From blue to Green to Independent, the only change that can work
I received an email this afternoon. It started out like this:
We came across a very brief obituary notice this morning, about a curious individual with a single word for a name, in an obscure newspaper of diminishing circulation and soon to cease publication altogether itself. The notice read:
Hope, a professional political campaigner and poster model of
Washington, DC, dead at the age of 26 months, from starvation and
abuse. No surviving close relatives.
Then, it went on to discuss how the president never had any intention of letting a public option pass, let alone single payer. It’s been a scam from the beginning and the Dems have been in on it. So what does a good progressive Dem do? How about, vows to never vote for a Democrat, or a Republican again? Can this work? I’m thinking that it has to.
As my brother-in-law told me, just the other day, historically, democracies do not last.
This may be the last stand.For their part the Democratic Party tied its wagon to a fundamentally corrupt health care bill, based on a secret deal made long ago by President Obama personally to kill off any prospect of a public option of any kind. So cynical was the deception in which Democratic members of Congress also conspired that while 51 Senators stated they supported a public option of some kind, after being forced into the procedure of reconciliation (which would only require 51 votes) the Speaker of the House further conspired to suppress even the very weak public option passed in her own chamber, so that those Senators would never have to honor their pledges.
Check out the facebook page and join a movement to change the political landscape. Our very democracy is at stake.
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Thanks for this. I’m officially changing parties today. No dem or rep will get my vote in November.
I consider myself a progressive, but also a realist. Crafting policy that will attract a majority of votes in either chamber is, apparently, not a pretty process. However, we should get what we can when we can. I believe at this time, what is about to pass the Congress on health care is about all we could expect. I, too, would like to see single payer. The reality is, there are not enough votes for that (even if Obama put all his political capital behind it). So, as they say, let’s not make the “perfect” the enemy of the “good.”
No point in promising not to vote for them — look up Duverger’s Law. Practically, the thing to do is to pick one local area (yours!) and get an effective third party — or a local party with no allegiance to the national or state parties and the ability to secede as needed — going *THERE*. Once you’ve got a stable organization at the local level (Vermont’s Socialists?) then you can go somewhere. Attempting to get too large too fast under a system which discriminates against you is what leads third parties to start compromising themselves into oblivion.
I saw the light late last year and switched from Dem to independent.
We elected a dem pres, we gave them a majority in both houses. But they had already cut the shitty deals that may come to fruition tomorrow. I’m with ladkiddo on this. If enough dems defect, the party may pay attention. Nothing else is working.
If enough Dems defect they may pay attention? No that simply means that the Dems or GOP for that matter simply have to cater to fewer in order to stay in power. Especially at the local level. Seriously - want leadership or Policy change in a party? Need to be in that party.
A new national party at the national level - will take a tremendous amount of resources. Scare resources in terms of money and personality (message). Recall Ross Perot, Mr 19%, didn’t win any states.
There is no need or requirement to pursue strategy of change through the party system. “Extra-parliamentary” social movements can be the catalyst for change. They have played that role in much of our recent history,
But folks have to be willing stand up and organize.
Yep - good point
“Historically Democracies don’t last” Um , what form of government “historically” does? Monarchy? Dictatorship? Government change over time - the key of course is the people. People can’t check out of the process. See, the very heavy lifting required to keep a democracy alive not can’t be seen as a burden but as an obligation.
finally, Let’s remember the most efficient form of government is a dictatorship.