|
Articles:
Politics
Why
I'm Not a Democrat
Thursday, March 16, 2006
When
people hear me state my political views, they often assume
I'm a Democrat. Apparently these people are unaware that there
are more than two political parties. Nevertheless, my beliefs
are definitely more in line with Democrats than Republicans,
but there are two primary reasons why I refuse to pledge my
allegiance to the Democratic Party. First, I'm hesitant to
adhere to the platform of any party. I prefer to vote for
individuals on their own merits, rather than blindly vote
down party lines. Second, and more importantly, most Democrats
today simply have no spine.
In
the 2000 presidential election, crooked Republicans like Katherine
Harris rigged the election to give a slight edge to George
W. Bush and give him the presidency. In the face of all the
voting irregularities, the votes thrown out for meaningless
reasons, and the general sense of something screwy going on,
Democratic candidate Al Gore did nothing. He had options,
he could have protested, but he conceded and went on his merry
way.
In
the 2004 presidential election, John Kerry ran a campaign
of indecisiveness and irresolution. Apparently unsure of what
beliefs people wanted to hear, he kept changing his mind or
was unclear on his positions. All he had to do was stand up
strong for what he believed. Bush did this, and he won.
Both
Gore and Kerry exercised gross "protective imitation",
where they failed to differentiate themselves from Bush. Fearful
that the American people would prefer Bush's positions, they
half-heartedly adopted the same positions. In news clips from
the campaigns, you can hear both Gore and Kerry repeating
VERBATIM the same positions stated by Bush. At the same time,
afraid of losing their traditional left-wing support, they
muted such right-wing rhetoric. The net result was that both
of them seemed either too much like Bush or simply indecisive.
Neither Democratic candidate took a strong, distinct stance
to oppose Bush.
Iraq-war
veteran Paul Hackett ran for Congress in 2004, nearly beating
a Republican in Ohio's most-Republican district. This year
for the 2006 election, Democrats encouraged him to run for
a US Senate seat in Ohio. Despite an optimistic campaign,
Democrats eventually abandoned him, unnerved by Hackett's
strong liberal beliefs and willingness to speak his mind.
Just
recently, Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold called on the Senate
to censure President Bush for his illegal domestic spying
program. In an embarrassing and shameful move, not one other
Democratic Senator supported this measure. Senator Feingold
put his reputation and his career on the line to do something
bold and, to many Americans, necessary, but his party peers
left him out in the cold.
These
events, along with others, are simply mind-boggling. Republicans
have been screwing up left and right. They lied to get us
into Iraq (or, if you dispute this, they were merely incompetent).
They sat on their hands for days while anarchy and death reigned
in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. Bush thought a Gestapo-like,
liberty-crushing domestic surveillance program would be a
great idea, and then mislead Americans about the existence
of said program when called on it. Bush also wanted to hand
our terrorist-vulnerable seaports over to a country with known
terrorists. Karl Rove allegedly leaked the name of undercover
CIA operative Valerie Plame. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
is in the middle of an ethics-violation investigation for
money laundering and violation of campaign finance laws. Senate
Majority Leader Bill Frist is under investigation by the SEC
for insider trading. Vice-Presidential Chief of Staff Scooter
Libby has been a key player in awarding no-bid contracts to
Halliburton, the Iraq War's biggest profiteer, and partly
owned by Vice President Dick Cheney. How convenient. Conservative
radio host Rush Limbaugh admitted to abusing prescription
drugs. Congresswoman and 2006 Senate candidate Katherine Harris
was allegedly caught accepting bribes. Former Congressman
Randy Cunningham was sentenced to over eight years in prison
for accepting bribes and tax evasion. Former Secretary of
Education Bill Bennett stated "you could abort every
black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down".
Lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to charges of fraud,
tax evasion, and conspiracy to bribe public officials, so
far all of such officials being members of the GOP. The list
goes on and on, growing larger every day.
One
might think that, with Republicans in such disarray, Democrats
would seize the opportunity to go on the offensive, speak
their minds, denounce their opponents, and attempt to regain
control of the legislature and eventually the White House.
One would be sorely mistaken. Perplexingly, Democrats remain
mostly silent, mostly still while these events transpire.
Few Democrats are willing to stand up and rock the boat. Those
who do are largely abandoned by their fellow party members.
Other
liberals sometimes tell me "but you have to support the
Democrats, they're the only opposition we have against the
Republicans". I'm amazed that they consider the actions
of the Democrats as "opposition". Libertarians,
Greens, and independents have done far more in speaking out
against current Republican leaders and running strong, opinionated
candidates.
I
admire Republicans, because while they are proving to be sickeningly
corrupt and poor leaders for America, at least they have the
guts to say what they feel. I don't know if Democrats are
jockeying for position while they ride out some grand plan
that they have for victory. If they are, I can somewhat understand
their inaction now. If they aren't, they have truly lost their
minds and their nerve. In either case, I don't believe there's
any excuse for them to simply do nothing in the interim. Political
beliefs and personal convictions aren't something to be socked
away until it's convenient to expose them. Until Democrats
learn to stand up, speak their minds, and take a strong stance
every step of the way, I don't want anything to do with them.
EDIT
3/17/06: California Senator Barbara Boxer and Iowa Senator
Tom Harkin have now supported Senator Feingold's call for
the censure of President Bush. I have sent these two Democrats
letters of thanks, and encouraged them to help other Democratic
senators grow a backbone.
A
leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved.
He inspires the power and energy to get it done. --Ralph
Nader
The
middle of the road is for yellow lines and dead armadillos.
--Jim Hightower
|
