This diary is done at the suggestion of teacherken from a comment I offered in his diary this morning. He wrote in response to an article by a person high on his list of respectable, dependable thinkers who seems to have lost hope in the ability of Democrats to change things, essentially arguing his resignation that there is little to differentiate between the two major parties in US politics, as has been argued by others.
Certainly many of us, who I trust do give a great deal of thought to politics, have felt similarly in the seeming inability of Democrats to really stand up to the GOP juggernaut of recent times. In any event, teacherken asks for ideas that may allay his concerns over this article, i.e., when someone this trusted by you begins to argue along these lines, it may be time to rethink some of the stands that you have developed and that have formed the background reasoning for much of what you say and do.
In my comment, I do not offer much to counter Carroll's words but do point to a list of possible actions that the Democratic Congress could take to alleviate those fears of a lack of differentiation. In other words, there is time and still a chance. While I am in no position to effect these actions, except as an individual in this democracy with a few connections, I think many will find these agreeable points of action (although, as teacherken points out, there certainly will be details with which to quibble).
After writing that, I came across this post at TPM that seems to boil all of this down to its simplest notion. More than anything else, what we want... what most of America wants... is to see Congress fighting. The public want the fight to be public. The public want to know that there is someone standing up for them in the face of the Bush White House. The public know something is seriously wrong with our country but can't put their finger on it. The public have personalized it in Bush, which is in no way an absolutely wrong impression. However, what they largely don't see, and this is probably the basis for their discontent with the Democratic Congress, is that the problems with the White House they can't quite detail are intertwined inseparably with the GOP representation in the Senate (and possibly one Senator from Connecticut).
They aren't going to hear this as a matter of fact from the press who feel their job is to represent it all as the usual partisan bickering and thus feel at their pontificating best in calling for less rancor so the people's business is addressed. It is up to the Democrats to highlight, in words and deeds that cannot be ignored by the preening insiders of the DC press corps, that the anger of the public is best directed not only at the White House but at all Congresspeople who continue in their deference to the White House. Name names if needed. Take to the Capitol steps if needed. Lead marches if needed. Call bullshit, out of order on the floor in the midst of a debate, when it is merited. Let the people know loud and clear who is doing the people's business and who is stopping that from happening. As long as they see it as a majority against one man, they are going to wonder why the Democrats can't get things done.
And, finally, the list (non-comprehensive, based on thoughts that hit me at that moment) - edited from the original because it did seem that I missed my own point and made it much more political than it needed to be, i.e., it seemed to make a partisan point rather than an American point:
...it is up to us, arguably the loudest voices on the Democratic side, to hold the Ds collective feet to the fire. I think it is reasonably clear that the nation had/has been moving to a nearly complete repudiation of Bush. However, the problems won't be fixed until the GOP under its current leadership, with its current governing philosophy is dealt its final nail in its proverbial coffin.
We must insist that, for the good of the nation, the Ds:
- continue to investigate and build on their evidence, keep nothing secret, and use it in compilation to prove the case that the GOP fails every time because they are too beholden to the monied interests and the anti-Constitutional forces within religious extremism;
- use the evidence to not only impeach, where practical, but convict; and, ensure that there are punitive actions that can be taken (eventually, so no pardons are available, which may rule out impeachment in favor of independent or special counsels) by those wronged to ensure that these people can never again profit from the scourge they have unleashed on this country AND are denied the obscene profits to date;
- undo the damage of systematic destruction of government for the people, by the people by instituting safeguards and monitors for elections, ensuring the safety of our marketplace, water, and other natural resources, as well as the natural aspects of our park systems; in other words, enforce government for the people by legislating full funding, full staffing, and specifying actions and authorities where this administration has fallen short (they're the executive, they are supposed to carry out what you say they are supposed to carry out);
- break the monopolistic hold of big business in our economy so that small businesses are again predominant and are able again to drive our economy into the future and create jobs, innovation, and leadership;
- introduce legislation to increase public transportation systems and usage, develop more and better pedestrian and bicycle routes in urban areas especially, and increase funding for research into alternate energy and transportation technologies;
- massively increase funding for education beginning with primary and secondary schools so we have a better prepared, more knowledgeable populace (including mandating competence in an area that I jump and scream about regularly - logic and critical thinking);
- start making lots of noise about the need for a national health care system to lay the ground and prepare the thinking of the public, i.e., undo the damage done by 30+ years of conservative rhetoric in service to the ownership class) for what must happen soon;
- start taxing the massive concentrations of wealth that have robbed the middle class of its prominent role in making this country great, denied opportunity that is supposed to be the hallmark of this country to millions of its own citizens, and stifle democracy as people are too busy trying to make ends meet to actually act on the problems they see and are, thus, shut out of having a voice like those affording lobbyists in DC; furthermore, include in any such legislation language referencing profit taking on what has been called vital and necessary for our survival as a nation, i.e., the Iraq war, as well as language which extends un- and under-taxed revenues and income that may have been moved offshore by individuals (with a threshold that doesn't target small-timers) and, most importantly, corporations; and,
- be prepared for little of this to get past the Oval Office, if it even makes it through the Senate, and use this to constantly shout from the steps of the Capitol that the GOP doesn't care about your kids, are intent on continuing the class war they started years ago with tax policies favoring the rich, have allowed the rich to walk while your children inherit a massive bill for the wars carried out in your name, and have seeded the government with such corruption and incompetence that it will take a long time for America to recover its strength and dignity so we better get started now.
In short, I have hope if the Democratic presidential candidates AND the Democratic Congress have the strength of character to stand up and repudiate relentlessly not only Bush but also the GOP and, at the same time, insist that they will not allow a Ford-Nixon moment of alleviating a mythical national trauma and will seek to impeach, prosecute, and penalize to the fullest extent of the law those who have set a course for destruction of all the things that made America great... first and foremost, our Constitution.
If the Ds don't stand up and keep fighting and make open what they discover and promise legal action on behalf of America and its Constitution, I will assume the same as Carroll, "What's the dif?"
Obviously, some of this may require repudiation of a D here and there. So much the better to beat down cries of partisanship... as long as their reasoning is given airing. If they have legitimate concerns, great. We'll all be better for it. If their concerns are based on bad logic and bogus talking points, so much the better for the Democrats if they can be seen slapping it down and calling it what it is.
America wants a fight and they don't want another one overseas. They want to see concentrated power being curtailed by forceful representation of their interests and they NEED to see what has been done in their name, who did it, why it was wrong, and how it was made worse than it ever needed to be. And, most importantly, they need to know who is responsible.
A public airing of dirty laundry accompanied by public chortles calling attention to where that laundry is dirty, who is responsible for making it dirty, who lacked the competence to clean it up in the wash, and how they have left all of us with the bill for the bad clean up as well as requiring us to purchase a new wardrobe, will be better than anything for the future of America and the beauty of her Constitution.