Man Without a Party

God, I am such a whiner.

But, am I alone? Am I alone in my angst? I, who knew it would take the Democratic Party a little while to get used to wielding power. I should have expected a slow start. But who among us thought it would be such an unmitigated disaster?

Make no mistake: Republicans still wield the political power in our nation. They have the White House, and have made sure that that is the only office that matters. They have cowed the Democratic majority so effectively that it might as well not exist, except as a target for Bill O’Rielley’s derision. And what Bill, Sean and Rush say seems to matter most.

Where has it gone wrong?

Let’s look at the record:

• November, 2006 – Happy Days! Democrats take control of the House and the Senate. Seen universally as a repudiation of the Iraq War, and the policies of the Bush Administration. But especially, the war!
• Cheers as Nancy Pelosi becomes the first woman to become Speaker of the House of Representatives! Things were looking up.
• Oh yeah, then Pelosi took impeachment “off the table.”
• Blustering talk about the first 100 hours, how they were going to “hold this president’s feet to the fire.” Of course, they weren’t going to hold him accountable for lying and spying – that was taken off the table.
• Rather than end the war, or redeploy troops home, Bush ESCALATES the war, with his “surge”! Democrats go “huh?” and look weak and stupid.
• Filibusters – or, to be accurate Republican threats to filibuster. Not that a Democrat would ever actually make the opposition go through with a filibuster. Not that a Democrat would arrange the spectacle of Republicans actually explaining why a meager raise in the minimum wage is bad, or why the war is good. Not that the Democrats would take their job seriously enough to actually make Republicans read the phone book for hours on end, looking ridiculous as they work against what the majority of Americans want! Instead, Democrats look weak and stupid.
• Harry Reid speaks truth! Says, on TV, that the war is lost! Dick Cheney attacks Harry. Harry fails to call Cheney a lying sack of shit, even though he lied, and is a sack of shit. Looks weak and stupid.
• May, 2007. Democrats send the President an Iraq funding bill with timelines. Bush vetoes. Democrats totally cave in. Totally. They authorize billions in funding with no restrictions. No effective oversight whatsoever! They say “wait ‘till September.” Fucking please. They look totally, pitifully weak, spineless and politically dumber than a sack of rocks.
• Summer, 2007. “Surge” goes horribly bad. Democrats begin to talk tough again. Even some Republicans speaking openly against the war. Looks bad for Bush. And then, the wiretapping bill. This bill authorizes the unwarranted spying on Americans by phone companies and the intelligence agencies. No judicial oversight. And even though Pelosi could kill it, she allows it to be voted on, and Democrats help pass it. Dems look ineffective, weak, politically inept, and even corrupt.
• Fall, 2007. Democrats vote to condemn Move On, an organization that supports them and gives them money. The also put forth and help pass a resolution to make war on Iran. Oh, and children’s health insurance (S-CHIP), they fail to get that past the President’s desk. Weak, stupid, perhaps insane.
• And all this time, the Democratic frontrunners, in a presidential campaign that is over two years long, say that they would happily nuke Iran in a first strike, and that they can’t promise to end the Iraq war by 2013. That’s six years from now. Beyond stupid, and decidedly into the realm of lunacy.

And all this while, the Democratic members of the House and Senate have the power to end the war. It could have ended by last spring, and the last of the troops could have been coming home by this winter. They have the total power to cut the funding. I teach civics, I know – and it isn’t even hard:

Don’t give Bush a dime. Period. And it’s over. But they won’t do it.

Just recently Rahm Emanuel and Byron Dorgan have appeared on liberal talk shows to explain, as if to children, why they can’t defund the war. In infuriatingly slow, calm voices they say that they can’t cut the troops off “in the field.” In essence, they say that they will keep funding this madness rather than abandon our soldiers in a foreign war zone.

When pressed, they acknowledge that their premise is bullshit. They know and admit that without funding, troops will have to be brought home. They will not be stranded in Iraq without “beans and bullets.” They will have to come home. Period. But, the framing of the message will be that they abandoned them.

The FRAMING OF THE MESSAGE.

So, let’s get this straight. We voted Democrats into power to end the war, but they won’t because they can’t figure out how to “frame” the argument for doing it. Our sons, daughters, husbands, nieces, nephews and so forth will continue to die and be maimed for life because the career politicians of the Democratic Party can’t craft a public message that won’t threaten their power. They can’t think of a way to explain taking an action that 70% of the American people want.

What fucking good are these people if they can’t even think of a way to say the obvious?

And yes, Rush, Hannity, and O’Reilly will call them “troop-haters,” and blame them for losing the war. Of – fucking – course! That’s their job! The Democrats need to realize that part of their job is to call them liars and assholes, and then ignore them and do what is right. But I am far beyond hope that it will ever happen. No prominent Democrat will even use the word “liar,” even when warranted.

Since Democrats are afraid of a propaganda fight, they allow our soldiers to fight and die in a lost cause. (Not to mention the deaths of all the Iraqi citizens for NO GOOD REASON!) All while fiscally and morally bankrupting our nation. They are banking on being seen as slightly less nauseating than their Republican counterparts. They want to win by doing the WRONG THING, just not quite as wrong as their opponents. No wonder their approval rating is below 20%.

I have called for the rise of the Green Party, but I don’t see it. Without a serious push from the left, the Democrats will settle in to the right of Richard Nixon’s policies and happily rake in the corporate cash (can you say president Hillary?).

Perhaps the only valid chance for a left leaning voice is support for Democracy for America . They are an organization that organizes primary fights for “bad” Democrats – like the 41 who voted to do away with the Fourth Amendment this last summer. They are a slim hope, and certainly the only Democrats I’d give a nickel to.

But I’m not holding my breath, just my nose. I now consider myself an independent. Not because I’m a centrist, but because my country’s liberal party is spineless, inept and uncaring. They won’t do their job…the job of fighting for my interests. So, fuck ‘em. I am sans party. And, though I’m sure they won’t miss me, they will regret not attending to those that think as I do. They are abandoning millions of supporters who are as disgusted as I am.

The real sad part is…it wouldn’t take much to get me back. Just a little moxie, a little spine. But from the leadershiop, not just Russ Feingold. I would like to see Nancy Pelosi walk over to John “Boner” Boehner, slap him in the yap, and shout “so…you’ll send billions to kill kids in Iraq, but not spend a cent to give kids medical care in America? I’ll kick anyone’s ass who won’t save American children!”

Now how hard was that? Iraqi kids versus American kids: framing. Private contractors versus our brave troops: framing. Torture versus our national dignity: mother fucking framing! Our Constitutional rights versus not being Americans anymore: FRAMING, YOU DUMB SONS OF BITCHES!

Someone will ultimately do it. They will frame the argument for a hungry and parched American public who yearns for a righting of the ship. And, if it is not a Democrat, it will be another party’s leader. And the Democrats will go the way of the Whigs.

Until then, I am a man without a party.