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I have not made up my mind except for two main points:
1) I will NOT stand with the Tea Party/Republican wackos. Any American who does not belong to the upper 10% who does vote for candidates from this group is either totally ignorant, or has a wish to totally destroy what shreds of a democracy we have left.
2) I will not stand with the current Wall Street corporate centrist/blue dog Democratic coalition that has control of the Democratic Party. They are not the majority but they control the party machinery. The perfect analogy in comparing them to the Tea Party/Republican wakcos is that the wackos will take the entire cake while the do-gooding Corporate Centrist Democrats will toss the majority a few crumbs–but always with a string firmly attached. They don’t even hand out crumbs any more without taking a few nibbles out beforehand. [As for Blue Dogs like Ben Nelson of Nebraska--they are Republicans as far as I'm concerned.]
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HERE ARE MY OPTIONS IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE FOR NOW:
#1 Join up with the PDA. The Progressive Democrats are a faction of the Democratic party. They may as well be a separate party when considering the differences in the platforms they advocate. From all appearances it looks as if the PDA may be pulling away from the Democratic Party. For example, instead of supporting the Democratic candidate in a New York race, they are supporting Ian Murphy–the Green candidate and the fellow who called up Gov Scott Walker pretending to be David Koch. I have to see how things progress with the PDA before deciding.
#2 Green Party - The Green Party has more support this year than it ever has. I am more than confident that they will win several House Seats this year.
#3 Labor Party – The Labor Party is another good option. Like the Green Party, they too are building a strong coalition. If the labor unions get behind their movement, the Labor Party, like the Green Party, is sure to capture a few Congressional seats as well.
#4 Independents - Of course there is always this group as well. The finest Senator we have is an Independent–Bernie Sanders. He stands up for the people every time. He better represents the majority of the American people than any other Congress person in the Senate or the House.
By the way: just in case you may be wondering, Bernie is no millionaire.
6 Comments
Thanks for letting us know where you are right now Liz. The points you have decided on are very important. 3 of the 4 options you present are compatible with the No Confidence Protest Vote 2012 movement. The first one is also compatible if the PDA does pull away from the Democratic party (which I believe is the right way to go).
Would momentum and success of this movement influence your choice – would it encourage you to refuse to vote for Democratic candidates if you knew a few million others stood in solidarity with you in that choice? I ask because I am truly interested to understand the thought process of folks who are currently on the fence. What could we do that might influence your decision?
Regardless of which way you go I really hope PDA pulls away from the Democratic party. The party machine is thoroughly corrupt and only serves to neuter the power of dissenters in the party. You are right that PDA has a vastly different platform, yet the continue to roll and support leadership when it counts. They will need true independence if they are going to make a strong stand and exercise their power. The Republicans clearly demonstrate the noise that can be made by a minority willing to play hardball on controversial issues where the vote is close. PDA might be able to use the same tactics but they never will as long as they are subordinate to Democratic party leadership…
Good ideas and I agree that anyone assoicated with the national Dems (or GOP) will be tainted and unless that candidate runs as an independent they cannot be trusted….
Like the basic theme of your post, but let’s face it, Bernie is a sellout hack as well. He could have proposed a PO amendment, but didn’t.
Lots of big talk, but el foldo when it counts.
Wrong. He had a Single Payer amendment riding the whole time. He only withdrew it after the Coburn attack.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/72569-sanders-withdraws-single-payer-amendment-
BTW, Sanders was never on Max Baucus’ committee, which is where the atrocities actually took place in the Senate.
A) He withdrew the single payer amendment.
B) He did NOT propose a PO amendment after the Dems went to reconciliation.
Big talk. No walk.
I think you should pump your brakes a bit. He withdrew it, but he did put in a loophole that allowed for single payer.
It was called “Section 1332. Waiver for State Innovation”:
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2011/february/sanders-state-leadership-in-healthcare-act-s-73
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2010/march/state-single-payer-waiver-provisions-in-the-senate-healthcare-bill-legislative-langu
That was the loophole that allowed Vermont to get single payer passed.
Bernie is directly responsible for that.
To say he didn’t walk the walk is completely unfounded. Why go for the public option, when he can go all the way for his own state?
If that’s not gangsta, I don’t know what is.