Russ… You know I like you. But hooboy, you are confusing the hell out of me. You just sent me an email from Progressives United with the subject line “Let’s Fight.”
Carissa,
Part of the reason I founded Progressives United is that we badly need to break the limits of our debate.
Nowhere is that need exposed more clearly than with the congressional super committee that will soon be debating whether we should dismantle our society and protections substantially — or all but eliminate them.
That’s an argument we can’t win. Years of corporate money in politics have gone toward ensuring that debates like this will end up heads they win, tails we lose.
To stop this backsliding and start having debates we can actually win, we need the super committee to deal a decisive defeat to the corporate agenda. And to do it, we need to stand united.
Stand with me today: Petition Democratic members of the super committee to deal a defeat to corporate interests.
Members of Progressives United are petitioning Democratic super committee members to follow these priorities:
- Ensure millionaires, billionaires, and big corporations pay their fair share of debt reduction,
- No cuts to Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits,
- No giveaways to corporate interests,
- Or no deal.
Numbers one through three are important policy priorities, but number four is equally important.
If we don’t get our policy priorities, Democrats need to be ready to walk away from the deal. You can guarantee extremists on the other side will continue to push relentlessly to give even more to corporations and put even more of the burden on the middle class. We have to fight harder than they will.
We can have leverage with the Democrats on the super committee, but we need to build it.
Stand with me and sign Progressives United’s petition today.
Huh? I am so confused by your email. On the one hand, you say we have to “break the limits of our debate.” Then you go on to infer that the “super committee” is already operating from the assumption that the safety net must be diminished and will only be debating how much they will shred the social safety net. As I see it, they aren’t having a debating each other. They are in agreement. So how is this “our” debate? But I digress. You were speaking of a debate and that usually means one side or the other will win the debate.
That’s an argument we can’t win. . . . heads they win, tails we lose.
Wait. What? We can’t win the argument? So the point of your email is . . . what, exactly?
To stop this backsliding and start having debates we can actually win, we need the super committee to deal a decisive defeat to the corporate agenda.
Ooooh! I get it! We have to get the committee to see the error of their reasoning. But just half of them.
But, wait, you already said that the committee has already made up its collective mind, and it’s not in our favor, and . . . but . . .
But okay, I’ll bite. I’m ready! What are we to do?
Wait. What? You want us to sign an online petition that has absolutely no teeth or “do this or else” threats? Really???
Oh Russ, Russ, Russ.
You said, “Let’s fight.”
I was really hoping you were writing me to say you’d given up on the Democratic Party and that you were going to make a move and encourage us to come with you. I thought maybe you were going to say you were going to step up and either challenge Obama in the primaries, or make an independent run for the Presidency.
You want me to sign another petition. Seriously? Years of these, years of trying to get “better” Democrats elected, years of begging and pleading with our Democratic leaders to Please, not again! Please don’t sell us out! has taught me that this shit isn’t going to do squat.
And frankly, where is the “fight” in this? I cannot tell you how disappointed I am that this organization that I thought maybe, just maybe was going to be a genuinely liberal/progressive counterpoint to the corporate Democratic leadership. Nah. Just another veal pen as far as I can see.
You want to get their attention, Russ? We lib/prpgs need to go Lysistrata on the Democratic Party. And we need enough of you big names to make the leap with us.
Democrats need to be ready to walk away from the deal . . .
No. We need to be ready to walk away from the party. And so do you.
That will get their attention. Nothing less.
