You know politics. You know that America has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. You know that over 10% of american black males aged 20-39 are in jail. You know that with over two million americans in jail, the USA has more prisoners than any other country.
And if you're a member or a supporter of the Democratic party, you don't care. It's an inconvenient fact you're happy to ignore. Any member of the Democratic Party who engages in serious discussion of this problem is ousted from the Party.
You've already started to dismiss me as crazy. Right now, you're thinking: "You're exaggerating ! Things are not that bad. Only the Repuglicons do stuff like that ! Never my noble Party. The Democratic Party would never crush dissent by ousting those who speak out about embarassing issues !"
Do you, like most Daily Kossacks, have faith in the democratic Party ? Do you tend to endorse the talking points of Party leaders such as Dean without much second thought ? Ask yourself, are you a devout follower of the Party ? If you are, read no further. What I'm going to say is going to be lost on you if you are blinded by faith.
I assume you're well informed about the politics of incarceration, the prison industry and the war on drugs. If you need a refresher, use google and read up on the topic.
It all boils down to the war on drugs. Over half of all american prisoners are in prison due to drug-related offenses. The war on drugs is the direct reason why over 1 million americans are in jail.
Therefore, any discussion about the prison population will quickly transform in a discussion about the war on drugs. And in the Democratic Party, this sort of debate is taboo. Any Party member who questions the war on drugs quickly finds himself silenced. He will never rise to any position of power, unless he keeps his mouth shut.
Top Democrats tell you that the Party cannot be seen as soft on crime. The Party cannot appear to be soft on drugs. There can be no public discussion about reducing the intensity of the war on drugs.
If you don't shut up about the war on drugs and the american Prison State, you'll hurt our democratic Party. You'll destroy the Party from inside. It's because of those pseudo-democrats who are soft on crime that the Repuglicons are in power today.
Most people who vote for us Democrat Partisans are normal americans: they hate drugs and they hate criminals. They have been told how evil drugs are, and they want to see them destroyed. We need them to keep voting for us Democrats. Unless we keep them loyal to the Party, we'll have no chance of winning. For the Party, victory is life.
Let's put you, a proponent of reducing the prison population, in a position of public power. We'll finance your campaign, we'll get you elected. You'll have the support of the Party, and that'll get you in a high office within 2 years.
Before we spend millions on you and let you use the banner of the Democratic Party, we have to make a deal. You can't talk about the two million americans who are rotting in jail right now. If you want to talk about jails, talk about building more of them.
If you ever talk about reducing the prison population, we know what will happen. Somebody will ask "Why are so many americans jailed ?" and the answer will be "the war on drugs". Then, Repuglicon enemy will spin facts around and the Party will look soft on drugs, soft on crime. That'll cost us millions of voters.
For the sake of the Party, do not debate or discuss the american Prison State. If you don't shut up, the Republicans will have won.