Demoncratic Indoctrination
The two party system strikes again. The victim this time is none other than John Tester. This entry is in no way, shape, or form a bash on John Tester. Even though I’ve never met the guy he comes off as solid and I agree with most all of his viewpoints. With that being said…
Tester is being turned into another Washington talking head. A drone. It kills me to hear talk of him showing Washington what Montana is all about. I wonder how much money Washington has pumped into his race. Next thing we know we are going to have to stand in front of his office holding signs up to protest CAFTA or NAFTA. We had to do it with Baucus. Granted, Baucus voted against CAFTA, but why did he have to be persuaded; he is a Democrat. I can hear it now: You’ve got it all wrong - Baucus and Tester are totally different animals. I completely agree. So why are they both in the same party? Why is it that we lump them all together until there are only two parties? Why doesn’t Tester run as an independent? He seems to be liked well enough. Is he worried about funding? In that case money and Washington have already begun asserting their ownership over him.
Why do the truly progressive candidates continue to be associated with Democrats who constantly bog them down? The Republicans don’t experience this problem and it shows everywhere. Look who is in power. The difference is that the right wingers work well together. They might not agree with each other all the time but they realize that if they work together they get a lot of what they want a lot of the time. The left wing doesn’t do that, at all. For example, many atheists can’t stand religion. They don’t bother to consider the idea of Liberal Catholics or Buddhists. This sort of fragmentation is pervasive throughout the party. So what to do? The way I see it, we have two choices.
A.)We can try to work together and take one out of the Republican playbook
or
B.)We start new parties.
Choice A seems bad on its face. There is nothing progressive about mimicking Republican strategy. Additionally, it furthers the status quo (read: fascism). The end result is that yes, Democrats gain control and get some things done, but, the other half of the country that didn’t vote Democrat is out of luck. Fuck them you say? Think about how it feels right now. It just isn’t a very democratic system.
Choice B is what we need to be thinking about. I like it because you have more options. Imagine Baskin Robins with only two flavors of ice cream. The choices aren’t so appealing are they? Now throw chunky monkey, peanut butter toffee buzz and double chocolate chip cookie dough into the mix and things are a little more interesting. You get my drift.
So again I ask the question. When will the Montana Progressives break away and begin to form new parties? We’ve already got the politics. Are we afraid we won’t get enough support? I say that is B.S. We will get more support. People are turned off by Democrats because they are a reactionary, opposition party. Alternatively, people like it when you look them straight in the eye and tell them exactly what you think. It has to start at the grassroots level though. Ralph Nader isn’t going to win a presidency without first solidifying the movement at the local level. So if you are thinking about running in any race, think green/independent.
Finally, I am curious what Tester has to say about the issue of campaign finance reform, one of the few swords that seems capable of inflicting serious damage to the beast known as the Democratic Process.
Tester is being turned into another Washington talking head. A drone. It kills me to hear talk of him showing Washington what Montana is all about. I wonder how much money Washington has pumped into his race. Next thing we know we are going to have to stand in front of his office holding signs up to protest CAFTA or NAFTA. We had to do it with Baucus. Granted, Baucus voted against CAFTA, but why did he have to be persuaded; he is a Democrat. I can hear it now: You’ve got it all wrong - Baucus and Tester are totally different animals. I completely agree. So why are they both in the same party? Why is it that we lump them all together until there are only two parties? Why doesn’t Tester run as an independent? He seems to be liked well enough. Is he worried about funding? In that case money and Washington have already begun asserting their ownership over him.
Why do the truly progressive candidates continue to be associated with Democrats who constantly bog them down? The Republicans don’t experience this problem and it shows everywhere. Look who is in power. The difference is that the right wingers work well together. They might not agree with each other all the time but they realize that if they work together they get a lot of what they want a lot of the time. The left wing doesn’t do that, at all. For example, many atheists can’t stand religion. They don’t bother to consider the idea of Liberal Catholics or Buddhists. This sort of fragmentation is pervasive throughout the party. So what to do? The way I see it, we have two choices.
A.)We can try to work together and take one out of the Republican playbook
or
B.)We start new parties.
Choice A seems bad on its face. There is nothing progressive about mimicking Republican strategy. Additionally, it furthers the status quo (read: fascism). The end result is that yes, Democrats gain control and get some things done, but, the other half of the country that didn’t vote Democrat is out of luck. Fuck them you say? Think about how it feels right now. It just isn’t a very democratic system.
Choice B is what we need to be thinking about. I like it because you have more options. Imagine Baskin Robins with only two flavors of ice cream. The choices aren’t so appealing are they? Now throw chunky monkey, peanut butter toffee buzz and double chocolate chip cookie dough into the mix and things are a little more interesting. You get my drift.
So again I ask the question. When will the Montana Progressives break away and begin to form new parties? We’ve already got the politics. Are we afraid we won’t get enough support? I say that is B.S. We will get more support. People are turned off by Democrats because they are a reactionary, opposition party. Alternatively, people like it when you look them straight in the eye and tell them exactly what you think. It has to start at the grassroots level though. Ralph Nader isn’t going to win a presidency without first solidifying the movement at the local level. So if you are thinking about running in any race, think green/independent.
Finally, I am curious what Tester has to say about the issue of campaign finance reform, one of the few swords that seems capable of inflicting serious damage to the beast known as the Democratic Process.
posted by John in Montana at 7:08 AM
3 Comments:
The first time I heard Tester speak was a small gathering and when i asked him his opinion on trade agreements like the FTAA he answered honestly. which is good.But he hadn't even heard of it, which is bad.He opposed NAFTA because of the exposure of Montana farmers but I don't sense any real "international solidarity" there.
On the other hand, Missoula is one thing, you might run a "progressive", green, independent there, but here in the hinterlands, we have to work in the "realm of the possible" and any democrat is a huge improvement.But you know what I think about the state of our democracy and what i think needs to be done in the long run. PS.Went to my first CAJA board meeting last night!Im on board.
Trout,
Congrats on becoming a board member! Sybren and I were just chatting about how we both wanted to board members as well. Maybe I can be an honorary member?
John in Montana,
In my mind you are more than an honorary board member! You've helped push CAJA to a new level. We are truly happy for you and Sybren, but we'd love to have you back in Montana any time!
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