United We Stand, Divided We...?
I think it's about time someone started asking that basic question.
It's not enough to know that a vast majority of the American public supports things like socialized healthcare, minimum wage increases, and a higher minimum wage, and for sure the Green New Deal.
It's not enough to know that those who support the GOP are about to turn us into Venezuela, or that their positions have been so extreme, racist, dishonest, and ignorant that the word 'GOP' might as well be 'Goober Party.'
But it's time for Democrats to stop running away from that question.
Of course, not a single person will vote for a Democrat if they're afraid of the idea that it might be one of the 'D's (Democrats), and so that's what the Democrats must say is true.
Now, I'm not holding my breath for such a radical proposition to be adopted anytime soon.
I've often suggested that Democrats would do better if they ran as 'The Independent Party.'
Of course that would just give Republicans the power of definition, by calling every Democrat who isn't as extreme as they are 'independents.'
Let me suggest another possibility.
Let's call them 'People's Republic Republicans.'
It would be more accurate, and it would certainly have a stronger sound bite, wouldn't it?
And it would send exactly the right message to the people who are still so pissed off by the lies that were told after the 2010 election that Democrats and Republicans worked together, and the Republicans were for whatever was popular in that moment.
It would tell those people that they have been lied to again and again by Republicans.
It would let them know that anyone who has voted for a Democrat is not a hypocrite, but a person who wants to work for a better country and a better future.
It would mean that those that think the 'good times' Democrats have been talking about are no longer in the cards, can still get something very valuable out of the system: a chance to see what the country would look like with a Congress that was not controlled by the Republicans, or in fact, controlled by anyone but themselves.
Of course, there are a lot of people who will reject the idea of voting for the "People's Republic Republicans."
In that case, they need to recognize that Republicans have been telling them that they are not represented by the Congress, and so if they are still not represented by any party, then they should make a new one, and start all over again.
Again, it's time to get to the bottom of why so many people support the GOP.
It has nothing to do with racism. The people who oppose the GOP aren't just liberals or progressives. They include some conservatives and some libertarians. The GOP is about power, not racism. It's about money and a whole lot of other things, but not racism.
Yet the more and more it gets discovered that the people who vote for the GOP have no excuse, there will be fewer and fewer people who can bring themselves to support them, or even pretend to like them.
No longer can the Republicans count on a majority to continue to support them in just about any measure.
In some ways that is a huge opportunity.
But the fact that they do not realize what the future holds is a bit scary.
It means that they really haven't woken up to the fact that, despite the lies, the GOP has become an enemy of the people.
A big reason I'm so optimistic about this, is because once I realized that Republicans have no shame, I stopped expecting any good from them.
It means that if anything good does come out of this experience, it will not be because of them. It will be because of their opposition.
And that is precisely what Republicans believe as well.
If it's in their best interests, they'll do everything they can to shut Democrats up. But just because the GOP wants something to happen doesn't mean that it will.
This whole thing is like a lot of people. In so many ways, they are 'all talk, no action.'
We're the ones who have to work to get a more just world, instead of just talking about it.
We're the ones who will have to build that world.
I don't think the GOP is really serious about blocking change. They probably have no idea what they are doing and why they want to do it. That's what makes them so dangerous.
I also don't think that they are afraid of what we might do to them. They have no fear of losing, and therefore no reason to talk about compromise. They have no reason to show any mercy.
No one should fear us, nor the force we can bring to bear, as long as we don't use that fear to stop ourselves.
At least, I can say that I haven't in the past.
And I think that if we show them that we are serious, and do whatever it takes to get what we need for the future, we will change the world.
They have to know they can be beaten.
This is a fight.
The GOP is a fight.
And we can win.
The question is, will we let them change us into a bunch of bigots and hypocrites?
Or will we fight back?
As many have noted, just about everything the GOP supports is already in place in this country.
We just need to organize around the principles we know must be in place, and fight to restore those principles.
And we need to make sure that any new Congress includes people who will stand up for the majority of this country.
Until then, we need to run as if we're going to win, while not letting our Republican opponents see how scared we really are.
Monday, February 11, 2019
Of course, the Republican Congress will do what it always does, is to act as if they are the law.
Of course they will also try to make themselves look reasonable, but it doesn't matter what the other side says or does, because the only thing Republicans believe is that they are right.
Well, except for a couple of other things that they consider to be very, very important.
It's not enough to support the Republican agenda, they must brag about how they have 'saved the country' from Democrat intrusions that were bad for it.
They must make sure no one remembers that they were doing their best to shut down government, and making themselves look so extreme that they were about to bring it down on the heads of the country.
They must make sure that we never understand that any of the chaos we have had to deal with was created by them.
They must make sure that we all forget that.
So just as they will talk about 'keeping America great,' they must also convince everyone that they are looking out for those who are not able to be on their own.
It's not enough to have control of the media. They must always seem to be in the right, and never wrong, even when they are the ones who have lied.
It's not enough that they can spend money that doesn't exist, and make decisions that are disastrous to our futures without any concern for the fact that the bills are unpaid and the debts of this country are piling up.
For those people who think that, 'It's time for Republicans to act like adults and govern responsibly,' I want to thank you for the support.
This has nothing to do with responsibility. They won't hold any office, and they don't need any public approval. That's why they are still in control.
I want to thank those who think the GOP has already lost all reason and are willing to listen to the possibility that we need to work on ways to keep them in check.
Of course, it isn't going to happen.
They will continue to be bullies and we have to show them who is really in charge. They are still going to insist that they can do whatever they want.
And that is just fine with me. Because I am ready to put all of the energy I have into making sure they keep doing what they are doing.
And they will do everything they can to make sure they can keep you quiet, as long as you go along with them, and try to get them to see why they should shut the hell up.
Oh, and they'll make sure you know exactly what that means.
If anyone thinks they are going to change now, they're living in a different world.
Just ask the people in Puerto Rico.
If anyone thinks it's bad now, wait until the Republicans finally get enough power to get away with what they want, in the full light of day.
That is coming. That will come. And by then, the Democratic Party will have had years of practice in building an alternative to the GOP, which we'll also have to spend money on, so we'll be ready to fight.
Friday, January 25, 2019
I was thinking about politics recently and how politicians of all stripes often avoid talking about their real goals.
No one talks about their real goals.
They talk about stuff they think will make us vote for them.
But for all of the time and money spent telling us what they really want to do, how often do they actually tell us what they really think?
People think they care about equality, but then they vote against every proposal that would help it. They vote for policies that will move us further and further away from anything that seems positive to those who look for real equality in our lives.
It isn't just
