Blue State Blues

Yes, this is my first political post. I've usually reserved my political stuff for other blogs like, Daily Kos (a must see in the blogosphere if you're a Progressive, it's literally the Athletics Nation of progressive blogs), Pearly Gates (yes, it's a "Los Angeles" Angels of Anaheim blog but Richard is a conservative Republican and I enjoy his viewpoints) and Dulcius ex Aspersis (Madrigalia has excellent insights into progressive American politics and she's a Canadian to boot!).

Yes, my name is Kenny and I consider myself a progressive Democrat. Yes, my party got its ass handed back to it by Bush, Cheney, Rove & Co. last November. But help is on the way.

Enter Howard Dean. Yes, Dean is back, and with a vengenance, running for the position of Chariman of the DNC. He's presumptive front-runner right now, but we all know what happened last time he was a front-runner in something. Let's hope lightning doesn't strike twice.

But hope is on the way for the Democratic Party and it is Dean. The problem with the Democratic Party is, to quote San Francisco Mayor (and another Democrat whom I respect deeply) Gavin Newsom, "We're becoming the me-too party, and a lot of people in our party want to become more like the other party. I'm proud to stand on Democratic values."

Yes, the Democrats have become the me-too party they saw that the president was popular after 9/11 so they caved into Bush's demands and became the party of "Bush-lite." The current Democratic establishment is more concerned with focus groups and pursuit of the elusive "swing voter" while makig half hearted attempts to energize the base. I can honestly say I voted for Kerry not because I wanted to vote for Kerry, it's because I didn't want to vote for Bush, and that is a horrible way to vote. Kerry did not enthuse me and I was a member of his base. Howard Dean did, however and as a once and current Deaniac I proudly proclaim that I am a member of the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party.

Dean represents a new energy in the Democratic Party, he truly energizes the party and is willing to change. Be agressive and deciscie again. For if the Democrat's strategy is simply not to lose elections (and it seems like that is their strategy), they will be doomed forever to lose elections. You have to play to win, and Dean plays to win and is unafirad to take a risk.

What frustrates me the most is that Dean the "outsider" is opposed by the Democratic Establishment. The same "Democratic Establishment" which led our party to two defeats in a presidential election and loss of control of the Senate. They're backing Martin Frost, former congressman from Texas who was forced out of his seat by the redistricting efforts of Rep. Tom DeLay, so they want to back a guy who could not even defend his own seat against the machinations of the Republicans.

The Democratic Party need Dean, now more than ever. The Democrats party leadership need to take a good look at themselves in the mirror and see that the system is broken and it does need fixing. The Democratic Party needs to stand up and be Democrats again, not non-Republican yes-men to the president.

I fear that if the Democrats continue doing what they're doing, they're going to dig a hole of which they might not get themselves out of for a long time. Then what should I do, cast in my lot with the Greens?