I am a Democrat because...

[Tom Rinaldo]

I want to win elections. If that wasn't an important priority to me I would definitely not belong to the Democratic Party. And that's not necessarily because I think there are better people with better values in some other third Party. It's because when winning is no longer the strategic objective, many unpleasant compromises can be avoided. Third parties are freer to be ideologically pure when they are not focused on cobbling together winning coalitions. This is elementary, so elementary it seems that often it gets overlooked.

I am also not a one issue voter. There is no single issue in American politics today that is so preeminently and over-powerfully crucial to me that theoretically some combination of positions taken on many other critically important matters might not persuade me to support a candidate who disagrees with me on whatever issue I find to be most important to me. It's always a case by case call.

I fully expect to strongly disagree with whatever candidate I support for President on multiple meaningful matters. If I don't I think that's only because I'm simply not paying close enough attention to what he or she is really saying and/or doing, either out of political expediency or actual convictions.

I hate negative campaigning, but not as much as I hate losing critically important elections. I wish negative campaigning was not an effective political strategy but I know that it is. I find it instructive that in a hotbed of Democratic idealism such as this, the dominant theme of political discussion is negative in content. Even when the topic is a love and respect for positive campaigning the actual form of expression is usually a bitter attack on someone else for not adequately sharing and embracing that love. The irony of that is not lost on me.

If Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or John Edwards or Denis Kucinich becomes the Democratic Party nominee for President I will immediately become an avid supporter of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, or Denis Kucinich for President in the General Election. I won't just vote for any one of them. I won't just give grudging support to any one of them. I will avidly support any one of them to win. That is because I am a Democrat, and I am a Democrat because I know it is important for us to win elections. Losing them to the Republican coalition is far far worse.

[redqueen]

1. I am a Democrat because

I believe in putting PEOPLE first.

If the party stops doing that, then... well... I don't know.

[Tom Rinaldo]

4. If I didn't feel that way also

I most probably would support the Republican coalition. If the U.S. should ever move toward some proportionately weighed system of voting that allowed for instant run offs or slate seating of candidates based on percentage of votes received, that would open up some new possibilities.

If I ever believe that the Democratic Party stops being noticably better at putting people first than the Republican Party, I will stop being a Democrat and most likely will completely ignore the electoral process in favor of exclusively direct political and human service actions; by passing mainstream politics completely.

[redqueen]

5. I'm so close to doing that...

just giving up on trying to help candidates in elections and instead focusing my energy on ACORN & the like. Have been for years.

[Tom Rinaldo]

11. That is actually the type focus I had prior to 2004

I finally became convinced that the global damage being done by a Republican controlled government in Washington was so severe that I had to recalibrate my personal priorities and tactics and focus instead on electoral politics until that Republican government agenda could at least be partially nuetralized. Since I am approaching electoral politics from that perspective, I have my eyes wide open. I don't think the Democratic Party or it's candidates ever promised me a rose garden, lol.

[redqueen]

12. I never expected a rose garden.

"lol"

[Warpy]

7. I have enough money to leave

and land someplace where they at least consider people essential enough that there is a safety net of public health insurance.

However, if I do so, I will set myself to learning how to stop being so goddamned pithy and pad my verbiage into something that can be published as articles. I'll become the dissident out of residence, perhaps write a book on how easily a country can be destroyed by just a few determined men.

Until then, I'll be a Democrat for the simple reason that the Republics have never done a single thing for any working person, ever.

[Tom Rinaldo]

19. Part of the tipping point for me

was the tipping point of global warming and the fact that the U.S. under Bush opted out of the Kyoto accords. And of course the fact that the Bush Administration seemed dead set on triggering off a war of civilizations between Christians and Muslims.

There are no hiding places on Earth where life on Earth as we know it can be protected.

[stravu9]

18. I'm with you

I want a TRUE Populist Message!
John Edwards is the only one I hear that from!

[hfojvt]

25. not quite how I would summarize progressive principles

Republicans put people first too, since CEOs are still people. I am a Democrat because I believe in progressive principles. If the Democratic Party starts abandoning progressive principles in order to "win" elections then a victory becomes more and more of a moot point.

[redqueen]

26. Good distinction... I should have said "the common good" or

"public interest".

:)

[hfojvt]

29. it was mostly understood, and you made the point I wanted to make to the OP

that principles need to come before "winning" in order to make the win meaningful. I just had to quibble about the precise definition of the principles. To me, nobody has done more to dilute and confuse progressive principles than Clinton and the DLC
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2731724&mesg_id=2733926

But I am not sure if ACORN is not about identity politics kinda like PFAW and the ACLU.

[sellitman]

2. The chance of another Repiggie win makes this post important.

There is a difference no matter what anyone here sais. Voted #1 & kicked.

[zabet]

3. I am a Democrat because....

I am not narrow-minded enough nor
bigoted enough to be a repuke. :)

[auburngrad82]

6. Because I believe in equal rights for ALL people

regardless of sexual persuasion, skin color, or the amount of money in your banking account.

The GOP believes in equal rights for all dollars. The more dollars you have the more equal your are.

[Tom Rinaldo]

8. Yes

Actually I think all of us could make a list, and maybe should, of positive values that we identify the Democratic Party with far more than the Republican Party.

But I can't help but notice how hard it is for all of us to maintain our enthusiasm and idealism in the face of some perceptions of hypocrisy, negative political expediency, and betrayals over one or many principles that we hold dearly as we watch the two party political process grind forward in the primaries. That is why I chose the slant that I did for my OP.

[momster]

9. Because I am a deeply cynical person

and am not willing to take 'on faith' that corporations, the wealthy, and the government have the best interest of ordinary (aka unconnected) people at heart. I don't think they'll do the right thing if the wrong thing will make them more money and I want my government to have a role in policing both the actions of powerful groups/corporations and *itself*. The marriage of multi-nationals and our government is sickening as is the constant pandering to the profit motives of those companies. I think the Democrats are better at keeping an eye on these behaviors and a Democratic administration is more willing to significantly punish companies that do things like sell lead-filled toys, pollute the environment and break the law, unlike the Republicans who trust 'the market' to police itself and scuttle the groups and laws that keep corporations on the up and up.

[Tom Rinaldo]

16. Yup

The key phrase is: "I think the Democrats are better at keeping an eye on these behaviors".

Better is the standard I apply also. That doesn't mean good, it just means better, but when the stakes are high enough better is better, bottom line as simple as that.

[David Zephyr]

10. Nice try, Tom. But Bill Clinton has picked the race scab. Your side now wants peace after the hits.

Bill Clinton never let an attack slide. Nor should we.

Good try.

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. David, I am tempted to say something angry back to you

What I just stated is my current political belief system. It goes back at least four years. It has nothing to do with tactics regarding helping my candidate win this primary or the election in November. I just wrote a little bit more on that in another post I made to this thread.

If you can only view it through a prism of "trying to help Hillary", that in my opinion (of course) is your problem, or perhaps it is all of our problem, but that problem is in your perceptions, not my intent.

[David Zephyr]

20. I give you a lot of credit, Tom.

You are one very bright fellow and a decent one at that.

I enjoyed our telephone chat because I feel I know you better.

I'm giving you an unfair hard time because "I'm not ready to make nice", but I am encouraged that there are some Clinton supporters who probably understand that the scab that was picked by far too many Clinton operatives to be merely coincidental with regards to race either went right to a line that should never have been crossed or beyond it.

The barometer for the bad feeling can easily be seen and measured with African-American women voters who were split evenly between HIllary and Barack. They, more than any other demographic group were clearly invested in both candidates. The fact that African-American women have shifted in every poll to Obama now in astounding percentages reveals that a line had been crossed in their minds.

I'm sorry for giving you a hard time.

The anti-semite charge is now floating against Obama and just in time for the Florida primary where Jewish voters, many of them elderly, will be participating in great numbers in voting. I'm bracing for the assaults that are already showing themselves on the horizon. And that's really sad.

Pulling the party back together this time will take a lot more than hollow calls for unity. I am telling you straight, Tom: the continued pointing out the color of Barack's skin through transparent code-speaking ( "Muslim" "his middle name is Hussein" "Osama instead of Obama typos", MLK/LBJ crude comparisons, "drug dealer" "drug user") was not missed by African-American voters and not by those who have deep ties with the community as I do.

While you never participated in it, while you have condemned it, you are only one small voice on a liberal blog. That sentiment is stewing.

[Tom Rinaldo]

21. Thanks for your comment David

I know there is a lot of real anger stewing. Not all of it flows just in one direction (the latest Gay and Lesbian controversy was actually on my mind while I was writing my OP) but that isn't the point. The real damage being done to our Party by real anger is very much on point. I do not want to see Republicans hold onto the White House for another four years. The fabric of our democracy has been under assualt for too long; four more years of Right wing judicial appointments may be more than our constitutional protections can withstand.

[robbedvoter]

13. GOP hasn't won nationally since 1988. Any Dem candidate can win - if they count the votes.

[Tom Rinaldo]

15. Since nothing can be taken for granted in that regard

We have to keep fighting for accurate vote counts while we fight to win elections by a large enough margin that rigged vote count results are too suspicious to attempt.

[seasat]

17. I've always said that if I agree 100% with another person on everything...

then there is something wrong with me. I've probably put hero worship over critical thinking. I've never agreed with any of the candidates I supported 100% but I find that I agree with our candidates much more than I agree with the Repubs. However, I do agree with you on your post.

I used to be an idealist libertarian in my early 20's. Losing a business and working in a variety of sales jobs opened my eyes to reality. I realized that "we" is more important than self. By lifting up everyone, you in turn lift up yourself. I realized that government does play a vital role in our lives since when it works right, it represents the common good for everyone. That is one of the reasons that I'm a Democrat.

[Tom Rinaldo]

22. Becoming a pragmatist while remaining an idealist

...is one of the toughest life lessons I have ever tried to learn.

[seasat]

23. Yep. Pragmatic idealism is not an oxymoron.

I learned that idealism is the direction you travel while pragmatism is what gets you there.

[Tom Rinaldo]

24. Very nicely put n/t

[End Of The Road]

35. Yes - and thanks!

Yours and seasat's post #23 below are among the very few mature and politically true statements I've read on this board in weeks.

[Tom Rinaldo]

37. Thanks

I really don't know who is going to win the Democratic nomination between Clinton and Obama. It is also conceivable that there won't be a clear winner from out of the primaries who can command the majority support of delegates (super delegates included) to put him or her over the top, and then all bets truly would be off. But I am preparing myself mentally now. There will be more than enough to be angry about at whoever the Democrats nominate if that is where I allow my focus to remain. I don't plan to let that happen to me, and I hope it doesn't happen to others.

[LWolf]

27. I am a Democrat because

I got sick of having to settle for the lesser of 2 evils every general election, and wanted to participate in the primary process.

Not that THAT's worked out so well, lol.

[Tom Rinaldo]

28. I think you have stumbled upon a very long term committment, lol

That was always my reason for registering as a Democrat even if all I did was vote, but I have taken primary politics much more seriously over the last four years.

Strange as it may sound, you may not remember this but I was active in the Jonathan Tasini campaing AGAINST Hillary Clinton in the 2006 NY State Democratic Party U.S. Senate primary.

And look how THAT worked out!

[LWolf]

30. You are correct of course.

;)

[Yael]

31. I am a democrat because

supply-side economics does not work. Greed is not good, and people, not profits should come first.

And I will not compromise on this.

[Tom Rinaldo]

32. Commenting on this and some other posts above this

Yes. Winning can't be everything, otherwise it wouldn't matter what Party won. We could change alliegances like bouncing back and forth between the American and National Leagues in Baseball. Right now I am still convinced that it would be meaningful enough to install any one of the remaining Democratic candidates for President as the next President to replace Bush to justify throwing my efforts into doing so.

[lwcon]

33. Because today's Republican Party is filled with...

... ruthless, corrupt sociopaths.

Even when the Democrats disappoint me, as they have in large measure in the 110th Congress, I wouldn't think for one minute of not voting for the strongest opposition party available.

Plus there are several Democrats I actually admire (Edwards, Gore, Dodd, Feingold, Kennedy, Stark, Kucinich). Republicans? Not so much.

___

The Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy, now at my new home: Correntewire.com

[Tom Rinaldo]

34. One kick for a new day n/t

[Cameron27]

36. We can't afford another RW president,

it's going to be hard enough to recover from this one.

K&R