To all "Death Cab" responders

Thanks to everyone who recommended and/or commented favorably on "Death Cab for Democracy". As usual, it was impossible to know beforehand that this would catch the mood at DU. But, in retrospect, it shows where a lot of us are at - at an Irish wake, I think. :-)

I am more convinced than ever that, in an awful situation, adults want to be told the truth whereas children want to be reassured with false hope or distracted with silly games. The truth is that the economic elites and their puppet politicians in both parties have decided (in the face of 75% public opposition and sub-Nixon approval ratings) to let the GOP go forward with the creation of a police state and with the looting and killing of our middle-class economy.

That's the truth. Its down to you and me. (I am still puzzled as to what it means that there wasn't one negative comment about this high visibility post.)

People want a program of action. But, before there can be action, there must be organization. Clearly, no existing major political organization/party is willing to support the action we all know we need (cf footnote). The Democratic Party leadership and other senior quislings are busy giving a free pass to Cheney's war and police state, and more anti-worker trade deals. They are not pushing hard to fix our rigged and privatized election systems or our unfair and unbalanced media. They are against impeachment.

In an institutional environment such as this, how does one act? It would be suicidal to walk away from the machinery of the Democratic Party and its historical association with worker's rights. It would be equally suicidal to vote for some corporatist hack just because they have a "D" after their name.

The hard part is, that after a year of "the permanent campaign", all non-corporate-funded presidential candidates have been "disappeared" by the horse race, the money race, the standard media kneecapping of anyone to the left, and the idiotic "debate" format stage-managed by biased corporate personalities. Yes, I know about Dennis. He is a great American, seriously. But there is no way that he can get past the media filter that is running; nor could any other candidate that the progressives could genuinely support.

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Action

The only action I am certain I must take is to continue to call for DUers to just shut up about this useless horse race between two major corporate hacks, three minor corporate hacks, and an out-of-office corporate hack. If you want to make some useful noise, call for impeachment, call for a change in party leadership, call for censure of DiFi and Schumer. Debate who is the biggest sellout in the Democratic Party.

How can we possibly organize to take back the Democratic Party when we can't even get a highly-vocal minority of people at DU to admit that the party leadership has to go and that impeachment is a necessity, not a distraction.

It is most important to organize. You can't pressure your political representatives if you don't have an alternative with which to threaten them. Forget the presidential race. It is owned by the corporations. But, every primary below that, we should be finding progressive candidates to oppose the entrenched selllouts and the pro-corporate elitists that Rahm Emmanuel has been picking. If we have no choice but a Dem hack president, then I want as many other offices as possible held by loyal, true Democrats.

Another way we must organize is to reach out to true patriots in the police/military/intelligence community. We must create a safe environment for whistleblowers, leakers of Gitmo manuals, finders of cruise missiles on B-52s, investigators of mercenary atrocities, and commanders who say "no" to new provocations. My hat is off to the people who take food to homeless vets and send "care" packages to troops in the field.

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This is already too long. Thanks again.

arendt

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Footnote: impeachment to prevent a fait accompli coup, restoration of the Constitution, a rollback of the out of control militarization of our society, restoring fair taxation of the rich and containing the massive deficits, taking action about climate change and environmental destruction.

NO.

Sincerely,

Bicoastal

Better to elect more progressives to lower offices.

Progressives have scarce resources. We will get much more bang for our buck by taking the grassroots strategy. I really don't know what they did to shut Howard Dean up; but he had the right idea. Build the party first.

arendt

The Chimp's economy assured my business would fail this year, but I'll still do what I can. I talk up impeachment wherever I can. TO fight the corporations my fiance' and I have organized a free public showing of SICKO.

Thank you again, Arendt.

Following Saul Alinsky, we should organize on issues that touch every voter. And HMOs are one of them.

Keep up the good work.

arendt

...a vast majority of us writing in "None of the Above" in all future primary and general elections.