Editorials & Other Articles

... "can't win, so STFU" from far too many in the Democratic Party. Including things like the insanity of Nancy Pelosi's declaration that she would be for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney if she weren't the Speaker, or Senator Feinstein's refusal to join the filibuster against Alito, and thereby actually stop him, while claiming she was adamantly opposed to him and would vote no on the floor.

But I do see more ordinary people stepping up to become citizen lobbyists, pushing for bolder candidates, and pushing the old dogs to meet this critical juncture with strength. And I think more of them are actually getting that the old rationalizations for refusing to do the right thing, on principle, win or lose, come hell or high water, are what got us here -- and that if they don't start standing up when it is a moral imperative to do so, they will never live down the "Democrats are weak" brand.

Unfortunately, the likes of Jeanne Shaheen, as effective a legislator as she has been, still harbor delusions of working with an utterly co-opted opposition. It's unfortunate she didn't retire sooner.

Anyway, thank you for your fighting spirit. Who knows. We may have even crossed paths in D.C. back in the first decade of 2000. And remember, we have won meaningful victories. It may not seem like much, but it was a massive citizen lobbying effort that got Senator Boxer to join Stephanie Tubbs Jones (RIP) in objecting to the Ohio electors. That was a very big deal because it challenged the default "can win so don't fight" position. Even Conyers office told us we would never get a Senator. Never.

And for awhile, it seemed they would be proven right. It was like they were a bunch of parrots squawking "backlash" whenever called to actually take a stand for principles they claimed they held sacred.

But the people walking the halls, the people bussed in from Ohio, the people showing up to protest, the people who spoke at the press club event, won. We got a Senator to stand and object. And the REAL, fully documented facts of the corruption of the Ohio election went into the record. Up to that time, election protection wasn't even on the national radar for some groups (e.g., protecting voting rights wasn't even on the list of issues common cause focused on). That began to change as national organizations stopped seeing it as a "state issue" they could ignore. They "got it" that every state is affected when any state fails to ensure a free and fair election.

Fear of "backlash" -- that deeply entrenched rationalization for inaction is almost (but not quite) dead. There's plenty of other beltway groupthink that must be challenged, but the truth of what we had been telling them since the early 90's is just too undeniable (i.e., That "they" -- the radical right noise machine -- will call you names whatever you do, so advocate for what you believe in, loud and proud. Just do the right thing.)

Anyway, even in the losses, connecting and working with others inspires hope in me. There are a hell of a lot of people out there doing some pretty great stuff. And when I find ways to be part of it, I start crossing paths with and learn about what other groups are doing.

Sure, we may go down in defeat, but we can at least do it working hard with others. And maybe, just maybe, we inspire enough others and push enough of our electeds to turn the tide, and perhaps turn it big, toward truly transformational change.