Post 1000 - Random thoughts on the extremes of moderation

[Cresent City Kid]

In theory, compromise and moderation can be a good thing, and has occasionally solved real world problems. It can work when both sides are willing to give a little to get a little. In today's political climate, it seems that moderation has run its course and all the compromises have been made. The right is done with compromise, their world view is intractable. Compromise now is like the flea jumping half way to the dog, the dog ain't moving.

On the left we have things that we won't and shouldn't compromise: the protection of our environment, an economy that feeds and shelters everyone, equal rights for everyone, worker safety and protection from unsafe foods, products and chemicals to name a few.

It comes down to world view, and to put it bluntly, the left is correct and the right is wrong. I wish global warming wasn't real and that my son and his children didn't have to pay for the "progress" of the 20th century. There's no ignore button for reality, we have to deal with it. What I have noticed to my dismay is that we wait for disasters to make reality manifest before making necessary changes. It will take temperatures of 140 degrees to convince the last holdouts of the climate change deniers. I have to qualify my statement about disasters leading to change, as we've seen with the Gulf fiasco, denial takes place even during a disaster. The left shapes its world view around reality, the right shapes reality around its world view.

It is the world view of the right that concerns me most, the notion that 1890's style capitalism is the best way to move forward. The people that this benefits, and working to keep it going can fit in one room. The rest of us are subject to the adverse effects, the ones voting for and against this crap included. I wish I had a solution to offer, all I have is this snapshot of how I see it. I used to believe that a compromise could be forged, and that a capitalist system could work if corporations and the wealthy were held accountable. It could work in theory, and has for limited times, but the nature of capitalism is to enrich the already wealthy and to overcome any obstacle in the way of doing so. People willing to let the general population breathe toxic chemicals are not going to let stand restraints like taxes or reasonable regulations.

The moderates in the Democratic Party need to stand up for something other than being "electable". If they would join the left in educating the public about the dangers of the right instead of placating them, having 59 Democratic Senators would mean something. Meeting the right halfway is less and less acceptable when halfway is pulled further and further to the right with every compromise. It is going to take more time than one election cycle to remedy this, if it can be done. If the moderates are okay with the status quo as has been suggested here, we're boned.


I want to thank the people here on DU and the DU staff for allowing me this space to speak, listen and learn about the things I care about. I'm sorry this post was one of doom and gloom, but I have to call it like I see it.

[G_j]

1. for whatever reason

every compromise continues to move the center toward the right.
It's obvious what this has lead to, and will in the future.
Is it fascism yet?

[Greyhound]

2. Saturday morning K&R.

For too many, re-making the Democratic Party into the Republik Party is the only option they see.

Welcome to the greatest page, however brief your stay.
:kick: & R

[Cresent City Kid]

3. Thanks

I was encouraged when the Democratic Party got bigger, but it seems that it is just the result of a purge by the GOBP. Maybe we can make it bigger and better if we keep up the fight. We really have no other choice.

[AnArmyVeteran]

4. There are no fixes to repair a system driven by greed. It can only be eliminated.

Capitalism is inherently evil and those who amass the most wealth use their powers to manipulate those who are of modest means. For some reason, the right wing believes corporate domination over their lives is okay, but government is bad. But corporations are led by unelected people who's only motive is amass wealth in any way they can, while the government is 'us'. Government is the only force to combat corrupt corporations. How anyone can be so duped into believing the government is evil defies all common sense. Can't the right wing read, think or reason? Apparently not, because everything bad that is happening to our country is due to lax regulation or deregulation of businesses. We need MORE government to combat the constant attacks by corporations against the people of our country.

[Cresent City Kid]

5. The point that the government is supposed to be "us" is key

The government is being defined as "the other", coming to take freedom instead of defending it from the powerful entites actually in the business of doing so.

[AnArmyVeteran]

7. As long as we continue to elect a parade of whores to office we will never change the system.

People need to think outside the box and stop electing the same kind of candidates as they always have. If it means voting for 3rd party candidates to force the two major parties to listen then that's what they should do. The Reform Party in the 1990s forced both parties to balance the budget. That party was a fiscally responsible one with a lot of great ideas, like extremely strict campaign finance laws. If we don't change the way campaigns are ran and the way we elect people this country is completely doomed. We will always be nothing but pawns to corporate masters because we keep electing people who are whores to corporations.

There are just a handful of strong, courageous and honest people in our government. But a handful is no match to the hundreds of other political prostitutes who only do what their corporate masters tell them to do. If we can take corporate money out of elections and give more voice to the people then we will have a chance. But as it stands right now our country will continue its decline to oblivion.

My ideas:
- No one who can't vote for a candidate should be allowed to donate any money to that candidate.
- No money from outside a district or a state should be allowed.
- The media should be FORCED to air debates between all the candidates during prime time.
- Political advertising needs to be eliminated.
- Questions asked during debates should be from the citizens and not anyone in the media.
- There shall be no exclusions of third party candidates in any debate.
- Debate formats not be manipulated or designed by any political party. The citizens would decide how each debate would be presented.

Even better ideas:
- Public funding of all elections.
- The only exposure candidates would get is through forced television debates.
- Debates must include all candidates.
- We must have proportional representation instead of the winner-take-all system that leaves almost 50% of the people without representation.
- No elections should be decided by a plurality.

[yowzayowzayowza]

9. Hammers are inherently violent.

Guess we should get rid of those too?

[Spyderama]

6. The Backward People

This is an excellent description of the problem; however, we cannot adequately describe where the nation is politically without mentioning how effective The Southern Strategy has been for the Republicans for several decades now. The right wing owns most, if not quite completely all, of the mainstream media. The right-wingers stick together like an effective pack of wolves while the left continues trying to herd cats. The right controls the message all too well. We need to learn how to take back control of the message and show the citizenry exactly what the conservatives really are, The Backward People.

<http://floydmorr.blogspot.com/2010/04/backward-people.html>

[Cresent City Kid]

8. We do always seem to be on the defensive

The rhetoric from the right is akin to "When did you stop beating your wife?" They are fanatically on message down to the catch phrases like "death tax" and "shakedown".

[yowzayowzayowza]

10. Have you looked at the hundreds of Bills passed by the House?

How exactly are moderates 'posed to change Lieberman, et al?

[Cresent City Kid]

11. I don't know

I see change a long way off. I am not as informed on all the bills you mentioned as I should be. No, joke here, I will make an effort to get up to speed. I might not be able to give you a better answer, but knowledge never hurts.

[bigwillq]

12. Congrats on 1000!

:toast:

[Cresent City Kid]

13. Thanks

It took me a while. I thought 1000 would come around the time of the Katrina anniversary, but the Gulf catastrophe got me on a roll.