Wanted: Progressive Candidates
Submitted by Grace Kelly on July 2, 2008 - 2:10pm.
For awhile Democrats forgot how to be Democrats. Democratic values had been so universal, that candidates forgot how to even say them. Then RepubliCON Neocons sold Democrats the big lie, the "moderate" lie, that being a Democrat was somehow "extreme" and "bad". That only Republican Lite Democrats could be elected! Since Democrats no longer spoke Democratic values, there was only silence on the Democratic side. Still many Democrats managed to still survive even in the silence, by running as Republican lite.
Then the Democratic voice was found, and those who could speak the Democratic voice proudly and courageously called themselves "progressives". Progressives have been speaking effectively, persuading effectively and winning office at lower levels.
Now with strength of the progressives, Democrats are again poised to win higher level offices. Now here is the real problem, most of the mid-level Democrats are moderate chameleon Republican lite candidates who do not understand what it means to be a progressive. If the progressives elect a moderate chameleon Republican lite candidate like Amy Klobuchar, who does not vote against the war, who does not support fillibusters and who does not oppose telecom immunity, the progressives feel betrayed. In the progressive tradition, the progressives speak to out to the "moderate" style politicians, causing them to retreat even more into the quiet retreat of being chameleon, making it even more worse.
So now the progressives are really questioning any Democrat candidates. And candidates who speak "moderate" are immediately being branded as spineless, cowardly candidates who will "cave" into the Republican positions. Some of these candidates had thought of themselves as "progressive", yet had missed out on the "courage" part of the definition. These politicians and their campaigns are now in shock. Unless these candidates sign a blood pact to do everything possible, every vote possible to support the progressive positions, the progressives are not fully trusting these candidates.
A long tradition of "moderate" Democrats from Moe to Hatch have tried and failed. When the 70% of the American people disapprove of President Bush, and the Republican brand is in the bathroom stalls, it is time to again field Democratic candidates courageously speaking Democratic values.
So the question now is can we find candidates from the mid-level chameleon moderates to transform into progressives? Or can we find new low level progressive candidates of sufficient charisma and flexibility to launch a high level campaigns that attract all Democrats?
Elwyn Tinklenberg is the worse of the waffling GOP-lite that a ruling DFL elite could try to peddle. Betty McCollum, Franken is not good enough for her, she objects, until he stands up and tells people he is sorry for how he earned his living, sorry to have offended anyone by clearly intentionally absurd indulgence in political incorrectness. Not good enough for Betty. However, she will endorse as good enough for the progressive people in the Sixth District a revolving door for-a-fee lobbyist, no offense taken at the couduct, the flip-flopping on issues.
I think every progresive thinking person in the Sixth District should view Betty McCollum as having discredited herself, to the level of credibility of Elwyn Tinklenberg - not nearly approaching the higher esteem Al Franken merits. Why she lowered herself that way, was Mike Ciresi's potential worth it, who knows but McCollum. But the FISA - the telco immunity vote is a focus for where people who treasure the liberty of the populace will separate themselves from the others - the sheep from the goats. I still cannot see what the McCollum agenda was to dump on Franken. Without a solid district in hand where she is running, she probably would have not tried chopping down the chances of a progressive DFL senate candidate.
Franken is anything but GOP-lite. Look at Franken against Elwyn Tinklenberg, you do not need a roadmap to see the difference.