I won’t take you back to the euphoric days from the November 2008 election to the January 2009 inauguration of this nation’s first African-American president. Barack Obama was the superstar candidate whose rise to the heap of Democratic presidential candidates was anything but boring and lackluster. Where I will take you are the months after that and leading up to the mid-term elections where a shift in power is being predicted.
It seems like the Democrats have violated one of the most sacred rules in politics and that is to “hold onto what you have.” While they were walking around like puffed up peacocks, districts were being taking by Republicans right under their noses.
Two Democratic strongholds in Delaware (Vice President Joe Biden’s vacated seat) and Massachusetts (U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy’s vacated seat) will or have been won by GOP candidates. And what’s up in South Carolina – Alvin Green? He’s not an embarrassment for African Americans; Democrats need to be ashamed that he won their nomination!
On issues that the Democratic base cares about, such as jobs and health care, the Congress has not rallied around President Obama for decisive wins. The watered-down health insurance reform bill that passed was problematic between Democrats, not between Dems and the GOP. The Democrats were so busy fighting each other that they allowed the conservative right to steal their thunder and distort the message. Now you can hardly find a Democrat to tout the historical health care measure in their election campaigning. And now, those very same Republicans that stomped on “Obamacare” have included elements in their Pledge to America!
As backward and extreme as they are can be, the GOP’s strength is staying on message and not breaking ranks. They say No in unison for everything that President Obama puts on the table, even if they were the original creators of the proposed legislation.
A good example is the legislation that would have given small businesses loans and tax breaks, legislation that Republicans like Senator George LeMieux helped to draft. Draftees or not, if it means giving the President and the Democrats a victory, the GOP says NO!
The Republicans are on a roll with their oppositional strategy, filibustering in epic proportions. The GOP is so bad that they can filibuster a bill like the energy bill and then blame Dems for not passing the bill. The Democrats could have changed the filibuster rules when they had the votes to do so but they have been confused about what to do with their newfound power. Before they figure it out, they truly won’t have the votes they need to pass anything.
As the midterm election momentum kicks into third gear, the Democratic base is uninspired. The young, independents, liberals, gays, people of color – these sectors made up the army who believed in the hope and change that candidate Obama articulated during his journey to the White House. They now stand demobilized as polls show the GOP base as excited and energized. This could be an emotional advantage in a number of tight races.
For those of us whose concern is not carrying out corporate interests but feeding our families, keeping or maintaining a decent-paying job, accessing affordable health care, enjoying safe neighborhoods (aka the lost Democratic Agenda), we have got our work cut out for us. There are candidates and issues that help us move that agenda if we can get pass the millions of dollars influencing the elections.
Locally, concerned citizens and activists must deal with issues like billionaire Rex Sinquefield’s attack on the earnings tax. Where millions are being used to buy votes, we have to out-organize our opposition. The name of the game is to hold onto what we have, but also to make our elected officials more accountable. We must work like hell to ensure that the current depressed condition of working and middle-class citizens is not the new reality.