Any sensible person who counts themselves a Democrat, liberal and progressive (me for one) could reasonably be thinking “what the fuck?” as the Dems lose the MA seat and are about to see a horribly inadequate and compromised HCR bill go down in flames, and look at the work of the next ten months and wonder what the hell is the point?

Dog knows that I am experiencing all that disappointment and more.   If it turns out that the only accomplishment of the Obama election is to have been the first First World country to elect a brown man to the chief executive, I would have to say that that is good, but not all I was hoping for.

My Democratic club, of which I have been an officer for many years, has tasked me with designing a new and ambitious political plan for the coming election year.   I have tackled the assignment with energy due the moment, I must say.   And it beats doing my books, despite the pleas of my accountant.

I have built a political campaign schedule thru to the Nov election, with a plan that puts us out in the public eye far more than we have ever been.   We have for many years worked a voter registration effort.   I have developed it such that we will continue to be out in public after the deadline to resgister for the various elections up coming, until the actual elections.

See, if you ask a local grocery store to let you table at their door for the purpose of proselytizing for your party, they MAY say no thanks.   If you tell them that you are going to register voters, well, they are much more inclined to let you on the property.

So, to develop the narrative a bit further: the day for presenting this plan to the membership is fast approaching.   We will ply them with brie and chardonnay, to be sure.    Next: one of my fellow officers e-mailed the rest of the e-board that she had a (perfectly legitimate) personal emergency that would prevent her attendance at the meeting.

Then she launched into a bit of pessimism, suggesting that we would be lucky to see anybody show up or renew, much less participate in the club’s new campaign.    She went on to say that Obama has betrayed all liberals and is a fraud.

I gotta say.   I am not sorry that she is not going to be there.   While I would sit by and listen to the membership vent about how ineffectual the party and the WH seem to be right at the moment (HOW THE HELL COULD THEY HAVE LOST THAT SEAT IN MA???), I really do think that it is not correct for an officer to go ballistic on the party and the leader of our party, not for public consuption.    In point of fact, the US military has the same rule: enlisted men have full freedom to criticize the president.   Commissioned officers will be punished severely for doing so.   Just thought of that.

I am looking at a tough election year in which I have a responsibility to do all I practically can to move forward the party’s agenda.   I don’t agree with every portion of that agenda.   Which is fine.   If I don’t like it, I can resign my office and start throwing stones.    But I like my office.    I like that congressmen know my name and that their staff return my call.   I like that candidates of the state assembly seek me out for my endorsement.   I know that my endorsement and five dollars will go a long way at Starbucks, but what the hell?    They want my endorsement, and even pour Scotch down my throat to get it.

I get it.    Things are not breaking our way.    But it seems to me that what that means is that we need to push back even harder at the forces of reaction.   Dog, this is exhausting.

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Khirad
Member

Amen.

Also, the art perfectly captures the feeling.

Lose not heart, even though this past week has been a bit of a deflating shitstorm. Look forward. We need something big. Still enough time before midterms to redefine the mission.

kesmarn
Admin

More power to you, K7. Literally.
And Deity bless you for being one of the people who’d rather stay engaged in the battle than attack the CIC.
At the end of the day, do we have any other option than to keeping fighting for what we believe in?

moongal6
Member

Kev, Thank you for your post. I am only getting my feet wet these last few years. I am a delegate to the 4th Congressional District here in Oregon. I have been doing voter registration for years. In November, I was invited to have dinner with my Secretary of State. She was more than happy to let me bend her ear, it was wonderful. But, I must say the last few days have been rather deflating. I was reading an editorial at Truthout today and I was shocked as I read the comments. The site has been infested with teabaggers, birthers, afterbirthers, neocons, and just plain hatred. It is discouraging, to say the least, but, collectively we can get our second wind. I am recently retired, so I will dedicate all I can toward the ultimate goal of helping to save our America. I will not let greed and negative powers take hold any longer.

LABC63
Member
LABC63

Bless you, moongal…your efforts are so appreciated!!

nellie
Member

moongal, it’s so good to hear about your involvement in your district. And that you’ve actually met with your SOS. Very few people have that kind of engagement in the process. It’s wonderful.

Don’t be too discouraged by comment sections on any progressive site. The Heritage Foundation is doing all it can to carpet bomb progressive sites with negative commentary. Progressives can easily fight back against this kind of activity — if they will put it on their agenda. One of the things we’re organizing here is a response campaign to trolling.