Democrats In Danger

The Democrats don’t give a damn about us but they still will be surprised when they discover far more of their base sitting on their hands on election day.

Obama insists on pushing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Given the evidence of such accords in the recent past, even more jobs will flow to countries that treat their people not much better than industrial farms treat chickens. At least they don’t pump them full of hormones and antibiotics.

Obama has no reason to feel lonely up there in the Beltway. Congressmen, both Democrats and Republicans, both right and righter, are hard at work decimating the middle class. It seems to be their only realm of competence. Congress truly earned their 11% approval rating.

Will significant numbers of the progressive base really sit out the next election? They will, unless those prostitutes on the Hill can convince us that the well-being of the country is somewhere in the mix with their top priority . . . keeping their (actually, our) seats.

What should/could they do for those whose votes they seek? Senator Bernie Sanders’ platform is a pretty good starting point. He lists: rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, addressing climate change, real tax reform, protecting the most vulnerable, universal health care (single payer), taking on the thieves and welfare cheats of Wall Street, making college affordable, equal pay for equal work, a liveable minimum wage and such.

Do you know how many times those things have been promised by various Democratic candidates? I don’t, because I gave up counting long ago. Perhaps they could rechristen themselves the Promises Party.

How can I know what will happen? I am not a gypsy. I just take notice of yesterday’s election in the UK.

Does Labour Party leader Ed Miliband really know who to blame?

The Labour Party has tried the same path as the Democratic party. They promise. But, strangely, they also can’t be bothered to follow through. Today, the members of the Labour party can see their asses without the benefit of a mirror. They were handed them by a pissed off electorate.

Scotland, traditionally, has been a very strong base for Labour. Not this time. The Scottish National Party (SNP) showed how it is done. In one fell swoop the SNP went from 6 seats in Westminster to 56. That was 56 out of 59 seats in Parliament from Scotland. Their gain was Labour’s loss. The trend was less dramatic in the rest of the UK but still damaging. The Scots, and many others, have become fed up with unfulfilled promises and unappreciated support.

The electorates both in the British Isles and in the US have changed. Even greater changes are in prospect.

I am ashamed to say that my temporal peers and the WWII babies and the post-war boomers unexplainedly tilt to the right, even after all they have witnessed. However, fortunately, we are dying off (not so fortunate for us). We are being replaced with a much more diverse population; one burdened by college debt; one looking at a shrinking job market; one faced with a decaying infrastructure; one tired of perpetual war; one less attentive to those pushing for a Christian caliphate.

The demographics already significantly favor a progressive political agenda. But, much of that constituency is not motivated to vote for liars that end up enacting the agendas of the johns that bought them.

Were we to elect Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren to become president, they would be stymied by both parties in both houses, even though they appear far more dedicated to a progressive agenda than Obama proved to be. While Bill may have had a few dalliances, both Clintons have been in bed with Wall Street for more than two decades.

So, selling John Q. Public on the supposed benefits that will tinkle down on him, the nation is severely weakened. How is that? When 400 American have as much wealth as 155 million Americans, a significant portion of the country is weakened. They are denied adequate health care, educational opportunities and other resources. This, so a handful of sociopaths can frolic in privates jets, yachts with landing pads for helicopters and bragging rights for who dies with the most toys.

The perks, ego-massaging attention and supposed power of those positions they refer to as “their” seats are obviously seductive and addictive. Few are willing to let go, unless forced. They can remain if they pay attention to the monies. They are usually safe in ignoring us. We are discouraged. They count on that. The primary difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is what they promise. Differences in actual programs are more apparent than real.

It will take more than more promises. Somehow they must actually convince their constituencies that they care. The progressives are less and less likely to accept such assurances from incumbents. That being so, they will sit out come November of 2016.

We will not be convinced by their squandering more and more on expensive television ads. We might be convinced by door-to-door, retail politics. That is far less expensive but requires far better organization and far more enthusiasm.

I don’t see the Democratic Party learning anything from the object lesson the British voters provided. Hope was a successful slogan back in 2008 but it was squandered on another spineless, self-centered pol. More wars. Guantanamo still there. More lower paying jobs. More foreclosures. More deportations. More billionaires. Less hope. Fewer progressives will be duped into rewarding feckless frauds.

.

.

Tagged as: beltway, Bernie, boomer, british, caliphate, christian, climate, clinton, college, congress, debt, Democrats, economy, Ed, election, Elizabeth, health care, infrastructure, middle class, Miliband, minimum wage, obama, prostitute, reform, Republicans, sanders, scotland, single payer, SNP, tax, TPP, uk, vote, Wall Stredt, warren, welfare, Westminster