Another way to save the Democratic Party: Join the Democratic Socialists!

[DissidentVoice]

16. It's a shame

I have taken a hard look at the DSAUSA myself, as well as the Greens (Dr Jill Stein).

It's a pity we cannot bring the socialist ideals of these organisations back into the Democratic Party. I have long bemoaned the influence of the DLC on the Democratic Party. It MAY have made people like Bill Clinton more "electable"...but to me it did so by making the Democratic Party too "Republican-lite."

I think that the Democratic Party felt so cowed by 12 years of Reagan/Bush Snr. that they felt they had to adopt kind of a "me-too" strategy to a certain extent.

I voted for Bill Clinton in both '92 and '96, but my biggest disappointment with him was in '94 when he just rolled over and let the Republicans kick him on health care, and then jumped on "the era of 'big government' is over" train.

I was also disappointed that Mr. Obama (whom I voted for in both '08 and '12) has not pushed for single-payer health care. I think he is well-intentioned, and what we DID get from him is worlds ahead of anything the Republicans would have enacted (read: status quo, along with their bullshit about "tort reform," "buying across state lines," etc.), so I am grateful for that. I think he tried to get the GOP on board by taking the centrist approach, but surely he must have known that ANYTHING he would do with health care would be met with an automatic "NO!" by the Republicans, so why not go for it all?

We have never had a real workers' party in this country like UK OLD Labour, Canadian NDP, Australian Labour Party, etc., not at least since the days of LBJ.

So many times Republicans try to insult me by calling me a "socialist." I just say, "you say that like it's a bad thing!"