Right after the 2016 presidential election there was a spate of diaries begging us to abandon certain ideals to win back WWC voters and others who have left the Democratic party over various single-issue passions:
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 / Voting Rights Act of 1965
Roe v Wade and abortion care
gun safety
marriage equality
equal protection under the law for LGBTQI
fairness for immigrants and undocumented workers
freedom of and freedom from religion
Each one of those inclusive justice areas is responsible for driving various single issue voters into the arms of the Republicon party over the last several decades.
Every now and then serious political thinkers will claim we *must* give up one or all of them or Democrats will never win an election again; and anyone expecting a democratic candidate to be on the right side of all of those issues is lambasted for excessive “purity”.
And so some people are angry about the DK decision to pull the endorsement of the Omaha mayoral candidate because he has supported legislation making abortion care more difficult.
But he’s not RUNNING as a “pro-life” candidate! Variations of this phrase have popped up in several comments and diaries, usually followed by a laundry list of local issues that apparently do deserve our consideration: police protection, snow removal, yard waste removal.
I don’t even know what that means: “He’s not running as a ‘pro-life’ candidate.” Does it mean the topic is not considered a local issue because mayors do not make legislative decisions that affect abortion care?
Okay, maybe that is true.
But as a thought experiment, I ask you to imagine a candidate who is with you on all the issues except one. Perhaps s/he voted to knock some black folks off the voting rolls, and eliminate voter registration in black areas and close polling places in black areas. But mostly in the campaign now s/he is only talking about yard waste and snow removal and police protection, and promises s/he won’t interfere in voting rights for black folks going forward.
Would you really be surprised if a liberal organization, finding this out about the candidate, decided not to endorse or raise money for him or her?
And I doubt if people would be so quick to say under those circumstances “but s/he isn’t RUNNING as an anti-voting rights candidate!”
“It’s only a mayor’s race” is another argument that just does not fly.
Raise your hand if you think a win for Mello, a mayoral win for a Democrat in this very Red area, would mean that he never ran for anything else ever again.
I don’t see any hands in the air.
it follows as the night the day that a win for him would be a springboard to a later office where he WOULD be in a position to do that “personally opposed but would not interfere with Roe as the law of the land” dance that we go through with so many centrist Dems. We’ve heard it from some of our most prominent standard bearers; Joe Biden and Tim Kaine have been mentioned over and over again.
I have news for all of them.
If you are “personally opposed” but are willing to obey the current law that allows women to decide for themselves whether to carry a pregnancy without coercion by the state, THAT MAKES YOU PRO CHOICE.
You make your individual choice, based on whatever religion or philosophy or morality guides you, but you are not trying to impose your choice on others by legislation or regulation.
That. Makes. You. Pro. Choice.
The definition of being a forced birth advocate is attempting to pass laws to make abortion care impossible to get, and supporting politicians and judges and justices who will do the same. If you are not willing to do that, then you are willing to allow women to make their own choices and that makes you pro choice.
And that is the majority view.
Someone mentioned on another thread they were in the grey area between “pro-life” and pro choice.
But there is no grey area. You either want to prevent and/or criminalize abortion care in all or almost all cases or you are willing to let women live as autonomous beings with the same control over the use of their bodies that the law gives to dead people (see the title photo).
And I think many of us know someone professing to be “pro-life” who has made an exception for their own sister, daughter, wife, niece, grandchild, etc. It’s always someone else’s life who deserves to be controlled by the State, not the person they know and love directly.
Omaha residents are posting about how exciting it would be to elect a Democratic mayor.
Well then, go ahead and do it. Have at it! Enjoy!
I would rather have a D in office with whom I do not agree on every issue, than an R with whom I do not agree on ANY issue. If I were living in Omaha, I’d vote for him.
But in terms of where I would prefer to have Daily Kos direct its limited resources, I am glad the endorsement was pulled.
The Republicons built themselves back from being a very marginalized party in my youth to holding all the levers of government power right now. One of the ways they did it was by giving financial preferences to people who supported the issues they most wanted to advance.
Dems MUST start doing the same thing. We fought for these ideals. We shouldn’t settle for less.
That doesn’t mean I won’t occasionally be pragmatic enough to vote for a centrist Dem over a Republicon, although at the primary level I reserve the right to vote for the person who most closely aligns with my very liberal views.
But I won’t necessarily give centrist candidates my money anymore. And since Daily Kos has an ability to raise money and a reputation for raising money for progressives, I want to know that when I give to a DK-endorsed candidate I am giving to someone who is not an outlier on any of the seven issues I listed above.
Flame away if you like, tell me I don’t live there and I don't know, accuse me of being a Bernie supporter (I am).
What I do know is this: Dixiecrats and Reagan Democrats and Bush Democrats and the like who left the D party because their white supremacist church told them to oppose equal rights for blacks, or their fundie church told them to oppose equal rights for gays, or the Roman Catholic church told them to oppose equal rights for women, have made their decision about who will guide their voting choices, and I have made mine.
Candidates who do not meet my litmus test may get my vote occasionally in a general election.
But they will not get my money.
And I do not want my blog home to endorse them.
PREVIOUS TRUE BLUE REPORT diaries
Apr 20: Is it good or bad that DJT has no idea what he is doing with respect to North Korea?
Apr 19: What Huckabee actually DID say, about journalism, was totally outrageous
Apr 18: Another 20 point swing means the Rs are scrambling to regroup
Apr 17: The number of persuadables is growing as people lose confidence in DJT
Apr 16: TBR SUNDAY: He shook up the world—Easter fears can be overcome with Easter JOY
Apr 15: BLUE RIBBONS: David Fahrenthold, Amariyanna Copeny, Chasity Wells-Armstrong, the ASAN
Apr 14: Everyone talking, everyone reaching out—is it helping?
Apr 13: Three ways to respond to the stress overload of current political news
Apr 12: Republicons--the party of cruelty
Apr 11: Spicer’s comment was MUCH more than just an “insensitive reference to the holocaust”
Apr 10: If DJT changes policy based on televised images... let’s show him some
Apr 9: TBR SUNDAY: DJT supporters do not realize nuclear war could mean the end of the world
Apr 8: BLUE RIBBONS: Jeff Merkley, Gina Mathew & Connor Balthazor, 70 (!) advertisers dump Bill-O
Apr 7: Not taking our eyes off Heitkamp, Manchin and Donnelly—they should be primaried
Apr 6: Take Me to Your Leader
Apr 5: DJT ran for POTUS to get back at Obama but the person he is discrediting is himself
Apr 4: Obama’s is bigger—Twitter following, inauguration crowd size, and approval rating
Apr 3: Filibuster a SCt nominee? Ds are changing the rules! This never happened before !1!
Apr 2: TBR SUNDAY: Put Your Lights On
Apr 1: BLUE RIBBONS for 4/1/17—Dick Cheney, Richard Burr, Rick Wilson
MARCH
Mar 31: The possible reasons Flynn was refused immunity are all good for the Blue Team
Mar 30: Special Assistant Ivanka—every word she says from now on is a DJT advertising ploy
Mar 29: “It’s just that valuable” — do you know the MAIN reasons Ryan wants to pass the AHCA?
Mar 28: Nipping at their heels
Mar 27: In cheering Republicon failures, think like a surgeon
Mar 26: TBR SUNDAY: Dare we hope the tide is turning? Or is that unrealistically optimistic?
Mar 25: BLUE RIBBONS: Sheldon Whitehouse, Al Franken, Bobby Brooks, Betsy Anderson, ACA phone callers
Mar 24: HaHaHa-Ha-Ha You’re gonna need Congressional approval and you don’t have the votes
Mar 23: Rcons hate Obamacare for selfish, greedy, racist reasons, but not enough to fix it.
Mar 22: Neil Gorsuch’s attempt to seem wide-eyed and innocent makes him look even worse
Mar 21: Using Trump as a bad example—no Trump Sleep, Trump Food or other Trump habits
Mar 20: Is DJT a compulsive liar, or out of touch with reality? Five scenarios...
Mar 19: TBR SUNDAY: A budget is a moral document—a statement of public compassion
Mar 18: BLUE RIBBONS: CBO scorers, Senate Intelligence Committee, Judge Derrick Watson
Mar 17: They know DJT is lying. Here’s one sad reason they follow him anyway.
Mar 16: Mick Mulvaney's ignorant, callous, evil, Republicon definition of compassion
Mar 15: Message Discipline 101—Pushback against Rcon talking points re DJT 2005 tax return
Mar 14: Message Discipline 101—Pushback against Rcon talking points about Obamacare repeal
Mar 13: Culture, Civilization, Rural America, Working Families—the missing word is a “tell”
Mar 12: TBR SUNDAY: The Rcon definition of Christians is as wrong as the Rcon definition of Democrats.
Mar 11: BLUE RIBBONS: A Day Without a Woman, Native Nations Rise, Voting Rights Act still lives
Mar 10: How to talk to people who have trouble understanding actions have consequences
Mar 9: Where’s the fire? The real reason Rs are trying to rush TrumpCare through Congress
Mar 8: Message Discipline 101: TrumpCare, RyanCare, GOPCare, DonTCare—what’s in a name?
Mar 7: How very hard it is for a woman to go a day without paid (or unpaid) work
Mar 6: Can DJT really be stumbling into the exact investigation we want?
Mar 5: TBR SUNDAY: How is it even possible that deplorables see a man of faith when they look at DJT?
Mar 4: BLUE RIBBONS: Chris Hayes, Malcolm Nance, Cierra Fields
Mar 3: I’m glad Bannon, Conway, Carson, Sessions, Miller, et al. are in the DJT Administration
Mar 2: “In every major fire it always starts with smoke. And smoke is what kills you.”
Mar 1: Am I the only one whose skin crawled at the Carryn Owens BIRGing moment?
FEBRUARY
Feb 28: Spinspotting 101: Special Prosecutor for what? It’s so easy to answer that question
Feb 27: Spinspotting 101: I’ve seen no evidence because I haven’t looked for any evidence!
Feb 26: TBR SUNDAY: If Neil Gorsuch were a man of integrity, he would decline the S.Ct. appointment
Feb 25: BLUE RIBBONS: Russia Flag trolling, Dixie Swastika grabbing, District Days demonstrating
Feb 24: There is no such thing as a compassionate conservative
Feb 23: Chief of Staff, Nat’l Security Advisor, GOP Head, President Bannon—too many hats!
Feb 22: DJT has a few questions for you—SMURF THIS POLL!
Feb 21: The end of “access journalism” means it’s time to #sendtheinterns
Feb 20: KAC lying low for now… can we banish her (and all her ilk) from the airwaves completely?
Feb 19: TBR SUNDAY: DeVos cartoon, Ruby Bridges, unearned unhappiness and childlike faith
Feb 18: BLUE RIBBONS: Vice Adm. Harward, Melissa McCarthy, and intel whistleblowers
Feb 17: And Ain’t I an American?
Feb 16: Please tell your family and friends—If you regret your DJT vote, speak up NOW
Feb 15: R-supported forced childbirth laws deny the autonomy of women
Feb 14: What did the president know? Everything. When did he know it? From the beginning.
Feb 13: Coping with The Madness of King Donald by hoping political comedy will save us
Feb 12: TBR SUNDAY: The Poverty and Justice Bible
Feb 11: BLUE RIBBONS: Swastika removers, Ninth Circuit Panel, and the Persisterhood!
Feb 10: The first three words of the Constitution are “We, the People” not “I, the President”
Feb 9: Who first inspired your political activism? Who inspires you now?
Feb 8: We cannot and will not be silenced—Here’s what to do if they try to silence you
Feb 7: Plain Talk Tuesday: Tell people the Affordable Care Act is the same as OBAMACARE
Feb 6: Interview Skills 101—Internalized oppression and what Ryan Lizza did right. BRAVO!
Feb 5: TBR SUNDAY: These protest signs with Bible cites will confuse and befuddle RWNJs
Feb 4: BLUE RIBBONS: Temple B’Nai Israel, Judge Robart, CNN, Senate Phone Callers
Feb 3: Not rich, not smart, not a good businessman, not a winner—DJT is NOTHING he claims to be
Feb 2: Thursday action—Encouragement, thanks, and apologies (pick one or more)
Feb 1: July 7, 2009 to August 25, 2009 and September 25, 2009 to February 4, 2010
JANUARY
Jan 31: If you’re on overload that’s part of their plan—there’s more than one way to #resist
Jan 30: Interview Skills 101 for reporters attempting to interview KAC and other Rcons
Jan 29: TBR SUNDAY: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness
Jan 28: BLUE RIBBONS: Women's March participants and #NoMuslimBan demonstrators and...
Jan 27: I wish Steve Bannon would tell me to keep my mouth shut
Jan 26: Thursday Action—Have you ever written a letter to the editor? Here’s how to start
Jan 25: The Asch Conformity Study, inauguration crowds, and the importance of speaking out
Jan 24: #ResistTrumpTuesday—good news day or another paying dues day?
Jan 23: Spy the Lie 101: How to enjoy watching Rcon spokesbot interviews, even KAC!
Jan 22: TBR SUNDAY: Why I prayed for the President* today
Jan 21: The only silver lining in the midst of these clouds
Inaugural (!) diary: Stop expecting Republicons to make sense