Having a House of Representatives and Senate with Democratic majorities is vital and this blog's chief aim. But .............. the type of Democrat that takes that office is of major importance too.
We now begin a season of deciding who will best represent the American people from each of our districts (Representatives) and some states (Senators and Governors). So that we can advocate and work to get these people in office, once we decide which ones measure up to what we need.
So I suggest we have a conversation about what it is we want in the people that will come to us and ask for our support in the coming campaigns. This is the most likely time we will have to get them to know what is important to us and what they think and are likely to advocate for in any new legislation. It matters what these people understand about our governance.
It is one thing to hear a candidate say they are progressive or centrist or any other number of labels that have vague meanings and can be deceptive. We all want better Democratic candidates in elections. How can we focus upon what matters to find the gooduns?
I propose that we take time to focus on not just the label but think about what it is we want to know from any candidate and what questions might give us a greater understanding of how they might govern. And in such a way that it leaves little up to the imagination of our own ideologies to fill in the blank spaces between what is actually said and what our candidates might mean and not want to say outright.
I am also aiming at avoiding Republican 'framing', which I believe has been so destructive in present day conversation about what makes our country great and how our policies are used and talked about.
To begin this, I want to step back in time to make some important points about what is facing us right now. This might give us some clarity about what we might need and some context for why returning to basics could build a better frame of reference, while we decide what we want to know about any candidates agendas. We can also 'frame' our questions around our nation's actual history.
Our Revolutionary War was fought to free the American Colonies from British rule over 3 basic issues, 1. taxation without representation, 2. rule without recourse to law and courts by the tyrannical Monarchy, 3. trade allowed only with the East India Company, which funnelled nearly all profits upwards into the upper class and left whole populations in poverty.
I see great parallels in our present situation regarding these issues. And depending on what a candidate believes about these issues might give us a clue as to how they would legislate on issues facing us right now.
- Taxation without representation- Is it not the people that are to benefit from the Federal governments actions, or is it commerce only? This is the function of the Congress, to divide up how to spend the collected money. What percentage of our money is spent to protect international corporations, and not on protecting this nation and its people? Or are they the same thing?
So how is it that a term such as 'entitlements' can even be tolerated when it is at the heart of how to join together and secure the society, that our Congress legislates? ie: education, healthcare, care of the aged,
- Rule of law under our Constitution and Treaties is paramount from our Executive, no exceptions. That includes spying on citizens without warrants, secret prisons, wars without a Congressional War Declaration, and directing those in his charge to honourably prosecute any who have violated our laws and Treaties. ect ect No one is above the law must again become one of our national mottoes.
- Trade through the East India Company- Globalism is the present day parallel, where not only America but also many other countries are 'managed' by international monopolies, profits are syphoned off to ultra wealthy investors and whole nations are left to live in poverty. And may I add, it is most important how our military is used. Is it used (not to protect us) to protect and insure near theft of other nation's resources and protection of the trade routes, which in turn does little for our nation's economy?
Of course it is this policy that has robbed America of living wage jobs and taken those jobs to nations where labour does not get its due pay, but a form of slavery, instead.
It is my belief that much of what is now our Government's policy is at odds with why this nation was brought into being. And these policies are indefensible and must be confronted.
I hope we can generate enough conversation to give us all ideas on how to question and choose better candidates this primary season. At least generate some worthy questions to ask and not allow the coming debates and speeches to devolve into pettiness that gives us little to go on.
Instead of picking candidates who water down policy far removed from our purpose and needs, who might ignore platform or candidates that are not confronting basic essentials of what freedom means to all of our citizens. Let us move forward with renewed vison and passion to take back our country from those that would corrupt and plunder.
We can begin again and we will, if we unite and find fellow citizens from among ourselves who are not ignorant of this nations goals and willing to fight for all our freedoms to continue perfecting our union.
This is the season to question candidates and choose who best to put up as a candidates to run against a Republican, find out if they are worthy and knowledgeable about what our society needs.............. We know that leaving it up to the DNC to choose is probably a recipe for not getting what we want.