Once upon a time, the Democratic party was the party behind FDR. It was normal for Democrats to champion the working man, and Democrats actually didn't wait to suggest minimum wage raises until after polls clearly indicated almost everyone wanted themw. No really!
After Republicans sold the idea that government was bad successfully,Democrats have changed. Poor people have no representation whatsoever, and the middle class has been ignored for so long that the middle class i no longer really middle class. For more then a generation now, Democrats are afraid to even say anything that sounds too overtly pro-middle class, for fear that someone on Wall Street will think they would dare to raise their taxes a nickel.
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How we get a more progressive Democratic party.
by martianexpatriate
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Once upon a time, the Democratic party was the party behind FDR. It was normal for Democrats to champion the working man, and Democrats actually didn't wait to suggest minimum wage raises until after polls clearly indicated almost everyone wanted themw. No really!
After Republicans sold the idea that government was bad successfully, for a generation Democrats have been on the run. Instead of representing poor people who are frankly not really liked or respected by Americans these days, they adopts positions only slightly less repugnant than Republicans. They have been doing this for almost a generation now, and there are very few old guard Democrats left.
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Once upon a time, the Democratic party was the party behind FDR. It was normal for Democrats to champion the working man, and Democrats actually didn't wait to suggest minimum wage raises until after polls clearly indicated almost everyone wanted themw. No really! After Republicans sold the idea that government was bad successfully, for a generation Democrats have been on the run. Instead of representing poor people who are frankly not really liked or respected by Americans these days, they adopts positions only slightly less repugnant than Republicans. They have been doing this for almost a generation now, and there are very few old guard Democrats left.
It is precisely because of this that whenever someone rages at how truly useless our current breed of Democrat is, the argument is always that the Democrat isn't as bad as the Republican. That actually made sense for a time. I made that argument myself. However things have changed, and I don't think people around here understand that yet.
So much terrible damage has been inflicted now, that the mood of the American people has changed. It is vital that elected Democrats come to recognize that, and I don't believe they have yet.
The Democrats got spanked this last cycle, despite the fact that they were running against some of the craziest idiots we've ever seen. There are very few lucid Republicans left. Many brag about outsourcing jobs, author personhood bills, and think Sandy Hook was a government conspiracy, not a shooting at a school. The progressive base hates these Democrats so much that they can't beat even these idiots.
This is a time of crisis, and a time of crisis is the only time that people or organizations ever change. But it isn't automatic. They have to recognize reality, and understand the need to adapt.
We should be able to do better than a President who loves Israel, Wall Street, and who thinks that the Bill of Rights is a list of suggestions. We will only be able to do better if we insist that they get better, because Democrats like corporate money too. We will only start getting Democrats who actually care about working class people if we let them know that we want them, and if we actually look frightening for a change.
I don't want to approach Tea Party level fanaticism here, but believe it or not, it's actually okay to act like you have a spine every once in awhile. Let me show you how to do that. Say this with me once, just to prove to yourself that you won't be struck by lightning.
“I won't vote for a Wall Street sell out. I'll stay home. Screw Hillary.”
Say it loudly and clearly. Write it in your blogs. Send hateful emails to the Democrats saying that if they think progressives can be counted on to vote for any idiot they put up for office, they are wrong. After the last election, they will believe it because they have evidence that this is true. This is where change comes from, not from electing any one candidate. It comes from threatening not to elect your own parties candidate. It's because the Tea Party has shown that its willing to do this, that Republicans fear them so much.
Thinking it isn't enough. You have to say it out loud, and you should say it now, while Democrats are trying to figure out what happened during the last elections. In a few years, you actually might have to vote for the lesser evil, but we aren't there yet.
And guess what? Years from now when the election happens, you can still vote for the lesser evil if you want to. We aren't there yet.
We need a progressive Democratic party. We need to start rebuilding it right now, and the way we do that is by making it clear to the leadership that we expect them to start voting for the things which people actually want. We need them to not only vote for the middle class, but to champion the middle class. They need to go out there and say that government isn't evil, and that it's time to stop screwing the middle class. We need candidates who can say it like they mean it, and many of the Democrats we have don't even believe it.
We are in a crisis now. The crisis is that Democrats are losing because they no longer truly represent anyone. It is no longer useful for us to yell at each other about supporting the lesser evil. We must force the Democratic Party to change, or it will keep losing.