(Warning: This essay has no redeeming value whatsoever, it's only purpose is to have a little fun, stir up some shit and make people hate each other.)

So evidently the term "purist" is being used, again, by some in the One Percent's Democratic Party, to describe the "progressive rebels" who are resisting the corporate democratic establishment.

"There’s a new obnoxious buzzword in the corporate Democratic lexicon, and it’s being employed with increasing regularity by rank-and-file Democratic party loyalists. More and more I run up against vagina hat-wearing keyboard warriors of the McResistance dismissing progressive rebels as “purists,” “purity ponies” and “purity progressives,” the idea being that if you don’t want to vote for Democrats who actively facilitate corporatism, warmongering and ecocide, you are somehow being unrealistic and unreasonable."

http://www.newslogue.com/debate/391

I thought that was interesting because I've been called a purist, in effect, by the purists. Evidently there are various levels or stages of purity, or purism if practiced by a cult. But the democratic party isn't a cult. Is it?

Johnstone appears to be talking about and for the "Bernie" wing of the democratic party and those who voted for Stein instead of Clinton after Sanders was defeated in the primary race.

"We’re not asking for purity. That’s why we’ve eagerly embraced imperfect leaders like Bernie Sanders, Jill Stein, Nina Turner and Tulsi Gabbard. Any lefty could find issues with any of those individuals to nitpick over, but instead we advance them because they want to help the people instead of using and abusing people."

As someone that does not eagerly embrace any politician as my leader, imperfect or perfect, I guess that leaves me out. I won't vote for any democratic (or republican) party politician because I believe those two parties are the problem. That was the primary reason I did not support Sanders for president, because he ran as a democrat. The "duopoly" is controlled by the oligarchy and that is why we live in an oligarchy. I believe the oligarchy must be destroyed and everything that enables it, therefore the duopoly must be taken down. Supporting it doesn't do that. I'm against this system of representative government and believe it must be significantly altered, ASAP.

You might not agree, but don't call me a purist.

I've said all that before and have generally been met with comments that I'm seeking something that just can't happen, I'm letting the perfect become the enemy of the good, i.e., I'm being a purist. As Johnstone said, I'm a nitpicker. Let's review:

Purist:

-a person who adheres strictly and often excessively to a tradition;
-a person who has very strong ideas about what is correct or acceptable and who usually opposes changes to traditional methods and practices
-a purist is one who desires that an item remains true to its essence and free from adulterating or diluting influences

Aw shit, that ain't it, I'm no purist. The traditional democrats, the ones who supported Clinton and Obama and remain steadfast democratic party partisans, they're purists. You know, like the Daily Kos democrats. They're the ones who oppose changes to traditional methods and practices. They're the ones who want to stick to the tradition of electing the politicians of two major political parties to supposedly "represent" us. The only change they want is to stop getting their asses kicked. Represent, man.

The Bernie wing, they want better democrats, i.e., Bernie, Nina Turner, Tulsi Gabbard. Bernie was a better democrat while it lasted, now he's back to being an indie working as a democrat. I wouldn't say they're opposed to changes to traditional methods and practices but they're not calling for major changes in our political system other than tweaks like campaign finance reform, voting rights and paper ballots. Mostly they just want better democrats. Isn't that what Bernie, Nina and Tulsi are, better democrats? Where have I heard that before? There's a little purity going on there too.

When it comes to accusations of purity within the democratic party, isn't that kind of like this: