When You Complain About "The Democrats"

[babylonsister]

http://www.openleft.com/diary/19164/when-you-complain-about-the-democrats

When You Complain About "The Democrats"
by: DaveJ
VIDEOS AT LINK~
Mon Jun 21, 2010 at 09:00


Here is why it is so important to vote: Darrell Issa has eye on subpoena team,

Rep. Darrell Issa, the conservative firebrand whose specialty is lobbing corruption allegations at the Obama White House, is making plans to hire dozens of subpoena-wielding investigators if Republicans win the House this fall.

The plan is to bankrupt everyone in the government with lawyer fees and tie up the administration so they can't get anything done. The accusations, lies and smears will dwarf the Clinton-era and the slime will destroy people's faith in government and democracy. That works for them. It helps put the big corporations in charge.

Imagine what this country will be like if this new breed of teabagger Republicans gets back in power in even one House of the Congress!

We can complain that Democrats didn't legitimately investigate Bush-era corruption, war crimes, torture... We can complain that they held no one accountable after Bush left office for the corruption, lies, war crimes, even torture. We can complain that some - even many - Democrats have not stood up for us against the wealthy and powerful.

BUT when you complain about "the Democrats" you are misinterpreting the problem in a way that misdirects you from the necessary action to solve the problem. The problem is SOME Democrats, not THE Democrats.

Are you complaining about Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, for example? Take a look at this Daily Kos diary that was top-rec'd over the weekend, Sen. Whitehouse EXPLODES! "America . . must never be on it's knees before Corporate Power"!

(T)his American Government of ours should never be on its knees before corporate power, no matter how strong. It should never be in the thrall of corporate wealth, no matter how vast.

And what about Rep. Alan Grayson? He's a Democrat..

So you may be getting my point. We need to get rid of BAD Democrats, and we need to work hard to bring in more Democrats like Whitehouse and Grayson!

[Donnachaidh]

1. When does Issa come up for re-election?

This swine should be put on a masterlist of pukes that need to go, and the Dems should work hard to get rid of him.

[Pirate Smile]

8. He's in the House - up for re-election every 2 years.

[mike_c]

2. there is considerable risk of going too far in the OTHER direction...

...and allowing respect for some democrats to give cover for all democrats, including the ones who do not serve our best interests.

We always rail about the idiocy of conservative rank-and-file voters who consistently vote against their own best interests. The underlying premise is that they need to identify their real interests and vote for politicians who will serve them, regardless of party, because inevitably those politicians who DO represent their interests are much more liberal than conservative rank-and-file voters like to acknowledge. They end up voting for dems, more often than not, if they put the real interests of the people first and not act as proxies for the ruling class.

The same is true of supporting conservative members of the democratic party. They simply do not serve the best interests of the people most of the time. They work for corporations, for the MIC, and for their own personal power and only marginally for the best interests of the people themselves. They are perhaps somewhat better in office than "republicans," but not significantly so. But they are "democrats," at least in name, even if they betray democratic principles.

Party lock-step gives those politicians cover to betray the interests of their constituents. There is a real danger that demanding party loyalty will simply enable those sorts to hold on to power and continue to damage the very political party that affords them protection. That's not a rational way to watch out for the peoples' business, IMO.

[zipplewrath]

9. The further right the GOP moves

the more room there is for people to be democrats, very right leaning democrats. The "loyal minority" is vastly better for this country when it isn't so far away from the "majority".

[Oregone]

3. No such thing as "BAD Democrats"

The party defines the platform and supports the candidates. They would not be in office without party support. Attacks against any Democrat is therefore an attack against the established party that puts them there. Period

This probably falls under "Inappropriate attacks against Democrats"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8603151&mesg_id=8603151

You need to self-censor that line to comply with site policies.

[mike_c]

4. I don't believe I'm reading this....

Joe Lieberman, is that you? :rofl: Arlen Spector? Zell Miller? Blanche Lincoln? Diane Feinstein?

Nope, no bad democrats at all!

[Oregone]

5. "Joe Lieberman, is that you?"

Please self-censor

"Suggesting that any group of DU members are not Democrats, liberals, or progressives"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8603151&mesg_id=8603151

[Barack_America]

10. Wow.

[Junkdrawer]

13. That's how I read the new rules too....

Suggesting any Democrat, but especially President Obama, operates with "bad faith" is grounds for post locking. And repeated post locking is grounds for banning.

Soon, we'll all self-censor - or move on to a different forum.

[Sebastian Doyle]

6. Problem is that the corporate whore media

Pretends that there is no difference between Alan Grayson and Ben Nelson. And if you see a "Democrat" on a corporate media TV show, 99 times out of 100, it will be a Ben Nelson/DLC/Blue Balled Coward type.

But wait. That's not the worst part. The worst part is that the Nelson/DLC/Blue Balled Coward types are actually called "Liberals" by the whore media. So not only do the "average middle American people" not get to hear much from Dennis Kucinich, Alan Grayson, or any other REAL Democrats, they get told that the "Liberal" agenda of Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberdouche, Blanche Lincoln, and Rahm Emanuel is to blame for everything wrong with the country.

At least that last sentence is half true. They ARE to blame, but they are NOT Liberals. There hasn't been a remotely Liberal agenda implemented in this country since 1980, and even that is arguable. The energy policy, and the idea of actually working for peace, as opposed to perpetual war, in the Middle East certainly meet the definition.

[quiet.american]

7. That is indeed the bigger picture. Add to that Paul Ryan in line for chair of the House Budget Cmte.

Seriously, check out the GOP's current "blue-eyed boy" Paul Ryan and his Roadmap for America. If it doesn't scare the bejesus out of you, you may want to check to see if you still have a pulse.

This headline from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' study of Ryan's plan succinctly sums it up:
The Ryan Budget's Radical Priorities Provides Largest Tax Cuts in History for Wealthy, Raises Middle Class Taxes, Ends Guaranteed Medicare, Privatizes Social Security, Erodes Health Care
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3114

[EFerrari]

11. Darrel Issa is a menace and he needs to go down.

And/but, it can't be easy to enlist good liberal Democrats when that wing of the party is insulted and undercut every week or so by Rahm et al. Who wants to walk into that?

This is the "bad apple" argument. Yeah, there are bad apples. But the larger concern is the culture that allows them, imo.

[Rex]

12. Mircosoft perfected the art of litigation; keep it in court until the offended party

dies of natural causes.

[bvar22]

14. I never complain about "The Democrats".

I only complain about "The Centrist Democrats"
or
The "Moderate" (Republican) Democrats
or
The DLC Democrats
or
The Corporate Owned Democrats
or
The so-called "Democrats" from the Republican Wing
or
The Anti-LABOR "Democrats"
or
The "Centrist" Democratic Party Leadership
or
.
.
.
.
"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans."
---Paul Wellstone