Radical Russ has a great essay on Pam’s House Blend today about how progressives need to stop coddling the Democratic Party and start demanding true representation of our values. My favorite passage:
“And when this giant awakes, he does freaky radical things like throw crates of tea in Boston Harbor, secede from the Union, riot in the streets for unionization, march from Selma to Montgomery, and burn bras and draft cards.”
Keep reading for a longer excerpt or go read the whole thing.
So, with Dems we’ll get half-hearted support and (at best) halfway let’s-not-offend-the-Bible-beaters measures like “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, civil unions, and “partial-birth” abortion bans which will piss off a tiny minority, but will seem relatively fair to the giant who has no stake in the matter. Little by little, like the frog in the slowly heated kettle of water, the giant won’t even notice as his freedom and rights are curtailed.
But with Repugs, we may get open, visible, cruel discrimination against gays (see Laurel Hester). We may get criminalization of abortion. We’ll get sudden, shocking changes to our way of life. The giant’s daughter will face a criminal investigation of her miscarriage. The giant’s gay son will be locked up following a bathhouse raid. The giant was perfectly okay snoozing on the couch watching American Idol, but now he’ll be outraged by this government’s intrusion into his peaceful slumber (see Terri Schiavo).
And when this giant awakes, he does freaky radical things like throw crates of tea in Boston Harbor, secede from the Union, riot in the streets for unionization, march from Selma to Montgomery, and burn bras and draft cards.
Do I advocate voting Republican? Not a chance. No need to carry the kindling for your own burning at the stake. But definitely work in the primaries to unseat DINOs. Write letters to their fundraisers saying “Not one penny more until you STAND for MY rights!” Let your Democrats know that you’ll either be sitting out the next election or voting third party (especially at the local level).
Because until you demand another choice, you’re still left with cowabunga or death.
– We had to destroy this party in order to save it
Thanks for the link!