The conversion of a moderate (long)

[DancingBear]

It happened over time. I believed once, as do many here that all things good and just come from the process. Yes, the amorphous “process”, defined within a world 10 miles in diameter where no one is allowed a glimpse into real life, lest the process be tainted. Within the 10-mile world backs are patted, deals are struck, and the political yin/yang that is our side vs. their side continues forth. With equilibrium maintained, the country marches forward.

For the longest time, I too felt that when one side gives, in time the other side receives, and that moderation was the key to staying in power. “The woods are full of moderates”, I would say, and I watched my representatives play what I always thought was a fair game. Ya win some, ya lose some – just have to try harder next time, I guess. I cleaned off the cobwebs, opened the windows, and stepped outside.

What I saw surprised me, for I so wanted to believe that the process worked. I saw Republicans standing united with one goal and one goal only – to take complete and unquestioned control over every branch of government that exists, and to do it by any means necessary. I saw them attack a man who left his limbs in Southeast Asia. I saw them call a man with three Purple Hearts a coward, while their cocaine-addled puppet ran away from every challenge, tiny as they were. I saw them drive a newsman to retirement because he had the audacity to try and speak the truth, while the Vice President spoke from the gutter and was praised. I saw them equate oral sex with prison, while watching their brethren engage in adulterous affairs by the boatloads. In short, I watched them lie, steal and cheat their way to elected offices throughout this country, and to stay there with the help of a media cowering so badly in the corner that the slightest hint of honest reporting makes them cringe.

They will not stop. They will not stop until our views and beliefs literally vanish from the face of the earth. Falwell boasts that he wouldn’t give a dying liberal a thimbleful of water, and the zealots believe. Limbaugh and Hannity have hot lines to the Congress, and the hatred pours forth from the radios day after day. Gay Americans live in fear, for Our Leader has in so many words condemned them all to hell. In the halls of Congress, these thoughts get amplified time and again as Goosestep Nation tells the tepid opposition to keep quiet, lest they want more of the same. We reply with a kiss on the cheek.

I watch it get worse. A woman jointly responsible for the deaths of 3000 people on a clear September day is now our voice abroad. As she brazenly lied before Congress and the world, all but 13 of the people I thought shared my beliefs decided the process trumps truthfulness and said “aye.” A man who finds torture to be open to suggestion is now the chief arbiter of the law of our land, and 9 of the people who I thought shared my beliefs decided the process trumps evil, and voted “aye.” As the beast builds, shooting the citizenry in cold blood, those who hold the process dear fold their arms and promise to defend the sheriff because, after all, that is the most important battle. No one seems to notice that the streets are empty, and the graveyards full.

Where, I ask, is the outrage, the moral sense of purpose that I, and millions of my fellow citizens carry with us? Why must our blood literally boil with rage every time another part of the fabric of this country gets chipped away, a victim of the process? How has the simple of act of saying “no” to evil become not a stand for decency, but an object of ridicule?

As we get beaten time after time after time, and as our leaders prove unfit for the task at hand, I realize that the process kills. It kills the spirit that makes us who we are, and it breeds those for whom a comfortable place in the 10-mile room is safe haven from the beast that is destroying their constituents. We extend the outstretched hand, only to get pulled into the mud, never realizing the other side is always starched and washday white.

I realize now that the Lieberman’s of the world have dealt us a blow from which, unless they are removed forever, we cannot recover from. I think of 1964, and the resounding defeat of Barry Goldwater, and the right saying “never again.” They started building in 1965, and have not stopped since. In all that time, they have never wavered from their ultimate goal. The wayward sons have or will be put to pasture, and when the time comes to speak as one, or to demonize, the flock delivers. The plan is there for all to see, but we turn a blind eye to what works and instead take body blows for 12 rounds, happy to get to Round 13 without getting hit with a left hook. Some strategy.

I can no longer believe. I am moving to a new state soon, and I have talked with my wife and length about what to do. As of today, I am seriously considering running for elected office in that new state. If I do so, I hope there will be a (D) next to my name, but I can’t promise. It is up to you, and I, and millions more, to write, call, march, and scream, and to bring us primary candidates to challenge the DINO’s, and general candidates to clean out the filth. It is our only salvation.

For those that disagree, and who still believe, watch closely over these next months. Watch as Bush and the rest laugh at your beliefs that democracy actually still exists. As you talk endlessly one about “keeping our powder dry” and “when we get back in power” and “we need to pick our battles carefully” watch the other side nod its head with a confident swagger. Then, as you watch yet another Democrat buckle to the will of the right (disguised of course under the guise of being prudent), watch as they take this naïve plan, tape it to a razor blade, and shove it down your throat. As you head for the ER, they pray for you.

But not too much.

[Walt Starr]

1. It is now my personal mission...

to kick this thread to the top daily.

These words must be our mantra.

[DancingBear]

4. Thank you Walt

I wish I could be a little happier tonight, but it's how I feel.

[calimary]

58. I'll be kicking it, too.

Everybody should make a copy of this manifesto and tape it to their bathroom mirrors. Or tattoo it on the inside of their eyeballs, and the ceiling above their beds so it's the last thing they see at night. Guys, this COULD NOT be more spot on.

Read... and HEED. Or they'll make you bleed.

BTW, PLEASE update us on where you move, and when you're running. I want to donate to your campaign.

[Nite Owl]

2. You beautifully have

put words to what a lot of us feel.

[EC]

3. Exactly,

:kick:

[moggie12]

5. I hope you run and I hope there's a (D) next to your name

Why should we let them take over OUR Party?? I say, stand up and fight them for it.

[FreedomAngel82]

8. Exactly

We can't let them take over our party OR our country. We can't run away.

[starroute]

22. Unfortunately, the party system is already dead

Starting in the 1970's, a variety of factors (from campaign finance reform to television) killed the party system that had previously maintained a reasonable state of balance among the nation's various regions and interest groups.

Since 1964, the New Right had been out in the political wilderness -- perennially aggrieved, feeling excluded from power within the Republican Party by the old East Coast Establishment, toying with various third party schemes. The changes of the 70's enabled them to take power, but they didn't do this by taking over the old party apparatus. Instead, they kept operating through their extra-governmental network of think-tanks, lobbying groups, direct-mail solicitation firms, and so forth. That network is what controls the Republican Party -- and the country -- today.

Nothing comparable happened with the Democrats. The Democratic Party just kept going, never noticing that its power -- its ability to set an agenda and maintain party discipline to achieve it -- was slipping away. On that level, the Democratic Party is no worse off than the Republican Party. The difference is that the Republicans have a powerful exoskeleton of right-wing pressure groups holding them up, while the Democrats have neither a backbone nor a rigid external shell.

So, yes, the process is broken -- but running for office isn't going to fix it. Either we imitate the right and set up an outside power structure to control the Democratic Party -- which probably isn't the best idea because it's so, like, late 20th century -- or we leap into the new millenium and find some entirely novel channel for focusing and expressing political power.

[Sick_of_Rethuggery]

36. To be fair, though...

The Democrats in Congress are much more faithful to fundamental liberal/progressive tenets than we give them credit for. Don't use single issues, especially ones in which the outcome is not dependent on any Dem votes (such as is the case with anything in Congress these days, controlled as it is by a lockstep-Rethug party, where the votes of the Democrats do not really matter at all). Many of their truly courageous stances go unnoticed, partly because we have a media that is nothing more than a Rethug echo chamber.

So, while I can see the OP's (DancingBear: exquisite, heartfelt post; thank you!) and your point, it is not really as bad as you are both making it out to be. They (the elected Dems) will in fact be far more strong and principled, if we give them an exo-skeleton (as you so aptly called it!) that can combat the invidious media behavior.

That said, there are some egregious votes and there is the additional problem of them not sticking up for each other, which lets the media paint them all by the same mindless brush the thugs gleefully supply.

In my opinion, the Democratic party is an ideal vehicle for all of us to go run and make a difference -- when we do get in there, if we remember what we felt from this side of the fence, the party, and therefore the country, will do quite well.

The problem would have been as bad as you all seem to think it is, if the elected Democrats did not believe in the bottomline principle of common good -- I do not think, based on their words and their deeds, that is true. Hence my conclusion that the fix is not long or hard in coming.

It will take just a handful of courageous electoral victors to change the course of the party and the country. If Dean wins the DNC chairship, just the boost in morale will have carried us to the half-way point already...

[xpat]

43. Might want to think about

how Hugo Chavez and some of his friends are doing it. The problem, as I see it, with the Democratic Party is that it is committed to essentially the same policies as the Republican Party, but wants to screw us in a nice way, rather than brazenly.

To be clear:

1) Clinton was blowing the same Social Security crisis horn as Bush. He just didn't have a chance to go about dismantling it.

2) Clinton brought us NAFTA.

3) Kerry's complaint with Bush's Iraq policy was that he could have managed the invasion better.

Need I go on?

Yeah, I will. Clinton did a good job of tearing to Aid for Dependent Children.

[googly]

81. Are you saying Bill Clinton destroyed the democratic party?

[BrklynLiberal]

6. Eloquent, passionate, accurate, insightful, and exactly my thoughts

said more clearly than I could have expressed them. Thank you.

:bounce: :kick:

[calimary]

76. Kick!

Again!

[Bozita]

7. That's a helluva post!

Best thing I've read today.

Thanks for sharing.

[kimchi]

9. Bless you for having your eyes open.

So many of us, even here on DU are in denial; and will be until someone comes to take them away to the camp.

Like my husband. "Yeah, he's evil and all, but he wouldn't..." "We're the greatest country and that won't change."

And my sister. "The pendulum always swings back the other way". Unfortunately she doesn't see that sometimes it takes your head with it. Honestly? After seeing the past 4 years, I'm not too hopeful. But I'm not giving up; even if I have to wear a rainbow, star, or pentagram on my clothes and hide people in the basement.

[RealDems]

10. Thank you for this post...

I have a my own political conversion story too (same way -- moderate to activist).

I read an anecdote in a newspaper about a year or two ago about a woman (I want to say she was at a Dean rally, but I could be wrong) who told a reporter that she used to be a centrist, and had considered herself a Clinton Democrat. The reporter asked what had changed, why she had become so radical, and she said "Grover Norquist said bi-partisanship is date rape, and I'm tired of being raped."

That story has stayed with me. I used to be involved with the DLC, and now I run RealDems.org. It's been quite a journey during the Bush term...

[Bozita]

18. Killer line: "Bi-partisanship is date rape, and I'm tired of being raped"

For once, Grover is correct.

[DancingBear]

20. I had not heard the "bi-partisan" line before

I suggest that those who still believe roll it around for a while. Maybe they, too, will finally realize that Grover Norquist IS the Republican Party.

[turbo_satan]

24. BINGO! Grover Norquist IS the Republican Party.

We would all do well to familiarize ourselves with the "philosophy" of the odious Grover Norquist, who is probably the most powerful NG person in Washington. Norquist is a loon and he has this administration under his ideological sway. If you want to get a clear picture of where our domestic policy is headed, have a look at Norquist's writings and transcripts of his speeches. What Grover wants, Grover gets. And it ain't pretty!

[Bozita]

25. IMHO, the guy they need more than any other is Frank Luntz

Luntz is the critical cog in the Repug success story. More important than Karl Rove. Much more important than good ol' Grover.

http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:GqGOigACtVYJ:www.c...

MOLLY IVINS
RELEASE: THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2005, AND THEREAFTER

AUSTIN, Texas -- I wouldn't say it's the most earth-shaking issue around, but I'm fascinated by this fight the administration is picking with the media over "private accounts" versus "personal accounts."

Here's the state of play: Everybody went along in cheerful harmony describing the president's Social Security plan as "partial privatization," since it would allow younger workers to put a third or more of their payroll taxes into private accounts. President Bush called them "private accounts," everyone in the administration called them "private accounts," and Republicans, Democrats and the media all called them "private accounts."

Then, one day, some focus group showed that people, particularly older people, react negatively to any connection between Social Security and the word private. For some reason, people like the sound of "personal accounts" better than they do "private accounts."

So the Republicans, with their fabulous ability to march in lockstep, all about-faced and started referring to the privatization of Social Security as "personal accounts." The Republicans in Congress, the president, the administration and all its media supporters, both paid and unpaid, now insist on referring to the partial privatization plan as "setting up personal accounts." This is the new political correctness.

more...

[calimary]

95. Kick!

Kick for the Monday crowd.

[RealDems]

53. Exactly --

It's about time the Democrats stopped complaining about the levels of Republican attacks and started getting in the game themselves.

[Selteri]

65. Bi-Partisan The Bi Party definition

Republican Bi-partisanship -
When we're (Pubs)in charge you need to sit down, shut up and enjoy the ride. You can be Bi-partisan behind closed doors, where it belongs with the other freaks.

When we're not in power, the opposition is never being bi-partisan as we define it, coming to a negotiable moderate decision and still whine that they won't work with us.

Democratic Bipartisanship -
When we're in charge (Dems) - We still are in charge but listen to the opposition side and try to come to a reasonable understanding.

When we're not in power - We tend to pick our battles and try to find a way to help the people. We also are constantly told that we don't know what it is to be Bi-partisan constantly by the Republicans who like to make it sound as though we are the greatest evil since Lilith and Lucifer got together to make Beelzebub. (Or some other biblical statement that the republicans like to throw around under the pretense of being religious)

[Eloriel]

86. Republican Bipartisanship

"Be reasonable. Do it our way. . . Or elese"

[eridani]

11. Kicking for the graveyard shift

There are so many of us buzzing around like angry hornets. Let's get organized and sting!

[calimary]

77. KICK for the rest of the weekend.

I'll be back.

[Walt Starr]

12. Kick for the morning crew n/t

[ohtransplant]

30. The cute baby is priceless.

An infant hasn't yet been poisoned by th kool-aid, has a pure sense of smell, and apparently a great BS detector!

[jackster]

13. Thank you DancingBear

with tears in my eyes, I'm sharing this with all those I know of like mind. Please DO run and run with a (D) and proudly represent the "Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party."

Someone said that the pendulum always swings the other way. I believe that too. But that sometimes when it swings back it takes off your head. And I believe that as well.

I don't know if we can save our democracy. I don't know if we can save our planet. For the first time in my almost-50 years in this world, I'm really frightened about the future.

Bob Dylan looked into the face of the future and saw the truth...

Oh, what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what'll you do now, my darling young one?
I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin',
I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest,
Where the people are many and their hands are all empty,
Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters,
Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison,
Where the executioner's face is always well hidden,
Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten,
Where black is the color, where none is the number,
And I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it,
And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it,
Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin',
But I'll know my song well before I start singin',
And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

[postulater]

50. Thanks for the dose of Bob

Everytime I hear that song it makes me shiver.

[CindyDale]

14. Did Falwell really say that?

The image that came to my mind was of Falwell refusing Jesus a drink of water.

[DancingBear]

16. Yes he did

But he is A Man Of God, don't you know...

[atreides1]

40. Yes He Is A Man of God

And most of us are trying to figure out which God that is.

[tavalon]

54. It's the "God"

with the 666 on it's body. Clearly this man is evil and he worships evil.

[Ripley]

15. Run as an Independent.

Dean should have done that and he would have won.

Great post...good luck.

[Nothing Without Hope]

17. Excellent, exactly how I feel. Have you seen this by Bill Moyers?

He feels the same and adds some additional perspectives - like the fact that there are a number of powerful people who either believe that Jesus is returning soon (and want to promote war and Israeli aggression to speed it up) or are profiting from the people who believe it.

This piece should be read and passed along and he should be giving interviews on TV about it. Delusion looks to be the death of this country unless it can be dispersed with truth. The thread discussing and linking to the Moyers piece is here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3053395

[HoosierClarkie]

19. DancingBear...

Your posts are always so beautifully written. Thank you. :hug:

[tishaLA]

21. Thank you DB

an excellent post that says what many of us are thinking.

[carlagirl]

23. My sentiments exactly.

Thank you so much.

[hippiegranny]

26. Glad this made the front page

otherwise, I may not have seen it, and damn, I'm glad I saw it.

Thank you for your beautiful words and succinct, elegant way of expressing how so many of us are feeling.

[IrateCitizen]

27. Look to the Rainbow, DB. Look to the Rainbow...

By that, I mean look to the old Rainbow Coalition for a guide on what we need to do today. The Nation has run a couple of excellent articles on the history of the Rainbow Coalition recently, and perhaps the biggest thing I've taken away from them is this:
1. We need a movement that exists both inside and outside of the Democratic Party
2. We need a politics that plays to people's better notions, rather than falling into negativity to "win".

Jesse Jackson scared the hell out of the Democratic establishment in the 1980's. He did so because his organization was so broad-based, and it operated outside of the apparatus run by the traditional power-brokers.

He also scared them because he and his organization had the ability to bring seemingly disparate groups of people together. He represented the first real instance of "black politics" on a national stage. By that, I mean that he was the first national candidate to speak to the issues of the nation with a voice that was truly coming from the perspective of the black community, rather than one that only sought to address their issues in order to secure their votes. In one of the articles, "The Rainbow's Gravity", a scene is described in which he spoke to an all-white crowd of unionized miners in West Virginia, and actually got many of them to realize how much more in common they had with the plight of poor minorities as opposed to upper-class whites.

The forming of such alliances is verboten in status-quo politics. That was why the Democratic Establishment worked so hard to minimize Jesse, except as a figure to help round up votes in the black community every 4 years. Of course, Jesse also did himself in to a degree, by making the Rainbow more about him than about the movement, which resulted in it changing direction and losing its momentum.

However, the lessons are there. Work both inside and outside. Loudly and proudly proclaim your progressive principles. Work to bring different groups of people together in a common purpose. When you enter the political system, compromise on NOTHING with the power establishment. When they try to stop you, simply use the strength of your organization to run through them.

[NEOBuckeye]

55. Jessie Jackson rubbed off on Howard Dean?

However, the lessons are there. Work both inside and outside. Loudly and proudly proclaim your progressive principles. Work to bring different groups of people together in a common purpose. When you enter the political system, compromise on NOTHING with the power establishment. When they try to stop you, simply use the strength of your organization to run through them.

Dean seems to be following a very similar path. I hope he's successful. We need an opposition party more than ever.

[LongTomH]

28. Kick!

:kick:

I agree with starroute that there's more to be done to take back the Democratic Party; but, running for office as a 'real' Democrat is a positive step.

[oddmanout]

29. Here Here...

Thank you for this post it clearly articulates the feelings of many! Keep fighting the good fight!

[4dsc]

31. this is why I stand up to any repug!!

I have been standing up to repug lies for along time now. I engage repugs on a daily basis through other discussion forums and on the street.. I will continue to stand up to any repug that gets in my way..

[mhr]

32. Kick

eom

[wryter2000]

33. Exactly

I'm glad you saw the light. I hope others will, too. I have high hopes the Howard Dean will stop our constant retreat. There have been a few signs that Dems are waking up. Even that notorious DINO, DiFi, voted against Gonsalez.

[ohtransplant]

34. WOW!

Great post! I wish I had it in me to be so eloquent in my writing but I'm strictly meat-n-potatoes.

The last 4 -5 years has been a rude awakening for me politically. I've come to realize much of what you wrote too. I'm personally astounded by the road our country has allowed * to take us down. Apathy kills. It's a proven fact whether you think about IRAQ or Medicare or anything in between.

We must organize, be vocal, and be vigilant. We must take any and all opportunities to be heard, whether that's popular or not. It starts at the local level.

My wife thinks I'm obsessed with my "NOT ME" band, bumper stickers, e-mails, phone calls, etc... but it has to involve many (including me). Truly anyone who cares about this country, it's people, and it's principals must make a stand or watch * dismantle our institutions and enrich the wealthy.

[ClayZ]

94. Protest

A.N.S.W.E.R.

March 19th 2005

Global Day of Coordinated Actions
on the 2nd Anniversary
of the "Shock and Awe" Invasion of Iraq
initiated by antiwar organizations worldwide
including the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition in the United States

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition in the United States issued a call in early October to mobilize for the March 19/20 Global Day of mass action. This is the second anniversary of Bush's criminal aggression against the people of Iraq. More than 100,000 Iraqis have died and yet the resistance to occupation by the Iraqi people has not been stifled through the resort to high tech massacres. U.S. soldiers are being killed and maimed in a war for conquest. In these ways Iraq parallels the U.S. war against Vietnam. At the same time the U.S. government is spending billions to kill in Iraq, Palestine and Haiti, it is destroying social programs and working peoples' security in the U.S.

Antiwar actions in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles and in other cities around the country and around the world will take place on March 19/20.

On the first anniversary of the "Shock and Awe" invasion, March 20, 2004, the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition and others in a larger March 20 National Coalition promoted the building of a united front under the slogan: Bring the Troops Home Now, End Occupation from Iraq to Palestine to Haiti and Everywhere. The demonstration also highlighted the call for Money for Jobs, Education and Healthcare, Not for War and in defense of civil rights and civil liberties. More than 100,000 marched in New York City refuting the notion that the antiwar movement must turn its back on the just struggle of the Palestinian people in order to build so-called broad support. In fact, the large turnout on March 20 of the Arab-American, Muslim, Haitian and other targeted communities helped the demonstration reflect the broad multi-national and multi-ethnic reality of the global people's movement for justice. This true united front organizing was a major step forward for the antiwar movement in the United States.

Rather than excluding the Arab-American and Muslim community, it is imperative that the antiwar movement deepen its solidarity. Struggling against all vestiges of national chauvinism and racism is essential if the new global movement is to realize its full potential. Bush and the ultra-right are using divide and conquer tactics as they target everyone's rights. The antiwar movement can defeat the tactics of Bush and the right-wing by demonstrating in practice that the people can build unity and solidarity among all peoples and all communities.

The demonstration comes at a particularly crucial time. The crimes against humanity inflicted on the people of Fallujah have become a metaphor for the entire criminal enterprise. Destroying a city and its people in the name of "democracy" barely masks Bush and Wall Street's real agenda.

As the Bush administration attempts to redraw the geo-political map of the Middle East, a corresponding parallel policy targeting the Arab-American and Muslim communities is being rapidly imposed in the United States. The ramification of this policy is in fact alarming. For example, Palestinian professors from Columbia to UC Berkeley, student groups from San Francisco State to Duke University, humanitarian and community organizations from New York to California and from Illinois to Texas, are being systematically targeted in the most vicious manner in an avalanching variety of methods.

Clearly, the Bush administration, aided by its allies and ideological neo-conservative underpinning, is attempting to silence dissent using the likes of the Patriot Act, criminalize criticism of Israeli policies (as in the case of House Resolution 3077), and fully marginalize Arab-Americans and Muslims.

Hate speech has been so normalized that hate mongers from Daniel Pipes to Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh are filling all sorts of media outlets with outright racism and bigotry with impunity. In the face of this multi-faceted assault, the clear linkages made thus far within the antiwar movement between the defense of civil liberties at home and the opposition to colonial occupations and conquest, from Palestine, Haiti, to Iraq and beyond, should be not only dearly protected but also expanded and strengthened.

We urge all antiwar and people's rights organizations to join together in this important day of action and global solidarity.



http://answer.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ANS_homepage

[yardwork]

35. You said what is in my heart, Dancing Bear

[Southsideirish]

37. I've known for years that we are dealing with the devil himself with

these hard line right wingers who now run the rethuglican party and 'am surprised to see so many Dems who want to "reason" with them or "talk" to them to get them to come over to our side, the side of fairness, peace and brotherhood.

Ain't ever going to happen.

These folks think differently than "normal" people. They are hard wired for hatred and bigotry, it comes easily to them and they have no guilt about it.

I have known some old "John Birch'er" types for many years and believe me when I say you would throw up if you had to spend any time with them listening to their loathing of the "n words", the Jews", and all minority groups. The real eye blazing hatred, however, is saved up the the "librals" - we Commies and Socialists, you know. (And these are educated people.)

I think they and the others like them were just born to hate.

[Selteri]

66. I think more it would be accurate to state

I think more it would be accurate to state that they are brainwashed.

When trying to talk with them they don't think, just react and regurgitate.

A sad but direct example of that also falls into a number of Russians and Germans from the more famous administrations that held their people down that thought their country was doing good.

[KissMeKate]

38. but not too much.

wow.

[uppityperson]

39. kick to great writing

[sendero]

41. Brilliant...

... and chillingly true.

I was once a "moderate". No more. I want to be as opposite these people as I can be.

Good luck to you, and god bless America.

[yorkiemommie1]

42. that is how i feel too

kick

[deacon2]

44. Amen, Brother!

Hi, my name is deacon2, and I'm a recovering moderate. I too wished to get along with others, to play fairly and thus maintain a modicum of civility in our political "process." But as DancingBear has so eloquently pointed out, the process itself is a diseased carcass, rotting away even as it barely clings to life. I used to think Joe Lieberman was okay. Did he change or did I? I loathe the man now. At the SOTU, he stood and applauded the idea that we should essentially scuttle the most successful program in American history then sealed the deal with a kiss! This man is the Manchurian Candidate writ large. And he's the tip of the iceberg. Sold out from without, sold out from within. When I listen to these namby-pamby cries for "understanding" now, I find my Buddhist calm on the run. And this line from Kathy Bates' character in the movie "Dolores Claiborne" echoes in my head: "Listen here, Mr. Grand High Pubah of Upper Buttcrack. I'm about halfpast give-a-shit with what you think." Ain't that the truth.

[MattG]

47. I'm a moderate

I completely understand what you are talking about DancingBear, but I still am just a little bit left of center mainly because I hate hippies. God Damn hippies.

Still, I'm an ANGRY left-of-centrist who will bite the head off of any right wing nut job that tries to disease people with their stupidity. And I will be sure to add many insults and lewd comments to my preaching, so that they're feelings get hurt, and they know that although I'm a liberal, I'm not a God-damned hacky sack playin hippie!!!

[ExclamationPoint]

49. What the?????

What is wrong with hippies???????????? What have hippies ever done to you? Without hippies, the Vietnam war might still be going on. Hippies rock. Don't hate, appreciate the people of the peace. :hippie:

[Selteri]

70. Amen

They're just another victim of the Right Wing 'liberal' Media.

[Debs]

85. Never been a moderate

But I am a proud aging hippy. I havent changed my political orientation one whit for as long as I can remember, certainly not since I was 14. I am not sure whether its the brainwashing (though without doubt that is part of the equation) or that they are hardwired to hate. I have known intelligent good hearted people who simply cannot hear the truth, and I cant understand it. I can vividly remember a conversation with a man I respect (I will spare you the details but it involved Nicaragua) and when I made a point that was beyond his ability to defend against he got this look. Like I was suddenly aphasic. He knew I was saying words that sounded like he should understand them but could not in any way allow them into his conciousness. He couldnt hear me at all. It wasnt that he disagreed, he could not comprehend what I was saying on any level. I got then that there would be a real fight ahead that would never be won with cogent arguments

[antigone382]

45. Passionate words, Dancing Bear

Thank you for posting them here.

The least shall be the greatest.

The first will be the last.


I thought about these two statements when I read your words about the 10 mile world.


:)

[Q3JR4]

46. Let me know which state,

and I'll donate to your campaign wether you run as a democrat, an independent, or a green.

If you move to a state with an anti-gay DINO (read Feinstein, or comparable) and run against him/her, I'll make the maximum allowed donation even if it hurts and I'll personally move to wherever you are to work with your campaign.

[Selteri]

71. Heh, want to help us find a candidate for =NW Ohio

So we can get rid of either a republican or complacent democrat.

[ExclamationPoint]

48. When anyone calls liberals extreme

They should read this and realize how extreme the republicans are. They should realize that we are the voice of sanity. They are inside, and there is only a light film now covering that insanity.

You can never be too liberal, too progressive, or too democratic.

[calimary]

60. Kick!

I do NOT want this to sink. It is a thing of loveliness.

[UL_Approved]

51. Its like one of the RW pundits said:

"I'm glad that Kerry got picked for the nomination. If Dean was picked, we would be in a world of trouble."

I forget who said it, but it stands to the power of populism.

Here is a conspiracy theory: How DID Kerry pull off the Democratic nomination in the primary?

Dean was slated to have a huge favoring over Kerry, and Kerry was way back in the polls. So, how exactly did he make such a stunning headway?

I think that this needs to be addressed as well. After all, the GOP maintains power if they can work in a weak (appearance wise) candidate on the Democratic ticket.

Dean should have taken the primary, and he should have been president. We need a real populist, and he is far and away a better chance of getting this.

And you are right. The GOP has slandered in ways that would have gotten them FCC fines 10 years ago. They have become so low as to criticize war heroes and to put AWOL chicken-hawks on a pedestal. As to how the GOP convinced America that Bush was still a better candidate, we really need to figure that one out.

People follow appearances in this nation, but we need them to follow what is actually going on. We need to rebut and debunk EVERY revisionist sales pitch on behalf of our radical clerics, media pundits, and other pseudo-analytic propaganda fountains. WE need to get a firm message and exposure out to America. WE need to get a candidate that is seen as a true leader, one which can get us out of this downward spiral.

And the denial thing abounds here on DU. We have people who make comments that Bush is not anything like Adolph Hitler. Well, perhaps a better comparison is Joseph Stalin, or Benito Mussolini. But the techniques and consequences are running fairly parallel since 9/11, including the terrorist attack, the Patriot Act, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Remember people, the swastika was used for millennia all over the world. It is a simple but descriptive symbol, with both spiritual and other significance for many groups. Just because Hitler used it, this should not cause us to run around chasing icons. The greatest danger of being hung up on swastikas, bar/sickle flags on red backgrounds, the stars and bars, and other such token symbols of institutional abuse is that we will be so busy chasing these icons that we will not see the new ones. We will be doomed, again, to appearances and distractions which obfuscate the inner workings of these tragedies.

[Selteri]

72. I wouldn't know

My state is one of the few that didn't get to pick a nomination.

Colorado.

[nascarblue]

52. Nice post, one of the better I've read in awhile...NT

[Polemicist]

56. When a crowd rises in applause...

They must each stand one by one on their own two feet. They must each clap their hands to create the sounds of approval.

We can't blame our elected Democratic officials. Not entirely. We must look at ourselves. What have we done to show how we feel.

Have we called our Senators or Congressmen to encourage them to oppose the platform of regressive reactionary Republicanism we face in Congress. Even if your elected officials are our opposition?

Have we e-mailed our leaders to encourage them to fight.

Have we explained that we the people will not accept any further co-operation with a political opposition who's primary goal is our destruction and the destruction of all we hold dear.

We are the backbone of the party.

Rise to your feet and announce your presence.

[Horse with no Name]

57. Masterful prose

I have been thinking the same thing but unable to articulate it so nicely.
Part of my post from yesterday:

We have to start cutting bait on those that don't stand for Democratic values--target them and systematically vote them out of office and let them know we don't want them there now. They need to learn that if they don't represent our country when it needs them most, we don't want them. Say their names loud and say them often until they are gone.
Write them, fax them, don't support them. Let the other elected officials know that we have put them on notice. We can no longer afford to stand here and twiddle our thumbs. Our country is being dismantled and auctioned off to the highest bidder, and if they aren't going to stand up for us...we don't need them.

[calimary]

59. KICK!

Kick for the Saturday crowd.

[lostnfound]

61. The RW 'loves' America so much they want to squeeze it to death

Just today I had lunch with a right-wing friend I hadn't seen in a while. There's a lot we didn't talk about -- I just wasn't up to it today -- but at one point I quietly and simply said to her that 'I just don't feel at home in my own country anymore, I don't feel welcome.' She looked deeply surprised, as if the thought could never occur to her.

"Falwell boasts that he wouldn’t give a dying liberal a thimbleful of water, and the zealots believe."
The level of hate which these people have become accustomed to is amazing. They paint the left as ignorant, immoral and irrelevant, and yet seem to want to say 'hey, it's nothing personal'.

There's a part of me that says, 'fine, your 'side' has got control of everything now, I'm just going to stand back and watch it utterly destroy the country it claims to love'.

[Inte11ectual]

62. Excellent

I registered for a user name on this forum just so I could tell you what a great article you wrote. Everyone should take a good look at this!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

69. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[calimary]

78. Welcome to DU! Man, if thinking like this increases membership HERE,

imagine what it'll do when spread farther into the mainstream...

[ClayZ]

92. Welcome!

"Motivation" is powerful. With enough of it, plus "Determination" and "Perseverance" we can accomplish anything!

Glad you were motivated to join!


:hi:

[eridani]

63. Kick n/t

[skysurfer]

64. I agree wholeheartedly.

Thank you for putting it so eloquently. If we keep waiting for the pendulum to swing back, one day we'll wake up to find that it got stuck on the other side. I'm not going to apologize for being angry at Dems who voted for Gonzalez and Rice. I'm not going to apologize for being angry at Dems who cozy up to the Bush cabal instead of calling them out for their crimes against the nation and its people. The Republicans are 4 senate seats away from almost total control of the government. Constantly compromising on issues is part of what got us to that point. It is time to take a harder line.

[robbedvoter]

67. Beautifully stated, Dancing Bear. You speak for me too.

If I am not too late, I will nominate this for front page.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

68. Thanks for your story

When someone is trying to throw you off a cliff, slapping his wrists gently will not save you.

By the way, I notice that none of the DLC tag team have shown up on this thread yet to tell us that Dukakis lost in '88. :-)

[sarahlee]

73. Thank you

for understanding that those of us who have been crying in the wilderness for years are not all tin foil hat conspiracy wacko nuts. We've actually been working for years and years to try and save our environment and democracy.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

74. kick

:kick:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

75. The Conversion of a Moderate

You have put so eloquently the many thoughts I've had over the recent past about where the country is and how we got here. I have not seen a better synopsis of the country's transformation than yours. Thank you so much. Your post needs to be seen by the whole country. I don't know how you can do that, but I hope you can, and will. Thank you again!

[calimary]

79. Welcome to DU!

Glad you're here! Now, please, help us get some things accomplished. We've got bigger things to fix than Social Security. This can be your manifesto.

[ClayZ]

91. Welcome to DU

My eyes are opened more each day by this group!

[Zhade]

80. Excellent. Just excellent.

Thanks for this.

[Mike Niendorff]

82. Bigtime kick.

Extremely well said, Mr. Bear.


MDN

[Learning2Fly]

83. Eloquent, simply eloquent!

For those that are feeling we are getting nowhere with our progressive values and messages, let me share a bit of good news. A co-worker, age 30 and very Young Republican, approached me the day after the SOTU address and said "I now know that I voted for the wrong guy." If he can admit this to me, who spent many hours attempting to point out to him the insanity of another Bush term, there is great hope that oppostion is now building within the ranks. Don't give up! The horse you lead to water may be thirsty, after all.

[calimary]

84. Welcome to DU, and thanks for the welcome update!

I had one of those experiences, too - little old lady in the neighborhood who used to speak rather emphatically about how she always votes a straight republi-CON ticket. A couple of days ago when I had to drive her to an appointment, she said "I don't know what I am - Democrat, republi-CON, or what..." She's totally flummoxed by this, and absolutely HATES the idea of monkeying with Social Security.

Keep on nourishing this little seedling of yours. Your coworker needs to be fed and watered with LOTS of truth and information and details about all the EVILS these horrible excuses for human beings are hoping to perpetrate on America, and the world. Continue the enlightenment. Keep nurturing and encouraging and educating. It's truly God's work. You're proof that souls CAN be saved.

But...

ONE THING WE ALL NEED TO REMEMBER GUYS:

This is VERY important.

It's not just bush.

It's not just being able to outlast him, or survive the next four years (hopefully less if we can turn Congress around and start impeachment proceedings after the 2006 elections), or fight him on everything so ferociously that little of his grand master plan actually gets through, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH.

We ALSO have to remember all the republi-CONS panting like rabid dogs to follow and carry out his every reckless whim. He's just the head. The whole body has to be hobbled and defanged. The troubles do NOT stop once he's gone. As long as there is ANYBODY who genuflects to the PNAC, grover norquist, the American Enterprise Institute, the ralph reeds and santorums and brownbacks and frists and mcconnells of the world, not to mention the cheneys, wolfowitzes, libbys, gonzaleses, rummys, condis, and all those other felons, WE ARE NOT SAFE. OUR DEMOCRACY IS NOT SAFE. They can ALWAYS groom another figurehead and carry on without missing a beat. Look at jebbie. Whenever that blessed day comes that dubya is gone, that's only a tiny part of it. As long as they can stick around and gather together and plot and publish papers and hide in think tanks and operate from the shadows and pull strings and do their manipulations and run the media - WE ARE IN EXTREME PERIL. OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY IS IN SERIOUS DANGER.

So what needs to be constantly reminded is - it's not JUST bush. Yes we need to keep him contained. But it's his buddies and other fellow republi-CONS who ALSO have to be contained. It's NOT ENOUGH simply to fight him. YOU HAVE TO VOTE AGAINST rEPUBLI-CONS. You just HAVE TO VOTE AGAINST THEM.

We can NEVER let down our guard. Remember: the enemy didn't. After they lost with Goldwater, they vowed NEVER AGAIN. And they've been extraordinarily resolute, and superbly thorough. And look where they are now.

Priority One.

[ulysses]

87. helluva post.

:thumbsup:

[bobbieinok]

88. great manifesto......any plans to send it to all dem in congress

and state and local govts?????

[calimary]

97. Now THAT is an excellent idea.

Also, it would be good to fold into the envelope when you decide to reward/reinforce/encourage good behavior by donating a coupla bucks to the DNC (when Howard Dean officially scores the chairmanship). It would be an EXCELLENT reminder to them of why your support is back, and what Dean means, and how they absolutely MUST pay attention. And take a hint!

Superb manifesto. Worthy reading for EVERYONE.

[Lydia Guerra]

89. Bravo, DancingBear

Tho I've never been much of a moderate, I appreciate the moderate sensitivies and call to consensus. Today, I praise you for opening your eyes and steeling your spine. I'm thinking of running for US Rep in '06 - never held public office in my life - the (D) in there now is a wimp and a usurper. Will I have that (D) next to my name? I'm with you: don't know. For assistance and ideas on how to run for office and/or support someone else running, check out the Creative America Project at: http://www.tresser.com/training.htm

Thanks again. Keep your spine, teeth, heart and guts.
Best wishes.

[calimary]

98. Welcome to DU!

Holy smokes, you may run for something, too?

You MUST let us know. Those of us who can afford it might be glad to make a donation. PLEASE keep us posted. This is important. Glad you're here. We NEED you!

[ClayZ]

90. Standing ovation in WA!

I am still clapping. WELL SAID! WOO HOOOO! HIP HIP HOORRAY!

I'll be kicking too! THANK YOU for your Voice!
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The Weight of a Snowflake

"Tell me the weight of a snowflake," a coalmouse asked a wild dove.
"Nothing more than nothing," the dove answered. "In that case I must tell you a marvelous story," the coalmouse said. "I sat on a fir branch close to the trunk when it began to snow. Not heavily, not in a raging blizzard. No, just like in a dream, without any violence at all. Since I didn't have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch. Their number was exactly 3,471,952.

When the next snowflake dropped onto the branch--nothing more than
nothing -- as you say -- the branch broke off. Having said that, the coalmouse ran away. The dove, since Noah's time an authority on peace, thought about the story for a while. Finally, she said to herself, "Perhaps there is only one person's voice lacking for peace to come to the world." - Source unknown


Bring on the BLIZZARD!




:kick:

[ClayZ]

93. Kick

:kick:

[angel54321]

96. EXCELLENTE~!

:kick:

[eridani]

99. This needs yet another kick n/t

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

100. Excellent excellent read...thanks

and :kick:

[me b zola]

101. kick

:kick: