'Evening Folks.
I have a few personal thoughts to share.
We are here to get Democrats elected to public office. That is the only way to start the healing process and minimize the scarring resulting from the wounds inflicted by the NeoCons and their enablers. On that point we can agree. I hope. We cannot create change until we are in a position to make changes happen. That should be our mantra.
But we seem to get distracted quite easily, to the delight of the very NeoCons we hope to defeat.
We like to fight/snipe/get snippy among ourselves. While this might be satisfying, it does give ammo to the enemy. There is no sense in getting nasty. We agree on far more issues than not. We should concentrate on those points. We should lean on the candidates to define themselves to us. Not let our squabbles define us to the NeoCons. And allow the NeoCons to define us to the greater public.
We can be very "one-issue" to the detriment of the larger picture. Everybody is entitled to their priorties. Of that there is no question. Then again, we can allow more Republicans to get elected because our nominee did not come out strongly on our pet issue. We lose sight of the goal.
Danger Below The Fold.
Into the lion's den:
Did you ever see the photos from a Pride Parade? I will defend loudly anyone's right to celebrate their gender preference, their gender identity and any personal choice they might make in any way they choose (as long as it doesn't involve children and other species). Make no mistake about that. But...(and you knew one was brewing) consider this: Pictures of women dancing topless on floats, pictures of members of the "leather community" strolling down the streets of America in seatless chaps, and pictures of people in vinyl masks may seem like perfectly natural exuberance to us. And they scare the living hell out of a lot of Americans who may otherwise vote with us. Put yourself in the place of an average parent trying to raise a family. They might have voted for the Republicans before but have been shamed by the latest antics of the White House. They are tending to the Dems in this cycle because they can no longer abide the corruption. And we scare them away. Because they see their kids on those floats in that parade.
We already know that our message will get lost in the sensationalism manufactured by the wonderful members of the press.
We need their votes. Intellectually, probably they can stand with us. But on an "it's about our kids" level, we make them think twice. Remember, these are people who have a hard time discussing hetero sex. Variations on a theme might give them nightmares. By no means do I suggest that anyone should get back in the closet, but we don't have to swing from the lamp posts either. For now.
Another big thing: Reproductive Rights. Ok, it's a giant thing. I would rather have a President who was not strongly Pro-Choice than one who was strongly Anti-Choice. I am strongly Pro-Choice. I see no justification to legislate anything so personal to half of the population. I see no reason to allow the government to, in essence, own the bodies of my wife or my sisters. But I do not believe that any Democratic nominee would take active steps to block a woman's right to make her own choices. Perhaps one or another might not offer legislation to insure it, but surely they would not block it. Maybe we can back burner this issue until we have a chance to put force into the law. And we cannot do that until we are in a postition of power. We cannot steer until we get out of the back seat. Fighting about it today will not affect how the laws are applied today.
In no way, shape or form do I intend to minimize this issue. It is important to me. But I can bite my tongue and keep relatively quiet until we get a Congress and a President not afraid to tackle this in a positive way.
On the Israel/Palestine debate there seems to be no compromise available here. Are we wasting our time and energy getting involved so heatedly?
Do we really care who's blog gets rotated out of the Prime Time Lineup? Do we really care if someone thinks that their use of profanity is integral to their message and that the message will be tragically diluted if the words are altered?
OK. I'll admit that the "foreskin holocaust" issue is entertaining, but not very productive until some candidate tips the balance.
We should concentrate in the issues on which we agree and with which the majority of America agrees. Iraq, health care, the widening income gap, domestic disaster relief, sane energy policies, sane environmental policies, restoration of our international image, reasonable and humane immigration policies, separation of the church from the state, election finance reform, a sufficient minimum wage, a workable school system, real, honest-to god science, contraception education, governmental transparency and draining the corrupt NeoCon swamp festering for the last seven years.
Ain't that enough to work on?
We as a community have finally dragged the party to the path the leaders should have been walking for years. We have forced them to recognize that they represent us and we will be neither ignored nor lead like sheep. The more united our voice and the more truthful our message, the more we disarm the NeoCon Noise Machine and strengthen our national faces.
And we prove to the electorate that we have what it takes to lead America back to the light.