I like Harold Ford.
I respect Harold Ford.
I admire Harold Ford.
I can't afford Harold Ford and neither can you.
I say this with a heavy heart, because there was a time when I thought Harold Ford was the face of the future Democratic Party. My belief was challenged months ago on TPM Cafe. I had a hard time believing the critics then, but I believe them now. There just comes a point when you have to accept reality. Saturday morning at 2AM, reality bit me in the ass. This guy just voted to rip me (and you) off for $1,000.
Lest you think I am simply picking on Harold, or this is something personal, let me be clear. I don't know the guy. I never met the guy. For what it's worth, he is just one of 34 Democrats we need to toss out of congress. The list and rationale for inclusion on that list below the fold:
How they made the list
The 34 Democrats listed below all voted in favor of repealing the Estate Tax. These Democrats had a chance to side with citizens or oligarchs. These Democrats chose the oligarchs. You will be surprised to learn that 35 Republicans
avoided voting for this piece of crap legislation! If these Democrats had stayed true to their constituents, the legislation would be dead.
For the apologists who want to enable this sort of self-destructive behavior by making excuses like "they had no choice, the Republicans tied it to raising the minimum wage," let me clue you in on something. The legislation also allows employers to count tips toward meeting minimum wage increases, overriding state laws prohibiting that. When it comes to screwing folks that's a two-fer. First, it means you will see a decrease in your salary if you have a job that garners significant tips. Second, it violates the constitutional rights of states to control commerce that is entirely within their borders.
Redefining the "two party" system
I first realized how feeble the Democrat/Republican distinction was when Reagan convinced Boll Weevil Democrats to support his tax cuts by promising not to campaign against them in their districts. That's not cooperation, that's collusion. Over the last 25 years things have gotten worse.
The introduction of obscene levels of money, defended by Congress and the Supreme Court as a first amendment right of corporations, has transformed things to the point that our two-party system is better described as Incumbents and Everyone Else. People have been railing about this with little success for quite a while now. Lieberman and his supporters in the Senate are just the most recent and glaring example of this problem.
Why the Estate Tax is the Litmus Test
Support for the Estate Tax Repeal is a clear, concrete, and tremendously important example of what happens when representatives join the Incumbent Party and forget about the people who elected them. The consequences of this behavior are felt across the board. You see it in the quality of life. Health care, environmental protection, occupational safety, education, job security, and retirement benefits are all impacted by the looting of the treasury.
The bill would cost the federal treasury roughly $310 billion over 10 years. To put that in perspective, this is like doubling the debt due to our invasion of Iraq. For the two-faced Democrats who have the gall to place "debt clocks" on their home pages, this just added 1,000 bucks to every American's portion of that bill; that brings the new total to $29,000. You read that right. You own $29,000 of the national debt. Paris says "thank you"...actually she probably says "screw you" but for her that is equivalent.
Why they need to go.
These people epitomize the Incumbent Party's arrogance. They manifest a wanton disregard for the people they claim to represent. If we continue to support that, then we are no different than abused spouses who continue tolerating the beatings because they are afraid to stand up for their rights.
The Democratic Party needs to stand for something, or we will go for anything. Make no mistake, the oligarchs will take everything they can get.
Class Warfare Is Real
If you think that is the opinion of long haired liberal commie pinko fag pot smokers, then ask Lou Dobbs and Warren Buffet to stop bogarting the bong! Here's what they said a year ago!:
DOBBS:In other words, the rich people should [sic] pay more?
BUFFETT: Yeah. The rich people are doing so well in this country. I mean, we never had it so good.
DOBBS: What a radical idea. (note: the sarcasm of his delivery is not communicated in the transcript)
BUFFETT: It's class warfare, my class is winning, but they shouldn't be.
DOBBS: Exactly. Your class, as you put it, is winning on estate taxes, which I know you are opposed to. I don't know how your son Howard feels about that. I know you are opposed to it.
At the same week the House passed the estate tax, Congress passed the bankruptcy legislation, which they had the temerity to call bankruptcy reform, Democrats and Republicans passing this legislation, which is onerous to the middle class. Half of the bankruptcies in this country take place, because people fall ill, serious illnesses result in bankruptcy. Nearly half of the people involved. How do you -- you have watched a lot of politics. What is going on in this country?
BUFFETT: The rich are winning. Just take the estate tax, less than 2 percent of all estates pay any tax. A couple million people die every year, 40,000 or so estates get taxed.
We raise, what, $30 billion from the estate tax. And, you know, I would like to hear the congressman say where they are going to get the $30 billion from if they don't get it from the estate tax. It's nice to say, you know, wipe out this tax, but we're running a huge deficit, so who does the $30 billion come from?
DOBBS: And it is, it's $300 billion in lost tax revenue over the course of the next decade if the estate tax goes through.
You say the rich are winning. The rich are winning in some cases, because they are cheating.
The Golden Rule
James Carville made this issue quite clear with his famous slogan, "It's the economy, stupid!" A hundred years ago when W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington were wrestling with each other to define the vision of black enfranchisement for the next century, the argument basically broke down thus:
Booker T. Washington felt negroes needed to gain economic power first and that political power would follow. W.E.B. DuBois argued the opposite. DuBois won that fight. History shows Washington's strategy would have been better for black folks. If you doubt it, consider how many minority groups embraced Washington's strategy and stepped over black people on their way up the socioeconomic ladder.
The bottom line: Money talks, and the 34 Democrats listed voted to give $1,000 more of your money away to people worth more money than you will ever have.
Voting our Values
If we value democracy, equity, community, civic responsibility, responsive government, and fairness we have to defend those values. People who betray those values do not deserve our support. People who betray those values need to be removed from positions of authority. People who betray those values have no place calling themselves Democrats.
Time To Clean House
We need to start by getting our own house in order. We need to start with these 34 members who threaten the integrity of the Republic. It is not an overstatement to sharpen the issue and declare, "You are either with us or against us." The people have made their bed, it's our job to set it on fire.
"Democrats" Who Support Oligarchy Over Democracy
-------------
The time has come to be clear where we stand (hat tip to vickie feminist):
The Rich Already Have A Political Party. They Can't Have Ours Too!
