Whose Democratic Party Is It?

[Savannahmann]

33. Ah yes, the Local activism to change the national dialogue.

Let's say you run for local office, having been involved in the local political structure. You get elected to the County Commission. While there, you work a couple deals, supporting something wasteful to get something good done. Then you capitalize on that and move up to the State House. There you sacrifice a little more, to get something done. Now, you're ready for the State Senate. You need campaign contributions, you get them from the Business's that your party normally looks to support their efforts. You have to remember who paid for you to get there. You sacrifice a little more to get something done. I mean, you've already sacrificed a bit to get this done, and that done. What is a little more?

Congress, the Senate, and finally the White House. You got there. You have done the nearly impossible. You made it. Unfortunately, now you're principles that mattered all those years ago are distant memories. Now, it's all about the deal, the discussions, and the negotiations. You started out as Mr. Smith goes to Washington, you ended up as Colonel House. From the courage and power of a Lion in your small community, you became little more than a Jackal at the national stage, taking great pleasure in rubbing elbows with the powerful. How many times have we seen that happen?

Remember Kansas, our great hope to stop Pat Roberts. Greg Orman. We withdrew our candidate from the race, because we thought that if we could get Orman to win, we would have a sort of victory. A victory that would be pyrrhic at best because Orman had already said he hoped to caucus with whatever party was in control of the Senate.

Make your changes about the parking regulations in your county commission. Declare victory because you got a stop light installed at a blind intersection. Cheer because you got a majority Democratic County Commission, and pretend that the policies they are putting forth are really all that different than the Republicans would. Because far too many of us know it doesn't matter.

If the Republicans get elected to the White House in 2016, the Koch Brothers get their pipeline to carry tar sands oil to the gulf. If the Democrats keep the White House, Warren Buffett get's to keep his trains carrying the Tar Sands Oil to the refineries in the Gulf. The only difference is who's mega rich backer gets the payday. The oil is still going to the Gulf. Unless of course, your local Democratic Party can somehow stop Warren Buffett from toting that oil to the Refinery in rickety oil tankers on tracks that get maintained about one fifth as often as they should.