archived: 19 - 25 Dec, 2004 Back Next
UPDATED: December 23, 2004
LEUTISHA STILLS
“Same ‘Ol Lemon”
Junkie: Leutisha Stills is responding to Junkie Editor Michael Carmichael’s analysis of the current state of the Democratic Party in REID & ROEMER REEL RIGHT that currently is on his TPJ page.
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Please pass my heartfelt thanks to Michael Carmichael regarding his expose on the Reid/Pelosi endorsement for the next DNC Chair in this issue of Junkie. He is also to be applauded for bringing to light how the Democratic Leadership Council is a flagrant disaster since Michael Dukakis (Bill Clinton did his own thing in order to win in 1992 and 1996 - and the DLC should NOT take credit for it).
Since 1994 - Democrats who have sung the DLC theme song have gone on to either lose elections, or lose their seat in Congress (see Tom Daschle). We lost all three branches of Government under doing politics "their way". And they have yet to come up with anything new. For them to be given another platform to continue singing their pathetic "centrist" policies virtually ensures the Thug party will be in control long past Bush's term (in fact, they may result in his brother getting the White House next!). Why can't Joe Lieberman do us all a favor and defect, since he appears to walk, talk and think like a member of the Thug Party? I still haven't forgotten how he was the first one to take Bill Clinton to task over the Monica Lewinsky scandal, - yet he's currently receiving rave reviews as the head cheerleader for George Bush (with Zig-Zag Zell Miller coming in a close second as to who can apply their lips to Bush's posterior the best).
It is not surprising that the DLC doesn't mind African-American, Latino or Asian representation – however, that's where being "the party of inclusion" stops for them. They go out of their way to marginalize a John Conyers, a Barack Obama, or the Sanchez sisters; a Maxine Waters, a Barbara Lee, a Bernie Sanders or a Dennis Kucinich by portraying them as "demagogues" and reassuring the party leaders that if they're in control, they will restore order among Blacks, Latinos and other progressives. In other words, they will act like a Ken Blackwell, a Joe Lieberman or Clarence Thomas - they want to be the "token" minority (in this case, African-American) in the bunch; a beneficiary of all social justice programs that opened the door for them, and their thanks to those who hung, bled and died for them to have the right to campaign and hold elected office.
Their way of saying their thank-yous, is to slam that door in the faces of the rest of us. They conveniently forget their history, until, in a DLC convention, when they've heard the N-word in a "joke" one too many times, and get tired of being mistaken for the bellhop at the swank hotel where they have their conferences, they play the race card with other non-minority DLC members in order to be acknowledged. Need we be reminded that if it weren't for the efforts of "demagogues" those African-American, Latino, Asian or non-minority progressive members of Congress wouldn't have their seats in Congress, let alone being able to campaign for public office?
For me, the DLC means "representation without participation". Their members are addicted and beholden to the corporate trough, and cannot see themselves existing under a grass-roots movement, because that would mean that they have to live like the rest of us, with factors such as honesty, accountability and real moral values. Heaven forbid; they would have to forgo luxuries and political favors that the corporate cash buys them. To exist under a grass-roots movement, for these individuals, means that they would have to actually do some real work. You know, like, actually read and analyze pieces of legislation that crosses their desks before they vote on it?
Or actually meeting with their constituents in more "Town Hall" Meetings to know what their concerns are, so they can actually provide full and accurate representation in Congress?
Or actually being concerned about the core values that made this party great, such as civil rights, civil liberties, social justice, the environment, education, housing and healthcare?
Let me allow Junkie Readers in on a secret. As you know, the membership of the Congressional Black Caucus increased from 39 to 43 members in the upcoming 109th Congress (three new members and a Senator). Of that total number, surprisingly enough, there are nine Black Caucus members who are card-carrying members of the DLC. That's one-fifth of the Caucus who are drunk on the corporate kool-aid and feeding at the corporate trough for campaign donations like the pigs they really are. This is what the honorable congressman from North Carolina, Rep. Mel Watt, has to deal with (thank God he's somewhat progressive and not a DLC member) in the next session of Congress.
These DLC members of the Congressional Black Caucus are a rare and insipid bunch, indeed.
They support the privatization of public schools via school vouchers, and probably voted for No Child Left Behind. Unlike Senator Ted Kennedy, they won't admit that Bush fooled them (heck, the ones who voted for authorizing war in Iraq sounded like John Kerry - they would do it again, or "they voted for it, before they voted against it...")
They support the outsourcing of jobs, even though they represent the states that were the hardest hit by NAFTA and the current outsourcing of jobs and the undermining of labor unions going on right now. At least four of the members voted to authorize war in Iraq as well as the $87 billion dollars. Overall, they consistently vote against their own constituents' best interests, economically, educationally, environmentally, and socially. Some actually do deliver for their constituents, but it's just enough to get re-elected and to not facilitate a real and honest challenge to them as their representative. However, some people don't even know that they are being represented by these individuals, and therefore, can't call them out to give an account of their voting records, especially when they have voted against their constituents' own best interests in the name of acquiring leadership positions and furthering personal political aspirations.
They sneer at anyone who's progressive or liberal - in fact, these individuals made "liberal" a dirty word long before the Thug Party did, while prohibiting true debate, political discussions and thwarting any political strategies that would assist the Party in rebounding from ineptitude and the reputation of losing major elections. Has anyone asked them why haven't their strategies worked? Better yet, have they explained away their failures, instead of blaming it on Ralph Nader? Have they looked at themselves in the mirror and accepted their responsibility for their roles in the continued failures? There is no way John Kerry should have lost to George Bush - with all the failures and incompetence of his Administration. However, if anyone could orchestrate an election that all but guaranteed John Kerry's defeat to the worst, and most incompetent incumbent President, the DLC representatives in his campaign managed to do just that - lose to an incompetent wanna-be Gary Cooper/Clint Eastwood cowboy.
I've actually met some of the African-American DLC members of the Congressional Black Caucus. They are nice people in a one-on-one situation; they are genial and if you aren't closely listening, you would actually walk away from a conversation thinking they at least respected your views and were genuinely concerned about you as an individual. Some deserve that Academy Award that was given to Denzel and Halle last year - their performances were and are that good.
However, I made a blunder at this year's Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference in September. I actually stood up and asked a panel (of which three CBC members are also DLC members) how did they reconcile their personal beliefs and values with taking campaign contributions from corporate donors, who have known positions that are anathema to the minority communities they purport to represent?
What I got from the panel was dead silence and Donna Brazile looking at me with a smile that said "You just had to ask that question, didn't you?" Later, she told me that it is because she doesn't want to have anything to do with candidates that insist on feeding at the corporate trough that she can be the most effective as a political strategist. What I wouldn't give for Donna Brazile or Howard Dean to be cloned!!!
The representative hosting the workshop did attempt to answer the question; however, I got the sense that if he was on someone else's panel, I would have received dead silence from him, too. Later, I was told by a lady who is a member of the Missouri State Assembly that I stepped on their toes with my question, because they were all feeding at the corporate trough of campaign contributions. She offered the comment in consolation for an obvious embarrassment on the part of the DLC congresspersons on the panel - by their silence, they were tacitly acknowledging that the degree to which they feed from the corporate trough is so deep, MacGyver couldn't get them out. Their souls have long been sold to this devil. They only appear on Fox News and then on the weekends when we can't see them prostituting themselves for the money and their personal political ambitions by becoming the "media darlings of Fox". Listen, when you have the likes of a racist radio talk show host like Don Imus, singing your praises, not to mention Limbaugh, and the individual is a Democrat, there's a better than 95% chance that congressman is a DLC member.
I think you can guess what went through my mind at this point - "D--n politicians" (and I'm a Christian, remember). No one wanted to look at the elephant (corporate cash) in the room. All of the politicos on that panel represented states which were the hardest hit by Bush's policies and I continue to literally get sick when any one of them state, "I look forward to working with the Republicans on this issue..." when the Thug Party has already sent signals that they are not looking to work with them - they look forward to making the Democratic Party the whipping boy of Congress for the next eight years, cause if they sing this tune in 2008, we will have the same results, and probably worse.
My question to Junkie Readers - how do we mount a campaign to eliminate, obliterate and decimate the Democratic Leadership Council, before their tactic result in total elimination of the Democratic Party and America becomes a one-party system? As I write this, the DLC is trying to determine how to move further to the right by:
Becoming more religious? Too late for that, and it would come out phony, which would facilitate the question "What's the difference between you and Joe Republican?". Democrats who are Christians have to put it (their faith) up front, just like Bush did, and be just as comfortable discussing it like you would discuss the weather (or something equally facinating). The trouble is, even DLC members have run from religion so long, that they cannot embrace it and remain DLC members, because to do so requires an honesty before God that does not allow for them to play with God...and they KNOW THIS.
Move more to the center? Last I checked, this bunch moved the Party so far to the center, they are the Republican Wing of the Democratic Party, and even the Right Wing is not satisfied until they achieve full capitulation (in other words full out party defection).
Entrust DNC Chairmanship to Tim Roemer? - More of the same gets us more of the same. Pelosi had best check herself...but then again, maybe the Thug Party has beaten her into acquiesence - after all, Tom "the Hammer" DeLay has threatened to come after her with some ethics charges himself - as payback for the inquiries launch against him that resulted in two reprimands by Congressional leadership. Her flip-flopping on supporting or endorsing the next DNC chair is not the Nancy Pelosi we are familiar with in the San Francisco Bay Area. Maybe...if she's not up to the job, she should hand it off to one who's capable - like my representative, Barbara Lee? After all, Ms. Lee is the Whip in the Party leadership...
Fresh ideas? I think this bunch is fresh out of ideas, and needs to be silenced - PERMANENTLY. . . . Always supposed to be a new model, but if you look under the hood, it's the same ol' lemon that the slick car salesman tries to pawn off on you. Why should the new look DLC be any different?
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ALAN JAMES
Separation Of Church And State -- Shouldn't It Be A Two-Way Street?
With all the talk (on both sides) about separation of Church and State, why don't we hear more about the threat to the integrity of churches caused by over-politicization?
Republican activists have been highly successful in motivating preachers and parsons to get out the vote for Bush-Cheney and conservative candidates. The morals line was certainly strong but so was the liberal (so-to-speak) mixing in of Christian political responsibility.
But what happens, post-election, when a parishioner has the blues? Wonders why are we here? Where are we going? What's the use? Or some other spiritual malaise? Does he go to the evangelical-political cheerleader for some spiritual counseling? Does he feel that the hyper-political church leader is truly devoted to things spiritual? That he understands?
What happens to the pursuit of the spiritual life when everything becomes political? Can't the politicians stay out of churches -- or at least resist the temptation to politicize their parishioners 24/7?
Otherwise we'll degenerate into a scenario that might sound a little like this:
[Preacher] - Well son, why did you want to see me?
[Parishioner] - I dunno. I guess I'm depressed. Feeling like my life has no meaning.
[Preacher] - But why, son? You should be happy. Our candidate won. We control the White House and the Congress, now. Things are looking up! America has a shot of regaining its morality. Why be glum?
[Parishioner] - Well I just don't know. I'm confused. I keep trying to understand what Jesus would do if he felt the way I feel. And somehow I just can't see it working in my life. I mean, is this [looking around at the political banners and red, white and blue bunting draping the church hall] all there is?
[Preacher] - "All?" Whaddya mean, "All?" We won the WHITE HOUSE again, aren't you satisfied?
[Parishioner] - I guess you're right, Rev. Maybe I'll just go down to the water's edge and see about a long swim into that endless, enigmatic ocean...
Last Update: 03/23/2006