These are very rough economic times, and everyone knows it. As Democrats, we need to make clear where our priorities lie. We also need to keep it simple.
So here it is:
We will not support any incumbent Democrat who does not agree to:
1) End the Bush tax cuts.
2) Cut at least $100 billion from the annual military budget.
3) End combat operations in Afghanistan by Obama's announced date of 2014.
That is where we draw our line in the sand. Things are looking bad for the short-termand the long-term. If we want to retain any semblance of a social safety net, we have to articulate how to pay for it. Any good Democrat simply has to prioritize the poor, the elderly and other struggling groups, like students, before we support endless wars and tax cuts for the rich.
Frankly, I don't think those three bullet points go far enough, but we have to start somewhere. I've hated the war in Afghanistan since Day 1, but given the military's propensity to adjust timelines indefinitely, asking Democrats to stick with Obama's stated position seems fair. Finally, I did not include "closing corporate loopholes", because I don't know how we'd ever do that given the army of lobbyists and tax lawyers these corporations employ. That's the cynic in me, I guess. If someone can explain a specific loophole that's simple to close, I'd love to hear it (and support it!).
How do we "adopt" these three positions, seemingly powerless as we are?
1. Articulate them to Democratic incumbents at town halls and through phone calls.
2. Support primary challengers who adopt these principles against those who do not.
3. Hold our noses and vote for Democrats who do not adopt these positions (if you so desire), but not volunteer or donate to such candidates.
The flip side, of course, is that we have to get the backs of good Democrats in these harsh times. I'm from New York City, where the entire Democratic delegation (save the hapless Rep. Meeks) voted against the Debt Ceiling bill. I thanked them all the next day. They deserve that much- most of the delegation has stellar voting records in general. Because these are, sadly, considered "liberal" positions, we must fight vigilantly for good Democrats who support them.
At the end of the day, America doesn't have enough money to satisfy core Democratic and core Republican principles. So let's support core Democratic principles.