Lets's face it, many of us on the left are not happy with President Obama. He has done some good things but he has had some problems that were of his own doing. A friend of mine posted to an e-mail list in which I participate about a new campaign strategy that we on the left side of the aisle could use for the election cycle that would acknowledge the unhappiness but stop short of staying home in 2012. I kind of like it because it matches my concerns.
Suppose that lots of us on the left half of the political spectrum
pulled together an independent campaign, not connected to the Democratic
Party. We set up an organization, raise money, recruit volunteers, print
buttons and bumper stickers and lawn signs and all that, organize
rallies and marches, spend money on media ads if we get enough to do
that. With this theme:
RE-ELECT OBAMA: THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS
A button or sticker: HOLD YOUR NOSE AND VOTE DEMOCRATIC!
some signs: OBAMA: HE'LL SLOW THE DECLINE
ENERGY POLICY: NOT QUITE AS HOT WITH OBAMA
CIVIL LIBERTIES: LESS LAWLESS GOVERNMENT WITH OBAMA
NO NUTS! NO NUTS!
VERY SLOW WITHDRAWAL FROM THE WARS
And so forth. Loudly and proudly giving faint praise to the Democrats
and the Obama administration, and urging everyone to get out and vote
for them, because the alternative is worse.
The best part (or maybe the worst) is that no one will be sure if we are
sincere. This is, after all, the exact argument that we have heard many
times before, FROM people in the Democratic Party, meant seriously.
However disappointed we may be with Obama and the Democrats, we must
support them, because we have no alternative. Third-party bids are both
useless and harmful. Primary challenges are almost as bad because if
unsuccessful they weaken the centrist candidate, and if successful they
put someone in the ballot who will lose the general election.
The only strange thing about this campaign would be that, though
everyone has heard this argument before, and may even have made it
before, always meant seriously, no one has ever said it loudly and
proudly. Perhaps if we do it, it will shame the Democrats into having
more spine.
I would really like to see this take root.