Read their two statements about the current climate in this country and vote!
Obama's Statement
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/30/102745/165
Etan Thomas's statement
http://dailykos.com/story/2005/9/30/142718/263
Read on for my diary about The Matrix and the Soul of the Democratic Party.
On a more serious note, in light of all of the discussion about Obama's diary, I am extremely concerned about the perception of the democratic party and its future direction. We are at a tipping point. In the Matirx, Neo is offered the red pill or the blue pill. One represents enlightment through the discovery of reality and the true pain of human suffering and the other makes everything a dream from which he will wake up and move on with his life. The democratic party faces a similar choice. The red pill sybolizes a "centrist" republican lite fantasy in which we all get along in a pleasant civil discourse that harkens back to the heady days of Athenian direct democracy. The blue pill symbolizes the reality that this country is in a civil war in which we are battling for our very soul as a nation. Which pill will you take? Hint...Karl Rove loves the color red.
I am tired of listening to people talk about moderation and the need for a centrist policy that is, simply put, a revisionist history of Clintonian Democracy and poltical philosphy. Moderation and polite civil discourse are bullshit coprate copouts being used to justify a rebel democratic faction (the DLC) that is led by the very same clintons that in 1992 and 1996 were ruthless in their fight to get to the whitehouse. Bill Clinton was and is a junkyard dog of a politican. Anbody remember "It's the economy stupid!"? That's how he won and, that is what is so ridiculous about Obama's pleading for " polite civil discourse."
Hillary in her outspoken public role as a leader in the Clinton controlled DLC is god damned hipocrite in her calls for moderation in working with the republicans. First, in her own political caeer she was first lady of Arkansas and then the White House because of both her and Bill's own version Machiavellian tactics in their campaigns for governor and then president. Then she rode Chuck Schumer's coat tails in 2000 to victory in the NY Senate Race. Had she not run against that surburban creampuff Lazio she would had to fight tooth and nail to beat Guilanni. I doubt the discourse would have been civil in that race.
Schumer, not Hillary broke the back of the Republican mahine of NYS in his senate race and he paved the way for her run. Schumer defeated one of the most ruthless politicans in recent memory and a real bastard as well, Al D'Amato. Did he do it by being nice and appealing to the center? HELL NO! He fought like a dog and went puch for punch with D'Amato, negative tv ad for negative tv ad. Schumer was RUTHLESS in his assault. Anybody that followed state politics at the time knew it was an all out war between the two of them. Schumer beat down the bully and is now a leader in the Senate. Through his dog fight he made it possible for Hillary to win. Now she and the DLC want to talk about moderation and appealing to the center in positive discourse? We have Obama calling for the same? Politics are not pretty. Obama makes it sound like if we offer every republican a box of chocolates they will be happy and like the us democrats and let us sit at their table in the middle school cafateria. Politics are not pretty. Anybody that shows weakness in a middle school culture gets beat down. Politics are as ugly as the social ladder in a middle school.
In particular, the politics of populist nature are ugly but can win elections. That is what Dean represents and what the Clintons used to represent. Now the Clintons and their lunch clique are selfish bunch that are desparate to hold onto their power in the party at the expense of making it a minority that "cooperates" with the conservative GOP majority. If you doubt me on this one, hey we've lost 2 presidential elections because we were polite and friendly.
I am sick and tired of having to call myself a progressive like I am some sort of leftist freak that is unaware of the mainstream. My guy, Dean, is head of the god damn party in his role as chairman of the DNC. The DNC is not a faction, it IS the party and he was elected chairman not through coporate connections, but through that ugly populist movment that came from state party members from around the country that actually felt like they mattered again. In middle school jargon the Clintons and their DLC are the "in group" and Dean and the rest of the party represent rest of us that don't matter to the cool people. Problem for the Clintons is we all got together and kicked them out of the student council.
The people made their choice it is Dean. Nationwide democrats don't want more "clintonian moderation" they want to WIN ELECTIONS. Terry McCullife sucked as chairman. He lost two god damed elections on a platform of moderation and corporate finacial support. Now Obama is saying we need more of this? Gimme a break! It's time for the DLC to shut up and get in line with the mainstream of the party, Dean and the DNC.