Standing up for the "purists"

[democrank]

I honestly never thought I`d live to see the day when standing up for age-old Democratic principles would be a bad thing...in the Democratic Party. Over four decades in the party and I just found out I`m a bad influence on moderates because I`m a so-called purist, one of those bad seeds that believes no torture means no torture, pro-union means pro-union, equal rights means equal rights, no White Phosphorus means no White Phosphorus. There`s no wiggle room here, not even to fit in with moderates or our wonderful friends across the aisle because I`d rather stand for something than win.

When we`re willing to close our eyes to families living in their cars, drug addicts living in boxes, prisons bursting at the seams, inner city schools rotting into oblivion, foreclosures as normal as sunshine, caskets rolling in from TWO wars and throw our unconditional support behind all those leaders who stood by and let it all happen, what kind of people are we? Win at all costs? Win no matter who gets hurt? Am I really supposed to nod in the affirmative as Leader Reid prostitutes himself for Olympia Snowe`s vote or pleasantly explains away Joe Lieberman`s latest example of treachery? A multi-week debate on a 1,000+ page health care bill while people are dying for lack of care? 1,000+ pages? Multi-week debate? Are they serious?

Third or fourth tour in Iraq or Afghanistan while our "leaders" run out and buy flag pins? Talk about dithering! We can`t even take a stand on that after how many years? Seven? How many dead soldiers and maimed children? Oh, I forgot. We have to be moderate and talk about how we love freedom.

Selling out isn`t compromise. It`s selling out. We`ve become so accustomed to wishy-washy that we now think it`s normal. Why do you think it`s so shocking when someone with a spine accidentally gets hold of a microphone? If we were used to courageous leaders, a show of spine would be a normal, everyday occurrence not an anomaly that gets the attention of every news program known to mankind.

So Cheney the war criminal does the Sunday morning rounds and torture photographs are kept from the citizens that paid for the secret program and we`re waiting on another surge. Why? The same old players with the same old excuses are in the same old position to play the same old game. It`s not really about the people, it`s about the power. Most of these politicians don`t take a stand. They take a focus group vote then take your check. Just say no. No change, no check. No change, no vote.