This Liberal/Progressive movement that started to coalesce with the anti-war movement should move on and embrace it's own political agenda as a separate entity that operates independently of the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party that doesn't seem to understand the will of the people. Dissatisfied Republicans and Greens as well as independents should unite under an L/P banner and support someone like Dennis Kucinich, and remove our support from any Democrat entirely. This does not have to be a permanent course of action, but it could well be the beginning of a new political coalition that will set a new high water mark in American politics.
The Democrats have done nothing to earn our support. They are paying lip service to this American view that George W. Bush has destroyed our trust in government. They have repeatedly voted to trash our freedom by voting with the right to eliminate the writ of Habeas Corpus and stop the torture of prisoners of war against the Geneva Convention. They also have taken the threat of Impeachment of this President who, if there ever was someone that deserved it, needed to be impeached. This is something that should be seriously taken into account by the L/P community because of the NSA wiretaps that have infringed on Americans Right to Privacy, because of the "signing statements" that have been written to promote this President's theory of the "Unitary Executive" and other violations that have warranted impeachment. These include the outright lies that were told to the American people in order the justify the invasion of a foreign nation and the Federal government's inadequate relief for our fellow Americans in the aftermath of the most devastating natural catastrophe in our nation's history that continues to this present day. There are more reasons than the ones I have stated here, but for brevity's sake, I list these.
The Democrats believe that a two-party system automatically gives their party the vote if the majority of the nation is unhappy with the Republican Party. There is nothing in our Constitution that guarantees that this nation operate under a two-party system. With the infusion of corporate and special interest money that has been seen since the middle of the twentieth century until today, the difference in the two major parties has become almost unrecognizable. It is the responsibility of the people, not the government, to rectify this situation. This MUST be done in order to preserve any semblance of representative democracy.
The options facing us are few. It would be almost impossible to start a new party from scratch. What I propose is that all who feel that the Democratic Party is not addressing the needs and desires of the American people, form a coalition with the already organized Green Party. The infusion of money and people into the Green Party could remake the American political landscape. Just the idea of a viable third party that could deliver 30% of the vote, is enough to start a political revolution, a revolution that is richly deserved by the politicians that have taken complex ideas and molded them into 30 second "sound bites", the politicians that have repeatedly tried to dumb the American people down, and the politicians that have sold out their constituencies to corporate interests.
This is an idea that is long overdue. Liberal/Progressives have long been taken for granted by the Democrats. Failure to follow this path will only continue to mean that we vote for the lesser of two evils. Without our own voting bloc that is organized and funded, we will make no difference in National Politics. Short of a revolution, this is about the only thing that we can do to make our voice heard...and heard loudly. I believe that once a few decide to follow this course of action, that many will follow. It seems to be the only thing that will change this Corporate ruled political reality. If enough Liberal/Progressive activists call for this "shift" loudly and publicly, you will see a definite reaction by politicians. This could be the beginning of a new and better nation, once we place principles above personalities. It isn't a very difficult way to change the future. It only takes our voices to say to the two corporate-led parties that we do not have to do things your way anymore. We are going to do things our way, which is the American way. We must tell the Democrats with their non-binding resolution that they can't even get through the Senate, that we do not want to play in their sandbox any longer We have found another sandbox to play in that we don't have to share with the corporate bullies.
What else can we do? If anyone has a better idea I would love to hear it. To say that we can change the Democratic Party from within is just wishful thinking. Unless each of us has thousands to donate to every Democratic Congressman and Senator and Presidential candidate, forget it. They are not going to listen. The average corporate donation runs in the tens of thousands. To think you can sway these politicians with your words is laughable. What I propose is realistic and not just that, it's the right thing to do. The longer we support the Status Quo in America, the less time we have to remain free, if that's what you call the way we are living now.
There has not been a large, sustained challenge to the two main political parties in a century. They are comfortable in the knowledge that they are the only two games in town. The only enemy they have is each other, and the word "enemy" might just be too strong a word for the relationship they have with each other. They have allowed each other to redistrict their fiefdoms so that they will win elections in perpetuity. They have dragged their collective feet on issues of national importance such as Universal Healthcare, The Minimum Wage, Immigration, Social Security, Education, and Global Warming.
The majority of American people do not trust their government anymore. That has been shown over and over in almost every poll. Why don't they trust their government? The government is supposed to be Of The People, By The People and For the People. But is it really? Is it Of The People? Look at the make-up of our government. How many in Federal government are wealthy? Is it By The People? When did any of your elected Representatives reply to your letters and say that they would do what you asked them to do? My Congressmen always tell me that they support the President 100%, and he doesn't even live in my district What about For the People? Look at the laundry list of unfinished business in the preceding paragraph. Those issues have been in front of Congress for years. The truth is that we have stopped holding government accountable. This is a chance to take back our government and give it back to the people. There are no other options. This is something that as Americans, we can not "take off the table". This is our responsibility as citizens. I don't make this stuff up.