To recapture the debate in this country, we have to admit we are not like everyone else.
Finally, I think I understand the next move. Its nothing new - Kos has been talking about it forever. Howard Dean gets it too, but I didn't. It all goes back to too Tip O'Neil: All politics is local. We have to recognize that the country does not think the way we think. I'm not referring to liberal vs. conservative. I'm referring to political groupies and policy wonks, and everyone else.
I haven't posted a diary in at least a year because I couldn't see the next move for progressive movement to take. I've read so many posts on framing issues, so many posts on trying to re-fight lost battles and rerun lost elections, so many posts screaming for impeachment, so many posts complaining about the media, and posts getting mad at the country as a whole for electing the Republicans and giving them carte blanche to remake our government to serve their purposes. So many dairies that to me feel one big echo chamber telling us what we already know. It just doesn't seem productive, and there must be something productive in all this. The problem is that no one cares about this stuff but us.
It doesn't matter who was on Sunday talk shows - no one really watches them anyway. It doesn't matter what Fox news says - its ratings are even smaller. Even the Times and the Post mean nothing unless you are political junkie. I think this whole SCLM thing is a boogey man we created so we can blame someone for something. Except for Presidential Elections, people don't choose candidates based on media impressions, or policy or what happens in the Beltway.
I'm convinced that the only way to change the direction in this country is retake Congress. Despite the fact that right now all polls show that the nation disapproves of the way Congress is running things, voters tend to reelect their representative. The reasons are not for their vote on a certain judge, or funding for Iraq, or the bankruptcy bill or any issue that makes us jump up and down around here. They are voting for their representative because that person got a bridge built over a small stream somewhere. They are voting for that person because the local college got a grant to study something. They are voting for that person because tax breaks allowed a business in town to expand.
I'm glad to see that the DNC is serious about a 50 state strategy. By building up organizations that can win elections on the local level, the groundwork is put in place to move on to congressional and statewide races. Then, once Congress has changed, hopefully they will do the things that are important to us wonks: progressive taxes, environmental protection, balancing the budget, etc. If we around here really care about these issues, we have to do everything we can to help on the local levels because these issues will never be the ones that win elections.
This is not to take anything away from those people on here who have been doing wonderful investigative work and those keeping little noticed stories alive. It's the watchdogs like these who are keeping this administration even partially honest. Defense against the Republicans is important, but its also important to come up with the correct offensive plan.
