Over the last few years there has been many a discussion about who is a Real Democrat and who is Republican-Lite. It's been hard to define because we Democrats embrace diversity and so we love the metaphor of the big tent. While some would argue that our tent is big enough to fit everyone, I disagree.
I've been an opponent of the centrist DLC types for quite some time and feel that our Democratic Party is better served by either converting them to Real Democrats or replacing them with Real Democrats when they come up for re-election.
But I've struggled for a simple way to explain to others what a Real Democrat is. It's always been there in my gut, but now I think I can finally sum up what a Real Democrat is in one sentence.
Real Democrats talk, act, and vote in a way that appeals to the Democratic Base.
If you want to excuse your words and votes by saying you need to appeal to independent or conservative voters, then you're not a Real Democrat. You're an independent. Thank you Joe Lieberman for realizing this and leaving the Democratic Party.
Nothing in this world is black and white, and I don't expect every Real Democrat to be perfect. But when you hear the Democratic base calling you need to pay attention and use some introspection to see if the direction you're heading is consistent with our Democratic values.
We too often hear Democrats excusing their words and deeds by saying that they need to appeal to independents or voters in their red districts. I ask you, Democratic Reader, do our Democratic values have such weak appeal that they can be dropped for political advantage? Are our Democratic values so nonsensical that we can't convince independents to support them?
I say bullshit! And I call all Real Democrats to call bullshit when they next hear a Democratic politician using this lame excuse for not voting in a way that appeals to the Democratic Base. Ask them why they are a Democrat if they feel Democratic values have such a weak appeal.
Thom K in LA
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That's my message. For those interested in discussing this further, I will include some information and experience that leads me to believe that not only is this a good litmus test for Real Democrats, but that it is also a winning strategy to ensure Democratic electoral victories in the future.
I'll start with the my most recent experience lobbying for a quick end to the occupation of Iraq. A group of us went to see Senator Nelson and we spoke with one of his staff members. What struck me most was when she said that no Democrat would vote to cut off funding for the war because they felt it would stir up the President's base.
BULLSHIT!
Would Real Democrats be worried about appealing to Republicans or Democrats? Do Real Democrats think that a Democratic Base energized by cutting off war funding would not be up to taking on a Republican Base? Do you think we'd get our asses whipped by the President's 28%?
The above excuse is similar to Nancy Pelosi's explanation about why impeachment is off the table. Do real Democrats base their actions on wanting to appeal to independent or Democratic voters?
And here's why being a Real Democrat is a winning strategy, no matter whether you live in a red, blue, or purple district. First, we can see that about the only people we hear asking Democrats to appeal to independent voters is the big-money Democratic consultants and the people who hire them (Democratic Washington Leadership). These are the same consultants with the losing records mentioned in Crashing The Gate.
Most recently Harold Ford seemed to follow this Republican-Lite strategy in Tennessee and we don't see him in the Senate today. However, we do see people like Webb and Tester who ran as Real Democrats and won!
I admit that I'm not the sharpest Democrat on Daily Kos. This realization has taken me several years to achieve after first hearing Governor Dean talk about mobilizing the Democratic Base when he was running for president.
"What you do is crank the heck out of your base, get them really excited and crank up the base turnout and you'll win the middle-of-the-roaders," Dean told US News and World Report. Dean reasoned that since swing voters share the mental model of both parties they will eventually go with whatever party excites them the most.
It's really quite simple isn't it? I don't know why it took me so long to realize it.