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While tensions are high, and lately out of control, I’d like to remind everyone of a few things – and this is not a scold nor a lecture, because in so doing, I am reminding myself of these things as well.
I think that too often we see the Party as something removed from ourselves, instead of something we are all in together. The Party isn’t Nancy Pelosi, or Harry Reid, or any other Democratic representative in office. The Party is US, and the individuals we have elected to speak for us – wisely or unwisely as the case may be – make up only a tiny portion of the collective ‘we’.
I am what many would call, some in an accusatory tone, a “party loyalist”. It is a loyalty not to any one individual politician, but a loyalty to my fellow Democrats who, like myself, have a certain vision of what this country could be and should be for the betterment of all.
On that basis, I make no apologies for supporting my fellow citizens who believe as I do, who hold the same vision of a better country, who truly believe that WE, the millions who comprise our party, can make a difference.
I admit that I am as guilty as the next Democrat in sometimes losing sight of the fact that I am part of a collective group, and that my opinion may not always be the same as everyone else’s; that while we all have the same vision of where we want the country to be, we often differ on how to get there.
Being part of a group means compromise, seeing things not as parts but as a whole, and accepting that the individual will be called upon, time and again, to reach compromise rather than insist that my way is the only way.
Too often, in our anger and frustration, we leap to illogical conclusions without taking the time to think things through. We have all seen and heard, ad naseum, the accusations about Nancy Pelosi: “She’s selling us out to the GOP, she’s in their pocket, they have something on her and she’s being blackmailed.” But the logical conclusion is simple enough: she’s just lousy at her job.
It happens, and there is no vast conspiracy at play here. If you hire an accountant who screws up your tax returns, do you immediately think he’s in cahoots with the IRS, trying to trap you into paying penalties and interest? Of course not.
We, as the collective Democratic Party, hire people to represent our wishes via our votes. Some of them will prove adequate, others will far surpass our expectations, and still others will prove themselves to be total screw-ups. But let’s remember that these people are our employees; they are not The Party.
Like the rest of you, I have seen countless posts about having to contact our Senators and Congressmen to speak out in a certain way on a particular issue. “Well, it’s pretty sad that we have to tell them to do the right thing, instead of them just doing it.” No, that’s not sad – that’s our duty as citizens.
Being politically active is not for the lazy, or the weak of heart. Those who think that their role as a citizen ends the day their elected representative takes office are bound to be disappointed. His or her job didn’t end the day you cast your vote; neither does yours.
How often do we say (myself guiltily included), “I voted for this guy because I wanted him to (a) defund the war, (b) start impeachment proceedings, (c) initiate serious discussion on environmental concerns”? Unfortunately, our ballots do not include a commentary section that says, “This is why I voted for YOU, and this is what I expect in return.” It’s not your representative’s job to be prescient; it’s your job to speak up. And the truth is that he can’t do his job if you’re not doing yours.
“But I’ve told my representative what I want, and they’re still not doing it.” Ever think that maybe what you want is not what his or her other constituents want? The matter of impeachment is the perfect case-in-point. While I am pro-impeachment, and have made my wishes known to my representatives, I have to at least consider the possibility that for every pro-impeachment fax, letter or email they have received, there are such communications from other constituents begging them not to take that course because they believe it will hurt our chances of gaining the White House, and a stronger majority in November.
Don’t always assume that your rep isn’t listening – because he or she may very well be listening to the majority of their people, and unfortunately your individual position may not be the majority position.
That’s what democracy is supposed to be about, majority rule. And that means that sometimes you, the individual, are going to have to compromise. It’s about the many; it’s not about the few – and it is definitely not about you to the exclusion of everyone else. That’s why it’s called the Democratic Party and not Steve’s Party, or Joe’s Party – or (oh woe is me!) – Nance’s Party.
Make no mistake – this is not proferred as an excuse for those in office who don’t do our bidding; it is a call-to-arms to those who sit silent and then complain that they’re not being heard. It is a reminder (to myself as well as all of you) that if I can’t be bothered to send a fax, an email, a letter to he/she I voted into their job about the way I expect that job to be done, I have no right to complain that they have not followed my non-existent instructions to the letter.
Have we elected people to their jobs who have proven themselves unfit for the position? You betcha! And that’s what re-elections are all about. But throwing the baby (the people who are representing us well) out with the bathwater gets us nowhere.
“I’m sending a message to the Democrats in office by not voting in this election.” Good idea – because every Democrat in office is going to wake up the day after Election Day and notice that you didn’t vote – and will immediately change their ways in order to get you back in their camp. I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings – but that ain’t gonna happen. The minute you chose not to participate in the process is the same minute you became a non-entity in the great scheme of things. That’s the reality.
Being a Democrat means being a team player, because the party is a team – it’s not you, it’s not me, it’s ALL of us. That means compromise when necessary. It means putting aside your own personal desires when the desire of the team goes against you. It means recognizing that your opinion, no matter how valid you perceive it to be, may have to give way to other opinions – which, by the way, are equally as valid as your own.
Politics is a team sport – it’s US (Democrats) v THEM (Republicans). We believe our way is the better way; we believe that our vision of America is more encompassing of those whose who should be considered, more attuned to those who need assistance in times of need, those whose voice should not be dismissed on the basis of being a minimum-wage earner as opposed to being a billionaire.
WE BELIEVE – and that’s what it’s all about. If you have lost faith in your party, work to find a way to regain it. If you have lost hope in your party, look for the path that leads to the renewal of hope. If you have lost belief that your party can change things, ask yourself what you can do to effect change.
The party is you, it’s me, it’s all of us together. And if you think the myriad of problems within that party are the other guy’s fault and not yours, accept the fact that you just may have missed the point entirely.
Staying in the room and screaming to be heard may not accomplish everything you want; it doesn’t even guarantee that you will be heard above the din. But walking away and slamming the door behind you accomplishes one thing only: the fact that no one will ever hear you at all.
That’s not party rhetoric. That’s the fact of the matter.
I am a party loyalist. That does not make me a mindless sheep who will do as I am told by those presently (and temporarily) in office. That does not mean that my principles are for sale, but that I am willing to weigh my personal opinions against those of others, and put my support behind the majority of my fellow party members rather than insisting that my opinion is the only one worth considering.
My party is not defined by, nor limited to, one politician, one representative, one candidate – it is defined by all of you who believe in what I believe in. It is not a matter of political rhetoric; it is a matter of faith.
I believe in US as a collective of responsible citizens who want to do the right thing, not only for ourselves but for our country. We may disagree vehemently as to how that course is best pursued. But in the end, I will stand with you; I will not walk away – ever.
And I apologize to no one for being one of the team – because it’s a team that’s worth being part of, and its goals are worth fighting for now, tomorrow, and always.
Change is not an overnight process. It takes time, it takes patience -- in short, it takes determination that outlasts one administration, one round of elections, one group of elected reps that fail miserably in the face of challenge. It takes perseverance, and commitment not to the short trip but to the long haul.
I'm in it to the end, willing to see it through, willing to fight until the last battle is engaged and we emerge - beaten, battered, and worse-for-wear - but nonetheless victorious.
Are you?
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