Could it be that war has been declared upon us and we simply have neglected to acknowledge it and reciprocate?
I mean, the Class War went on for years and years before there were many objections from "our side." And, of course, objections are always met with cries of "Class Warfare," as if actual class warfare isn't class warfare, but calling attention to it is.
Heck, even today many in the Democratic Party still think it's mostly fiction. They're happy to play in "the war" because, hey, no harm, no foul. Right?
I guess they think the three-decade-long income and wealth distribution charts don't apply to them.
Maybe they're just arithmetically challenged, like Republicans?
Or maybe, serious grown-ups like them think the Serenity Prayer means "if you know what's good for you, you'll lie down now, dog! Resistance is futile!"
And then of course there are no small number of other putative Democrats who are actively fighting the War on the side of the plutocrats. Large numbers, actually.
We used to call these kinds of people Republicans. These kinds of people used to call themselves Republicans. Now they're Democrats. Perhaps because they're vegetarians or don't mind letting their women have careers or think fluoridated water isn't such a bad idea? Go figure.
But I have to ask, at what point did we start welcoming people who basically agree with Mitt Romney on the 47%, overtaxing the rich, austerity and the need to cut the safety nets?
At what point do we conclude that these people are not simply ignoring the Party platform but in fact fighting against it and therefore against us?
I understand tolerance. I do. But when someone is swinging an axe at you or, say, the New Deal, doesn't tolerance become willful, self-destructive ignorance?
Because, I don't think the New Deal is something to tinker with unless you are clearly expanding it. And I wouldn't expect anyone but a Republican to even suggest doing so, much less actually propose to do so in writing.
I'm for Social Security, not the reinstatement of old-fashioned Social Insecurity. Yet we keep increasing the latter and now we have a proposal on the table for decreasing the former.
Social Security is not a pony. This blogathon alone proves that.
Yet we have "Democrats" who are basically telling us, once again, that we are over-reacting, demanding too much, and jumping the gun. We have been getting these bogus defensive maneuvers now for over four years. They have no interest in our point of view. They are no more willing to listen to us than the Republicans.
We wouldn't accept this if they were attacking gays or women's reproductive rights. Why the hell should it be acceptable for them to attack the 90%?
Look, war has been declared. Years ago. And some people in the Democratic Party, like Rahm Emmanuel, many others and now Barack Obama, are actively engaged in vicious combat against us. The pony-accusers will object, but I draw the line on passively allowing the disastrous concentration of income and wealth to continue, proposing that the safety net be cut for bogus "deficit" reasons, cutting spending when virtually the entire country is still in recession, and ignoring Climate Change and the supervision of the energy industry in cases like the Keystone XL pipeline and the endless oil spills.
We need to sever ties and return fire. Sure, maintain embassies, whatever, but manning a bunker with them and taking what is clearly intentional friendly fire is stupid.
I had a diary recently in which I talked about Social Security and Wage Slavery and the Class War and stuff, and I concluded with a poll asking people if they thought we ought to (I'm paraphrasing) a) continue to work with neoliberal Dems, b) fight the neoliberals for control of the Party, c) start a New Party or d) focus on direct action and other non-electoral avenues to real change.
Out of about 105 votes, something like 5 votes were for continuing to work with the neoliberals. So, among people inclined to read that sort of diary and vote in its poll, pretty much everyone came to the same conclusion as I -- that we were at war and we should act like it and not continue to cooperate with those who had taken up arms against us.
Again, as I recall, nearly 60% felt that we should fight the neoliberals for the Party, a handful thought we should start a new party, and about 30% thought we should focus on other potentially more productive non-electoral activities.
So that was one poll. And it suggests that that group of people is basically on the same track, heading away from the neoliberal barrage that is quite frankly cutting us to pieces. I point to the ongoing sorry-assed fate of the 90% as one of many exhibit A's.
Now that we are a couple more weeks into the sequester, austerity talk, proposed Social Security cuts, I'm wondering if anything has changed in terms of people's thinking. I'm guessing it hasn't, but I'll re-post the poll anyway.
Also, I'm wondering if people are ready to start talking more concretely about next steps. If it is a fight over the Party, as the last poll suggests most think it should be, how do we proceed?
Do we focus our resources on key battles, or do we contest every seat?
I think it's time to talk and get specific.
2014 is officially on the line.
|
DailyKos Blogathon -- Week of April 8th
(All times are Eastern, diaries published by the Pushing back at the Grand Bargain group)
Monday, April 8
10:00 a.m. Roger Fox
12:00 noon eXtina
2:00 p.m. Guest crosspost by Yves Smith
3:00 p.m. poopdogcomedy
4:00 p.m. Horace Boothroyd III
6:00 p.m. slinkerwink
8:00 p.m. joedemocrat
Tuesday, April 9
10:00 a.m. Guest crosspost by Bill Black
12:00 noon Livestream Event diary/Team
2:00 p.m. joe shikspack
4:00 p.m. Roger Fox
6:00 p.m. Priceman
8:00 p.m. TomP
Wednesday, April 10
11:00 a.m. Liveblog budget announcement press conference
12:00 noon Words in Action
1:00 p.m. bobswern
2:00 p.m. One Pissed Off Liberal (OPOL)
4:00 p.m. Puddytat
6:00 p.m. Tool
8:00 p.m. SouthernLiberalinMD
Thursday, April 11
10:00 a.m. Letsgetitdone
12:00 noon CitizenofEarth
1:00 p.m. Words in Action
2:00 p.m. Liveblog event diary
4:00 p.m. Unitary Moonbat
6:00 p.m. cosmic debris
8:00 p.m. angelajean
Friday April 12
10:00 a.m. Reserved
12:00 noon
2:00 p.m.
4:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m.
8:00 p.m. Reserved
|
|
1. Call your senators and representatives and tell them "Hell No!" with a priority on contacting senators. U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. You can find email contact information here
2. Contact the White House and tell them "Hell No!". Switchboard: 202-456-1414. Email contact page is here.
3. Petitions. There are a number of petitions available. Choose from the following or preferably sign them all.
a. White House petition calling for no cuts to Social Security.
b. AFL-CIO petition calling for no cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and calling for more jobs, repealing the sequester and ending tax loopholes for the wealthiest individuals and corporations.
c. Sen. Harkin's petition telling Pres. Obama not to cut Social Security.
4. Social Media. Share this diary and promote this blogathon on Facebook and Google+ using the buttons at the top of the diary. Send this out on Twitter and add the hashtags #HellNo and #NoGrandBargain.
|
|
|
Blogathon diaries you might have missed
Monday:
Hell No! #NoGrandBargain: "Pushing back at the Grand Bargain" by Roger Fox
Hell No! Chained CPI will reduce eligability for EITC #noChainedCPI by Roger Fox
Hell No! Dan Pfeiffer: "The President's Budget Shows That He is Serious About Solving Deficits" by eXtina
Guest Crosspost, Yves Smith: Obama Wants to Be the President Who Rolled Back the New Deal by Yves Smith via joanneleon
IA-Sen: Tom Harkin (D) Needs Our Help Telling Obama Hell No To The Chained CPI by poopdogcomedy
Hell No! Stop crushing the poor by Horace Boothroyd III
Hell, No! Social Security Contributes Nothing To Deficit by slinkerwink
Hell No! No Grand Bargain: Chained CPI: Social Security Means So Much To So Many by joedemocrat
Tuesday:
Bill Black: “Wall Street Uses the Third Way to Lead its Assault on Social Security” by Bill Black via joanneleon
Hell No! Livestream. Petition delivered to White House. Millions of signatures. 12:30pm by Lady Libertine
Hell No! No Grand Bargain. Are "Progressives" Destroying the New Deal? by joe shikspack
#HellNo ! #ChainedCPI : $65 billion income tax increase on working families #noChainedCPI by Roger Fox
Hell No! Chained CPI is a Cut. You Either Care About People or You Don't. by priceman
Hell No! No Votes or Money To Dems Who Vote To Cut Social Security. by TomP
|
|
