Not to push him leftward. Not really for him at all.
Or because we'll succeed with a more progressive candidate. Or to put the fear in the 'Pubs. Or have a progressive wing with the kind of influence the Tea People seem to have generated.
No, we need to have a primary for us. Because, apparently, we want to fight.
I tried a "Let's be nice" diary last night. Got a few attaboys. Then Armando chimed in this morning, got a lot of "But what abouts?"
Then Fish slipped the hook. Fuck.
Maybe the frustrations of being a left caucus in a centrist party are too much. Maybe it's the slowness of progress in a tragically undereducated country. Hell, maybe it's the weather.
But we can't seem to get the chips off our shoulders, not with gentle massages or exercises of reason or even belly laughs.
So let's duke it out.
I'm hereby challenging Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president in 2012. My platform is part New Deal, part old school socialism, part DFH values.
Legalize weed. Nationalize banks. Huey Long's Share Our Wealth, adjusted for inflation. Elizabeth Warren's my pick for Treasury and Van Jones for State. Vegi-chicken in every pot and two hybrids in every garage. Funding parity for NEA and DOD.
And negotiations with nutcase Republicans will fall somewhere between "pull my finger" and "don't let the door hit you where the good Lord split you."
You want purity? Dude, I'll make Ivory sink. Hello Kitty's gonna look feral by comparison.
So, let's have it out. Words, swear words, FAIL pics, whatever you got. Let's compress a good, six-month primary pie fight into the space of an afternoon.
And get it over with.
A serious note to moderators: If Fishgrease asks to come back, please say yes.
Now back to whatever the hell this is.