Like a Pheonix Rising Out of the Ashes

The Democratic Party will rise up again.

I'm not trying to put a happy face on this. I just accept it for what it is. We got our asses handed to us in the Presidential and the Senate elections. Now, however, is not the time for hang wringing and tears. I am going to take some positive things out of this, try to learn from it, and work my tail off to change the course of this country. We need to relearn the game. This started under Reagan. The right has been slowly working on this for over 20 years. They have the think-tanks, they have the media sources, they have a lock on talk radio (and for those of you that don't think that is important, go out in your town and count the number of cars on the road between 12 and 6PM). We need to get our act together and start getting the message out. I said Our message, not the message after it's been shredded through the blender of Rush and Hanity. Here's my rather long take on this.

First - these things run in cycles. After the Depression and World War II, the Democratic Party won 5, count 'em FIVE consecutive presidential elections. Even Eisenhower who came after Truman was not that bad. He warned of the Military Industrial complex, and would probably be just a little to the right of Senator Kennedy today. The Democratic Party also controlled the House and the Senate for 50 years. During that time important social safeguards were put in place that have stood the test of time. No way will those pillars be torn down.

Second - I don't know who said it, but LBJ was warned that if he pushed civil rights he would "lose the south forever". Now you can see that this observation was right. Does that mean the south is racist? I don't know, but I do know this. If anyone thinks we are going to win by carrying Mississippi, they are sorely mistaken. One thing we should not be doing though, is electing Republican Senators from Maine, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, or any other "blue" state. Why we can win PA with 58% of the vote, and still have Santorum and Spectre is beyond me. I don't care how good, or decent, or moderate Snowe and Chaffe are. When it comes to crunch time they are going to tow the party line. Get rid of them.

Third - With a wartime incumbent, and the VP saying we were all going to die if we didn't stay the course, just under half of the voters chose our guy. Think about that. Despite the most shameful, negative, fear-mongering campaign in history,(I don't recall anyone on the radio saying that a vote for FDR's opponent WAS A VOTE FOR HITLER) 49% of the voters were strong enough, and brave enough to take a chance on a "liberal Senator form MA". Tells me we don't have very far to go. Despite 15 hours a day, 7 days a week of talk radio hosts telling them that "a vote for Kerry was a vote for Osama", 49% were not reduced to sniveling cowards.

Fourth - I firmly believe that the majority of the American people are not wing-nut, Armageddon Xtian Evangelicals. I use Xtian, because there is nothing Christian about these people. Let them push their radical far right agenda. Let them run the economy into the ground. Let them try to touch Social Security and Medicare, or Labor Laws. Let them burn the environment at the altar of their false god! And when they do, the true American people, the people with the spirit of this country in their blood, the people with the hope of this country burning in their hearts, the people that remember this country was founded on courage not fear, will turn on these theologians faster than you can say "Weapons of Mass Destruction."

The Democratic Party will be back, and stronger than ever.

we have to quit letting them divide us along social lines when our real and sadly damaging division is economic.

We keep saying this over and over....and nothing ever F***ing happens! We keep getting kicked in the face, and it doesn't seem like there is anything we can do about it. How do we fight back? Who will lead us? What do we need to do? We need to come up with answers soon...get organized...find a better way to ALL come together take this country back! But HOW?!?!?! Fing democraticmajority my ass...those fing right wing scum keep cheating and beating us!

because the politcans can't and never will.

It is time to say goodbye to the Democratic Party. In this Brave New World the battle is cultural. It is Realists vs Fundies. Like it or not the next phase will be a war of ideas. Science vs faith based reality. But since they can't understand the language of science, we will need to show them reality using terms and ideas that they will understand. It is the only way we can win this thing.

They are so good at yanking out a scary little villain to define the entire Democratic Party. Look at the track record

Welfare Queen - Not too subtle implication of a black woman in a Cadillac. Thank you Ronnie Reagan! When the truth is, the best way to move from welfare to work is through democratic ideas.

Soft on Crime - Gee, guess you can't let Dukakis win since he let that scary looking black man with the crazy afro out on work release. Funny, fact is, first work release program in this country was started by Gov Reagan in CA.

Wimpy Wine Drinking Girlie Man - Thank you Arnold. However, you left out the fact that this WWDGM was lugging an M14 around the jungle with people trying to kill him and bullets flying everywhere. Yeah he's a real wimp. He actually killed for his country, and it wasn't a movie.

Dope Smoking Hippie - OK got me there.

Those Scary gays and lesbians - Next thing you know they'll be teaching your son how to deep throat in public school without gagging.

Atheist Satanist - Yes folks, before you know it the bible will be burned en mass in the public square and all Christians will have to were little yellow crosses on their coats to identify them. Oh and while they're at it, they'll eat some babies from the abortion mill.

I'm a little tongue in cheek here, but I'm not far off.

I'm sick of all the naysayers and people who are busting Kerry's nads for this. He's a good man up against a radical agenda that has taken root in this country. This country has shifted far to the right in the past 20 years. However, I think Bush's second term will be so disastrous that it will precipitate the swing back left that we so badly need. I'm sick and tired of people blaming Kerry. I think he'll bust his ass for us in the Senate. I saw him twice this year on the campaign trail, and I saw a sincere man who gives a shit. Those people who are saying he doesn't just because he lost are not a lot better than freepers. We need a strong opposition to Bush in the Senate, and now isn't the time for whining. It's the time for action. We lost the battle, we are going to win the war. But not if we start bitching about our own warriors. It's time for Democratic unity now more than ever. We can only defeat their agenda if we all stand together and fight against him.

But I'm sick and tired of saying to myself, "Well we made it through Nixon so we make through Reagan", then Reagan again, then "We made it through Reagan so we can make it through Bush", then Bush , then Bush again...before you know it 32 years have gone by and the country is more screwed up than ever.

Something begins, grows, lives, dies and eventually rises again. Whatever is happening, and whenever there is an abundance of hate and destruction, there will always be the eternal elements peace and justice and the like to be re-discovered.

Has anyone ever read Fahrenheit 451? Great book, it vividly paints what we are living in right now (it's kind of scary) and it uses this symbol very well.