Less than 60 days, folks. That’s what we have left to get this done and prevent the GOPosaurs from shutting down Congress for the next two years.
Don’t like Obama? Don’t like the Blue Dogs? Don’t like {fill in the blank}?
Fine. I’m with ya on some of it.
But right now is decidedly NOT the time to stand on the sidelines wringing your hands.
Howard Dean agrees and that’s why he’s appearing in Michigan on Wednesday to energize voters.
We’d all love to see Ben Nelson and his compadres hit the road. Most of us would have loved a strong health insurance reform law and a toothier Wall Street reform bill. We would love to see Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repealed this afternoon and a strong climate/clean energy package of legislation brought to the front of the stove. We’d love to see a powerful, compassionate jobs bill package and nothing would make us happier than to see Stimulus II – the Obama Economic Miracle. Some of us wouldn’t even mind telling Rahm Emmanuel to SYFP.
But right now, unless we get our acts together and get out there and start talking to voters about getting their asses to the polls to elect every Democrat they can find on their ballot, we’re going to get clobbered. And that means nothing — NOTHING! — progressive will happen for the next two years. Don’t like anemic legislation that seems like a half-measure? Wait until you see how little you get with House Speaker Boehner in charge. It’s hard enough to pull a car out of a ditch but when you have to pull it out a second time and the bumper is missing and one of the wheels is off, the task is oh-so-much harder.
If we let them have the keys back, we’re just as culpable as any single person in the Democratic Party.
We’ve got to start talking to voters and telling them about the reality of the choice facing them. We did it in 2008 when we had scads of moderates and even Republicans cross over to vote for Senator Obama. And we can do it again if we work our tails off.
In Ann Arbor, our efforts are getting a big shot in the arm this week from Governor Howard Dean who will be appearing with Congressmen John Dingell, Mark Schauer and Gary Peters in a “Moving Michigan Forward” rally on the campus of the University of Michigan.
From Brendan Campbell, chair of the University of Michigan College Dems:
“We all know that this election is one of the most important elections in the last couple of decades. It’s such a critical time for the state of Michigan, so we wanted to host an event that would get people excited. It’s about firing up voters and volunteers and making sure everyone’s excited to get active and help us work to elect Democrats in the fall.“
For more info and to reserve (free) tickets, go HERE (UofM College Dems website).
MOVING MICHIGAN FORWARD Rally
Join College Democrats at the University of Michigan for “Moving Michigan Forward” with special guests Governor Howard Dean, Congressman John Dingell, Congressman Mark Schauer, and Congressman Gary Peters! You may pick up your tickets in the Rackham Auditorium Box Office starting at 6:30 on the evening of September 8.Wednesday, September 8 at 8 PM
Rackham Auditorium
915 East Washington Street
(between South Thayer and Fletcher Streets)
General Admission
Doors open at 7:15
So, whattya say we put a moratorium on all the damned handwringing and flinging of poo at Democrats for the next 60ish days? For the next two months our single-minded focus should be on getting our Democratic candidates elected. This isn’t “holding your nose” and voting Democratic for most of us. We have some awesome candidates out there.
If you want better Democrats, then you’ll have to work on that, too. But AFTER the election. The mold is cast for 2010. We have to do everything in our power to make this a victory year. Then we can begin the process of bringing better Dems on board in preparation for the primaries in 2012.
I don’t care who you hook up with.
MoveOn.org? Great!
Democracy for America? Awesome!
Organizing for America? Terrific!
Get thee to a canvass or a phonebank or a Democratic headquarters and get your GOTV on, folks. Times a’wastin’!
And if you want to sit down and bend my ear about failed Democrats, I have most of November 3rd open. Let’s do coffee.
I’m just sayin’…
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P.S.
One more thing: So, lots of folks in my Daily Kos Rec Listed diary are asking “how do you purge ‘bad’ Dems AFTER the election”. The answer is pretty straightforward: That’s what primaries are for. Also, too, you work your tail off getting better people elected at lower levels NOW so that we have good choices at the top as our Dem candidates rise through the ranks (which the vast majority of them do.) That means … wait for it … GOTVing NOW! FOR DEMOCRATS! Because if they lose now, they may not rise through the ranks. This is an investment, folks, and it’s a damn important one, too.
Really, this isn’t that difficult to understand. There’s nothing you can do about the 2010 ticket right now and there are a LOT of good Dems that need people to turn out at the polls. And, not to be forgotten since it’s so bloody important, as ivy redneck points out in the Comments, THIS IS A REDISTRICTING YEAR! If we lose too many Dems, our electoral chances in the future get that much slimmer.
If you don’t want to work for some specific Dastardly Blue Dog then hook up with OFA right now! We’re working in a very ‘ecumenical’ fashion — we’re turning people out to the polls to vote for Democrats. That helps ALL Dems, the ones you like and the ones you don’t like. More importantly, it hurts the GOPosaurs.
Sitting around harumphing because you don’t like your particular local flavor of Dem is akin to saying “Sorry, face, but this nose has got to go.” Don’t do it. Let’s win this round if for no other reason than it’ll stick our collective thumb right in the eye of every Teabagger whose garp you’ve had to see and listen to for the past 20 months.
One second thing: here’s David Plouffe on the OFA strategy. Ignore the plea for money and get involved locally and you’ll do as much or more good than any check would do.
I’m just sayin’…
