I wish I had time to sit down and thoroughly research and write what I'm about to say, but I just don't. I'll keep it as succinct as possible...
In the tradition of Lakoff, I humbly submit...
The New PC language is here, heartily endorsed by the Rethugs, and eagerly picked up by misguided Dems...the same Dems who spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME worrying about the Nader candidacy. The same Dems who spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME giving the Swift Boat liars the time of day. The same Dems who are doing it again and again in the "post-election" doldrums.
We are doing it again. Letting the thugs drive the national discourse with talk of "values". We respond "we have values, too!" Score Thugs 1 - America 0
A little more after the fold...
We still talk of "fighting terrorism" when it's religious fanaticism we are fighting. The fanaticism is both at home and abroad. The abroad version are more bent on our physical death, while the homegrown variety works on our spiritual death. The Kerry campaign mentioned TERRORISM TERRORISM like the Bushies. They stayed within the Thug PC language. Score Thugs 2 - America 0
We are still letting the thugs use the wedge issues "Gays, Guns and God", as Big Eddie Schultz says on his Jones Radio Network show (NOT AIR AMERICA PEOPLE!). Everyone on this blog, lefty radio, etc, are all abuzz. Score Thugs 3 - America 0
*When are the Dems going to start to talk about what unites us as Americans? (I won't make a long list, but lets start with the biggies: Jobs, Family, Freedom to believe, A fair chance to succeed)
*When will the DLC decide to take the proactive lead in the American conversation? Stop the reactions to Republican talking points. The Thugs have a simple vision, with easy to market symbols. Instead of reacting to those, when are we going to make our own? Given, we are more reality-based, and see the complexities in the world. We still need to market the better product, and we suck at it. What's the product? What's the identity? Screw the Repub identity and discussing it. Let's discuss Dem identity and why it's the smarter, more morally sound, future choice.
* When will the 55 million of us who "voted against Bush" (another score for the thugs) get more active in the day-to-day democracy where we have a much larger and more active base? Personally, I'm doing a couple of things, some symbolic, some more procative. I put an American flag decal on my car this week. Think about it. I see a lot of people rejecting the symbol. Why? The new PC has stolen that symbol, and I think we need it back. It's one small thing, sure, but I think it's important. I'm also going to take an interest in opening up conversations with ALL of my representatives from the city, county, state and national levels. They have email. I have email. We might as well get to know each other and start a working relationship. I suppose the same is true of the local papers. I'll be writing more letters here and there.
Um, gotta stop there, but my point is...the election changed me and made me realize that the Dem party isn't going to change until I do. I'm going to change it, and I'm going to change my country and remind people the original values we started with and why they are necessary for our future.
The new PC language that the thugs are injecting must not be reacted to, we need, instead, to define our own language and work from there.
I know we'll do fine, but I hope we'll all start today.