Monday, February 27, 2017

Why do they keep putting the Rats in Democrats?

Before I say anything else, let me make it clear that I am not a partisan of any of the people that will be mentioned below. I'm merely making my observations as an interested observer. I am not a Democrat, or a member of any political party at this time. At this point in our evolution, I think that the Democrat/Republican duopoly of "choice" does far more harm than good to our political system - which then does far more harm than good to our country overall.

Now, having gotten that out of the way...Isn't it disappointing that the Democratic National Committee has voted to install (in every sense of the word) loyal, corrupt and uninspiring Tom Perez as their chair? Mind you, as I stated above, I am not necessarily a Keith Ellison partisan by any means. He was not a perfect candidate, and didn't actually excite me all that much.

BUT...He had the support of the two national Democrats who still can inspire something close to, well, inspiration, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. As a black man, and the first Muslim elected to Congress, Ellison also could have served as a potent symbol of the Democratic Party's (supposed) inclusivity, especially in the time of Trump.

Instead, the DNC chose to elevate former labor secretary Tom Perez, someone who elicits little if any excitement from the progressives who are literally out on the streets protesting and fighting the Trump agenda. So why Perez? I mean, why was he even in the race for DNC chair in the first place? Let me quote Zaid Jilani's recent article in The Intercept to answer: "Perez was widely perceived as being brought into the race by allies of President Obama, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and other members of the party establishment."

All of which would probably be fine, if. That is to say, if Obama had not presided over a party that spent the last several election cycles shrinking and becoming ever more marginalized. If Clinton had won the election, or could even be said to have run a campaign that was meaningful and inspiring and tapped into something, anything, other than her desire to be president. I would also throw in if it had not been shown that the DNC conspired with the Clinton campaign to hobble the Sanders campaign. You know, the one that generated genuine excitement and enthusiasm, and, in positive ways, challenged the status quo.

Well, the status quo has struck back - again. Corporate lobbyists and Haim Saban can now officially rejoice. As for the rest of us...

...As for the rest of us, I certainly hope that people don't just fall into line. I hope that people won't be silent. The Democratic Party is laying there bleeding, having been viciously beaten for the past few years, and the DNC is the police officer waving us to move on, saying "Nothing to see here, nothing to see!" The fact that the "party establishment" sees Tom Perez as a good choice should be alarming to progressives and Democrats alike - not comforting.

Trump has authority, but no legitimacy. Currently, the Democratic Party has little of either. And so long as the DNC keeps pretending that nothing is wrong, that there are no internal problems, they will be unfit to serve as the opposition to the Trump agenda, and could even serve as a threat magnifier. Much of his strength is built on a foundation of their weakness.

Stop being weak, Democrats. Please.

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