SOLIDARITY | RE-CONNECT
..a joyless laugh though with real regret, but
also real hope of something learned with renewed resolve.
The clear message taken from this midterm election comes in Four basic parts (there are other variables - imo) that I'll be using as a guide | my compass moving forward:
1) That a party with an agenda that no one wants or would accept or openly admit to, can win elections (even if they run based on deceit with zero solutions) by rhetorically mimicking the populist progressive themes of their opposition -> The Dems - the party with a platform that the strong majority of people on the most important issues throughout the country actually support; both in red states and blue states and everywhere in between. (please see the 'Every single populist issue'* links a bit below)
2) That part number one is greatly aided if the politicians elected to represent the peoples party; the Democrats, the party that a strong majority of people agrees with on issue after issue, remains silent and/or cowed.
3) That republicans/ "conservatives" know full well what people want on economic issues and will' rhetorically' run on the Dems populist progressive agenda which is supported by a strong majority of all people, by usurping Dems language while actually doing the opposite if Dems let them get away with it.
4) The GOP is in deep political trouble if it does not 'appear' to be willing to work together with Dems after years of obstruction. They have a lot to prove. Mitch McConnell's first national address after the election was a complete back-flip from the prior 6 years of obstruction. Obstruction that McConnell made absolutely clear was "his main job..." Yet in reality there will be no compromise. Ever. We now know this. Not with Ted Cruz rwnj's. So Dems stand strong against the RWNJ's. Politically, the GOP need to appear to be willing to compromise now. We Dems do not. Been there. Done that. Proven it. Dems have over-proven their willingness to move to the right and that can and should be over now.
Example of republicans running on Dems progressive agenda: Scott Walker did it pretending to support equal pay (but in fact repealed equal pay law), or Cory Gardener (who pretended to support immigration reform that Gardner - anti "amnesty" - himself is dead set against
Something to remember especially now witnessing the spin being adopted in the MSM that winning by lying is "just politics" - hardball; selling the message that Dems economic populist agenda was being judged and found wanting, with the winners (R) still promising "Root & Branch" slash & burn remedies.
Dems agenda was found wanting?
What a sad load that is. Democratic agenda of economic populism judged and rejected?
Not even close.
The GOP ran on the Democratic party platform in their rhetoric on every issue that they could. Any issue with which they were incapable of masking their political malfeasance sufficiently by feigning support, they went back to their standard of lying, fear-mongering and sowing racial discord and whenever possible throwing in a god-fearing Christianist slant as their answer - see: James Inhofe on tar sands/Climate change
Two issues among many, that the GOP fell short of tricking people into believing they supported comes to mind; allowing people access to healthcare. Health care reform - PPACA; and raising the minimum wage.
The republicans were unable to fabricate a lie big enough that didn't clash head on with their pseudo - "conservative agenda. So they made shit up. "Death Panels" etc. or a living wage for folks is a "job killer". More lies in service of their 1%er "betters" the GOP cater to.
Today, "Obamacare" is making a come back as a propaganda attack tool. The GOP let it go prior to the midterms where it would hurt them as they realized that threatening to snatch back health care from millions of people was a losing message and politically dangerous. Note:Dem politicians could have stopped the GOP from freely using PPACA - "Obamacare" as a tool but too many remained silent and the GOP took control of the narrative.
Now though, the GOP need its proven propaganda-effectiveness that they developed over the years to sully the air and to pre-disparage their opponents. Once the slandering is well under way they begin the spin on new issues they want to disguise (see; Keystone pipeline link below - next on the agenda).
"Obama care" like "Benghazi", or "Fast & Furious", all fabricated issues that made up the foundation of dishonesty for the last 6 years of the republican platform they use again and again to set the tone of deception
That is why I thought it would be a good thing to show this video of what people, including republicans, actually felt about getting access to health care, many for the first time in their lives. Also a montage of Fox"News" video clips to demonstrate how they build a foundation of fear and hate from the ground up that the GOP then uses as the setting to move on and pre-taint the Dems message on other issues like Keystone pipeline
It's what teenagers do when they lose (are losing) an argument. Call the opponent a liar by fabricating a gossipy type story about them. The basic slur, poisoning by innuendo - High school level thinking that too many people fall for.
Steve Kornacki hosting ‘All In’ for Chris Hayes shows a Jimmy Kimmel clip of people asked whether they prefer the ‘Affordable Care Act’ vs ‘Obamacare’:
(clipped segment | short ad - sorry)
Full segment @ link with following conversation with Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear (D) who unlike many of the GOP governors helped his constituents by setting up health care exchanges and expanding Medicaid: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/...
That is how lying works - the basis of propaganda and the whole reason the GOP exists today in service of tiny minority
Then, there was the GOP/Fox "News" Death Spiral"propaganda:
(clipped segment | short ad - sorry)
link: http://www.nbcnews.com/...
We're seeing it begin again. Firing up the propaganda Wurlitzer . This morning (November 11, 201) republican house speaker John Boehner is repeating the same lies and threatening a repeal of PPACA aka "Obamacare"
Taking away Heath Care from tens of millions of people. Ripping it away "root & branch"
What was made clear in this 6th year midterm election is that Dems must stand strong and stand together in solidarity:
..the republicans won by getting away with severing the link between what they say and what they actually do. People then vote out of discontent when they don't see either party's rhetoric match their actions
Too many Dems were afraid to stand strong on issues like climate change, Health care reform, economic populist policies and allowed for this disconnect. In fact helped make the disconnect happen by their silence.
*Every single populist progressive issue that is part of the Dems platform aligns with the majority: women's reproductive rights, equal pay (which republicans like Scott Walker ran on - lied about, and then repealed), raising the minimum wage (even in red states), fire arm background checks, infrastructure investment to secure good jobs with a future protecting the environment (even in red states - including Oklahoma - James Inhofe's state), clean renewable energy investment, immigration work to secure a realistic timely path to citizenship, ENDA (republican poll | 68%, including 56% of Republicans – support ENDA), contraception, and many more.
This is the really good thing we now know and can act on: We Dems re-connect what the GOP has disconnected to a purpose
This disconnect between the GOP Rhetoric (lies) and what they actually advocate/ their platform; that purposeful severing is the most important part of the corpo controlled GOP.
It is all that the GOP actually is. A marketing of words that are the opposite of their actions.
Dems need to stand together in solidarity on all of these issues and make it known that the GOP is nothing more than an advertising agency for Big OIl, the MIC, privatizing Education, Big Banks Wall Street, F.I.R.E., etc. A corporate front. A shell corporation = GOP
Hammer the f'ck out of that
So today both the future senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and house speaker John Boehner promising NO hostage taking, government shutdowns or other shenanigans... yeah right. That is exactly what's in store, and may be a good thing if it helps to expose the true underbelly of the GOP. Keystone pipeline as first order of corporate/GOP business for instance, (maybe Ted Cruz and his sycophants won't be able to restrain themselves from impeachment delirium too)
Call out the lies and shut them down immediately. There is actual recorded and documented evidence disproving every word from the right-wing politicians
Work towards this goal: Dems - the party of re-connection. Re-connecting people to their representatives in government. Re-connecting words to action. Re-connecting the rhetoric; what you say you will do, you DO
#
There were and are many other issues at play; voter suppression, "at large" voter disenfranchisement, a real problem for Hispanics in Texas that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg warned of (video @ link), chaos tactics, etc.
And it seems to me that one important lesson to be taken is that keeping ones head down hoping that the GOP will cooperate (and "meet in the middle") for good of this country, its people, and the land is a sure loser and exactly what "conservatives" desire
So speak out and do it.
So this post is kind of a good news 'for the record reminder' of what not to do, and what to do as much to remind myself as it is a marker for future reference to look back on.
We now know what needs doing. We now know what key false foundations to tear down. As far fetched as it may seem, just listening to the MSM this morning, the GOP is back on Obamacare as the spring board.
We've got this: Let's tear that foundation of lies down
- imo
Thanks for stopping by :)
P.S. So yeah let's all wave our red capes in front of the GOP. It's our turn
Besides we've got a couple years to see if a cape works on turtles; maybe try a blue cape (btw - I like real turtles & Bulls except for Wall Streeters - that is)