For the first time in a long time, I feel optimistic about the Demoractic Party and the future of this country.
What I saw last like was the next step towards not just putting a Democrat in the White House, but creating a reliable majority in Congress, putting our country back together and draining the last bit of neo-conservatism out of the GOP.
And that's a good thing.
Last week was an example of what makes Democrats different than Republicans. Democrats argue over how to best help people; Republicans argue over who's more macho. Democrats can disagree but act civil; Republicans can barely contain their hatred. Democrats talk about the value of humans; Republicans talk about "moral values."
In back-to-back nights, America got a chance to see what to expect from the Democratic and Republican Parties. And in the coming weeks and months, they are going to get more, way more than they ever wanted. It's up to political junkies and passionate voters like us to make sure that our brothers and sisters don't suffer an overload, but more on that later.
Right now, I want to see if I can articulate why I am so confident in the "Class of '09."
First: The Right-Wing is in full propaganda mode. Remember in 2004, when John Kerry and John Edwards were (coincidently) the two most liberal Senators in Congress? Well, guess what? That record has been dusted off and given a P. Diddy Sean Jean remix. If they think the average person fears the word "liberal" anymore, they need more help than I thought.
Second: Ron Paul is raking in the cash, and every dollar he gets is a message from a Republican-leaning voter that they are tired of this occupation war. That's why certain fake news programs and conservative websites have banned the guy like he's Voldermort. But mark my words, if Paul was carrying a Bible to every debate, he'd be the run-away favorite.
Third: The only mega outlet for their propaganda essentially abandoned them for George W. Bush years ago, and they are hurting.
But it's not like anyone can agree on a candidate, pick a card, any card, and it's a bust. Remember when the conventional wisdom was that it was the Religious Right, not the Conservative Media, who was going to splinter the GOP coalition? Nuts to that theory! Beck, Scarborough, Hannity and Limbaugh are determined to pull the party down with them...all the while, the party establishment is saying, "Go get your fucking shinebox." Or as Mike Murphy put it:
MR. MURPHY: There are--I think there's a mistake a lot of people make. There are a lot of conservative potentates with a mailing list or a radio microphone. They're important, but they don't rule the Republican primary. In the regular primary voter world, McCain has been very competitive with the conservatives. He never would've won South Carolina. So I, I think it's easy to talk to a small group of self-referencing potentates that talk about the conservatives as opposed to what conservatives are actually doing on primary day. And we're going to find out on Tuesday. And I think McCain will perform very well. And in a general election, I agree with Mary, there will be a unity behind it. Because it's a very simple decision for conservatives for a pro-life, leader on the war, fiscal conservative John McCain vs. Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. That's going to be an easy-as-pie choice for Rush Limbaugh and everybody else.
So sad; so very sad. And when your favorite tactic is creating division and fanning the flames of hate, and that tactic begins to get old, what do your do? You project. You waste time on issues that will not have an impact on the overall health, well-being, and productivity of the American People.
(Can I take an aside here? I love this comment from that ESPN story:
Are you kidding?!? The NFL gave the Patriots and Belichick the biggest fine in NFL history. Yet, somehow Spector still thinks he can use the anit trust exeption saying the league might still be corrupt? Sounds like someone is trying to win over some more votes in Philly with this grandstanding. Hey Spector, I made a sandwich for lunch yesterday. Do you want to get involved in telling me how to make that too?
See, this is the type of people that they are losing, and that we need to win...and the GOP is making it so easy. OK, I'm done)
One more thing: we are finally Quacking the Damn Duck, and it feels so good.
They are so desperate to put a wedge issue in the mix they'll make up anything now (like Democrats will let cats sexually harrass your daughters).
But we all know that behind every GOP attack, there's a sick, dark reason:
Now all of these happy shiny feelings come with a price: we'll only win with numbers. Not because we're right (we are). Not because our candidates are better (Our "worst" is 10x better than their "best"). It's because of numbers. What every hardcore Republican wants to keep secret is this: the average American doesn't mind helping their fellows. They'll give them a dollar or directions to the beach. They'll loan their neighbor that lawnmower. They'll carpool the kids to the game. And they're willing to give tax dollars if the programs it goes into actually helps people (as well as themselves) and doesn't line some rich guy's pockets.
If the Democratic candidates can convince people that their term will not be a bad sequel to "Bush II: Killin' 'Em Softly" then people will come out because they are sick and tired of being literally sick and tired. We know what the Republicans are promising: either an 80s Redux (Zombie Reagan, ya'll!) or Bush Lite.
We can promise so much more, but we will only win with numbers. Considering the crowds that all the Democrats have been gathering, the numbers seem to be there. We just need to make sure they stay there, and show up in November (regardless of who the candidate is).
After all, the cats can't fight this one on their own.