployed for 18 months during the 2002-2003 Recession whilst being told to go shop in order not to let turrists win by my President) and secondhand (volunteering at homeless shelters, as I prefer to practice what I preach unlike many hypocrites on the right), seeing exactly how ignorance of response social policy, a deregulated economy, and how service cuts (read: tax cuts) affect the greater community around me, I decided to go back to school and took courses in logic & anthropology which thoroughly questioned my preconceptions & rationales for how the world works.
A year later, I was canvassing daily for Obama in Rock County, Wisconsin. I try to practice what I preach, right?
Apparently what doesn't go hand in hand with that is fire-breathing progressive criticism of non-progressive policy. I mean, as long as it has a (D) behind it, right? I'm looking all non-Progressive Caucus national Democrats on this one. Not just Obama (who could forget Reid's undercutting of Obama's desire to limit the influence of lobbies in the senate?). The national Democratic culture is one that isn't progressive nor liberal. I take umbrage at this fact, because if I wanted to vote policies more in line with Conservative Stephen Harper & George H.W. Bush, I'd do just that. But that's not what I want.
I worked for the Campaign for Change because I wanted just that: Change, as a former Republican. And I take issue with those who wish to cast me out for criticizing the National Democratic Party for its lack of genuine liberal-Progressive bona fides.
I'm voting for Obama. I've made my decision. But I'm not about to deferentially submit, stop walking the walk. I worked for a Progressive change, what say you join me & stop personalizing this with a puritanical desire to purge me from the ranks of Progressives, being the former Libertarian/Republican that I am. Because that is the true cost of this continued desire to ignore that National Democratic policy isn't squaring with my, with our(?) Progressive view for America. And by the way? A puritanical, fanatical pragmatism is a colossal oxymoron, so spare me.
My final note is simply a graphic because I spent the time to make it to illustrate the point of where I'm coming from. It should be duly noted that this is based on http://politicalcompass.org 's somewhat flawed method of attributing a political compass rating of where we all stand on economic policies and social. I fully expect some to take issue with both the site's methodology and possibly even taking an accusatory tone of me showing 'faux' proof of being a progressive. Nevertheless, it also shows more effectively than I know how to say why I lack quiescence on matters of center-right national policy among our prominent national Democrats.