A Progressive's Letter to the DNC
This is well written, and originally at TOP. But looks like it was pulled. Luckily this group/writer has their own website.
"Party Unity or Bust: An Open Letter to the DNC," by Chris O'Hara
Party Unity or Bust: An Open Letter to the DNC
He opens with:
I explained to so many people at the convention: “You understand there is now a 50/50 chance Donald Trump will become President, right?!”-- I remember muttering to myself: "These people are so certain they can't lose this election-- they're going to lose this election!" over and over again on the streets of Philadelphia… but if I'm 100% honest with myself, I never truly believed that something as absurd as this would come to pass...
My Name is Chris O'Hara. I am writing as a Democrat, as a lifelong progressive, and as a member of the Political Revolution. I represented Bernie Sanders' Campaign at the 2016 Democratic National Convention as a member of the Rules Committee. Originally, I penned an op-ed that served as a post-mortem for the convention. It was a record of my experiences and emotions, coupled with a long and detailed tirade about the corruption uncovered within the DNC which I planned to publish on November 9th. But then Donald Trump had to go off and win the Electoral College.
He makes a succinct argument for the loss of Democratic Party foundations and what went wrong with both the primary, at the convention and the GE vote.
Farther on he states:
Debbie Wasserman-Schultz resigned in disgrace the week of our convention, and as opposed to being repudiated by the party, Hillary Clinton brought her on as ‘Honorary Chair’ of her campaign that very afternoon. Put yourself in our shoes and imagine how insincere calls for ‘Party Unity’ sounded in this context. That decision was beyond tone-deaf, beyond crass, beyond brazen. It felt as though the Democratic Party was telling my constituency (and in a sense my whole generation) in no uncertain terms: “We don't think we need your votes, and we really don't even want them.”
A progressive VP choice could have been an olive branch -- No.
Pass the Highwater amendment and stand against the TPP -- No.
Stand unequivocally against fracking and pipeline expansions -- No.If Rhetoric is not backed up with Action, it is Meaningless:
If Election 2016 teaches us nothing else, it’s that The Democratic Party does not get to coast on its brand ever again. It’s time to decide once and for all, do we support the people, or our donor-class.
I invited him to cross post here, as it seemed the reception and discussion would be better.
He said to go ahead as he wasn't yet familiar with C99%.
He is backing Keith Ellison for DNC chair, but the synopsis of what went on and the writer's sentiments are worth the read.
Comments
I support more independent thinkers here
But you should show him this.
Check out Sam Ronan
Sam Ronan seems to telling it like it is.
Compensated Spokes Model for Big Poor.
Yes, I have severe misgivings given the Hillary all in.
Any alternatives showing up? I'm all ears. I think anyone running so far is in the tank for the 1%ers.
A lot of us here are cynics, well earned, but cynics at least when it comes to Democrats doing anything for the moyen class.
I read constantly for good ideas.
You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again you did not know. ~ William Wiberforce
If you can donate, please! POP Money is available for bank-to-bank transfers. Email JtC to make a monthly donation.
I'm just about to do an essay
It's time for socialism
Keep in mind that the majority of Americans equate
socialism with communism. Bert the Turtle did such a complete mind fuck on the US populace during the 50's that it is still in evidence to this day. It has almost become a permanent part of the American psyche, like cheap gasoline as birthright and US exceptionalism, it's going to be a long hard climb. Even harder with the recent resurgence of a hysterical anti-Russia, neo-McCarthy sentiment being promulgated by the MIC hawks that Obama, with Hillary's urging, brought right into the house.
A completely false either/or dichotomy will be used against you by the corporate rentier class. To surpass this hurdle you should always use the terms 'social DEMOCRACY' or social CAPITALISM. Americans love the word 'democracy' so you have to play it up and downplay socialism. Same for capitalism. We need to find new terms that haven't already been fucked over by the elites. It took almost a half century to destroy 'socialism' (which eventually got us that great human anomaly we called The Middle Class).
@CB Doesn't matter. CNN
Doesn't matter. CNN informed us, stupidly, last year, that 47% of the American people would vote for a socialist for President, and 50% wouldn't--with a 3% margin of error. So, a toss-up.
A socialist candidate would not be defeated by the American people's perceptions of socialism. She, or he, would be defeated by electoral fraud, voter suppression, lack of media coverage, and media character attacks and other dirty tricks.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I want to hear what your plans are,
no natter what economic system replaces our dying capiatism,
to ensure the sociopaths don't take power again.
Did he post this at top? why?
We all know that TOP is a mouthpiece for the establishment Democratic Party. Does he think there is any possibility it will allow any debate on this topic? Does he think there's a progressive in the place? I read this on WaPo today, and it truly pissed me off.
I read his post, and I question much of it. I would think dkos would gobble this guys loyalty right up unless the Party has now ordered Kos to support Perez and the rest of the lesser of evil Democrats they'll run in 2018. Chris says the two party system won't survive, yet, he's still invested in resuscitating that corrupt pile of shit that calls itself the peoples' party. He thinks Keith Ellison is the answer - seriously? He also says that most of Bernie's supporters bit the bullet and voted for Hillary because of Trump. That might be true for "Democrats" like him, but not to a public that is sick to death of politics as usual. In Michigan alone, which Bernie and Trump won, 100,000 people left the line for President blank when they voted in November. IF Bernie's voters showed, only the Democrats like Chris rolled and voted for the lesser of the evil candidate. The rest voted for Trump, Johnson, Stein, left the line blank, or did stay home altogether.
Animosity? Big time between the Bernie supporters and the Obama/Clinton Wall Street gang. I don't think it can be mended. By playing softball, I also think Bernie missed the window of opportunity for his candidacy and reform. He betrayed his supporters, and now he has fences to mend. When Bernie endorsed Hillary, the Democratic Party started hemorraghing people identifying as Democrats, and it hasn't quit. This stupid Party thinks a Clinton and/or Kennedy candidacy would be appealing to voters, and that Obama is somehow a leader of the grass roots.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
I approached him about C99%. He had never heard of us.
I think he is naive from what I can tell. Or feels there are no other alternatives. Maybe invested in the Democratic portion of the duopoly.
His diary was up for only an hour or so before he pulled it down. Comments started to go south from the very first one.
He was hoping for a post-venting discussion. Not going to be that easy. As he soon found out.
Offered him this site as an option. Maybe he'll check it out; maybe he won't.
You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again you did not know. ~ William Wiberforce
If you can donate, please! POP Money is available for bank-to-bank transfers. Email JtC to make a monthly donation.
Sounds like he's still a believer.....
Posting on dkos is such a tell. Going south is all it knows how to do. The establishment's party line or else.
I hope he decides to check us out, but he should be prepared for how cynical many of us are. In or outside of the party - I just want to blow it all up. I don't believe new growth can generate until the old growth dies.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
another WaPo article
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/a-new-liberal-tea-party-is-form...
they're trying to equate the new progressive push back to the Tea Party. Democratic leadership is trying to use that energy to their benefit but are concerned they could be ousted in the process much like the Tea Party did to the Republicans.
progressives need to be careful not to let the Democratic leadership co-opt their movement just to pay lip service. the leadership fight seems weak and embarrassing at this point. it's going to take some new blood in Congress instead of seat warmers raking in the dough for themselves.
i have relatives in NYC posting practically every day in our family thread about Trump. they even marched in D.C. i'm to the point of asking them what they have done to protest Schumer but i stay out of the discussion.....for now.
@dkmich Bless you.
Bless you.
This is my wallpaper on my desktop at home:
This is the Democratic Party.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Was it pulled or tossed out of TOP?
That blog has become a cesspit for much of what is currently wrong with the Democratic party. Its steady decline in Alexa ratings reflects its relevance in the US political scene. Even now, 3 months after the election, they continue to blame outside forces such as Bernie and Stein supporters along with Russian/Putin "took control of America" crap as being the reasons for Hillary's embarrassing failure.
They also keep on yammering about Hillary winning the popular vote. Yes, she did. BUT, it was because of the energy and motivation Bernie injected into the election. How many rallies did Hillary hold in California compared to Bernie? What was the quality of their respective rallies? In the end, a very large number of Bernie's people in California did hold their noses and vote for Hillary.
Any self reflection of the many reasons why Hillary actually failed to take the presidential election is strictly verboten on TOP. Latest pollssince the election (R28 I44 D25) show a 5% decrease in Dem party affiliation with a corresponding increase in Independent affiliation DURING this election cycle. The Repubs show little change. That speaks fucking volumes.
Maybe it's time to clean house and take the garbage out.
I'm not sure how it was taken down. There was no typical
error message as if the writer self-deleted. It was gone from the "Diaries List".
This was the writer's first posting at TOP. I believe he was hoping enough time had passed since the election which would allow for an honest discussion of how things went and why.
Also, probably the place still has a rep and a presence in Democratic circles that it seemed like the place to write.
Another short diary was up at about the same time telling members to stop bashing new writers who may not know the "rulz".
He found out in a hot hurry that it doesn't work to do that at Dkos.
You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again you did not know. ~ William Wiberforce
If you can donate, please! POP Money is available for bank-to-bank transfers. Email JtC to make a monthly donation.
Caitlin Johnstone
Good luck on reforming this rat's nest.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
@dkmich
With these political enablers of the Parasite Class, everything's about A.) absolute control
and
B.) 'optics'.
That wax apple the wicked witch offers looks perfect, even if it is toxic - try a bite!
But the real American Dream was of democracy, not just 'get rich quick and devil take the hind-most'.
Edited because I missed the B and had to hand pollinate. Good practice for any future flowering of the apple tree out back...
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
I read his entire essay which was well thought out
My take is that the writer (Chris O'Hara) is still invested in the duopoly and believes the Democratic party can be reformed from within. It will never be reformed as long as they continue to have corporate Dems such as Pelosi and Schumer at the helm. These people are fabulously wealthy themselves and have no idea nor want to have any idea of what it is like to actually work for the common person.
What I do think is that this young man might be open to looking for an alternative to the Democratic party and the duopoly. So I wish Mr. O'Hara would join us here and we can learn from him and vice versa. It could be a very good dialogue that I would look forward to having.
The video that dkmich posted of Lee Camp interviewing the former Bernie campaign guy was eye opening. The number one thing that struck me was when he said that the Democratic party lost 25% of the membership as a result of the election. The Democratic party is barely hanging on via life support.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=7f28dVrtEWA]
There are far too many corrupt Democrats in the positions of power for the election of a new chair to actually make a difference. So they elect Keith Ellison who is one of the better candidates. His position as DNC chair will be window dressing only. Fund raising for the Democrats is king and Ellison is not going to make a difference.
Remember, Obama's guy, Tom Perez accidentally told the truth about the corruption in the DNC and was forced to walk it back.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
In case you missed the videos GG is talking about.
Here they are again.
"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon
@gulfgal98
Whoa, thanks! Made me wonder if the threat of a Bernie Party was a (or perhaps the) trigger for the Homeland (In)Security coup in taking elections away from any chance ever of independent/citizen oversight and verification of results... and others of the most recently added impediments to any chance of even the appearance of any democratic election in America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN-cYCjAAXI
The above video contains mention of this coup expanded upon in these excerpts below from below, from something first posted here at C-9 by gustogirl.
(Emphasis mine.)
https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2017/01/08/this-is-a-coup-the-homelan...
If this terrifies them that much, this is the way to go, while fighting tooth and nail for American electoral choice to be returned to the American people, to whom it - like the country and delegated governmental power - belongs.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
@gulfgal98 Wait a minute. The
Wait a minute. The election machines in Chicago were "flawed, not necessarily rigged, but flawed." Then the next thing he says is "And the Election Board didn't care." Which means (drum roll) that they're....rigged!
If you're the Election Board and you find out your voting machines aren't counting the vote accurately, and you don't care, that means (drum roll) that your election is...rigged!
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
The democratic party is a warmonger, wall street
establishment party. It doesn't matter who they elect chairperson when 80% of democrats still support Obama, a known and wanted war criminal. Most democrats wanted to elect another known war criminal, Hillary Clinton, as president, when she should be in prison. Democrats need to look at themselves and what they support, not just who they support.
But that's the insanity
But that's the thing. There is this total disconnect.
They believe Obama ended the wars (he didn't, and expanded them).
If you tell them how Obama droned innocent people, a blank stare emerges and then they say no, not Obama. Or some mealy-mouthed response.
Everyone talks about how Trump is this con man that everyone has to worry about. Trump is a con, but he is terrible at it.
Obama was a brilliant con man; he conned millions into his act and people still eat it up. An effective con is not knowing you were conned, and everyone sees through Trump, but many are still dazzled by Obama.
Sounds like a cool guy, but
of course the Democratic Party can continue to coast on its brand. What do you think all these anti-Trump actions are really about?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
OK, I changed my mind.
I'm not on "the same side" with this guy, no way, no how.
There's so much wrong with his letter that it's amazing Markos pulled it. Shows how insane they've gotten over there.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver