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The Need for a Democratic Electoral
Sweep
An Editorial by Rudolph Lewis
America is a conservative
country. I am tired Rudy . . . and I am feeling
overwhelmed . . . and I don't know if I can meet their
expectations. Wilson
Chasing the truths of
politicians is enough to make anyone tired, especially
when image is more emphasized than text and when speech
is filled with deceit. Such is the case with John
McCain's pick for VP. (My goodness she is a pretty
woman, and with five kids and a governor to boot of a
frontier state.) McCain is sure to have a fun campaign
if not a winning one. Governor Sarah Palin, however,
will have little impact on the vote-getting potential of
the Republican Party beyond its evangelical base for the
presidential election. If one is to be a loser,
nevertheless one should indeed look good.
The Republicans are looking
forward rather to the future, as the Democrats were
looking forward when choosing Obama to give their
keynote address in 2004. The Republicans have been
seriously hurt by the neocons. Key Republican are
evacuating a sinking ship as we saw important
Republicans step to the podium to denounce the betrayal
of principle by Bush and his neocon allies at the
Democratic National Convention, including Jim Whitaker
of Alaska, Jim Leach of Iowa, and Susan Eisenhower. And
you have already pointed out
Paul Craig Roberts
So in their heart of hearts
the Republicans know they have only a snowball chance in
hell of winning in 2008. The polls presently give Obama
and 8-point lead but it is probably double that because
the Black and Hispanic vote is never estimated properly.
But the Republicans want to put on a good show and thus
Governor Palin picked as the vice president nominee. But
they know that Bush and his neocon allies have screwed
up their chances for the next presidency. A bad war. A
bad economy. Trillions of dollars in debt to Chinese and
Japanese. A sinking dollar against the Euro.
Anyone paying attention knows
that the American people are not stupid enough to strike
out with a third term Republican administration ruining
the country farther, however conservative the American
public is. Matters political and economic are so dire
and horrid Americans are ready and eager to vote against
their racial prejudices and for definitively for
pocketbooks getting thinner.
I have a fondness for the
kinds of things being said by McKinney and Nader. On the
whole, they are on target. But never the matter their
candidacy is irrelevant at this stage. They cannot win,
and winning at this stage is exceedingly all important.
The Democrats have a much more progressive program than
the Republicans that will be beneficial for the largest
number of people, despite whatever reserve or criticisms
we may have about their platform and their intent.
Moreover, the Republicans
have been so horrid and terrifying that they deserve to
lose and they should lose punitively by large numbers to
demonstrate how egregious their eight-year reign has
been, economically (e.g. withholding a rise in minimum
wage for over a decade to the housing debacle to a
doubling of energy prices) to militarily (torture at
Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, and millions dead needlessly)
to national security (e.g., curtailing of civil
liberties and a reign of military fear at home and
abroad).
More than just a win, the
nation needs an electoral sweep by the Democrats, a
clear rejection of Republican neocon politics. This
sweep would give Obama a mandate to put into operation
all of his policies and programs, with something left
over for true progressive to remake American politics
that will stand for more than a generation. That would
prepare the Democratic Party for a second term that
would meet the Republican intent to reform its party and
oust the neocons and the religious right as its base.
This kind of forward looking
campaign is where all progressives want to take their
stand and work exceedingly hard to register new voters
and get out the vote. This kind of vision will undermine
the cynicism of those who stand on the sidelines and
consider American politics as merely a spectator sport.
If one want to change American politics one must engage
one’s neighbors about what is at stake. This kind of
vision is worthy of service for those who sincerely love
America.
I have published seven of the
speeches made at the Democratic national convention. You
and others might want to use them as a resource:
Michele Obama
Obligation to Fight for the World as It Should Be /
Barack Obama
America,
We Cannot Turn Back
Hillary Clinton
Time to Take Back the Country We Love
/ Bill Clinton
The American Dream is Under Siege at Home
Joe Biden
The America George Bush Has Left Us
/
John Kerry
We Must Listen and Lead by Example
Al Gore
Seize this Opportunity for Change
I have published also one of the
speeches of Cynthia McKinney to show that some of the
recommended policies of the Green Party are being dealt
with by Obama and the Democratic
Radical in Pursuit of Peace and
Justice. On these issues the Green Party could have
joined with the Democrats in defeating the Republicans
instead of taking a broad-brush swat at both parties.
Below McKinney speech I wrote a further and more
extended criticism of the Green Party. In addition, I
have pulled together an entire page of links of speeches
that can be found on ChickenBones
Speeches and
Sermons Table. it will be a great resource for
organizers, scholars, and teachers.
Do not despair, my brother, relief is on the way. Obama-Biden
will win by necessity.
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Response
Rudy: By the way, from what I've
seen of her, I think Palin is great in front of an
adoring crowd, but basically an intellectual
lightweight. (Unless destroying Alaska's wildlife
reserves qualifies as groundbreaking policy.) The
conservative to look out for in the future, I think, is
Bobby Jindahl. South Asian-American. Very conservative.
Rhodes Scholar. Governor of Louisiana.
My guess: the Republicans lose this
one and start pushing Jindahl hard, on his manifest
intelligence, on the strength of the improved response
to Gustav, versus Katrina; on his "resurrection" of a
white and Latino New Orleans, and on his ability to
capture non-black minorities as well as the Republican
base.—Keenan
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posted 3 September 2008 |
