If you haven’t read this excellent diary at dkos about why liberals are not the base of the Democratic Party, do yourself a favor and go read it. It covers a lot of stuff that we already know, such as…
The Democrats want and need our donations and organizing, but know that’s really all they want. Liberals need to provide their vital services and bucks but acquiesce as the Party turns more and more rightward in its search for the fickle fluctuating moderate center.
Seriously read the whole thing and come on back.
Good. It concludes….
….it is clear that the Democrats take their 28 million Liberal voters for granted and do seat us at the Kiddie Table where we eat chicken fingers and drink Kool-Aid while the adults drink wine and eat pheasant under glass and laugh at the funny voters who still care about social justice, living wages, safety nets and the like.
The DLC is laid bare. Hoisted by their own petards and their own policy documents. But that is all national level stuff that got me wondering if Delaware’s liberal Democrats have the same relationship with our local Democratic establishment. Having blogged here for nigh on 8 years, I have to conclude that, in fact – we do.
Delaware’s liberal Democrats are just as used and abused by the local party establishment as we are by the national Democratic brain trust. While we live in closer quarters, so the abuse must naturally be a little more subtle, we are still seated at the kids table. We still have to endure Democratic politicians currying favor with the right wing nut jobs by parroting their wholly discredited taxation policies and budget priorities. We are still “represented ” in the Senate by Tom Carper – who goes out of his way to punch hippies to keep his DLC curriculum vitae in shape. We still have a congressional delegation that feels that it needs to constantly lean to the right. We are still courted around election time for our vitality, and dollars, then dismissed once the votes are all counted.
Now we are at the beginning of another election cycle in which liberals will be rediscovered by Democratic politicians in search of volunteers. Over the next 440 or so days, our stock will rise and our meetings will be attended. Then the day after the election our stock will crash again. We’ll be lectured about being pragmatic and mocked for jabbering on about our sacred ponies; social justice, living wages, safety nets.
Cinderella had the good sense to rush out of the ball when the clock struck twelve. I’m resigned to the fact that we’ll be bewildered anew when we revert to being the aids monkey in the room.