I am a frequent lurker at Daily Kos (and only a very, very infrequent diarist). It’s fun to lurk. This site posts some amazing diaries from Democratic and progressive voices that are only infrequently, if ever, heard within mainstream political discourse. It is an incubator of populist, progressive public policies and a significant disinfectant to the overflowing BS that both Republicans and Democrats attempt to pass off as serving the public interest.
I’m such an experienced lurker, that I imagine after that first paragraph most readers will have groaned inwardly and said to themselves, “not another diary about ‘this is what DK has become’”. I know that’s what I’d be doing. But, no, this is a different diary. It’s about stepping back from the back and forth of this hard-fought primary campaign and recognizing that Hillary Clinton is stepping over the line of Democratic Party decency and it ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO STOP.
Bernie Sanders is a progressive. He has fought for progressive values and policies his entire political career in Congress. His voting record in Congress speaks for itself, and his political career outside of Congress is undeniably progressive. By the way, don’t take my word for it. Go to a website that tracks his congressional record and see how he’s ranked. For instance, this one: www.govtrack.us/… There’s no one to the left of Bernie Sanders currently serving in the Senate. NO ONE.
But that doesn’t make him the gatekeeper of who is a progressive. No one has that power. But, way back in 1991, when President Clinton took office as a DLC, Third Way Democrat, Bernie Sanders, along with five other House members, formed the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC). Bernie Sanders convened and chaired the first CPC meeting. When Newt Gingrich grandstanded his way to fame with the ridiculous Contract for America, the CPC and Rep. Sanders were there with a progressive alternative. The CPC and Rep. Sanders were voices in the wilderness during the mid-1990s, talking about cutting ridiculous corporate tax loopholes and spending money on infrastructure (replacing some lead pipes would have been a nice thing to do in the 1990s), education, the environment, helping families, and eliminating the corrupting influence of corporate money. During the 1990s, Rep. Sanders was there being a progressive when President Clinton was using the White House to solicit corporate donations and negotiating free trade deals that would devastate American communities.
Who stood with Bernie? Some great leaders in the Democratic Party. Yes, Paul Wellstone was a fellow CPC until his tragic death. So were some strong Democratic voices that are for Hillary right now. Tammy Baldwin (I thankfully had a chance to vote for her when she first ran for the House), Sherrod Brown, Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, and John Lewis. But, Hillary Clinton was never part of the CPC. I’m sure she’s joined hands on many issues during her time in political office, but she never caucused as a progressive when she was in the Senate.
Does that prevent Secretary Clinton from being a progressive? No. I’m not a gatekeeper either. Does an independent analysis of her voting record suggest she’s progressive? No. Back to our website for a comparison: www.govtrack.us/… She’s in the middle; the very safe middle, of Democratic legislators (and that’s OK!). Did her time as Senator suggest she secretly harbored progressive views? No, as Elizabeth Warren and so many others on this site have shown, when the tough votes were on the table (the Patriot Act, the bankruptcy bill, Iraq war resolution) she didn’t stand as a lone voice in the wilderness for good, progressive policy.
Contrary to some comments, there are people on this site who read the diaries and can be convinced. So let me return to why I’m emerging from the lurk to write a diary. I have not decided on whether Hillary would be a better president or Bernie (although I suspect I’ll vote for Bernie if he’s still in the race when NY comes around). So here’s a warning to Hillary supporters, and any Democratic politician silly enough to actually follow the campaign’s marching orders. DO NOT engage in shameless attempts to impugn Bernie’s character or question his commitment to progressive policy. DO NOT engage in shameless red-baiting during a DEMOCRATIC primary campaign or trivialize his supporters as uninformed and naive.
And why is this a warning only for Hillary supporters? Because I don’t see the candidate, Bernie, being misogynistic. I don’t see the candidate, Bernie, reaching into the Republican files and bringing up all that garbage from the 1990s. In fact, I’ve seen the candidate, Bernie, graciously deflect the media attention that has been focused on the right-wing talking points about Hillary. I doubt that grace will last very much longer, but it was there for awhile.
I want to see some respect shown for a politician with integrity. It’s fair game to fight about experience or judgment, or even effectiveness, and it’s completely fair game for Secretary Clinton to say that she’s an unrepentant moderate, and defend her record. But don’t lower yourself by engaging in hack-kneed attempts to suggest that Clinton is the true progressive choice, or that he’s just as corrupted by corporate money and influence. You’re only insulting the lurker’s intelligence, and it’s making us MAD!!!!!