The most beautiful words in the U.S. Constitution can save Congress, in Article I, Section 2:
The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states
Congress can still be saved, but the struggle has to start now. The voters in the 2012 Democratic primaries in the various states can set the stage for the changes that can save Congress and again make it an instrument of some use to the people of this country. This can happen when the genuine progressives running for Congress get nominated and elected. To see this future, look at the recent past regarding the membership of the U.S. House of Representatives in the elections of 2006, 2008 and 2010.
George Bush began his second term in January 2005, with solid control of both Houses of Congress but ended his administration facing a Democratic Party renaissance, after, for Republicans, disastrous elections in 2006. Americans had enough of the Republican agenda. Obama's election in 2008 and the ensuing fights over Senate control opened the way to significant success for a lot of Administration legislative priorities. Despite Republican obstructionism, and worse, the new Administration stopped the free fall of the economy and reversed the trend of increasing unemployment, passed the 1st national health care program, passed a nuclear treaty, passed and implemented a national infrastructure reconstruction program. All this happened despite the country's deep economic wounds from the rampage of predatory Wall Street speculation and arbitrage that crashed the economy.
Then came 2010. There was a backlash as lackluster Democrats from coast to coast failed to overcome Republican lies about wanting to promote job growth and we got John Boehner put in control of the House. Blue Dog Democrats reaped their reward for their years of shilling for Wall Street and other anti-social interests, electoral carnage that turned dozens into elder statesmen, pundits, consultants, lobbyists, etc. overnight.
The Blue Dogs' replacements and the rest of the Republican Class of 2010 so misunderstood their own election and so overplayed their political hand that they have ineptly created an opportunity for a progressive political awakening in this country. The many attacks by Governors, Legislatures and Congress on unions, working families, women, students and minorities have resonated with the GOP's simultaneous doubling down on its unbroken devotion to the interests of the 1% at the expense of everyone else. They have focused public fears back onto the danger of continued Republican rule.
When OWS and the wider Occupy movement emerged, such a short time ago, a paradigm shift occurred in the American political conversation. Now it becomes more likely that 2010 was a blip, if perhaps a useful blip, given the devastation of the Blue Dogs. The outcome in 2010 was off of the chart of progress though, and once again Republican extremism offers the chance of a lifetime for American voters to improve Congress with new members riding in on a wave of progressive backlash to Republican extremism.
Men and women are running in Democratic primaries right now who need to win, both nomination and election, in order for America to have a chance at better government by a better Congress. These candidates unabashedly favor more tax justice and less corporate welfare, more stimulus and less austerity, more jobs and less coddling the 1%. These candidates are running strongly and with backbone on the value of government when it acts for the benefit of the middle class and those who aspire to rise to it. But for too long, the government has been playing for the other guys, the 1%, instead.
Some of these progressive candidates are on Daily Kos's own Orange to Blue 2012 site at ActBlue, like Darcy Burner, WA-01, Elizabeth Warren, MA-SEN, Donna Edwards, MD-04, and Brad Miller, NC-13. Others include Daily Kos's own Alan Grayson, FL-08, and the only progressive Democrat running for Congress in the district where this is written, Ilya Sheyan, IL-10.
No doubt many who may see this live in districts where there is no progressive choice. To them, I say, make sure. Check out everyone who has registered for nomination with your local election officials. The information is probably available online. Viable candidates will have websites with issue statements and other resources to figure out if any of them has the makings of a progressive running with backbone for the values that will help restore the American Dream.
Anyone who can't find a candidate in their own district should check surrounding districts. You may know people or have relatives who live where they can help nominate real progressives. Even if you live a long way away, you may be able to help by making phone calls or in other ways.
As soon as the holidays are over, campaigning hits full swing for these candidates. Find out what candidate is around who is worthy of your support on the basis of his or her willingness to pitch in to help produce a more progressive agenda in the next Congress. Post a comment to say who you like and why. Get involved. Time is wasting.
