A Matter of Allegiance and Fortitude (Updates)

There’s a question I’m compelled to ask, given the right-wing radicalization of The Supreme Court, with “Almost Silent” Clarence Thomas refusing to recuse himself from cases involving his Trumpist activist wife Ginni (here), to say nothing of Amy Coney Barrett appearing in front of “The McConnell Center” (here), as well as Neil Gorsuch speaking at a conservative gathering in Orlando (here).

I feel that I have to ask it also given the attempted criminalization of women’s health care by the states of Texas (here) and Mississippi (here), though similar bills are in Republican-run state legislatures across the country (here…more here). I also want to speak up given all of the legislation out there to ban teaching of a myriad of subjects that apparently make an elderly, conservative segment of the white population in this country uncomfortable (here). And oh yeah, we of course also have had no federal action of anything approximating common-sense gun legislation in this country. And don’t even get me started on Republican anti-mask, anti-vax propaganda in response to the COVID pandemic (here).

I also feel the urge (not unlike a case of acid reflux) to ask about this given the open adoration of Vladimir Putin in Russia by any “influencer” in Republican-friendly political and media circles, not withstanding the fact that this tin pot dictator may yet launch a war against a country not seeking combat in any way that could yet kill and maim thousands of people (a country that we quite rightly support through NATO – Update: It’s now underway unfortunately – more here and here…and oh yeah, there’s this too). And there was that little example of “legitimate political discourse” on January 6^th last year to remind us of how the “party of Lincoln” supposedly supports free and fair elections also (here).

I think I reached a bit of a breaking point when I heard about this alleged 11-point plan from congressional Republicans as articulated by Flori-DUUUHHH! Senator Lex Luthor Scott (here), which basically promises nothing except more hardship for people who can barely afford to exist as it is, as well as ever-more-luxurious benefits to the “donor class” who have held sway in our politics for easily the last 40 years at least.

With all of this in mind, here is the question I believe I need to ask:

Where the hell is the goddamn Democratic Party while all of this is going on?

I mean, it’s not like you have a dearth of targets. If anything, you’ve got too goddamn many! There are SO MANY WAYS for you to craft a message that resonates with your base (and, dare I say it, enough of a segment of independent voters) to drive turnout this fall (for yet another mid-term election, where you often get trounced).

You want to get people excited and motivated not just to vote for Democratic candidates but to work for campaigns too? Start getting your goddamn messaging act together on social media and crank out some videos to protest all of this insanity!

And THEN put the bite on us for money! Enough of these bogus, STOO-PID polls asking us how we feel on certain issues and trying to find out the ones that are most important.

HOW ABOUT ALL OF THE FREAKING ABOVE!!! (and I didn’t even mention climate change, the most important one of them all – more here).

Do you REALLY want to know what depresses turnout (and yes, people should just vote “D” anyway, but I know the reality and I’m sure you do too)? It’s when voters don’t know what the hell you stand for, that’s what!

So try showing a spine for a change, OK? And if you want an example of what I’m talking about, watch this.

And P.S… if anything I’ve said here somehow alienates or pisses off rural voters who somehow feel antagonized by Democratic populism (on the same issues affecting people in, say, Baltimore or New York City as well as Butte, Montana…and yeah, I’m looking at you, Steve Bullock and Jon Tester), tell them that’s too goddamn bad! If you’re dumb enough to actually think you’ll get a better deal from a Republican, then have at it and let us know later all the ways you got sold down the river.

@harrisonjaime

@DNC

@DCCC

@DSCC

Update 2/25/22: This.

Update 3/20/22: At least Karen Berg got the memo, to her great credit (here).

Update 3/29/22: And as is so often the case, AOC gets it (here – and please spare me this business of “Oh, but we can’t get moderate, independent voters mad at us by embracing an ‘urban socialist’ like her”…I’ve got news for you – if you abandon messaging altogether about what the party should be all about, which is economic populism first and foremost regardless of where you live, YOU WON’T GET THOSE PEOPLE ANYWAY!).

Update 4/20/22: All respect to Mallory McMorrow (here).

Update 4/30/22: Glad to know it’s not just me (here).

Update 8/10/22: I know I’ve spent a lot of time bitching about Dems and lousy messaging, and rightly so I think, so I think they should be given credit when they do this the right way (here).