Common Dreams: "Maybe we should sit this election out."

[Savannahmann]

189. Of course I don't advocate sitting out the election

But I think it's a lot of hooey. No one here would have seen that article if you hadn't posted it. But you needed a scapegoat to explain why the Democratic Party lost the Senate. Now, thanks to you, I have the perfect defense as to why the Democratic Party appears to be losing the Senate Election, bookmarked in fact. The reason that Ms. Carmen Velasquez is upset is that she's worked hard for the Democrats for ten years. For ten years she's asked that the Democrats address the problems that she sees every day. Immigration reform.

For ten years, five elections, the Democrats have said yes, if we're elected, we'll take care of it. But they never have. They've been too afraid to address the problem. Now, Ms Carmen Velasquez is angry. This time all they're getting is the promise that the President will take executive action, like he said in the spring, and the summer, after the elections, sometime.

But as I explained, everyone knows that's not true. The inevitability of Hillary people will be screaming at the White House to do nothing of the sort that would poison her chances at winning the election in 2016. Vulnerable Democrats in the House and Senate will be screaming just as loud behind closed doors pointing to this election as proof that the Republicans can win, and the party must come first. We just can't afford to lose the racist vote, while ignoring the Latino vote.

This reminds me of West Wing, the TV Show. In it Toby is talking to a Politician, who is expressing the level of upset from one of the core groups of the Democratic Party, the environmental movement. Toby asks where they're going to go? What will they do, vote Republican? Toby dismisses the threat, because he believes he will win either way. The Democratic Party leadership assumed that the danger of losing the support of Ms. Velasquez was non existent. Look at the quality of the woman we lost, pandering for the racist vote. Look at the support we've lost, as we hope to get a few more racists to support our party. Racists who will abandon us the second we do anything for Ms. Velasquez. Look how useless it is, because we're still losing the Senate. Look at what a waste it is. Afraid to act for fear of putting the Senate in jeopardy, and in doing so, we've put the senate in jeopardy.

The point of Ms. Velasquez, and of mine for longer is this. You can't take your supporters for granted. IF you don't see that point, then there's no hope. You haven't proven your point, you've proven one of mine. That principles and ideals matter, and you have to live up to your promises. Because I honestly doubt that Ms. Velasquez would be able to encourage the Latino community to turn out and vote for people that they believe have betrayed them. I can shout GOTV all day, and not erase that sense of betrayal. I can shout GOTV from now to election day, and not make a dent in the hearts of people who have seen loved ones deported all the while knowing that the person I helped get elected, promised it wouldn't happen.

Nothing I say to a progressive like you could make you stay away from the polls. No argument I can conceive of would make a dent in the people who feel betrayed by the actions of those they've elected. Principles matter, and one principle the Democratic party have seemingly forgotten is this. Don't promise what you can't deliver. We destroyed Bush '41 with read my lips, no new taxes broken promise ads. Did we think that no on would hold our side accountable for broken promises?