My Fellow Democrats: Grow Up!

[thomryng]

Part the first, wherein the author establishes his bona fides

I am a lifelong Democrat. Growing up in Chicago with a father in the pipefitter's union pretty much set me on that course, but I was not an indifferent Democrat.

In high school, I worked on Gary Hart's presidential campaign. I handed out flyers in Chicago neighbourhoods that under any other circumstance could be dangerous to my physical well-being.

I supported Paul Tsongas and Bill Clinton. I've worked for campaigns, national and local, calling constituents and stuffing envelopes and even speechwriting.

For a while, I served on my County's Central Committee.

Over the years, I've had my arguments on policy and philosophy with other party members, but we've always come together on issues relating to social justice, civil rights, and (more recently) fiscal sanity.

While he is not the Second Coming (contrary to what some supporters may think), Senator Barack Obama is the Necessary Man. He has the skills and vision to put this country back on the correct path, a path that under this current administration has been forsaken.

He has the charisma of Bobby Kennedy and the wonkitude of President Clinton, and he is clearly what our country badly needs right now.

And as much as I may joke that Joe Biden is the reincarnation of Gerald Ford, I respect his background and his service in the Senate.

I am proud to be a Democrat, and I'm proud of our candidates.

Part the second, wherein the author chides his fellow party members

Having said that, however, I am profoundly ashamed of some members of my party.

When Senator McCain chose Governor Palin as his running mate on the Republican ticket, a great many of my fellow Democrats lost their collective minds.

The knee-jerk contempt and unalloyed vitriol that has been unleashed against the Governor is horrifying.

Attacking the Governor's record, ethical behaviour in office, and political views are required to the proper functioning of our adversarial democracy. This is not the issue.

What shames me deeply are the ad hominem attacks. The nasty, Rove-worthy snipes against her personal life and her family life, inlcuding words and phrases that reveal more about the screeder than the screedee.

You know the ones. Retarded breeder. Welfare queen. Hick. Skanky. White trash. The ridiculous charge of "faking a pregnancy".

For God's sake, people, can you hear yourselves? This is as bad as, if not worse than, the right-wing nutjob smear campaigns unleased against then-President Clinton. And it's exactly the kind of personal-destruction politics against which Senator Obama is campaigning.

This is not frakkin' high school, people. Grow up.

Part the third, wherein the author issues a grave warning

This election is ours to lose. And those using this sort of language against the Governor are doing their very best to lose it for us.

Senator McCain is many things, but he is not a stupid man. His choice of Governor Palin was brilliant strategy. Never mind the shallow "Hillary voters will flock to her" bit. That was never the plan.

Look for a moment at Senator McCain's problems with his party. Right now, the Republican party is a loose alliance of three very different factions: old-school conservatives, the Evangelical right, and the NeoCons.

They can't agree on policy, much less a candidate, which is why McCain got the nomination at all.

But Governor Palin is all three of these. And she's young.

She can unify the Republican base behind McCain the way few other people could have.

And, like it or not, your personal attacks on Sarah "just plain folks" Palin are going to backfire. Have backfired. Look at the poll numbers, people.

When you get up on your high horse (or ivory tower) and insult the family and lifestyle of Governor Palin, most of America thinks you're insulting their families and lifestyles.

She is middle-America. And the more you attack her for being who she is (instead of what she's done), the more middle-America thinks you're attacking them.

Remember Adlai Stevenson? How well did the perception of disdain for ordinary rural and suburban Americans work out for that campaign?

The more you make Governor Palin the focus of the media and of this campaign, the more you firm up the Republican base and drive the middle to the right.

Focus on Senator McCain. Focus on the spectre of continuing the past eight years of horror and the cheap sale of our liberties. Focus on winning. For America.

Comments

[gislebertus.livejournal.com]

It really has been a brilliant move on the Republican's part -- they have effectively switched the basis of the campaign from the "what do you want" to "who do you want," moving it from where it should be, a question of issues, to a question of putting someone in the White House who is "more like me." Even if the policies they support have created the wreck we're experiencing. It's a cynical strategy.

And, typically, Democrats are playing right into it out of shortsightedness. Remember your Carville: it's the economy, stupid.

I was going to make a post like this myself. You beat me to it.

it's the economy, stupid.

[thomryng.livejournal.com]

This should be in letters a mile high in front of every Democratic party member, worker, and blogger.

it's the economy, stupid

[motherpuckett.livejournal.com]

Exactly, only I might broaden it out a bit.

It's the economy, it's the war, it's healthcare, it's education, it's the environment, it's the rampant trampling on the Constitution, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

But, yeah, the economy is a good starting point. :)

[thomryng.livejournal.com]

OK, fair enough.

Hard to fit all that on a bumper sticker, though.

Some people just never grow up!!!

[darkphilodox.livejournal.com]

I get so annoyed with people bashing others instead of focusing on the real issues.

It's sad when the only way you can get votes is to make the other candidates look bad.

Re: "It's sad when..."

[morrigansword.livejournal.com]

Interestingly enough, that element has been around since the beginning of the nation! But it certainly has become the mainstay of modern politics in both the Dems and Reps!

Re: "It's sad when..."

[darkphilodox.livejournal.com]

It seems they try not to resort to childish behavior but they almost always end up acting like one.

Very well said!

[morrigansword.livejournal.com]

Although, coming from you, that should be no surprise! ;)

I think you pinned down why she bothers me, Old School, Evangelical (although originally Catholic from what the media is representing), and Neo-Con... all in one! Definitely a force that can unify Rep voters!

As for Obama, he bothers me as well, although that may be as you alluded to with a growing faction of Dem voters seemingly viewing him as the Messiah! Of course then there's the fact that early on he was pushing hard the idea of ending the war in Iraq AND bringing the troops home, much to the joyous voice of the anti-war crowd... then about a month ago, he started talking about reducing troop strength in Iraq and refocusing the War on Terror effort back to Afghanistan... and the anti-war crowd hasn't said a thing about it (that I know of)... beyond that, "A change we can believe in!"???, c'mon, it amazes me anyone can really believe in hollow slogans anymore!...(whether it's from a Dem or a Rep!)...

Then theres Biden... simple chess game manuevering in an attempt to give Obama some credibility as he's old school DC Dem! Personally, I think he's a grandstanding arrogant prick (based on watching him function in various committee's and such on GovTV)...

McCain... well, hrmm, "war hero" with a long list of service to his country... good poster boy material I suppose!

Of course both Biden and McCain have the same issue, old school DC... corrupt to the bone, no scratch that, down to every atom of their and it's existence...

Which brings me to believing that our System is a farce, a joke, a Lie! And is Doomed! Perhaps what we need is something new to be born, I can only hope there's a Phoenix, noble, honourable, truthful, waiting to be born from the Fires of Chaos and Destruction that are coming... soon!...

But then that's surely crazy talk, so I'll creep back into the shadows and await the inevitable... See you all in the wasteland... ;)

Re: Very well said!

[thomryng.livejournal.com]

Governor Palin was baptized Catholic, but her family left the Church when she was 12 or so.

Senator Obama's position on the war has not changed. He's consistently called Iraq "the wrong war" and said he's not necessarily against all war, just the stupid ones.

He was very much in favour of kicking the Taliaban out of Afghanistan, finding the folks who planned and perpetrated 9-11, and bringing those people to justice.

Whether you agree with him or not, that's a position he's held consistently from day 1.

And Biden's big problem is that he just can't shut up once he starts talking.

There is a huge difference between the Democratic and Republican tickets this year, and not one of the four of them are stupid people.

The problem with you cynics is not, as one wit said, that you see the cost of everything and the value of nothing, but rather that you operate under the assumption that there are not people in the world who want to change it for the better.

I think you're wrong about that.

Re: Very well said!

[morrigansword.livejournal.com]

Sigh, yup, you're right. Nothing to see here citizen, there's nothing behind the curtain. Just more of my crazy talk!

Re: Very well said!

[thomryng.livejournal.com]

I think it uncharacteristic of you to retreat.

Re: Very well said!

[morrigansword.livejournal.com]

chuckles ruefully... Yes, it is!

I freely admit that I am jaded to our political system, and that I am a fringe thinker. I voted and believed in Liberal ideals (primarily) most of my life. Due to a vision that I asked for at the voting booth during the Bush vs. Gore election (I was literally undecided), I bit the bullet and changed gears hard, voting for what I new was the Greater Evil! I voted Bush over Gore as I believed that the conservative face of our System would be better suited to handle what I was shown! I was not impressed with Gore as a leader/he seemed weak! Low and behold a little less than a year later 9-11 happened.

Did I mention that this would be more crazy talk? ;)

Now fast forward to present, and keeping in mind that I've been growing more and more disillusioned with our government and both it's faces along with the idea that most consider my thoughts from the realm of conspiracy theory, I have come to the firm conclusion that DC is absolutely corrupted. You may find those that you mentioned as wanting to change things for the better at the local level, but given continued exposure to working within the System, they will be corrupted and therefore anything they do will be corrupt. And if they work there way to DC, they will not be the same as they started, certainly not for the better.

This is starting to ramble...

For another rambling piece, get ahold of Kevin for my email to him as response to his lj question/request on "who you're voting for and why". (I didn't save a copy).

Back to point, with my views of the System coupled with having watched politics most of my life, I've gone from believing in the system to believing the System is a very well produced (not always well directed) play that the masses are totally beguiled and decieved by!

As somewhat of an idealist fool (most call this naive), I do want and expect truth and honor within our leaders as they (theoretically) are the representative face of our nation. I don't see any and haven't for a very long time! This also affects how I see the nation as a whole, if our nations leaders are ultimately corrupt, what of the nation?

OK, I rambled enough to give you a taste of the crazy floating around in my head, so I'll stop now.

[ladyeuthanasia.livejournal.com]

You mean, I can't call her "Caribou Barbie" anymore?

[thomryng.livejournal.com]

I actually think that's pretty funny.

See, this is the difference between "humourous" and "unhinged".

[ladyeuthanasia.livejournal.com]

I think part of the reason people are getting shrill is because the media is doing such a piss poor job of actually replicating what Obama et al say. I was watching an interview this morning between him and Keith Olbermann where he was talking very intelligently about Freddie and Fannie. Meanwhile, Palin makes a huge gaffe about F&F having something to do with having gotten too big on taxpayer money (I'd have to find the actual quote -- it was a doozy), and the Wall Street Journal does this entire interview with McC and P about the exact same thing, this time giving massive, empty soundbites so that P can hide her utter ignorance. (I'm sure McC knows what F&F are, given how many damned houses he owns.)

While I think you're main point is a great one, Murdoch is doing his best to block any news that really shows McC and P for what they are as non-intellectuals about anything. This, I fear, is why Democrats are at the point where they're frothing at the mouth and rolling on the floor. It's totally maddening.

[thomryng.livejournal.com]

Of course, the folks on the other side are blaming the media as well. ;)

We've been pretty good about getting our positives out there in the press this time around, until the Palin meltdown.

Faux News is more than balanced out by MSNBC, and New Media makes Murdoch less and less relevant to the target audience of likely voters. He's largely preaching to his own choir at this point.

I think I disagree with your contention about the opposition. They're neither of them dumb people. Palin is certainly unschooled nationally, but she's smart enough to pick this stuff up quickly.

The big mistake we make is in "misunderestimating" these folks.

[ladyeuthanasia.livejournal.com]

Dude, you know that Keith Olbermann was taken off politics by MSNBC because the Republicans were booing NBC at the RNC, right?

[amqu.livejournal.com]

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are GSEs (government sponsored enterprises). When they make a profit, they get the profit. When they lose money, the government (read taxpayer) makes it up.

[ladyeuthanasia.livejournal.com]

"Heretofore, if the treasury had a balance sheet there would have been a liability but there was never a taxpayer payment before [the bailout]," said Gerald P. O'Driscoll, an economist with the Cato Institute. "[Fannie and Freddie] were not taxpayer funded. They had taxpayer guarantee, which is worth something, especially in the stock market..."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/08/palin-makes-her-first-gaf_n_124792.html

[sulky-girl.livejournal.com]

amen brother

[queen-in-autumn.livejournal.com]

I've missed reading your well-considered, well-written opinions, Thom.

This piece should be widely circulated.

[snakewater.livejournal.com]

I feel that Palin hasn't been attacked enough. You don't get rid of a viper by complimenting it on its lovely fangs.

Don't get me wrong...I don't mean all the tabloid stuff and urban myths about her. Obviously that's just noise. I admit to finding those interesting, as you know...more as an indicator of poor vetting than anything else....but believe me, I can tell the real issues from the detritus.

That her son has Down's Syndrome is of course not something anyone in their right mind would criticize. Nor, however, is it right to use that same child as a political advantage, which the McCain campaign certainly has. Off limits should be off limits, non? In every sense?

I feel Obama and Biden have been far too gracious with her, and with McCain as well. I feel that there has not been enough of pointing out what an utter loony she is. War as god's will...trying to get polar bears unlisted as endangered so she could get more drilling...firing librarians because they won't ban books...spending state travel funds on her family members...shit like that. Crazy views, greed and abuses of power. She's got that all, aplenty.

For all the maverick talk and change bs the McCain camp says, the fact is she is about OIL through and through. Oil, Oil and more Oil. If anything could tie her directly to the Bush admin, that would be it...and it's barely getting mentioned.

And earmarks? She wants to criticize Obama on earmarks? He or Biden should let her fucking have it. She is a collosal hypocrite on this matter and somebody should call her on it, right away.

I get this feeling like "Palin is a woman and McCain is an old veteran so we can't speak too harshly of either of them." Well, fuck that. They are both ruthless and they should take it as well as they give it.

I say attack. Defeat them. Win. Defend the country from another eight years of avarice and destruction. Take off the goddamn kid gloves. The Republicans don't have em on. Why should the Democrats?

[redoubtable1.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with Thom, this election should be about issues, not childish personal attacks.
And as such, I have to point out a few things in your list of things Palin should be called on. I present this list not to attack you, but help educate and to provide you with a list of things that you should avoid using to attack Palin. It will make your point stronger if your facts are correct.

I don't want to start a political war on Thom's page either. If anyone takes exception to my comments, please message me directly and we can take it offline.

1st--Palin did not try to get Polar bears unlisted, she tried to keep them from being listed. And (after all the hubbub) Polar bears were not listed as endangered. They are listed as threatened and their population has quadrupled since the 1950s. (From 5000 to 20-25000)
http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/bear-facts/
http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/polarbear/issues.htm

2nd--She never tried to ban books. She asked a librarian what she would do IF Palin asked for hypothetical books to be removed from the library.
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html
Read the whole article to get a list of things to steer clear of when criticizing Palin.

3rd--Her spending of state travel funds on moving her family around was perfectly legal and allowed by policy. She did get rid of a private plane that had been used by the previous Governors of Alaska. (Operating a private jet is extremely costly, by eliminating the jet and traveling commercial she saved the state a lot of money, probably more then they billed the state for commercial travel.)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090803088.html?hpid=topnews

4th--As to earmarks, Palin's seem to be for the greater good, public transportation, water and sewer facilities, Salmon recovery, etc. Senator Obama seems to have been trying to reward his donors. Including an $8 million request for General Dynamics for 'high explosives technology project for the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle.' And another $3 million request for a museum remodel (good) that was named for a family member of one of the General Dynamics Board of Directors (bad).
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-earmarks1-2008sep01,0,6108885.story
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/14/us/politics/14campaign.html?fta=y

Again, this is about education. Feel free to hate Palin and McCain. Just do it for real reasons.

Feel free to hate Palin and McCain. Just do it for real reasons.

[thomryng.livejournal.com]

About nails it.

Make sure you've got the correct ammunition in your gun. Ain't never killed a moose with a paint ball.

Or something folksy like that.

[snakewater.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the corrections. Point by point:

1. I hardly think it changes the matter, but it's good to have the details right.

2.So she questions the librarian, requests her resignation as part of a "loyalty test," later fires her and rehires her the next day, claiming she now had the librarian's support. So, not a free speech issue, but a bullying politician issue. Thanks for clearing that up.

3. Is it, I wonder, a common practice for governors to consider nights at home as a travel expenditure, worthy of a per diem? Does my own governor, for example, charge the state when he comes to Brentwood? Maybe he does. If he does, I've certainly never heard of it. Is it common for a governor to do this?

I can accept, up to a point, the protocol importance of the governor's family, necessitating a certain degree of expenditure. But dog races? Sending your kids to camp?

I'm not saying no other politician does things like that. I'm just saying she's got no grounds to compain about anyone else's expenditure background when you look at hers.

4. The greater good versus rewarding donors is a completely subjective comparison. Can't go with ya on that.


ps. I'd vote for Adama. Tigh, though? By his own admission he wouldn't want a job like that.