Reply #41: You can't unite polar opposites.

[Selwynn]

You may not take umbrage at the term, but I do. Why? Because new democrats represent values opposite to mine. Opposite, get it? Not complimentary, not congruent - opposite. Trying to find ways to unite old democrats and bitter progressives who have congruent views is hard enough. But I can't stand shoulder to shoulder with people who's views are opposite of mine. The DLC is in the lucky position where their opponent is someone I feel to be the worst president in my lifetime. So I will vote for Kerry against Bush. But you have to appreciate the fact that I don't accept the argument that "new" democrats are committed to peace, or liberty. They supported the war, they provided no checks and balances to Bush's tyranny, they rubber stamped the destruction of civil liberties and have failed to in any bold and honest way stand up for what's right.

To me new democrats means, democrats using kinder, gentler language to stand for policies and principles that are barely distinguishable from the right. That's not something I can stand behind in the long run. That's something I have to speak out against. Just as much as I am angry at third party progressives who can't seem to talk about what they are for or how they plan to do that, but only talk about what they are against and how much they hate democrats, I am not blind to the fact that I am a progressive and I do believe our party is going in the WRONG direction. We can't be a "big tent" with people who are headed opposite ways, and the imperialism-lite wing of the party is not going in the same direction as the traditional wing of the party.

There has to be a common ground unity point or no unity is possible. The only common ground traditional democrats (also known as just democrats or democrats for what's morally right!) and new Democrats have is that bush is the worst president in my lifetime and we need to get him out. I talk about how third party progressives should be more untied with the democratic wing of the democratic party because we do have commonalities, and because I wish more progressives would chose to work within the party for change rather than go without. But I can't find common ground with my political opposites. I can't say, hey you support the Iraq war and believe we should continue to occupy for years to come and I don't but hell we're all the same! I can't say, hey you supported the Patriot Act and you congressional new democrats have stay completely silent on every shredding of the constitutional protections of citizens to happen in the last four years, but hell we're all the same!

I can't say, you don't support a living wage, refuse to talk about the fact that social spending - regardless of whether or not the right likes to label it tax and spend or not - is *morally* right, you aren't willing to talk about the reality of intense class warfare that is only getting worse, you're not willing to call the President on the carpet for his total shredding of the EPA and withdrawal from Kyoto, in fact you removed mention of it from the platform, you're not willing to get serious about medical care in this country, you're not willing to stand up and be a party of opposition standing for a truly different way, you in congress have demonstrated no inclination to refuse support to Bush's war doctrines, preemptive insanity or imperialistic approach to world affairs, your answer to everything is to listen to what the neo-conservatives say and then say "oh we're for that too, just we say it a little different," but hell, we're the same!

The fact is we have next to nothing in common. The difference is that I believe that change within the party is possible. And I'm not an either or thinker - I believe that change will be easier to achieve with Bush removed from the White House, so I support the new democratic candidate this year. But after that, then I believe traditional democrats that remember what was just and right about the party need to spend the next for years just as active as if each one was an election year - campaigning for reform within the party and a return to strong traditional values that are simply just and right. I'd like to see more progressives come back into the party - the third party progressives and progressives within the Democratic party should be able to unite along with traditional liberal democrats.

Unfortunately however, I cannot unite with people who have fundamentally opposite beliefs from what I do. We can enter an unholy alliance to get Bush out of office, but I disagree with everything that is part of the DLC agenda. I used to get a newsletter called "The New Democrat" and I finally stopped because I don't agree with anything in it. It is just wrong. It is wrong, and our party can't stay divided forever. Either it will be the party of compassionate imperialism, and kinder, gentler class war, and loving corporatism, or it will be the party of democratic history, the party of FDR, the party of hope and commitment to social justice and equality. I think the next four years can go a long way to deciding that.