An update on my unity blog post.
1. Any progressive in CA who is considering voting for DiFi when there is a simple, two person race between a solid, stable, rational progressive and DiFi, please hand in your progressive card. Now.
And any cable news addict or corporate Democrat who thinks Bernie Sanders, who has more energy than a healthy 50 year old, is too old, should look at how terrible DiFi is at 85. She looks physically weak and appears less than fully "there." If Bernie looked this way, cable news attacks would be unending.
And any cable news addict or corporate Democrat who thinks Bernie Sanders, who has more energy than a healthy 50 year old, is too old, should look at how terrible DiFi is at 85. She looks physically weak and appears less than fully "there." If Bernie looked this way, cable news attacks would be unending.
I remain all for unity in this electoral moment, and have said, and continue to say, when there is a Democratic Party candidate against a Republican for this election cycle, it is time to vote for the Democratic Party candidate in nearly every single situation for statewide office and federal Congressional/Senate seats.
But in the US Senate race in CA, there is only a choice between a progressive Dem and corporate Dem (the Republican candidate finished third and is therefore not on the Nov ballot). It's a freebie for any New Deal oriented Democratic Party voter. To allow Donald Trump's attacks on DiFi (which I strongly disagree with Trump, and deny his charge against her) to influence that vote is beyond silly. It is the worst form of "yay My Team" when her opponent is another Democrat, and someone who is young, strong, and progressive minded. Who would you rather have in the Senate in 2021, especially if a Democratic Party president wins in 2020? DiFi doing the bidding of Big Pharma--again--or a progressive, solid guy like Kevin DeLeon? Again. Turn in your progressive card if you can't see your way through this choice.
2. Worse, in Maryland, it seems too many white Boomer Dems (I think we should start calling ourselves Boobers as in boobs) are deserting the solid Democratic Party candidate for governor for a Republican who is only slightly less right wing than Trump. Slightly less. For those Dems, I never want to hear about Ralph Nader and Jill Stein ever again. Ever.
My hope is we still hold together as Dems across the land and ensure there is at least a switch of power in the House. The Senate looks worse and worse every day, but we should be exhorting Democratic Party natural constituencies to vote so that there is a tip over of the Senate, too.
3. My only major caveat to my Democratic Party unity advice is in places like Oklahoma, where certain FB friends live. In such States, if your Dem candidate is down by more than 20 points with no hope for a comeback, then at least try to promote third party candidates in your State who have some gravitas. I would even say, after this November, look to promote third parties in those States overall. If the Dems are practically speaking, dead, go third party. That is also my advice to Republicans in CA. Might as well escape the loons and corrupt officials in the Republican establishment and go Libertarian. Deal with their nuts, too, but if enough saner folks take over, so much the better. I will set forth the following hypothesis: The moment a third party takes on second party status in a State, the other party in the "traditional" duopoly will hear big footsteps, and that will open up a vista to another third party developing. Libertarian success in a Blue State will help Greens. Green success in a Red State will help Libertarians. The key to voter turnout is electoral reform and the third parties should unite on that. Just as sane Libertarians do not want to dismantle the police and fire, or even libraries, sane Libertarians should recognize free public media airtime (television and radio) and public financing of elections. If one is running for public office, why allow crony capitalists to corrupt it?
I also think there is a sizable minority of Americans, for example, ready to challenge the Empire from within, and together, they can help influence enough people to make that a majority. That alone is worth electoral reform coordination alone.
