Democrats: A necessary but insufficient condition

[phantom power]

for the institutionalists, it's also critical to recognize just how damaging the last 30 years of Democratic acquiescence to conservative ideology has been for not only the Democratic brand, but for the nation's belief in the power of electoral politics to create change.

It is quite literally impossible to say with a straight face that working to elect more or even better Democrats will actually create the change necessary to address the grievances being expressed in Zuccotti Park. It's laughable. That ship has been sailing away for decades, and disappeared completely over the horizon with the disappointment of January 2009 through November 2010 and beyond. It is painfully obvious that electoral politics alone are utterly inadequate to deal with the nation's problems.

The reality is that putting Democrats in power is a necessary but insufficient condition for creating real change in this country.

...

In order for change to take place, good Democrats do need to be in power. But only an angry and motivated populace angry with both Parties and strongly intent on holding Democrats accountable will scare and motivate Democrats enough to do what they were elected to do.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/democrats-necessary-but-insufficient_03.html

[Vincardog]

1. Net recommendation: 0 votes (Your vote: +1) Somebody does not like the truth

[PETRUS]

6. I've noticed

that there isn't a very receptive audience here for things that don't conform to the good-things-don't-happen-because-of-Republican-opposition/obstruction narrative. I think the Democratic party is probably the best channel to work with. My vote goes to Democratic candidates (except for a few local positions where I personally know the candidate, sometimes independent, sometimes - *gasp* Republican, and I feel confident their positions on the local issues they can effect do align with mine). But the influence of think tanks and lobbyists is immense and Democratic candidates are human beings and susceptible. It takes a large, active group of citizens - unions once helped keep things in check - to counter that. I'm ashamed of myself for being so lazy, in some ways I've been part of the problem casting ballots but failing to be particularly politically active otherwise, I'm very sorry, and I'm getting off my ass now.

[ixion]

2. k/r

I'm greatly saddened by what I've seen from DU since Obama was elected. This whole business of party politics over what is right isn't going to work well for anyone.

[msongs]

3. bipartisanship was a failure before it even began, and valuable time and energy were wasted kissing

republican butts for 2+ years

[OHdem10]

4. Excellent points.

[napoleon_in_rags]

5. Van Jones gets it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/01/van-jones-occupy-wall-street-rebuild-the-dream_n_990463.html?ref=tea-party

The idea being a progressive balance to the Tea Party. The Tea Party was actually a really healthy thing, because it represented Republicans acknowledging the total divorce between their values and what was coming out policy-wise in DC from their leaders...But Dems haven't done the same, so Dems found themselves having to celebrate wars they protested before Obama was in office now that Obama is commander-in-chief, which kind of takes the steam out of things.

[scarletwoman]

7. "It is painfully obvious that electoral politics alone are utterly inadequate to deal with

...the nation's problems."

EXACTLY! I've been saying this on DU (and in real life) for years. Thank you, Digby, for saying it so succinctly and well.

I'll always vote, and I'll always vote for Democrats. However, I am under no illusion that this is in any way sufficient.

I think the greatest accomplishment of the Obama presidency has been to open many more eyes and minds to the fact that voting Dem means very little if there is no active social movement on the ground totally outside of electoral politics pushing for change.

We need to be leftists first, NOT Democratic partisans, or nothing in our current political/social/economic paradigm will improve.

As Emma Goldman said, "If voting changed anything they would make it illegal."

sw

[scarletwoman]

8. Kick.