Reply #199: Sorry that you have no "respect" for me

[Stuckinthebush]

Let's try to bring this back to a civil tone.

First - I don't play this pro-Pitt/anti-Pitt game. I know there are those that don't care for his posts, but that is their issue, not mine.

Now, the original poster has a good point although he does say it in a rather non-civil manner. I find that pulling Democrats and Progressives together to defeat a common enemy is like herding cats. I, like others, have my own issues that I want addressed by the eventual nominee. Some issues I feel very, very strongly about. I am also pragmatic about this presidential election.

There is a Democratic Hierarchy of Needs. Much like Maslow's Hierarchy, the most basic needs must be met before the others can be addressed. In our case, the most basic need is to be in control of the agenda.

Let's face it, a candidate that appeals to the most progressive, left leaning policies that we all hold dear will have a very, very difficult time getting swing voters in this race. This country has moved so right since Reagan, that the center is actually pretty right. We can't do a damn thing about that in the short term. What we have to do is get power, and start moving the debate back towards the left.

Do I like Lieberman? Hell no. I think he is a DINO on many issues. Will I vote for him if he gets the nomination? Hell yes. Here is why:

Mr. Lieberman is not loved by the Republicans. Therefore, he has only one base - the Democrats. Mr. Lieberman must take that base into consideration during all of his decisions or he becomes a one-term president. He knows this. So, if he gets into power (which will not happen), then it is up to the base to keep his mind on what is important to us. Even though Mr. Lieberman is a right of center person, we can make sure that his policies are center to center left. Sure, we would like all of his policies to be far left, but that's not going to happen.

Let's look at reality. Lieberman doesn't have a chance because he doesn't appeal to the base right now. I just used him as an illustration. Dean, Kerry, (Clark), and Graham all have qualities that appeal to the base and to swing voters. These guys are more center to center left in their ideologies. If one of these guys gets in, then he will work with the base to address the issues that concern the base.

The reality is that if we reject an eventual democratic candidate because he or she doesn't pass all of our individual litmus tests, then Bush wins. I don't know about you, but I find this to be the worst possible outcome. Bush will continue to destroy all of the progress made by our party, and he will do it with glee. A Lieberman wouldn't.

So, your high minded ideals surrounding a "respect for Democracy" are admirable. However, there is a time for pushing these ideals, and there is a time for meeting our number one need - gain control of the agenda. A myopic attention to progressive ideals will ensure that we don't meet that need.

The most unacceptable outcome of the 2004 election is if Bush wins another four years.