Tough Love

By Cindy Gomez
Editor

After a long and fitful night of election results, many in the area feel they have been through a devastating battle. Democrats, who rode a wave of euphoria in 2008, came crashing down hard in this year’s midterm elections.

This should come as no surprise to anyone. Long before a wall comes tumbling down, there are cracks, broken mortar, and rocks and bricks that fall. We have warning signs that if unheeded, will find us sitting under a pile of rubble. Democrats pissed away their power to effect change, opting to take the “kind and fluffy” road of compromise—leaving us all emptyhanded.

Now we have to look at where we went wrong, unflinchingly evaluate what we’ve been avoiding, and hope that the sting of these election results will light a fire under our collective asses. Let’s begin.

When the first black American was elected President, the latent racism in this country bubbled to the surface and became an oozing sore on the face of America. The Southern Poverty Law Center released reports indicating a nearly 50% rise in the number of racist groups and membership in those groups. Meanwhile, our public officials fueled the fires of hate over the last two years with an embarrassing tirade of overt racism which portrayed our president as an alien invader to be feared. We had cartoons and depictions of our president as a gunned-down ape, a Kenyan, a witch doctor, a Muslim (as if it were some type of crime to be one), and more.

The confused and misguided, if not purposely fearmongering, people working for Rupert Murdoch at Fox News have spent the last two years unleashing as much hate as they could cram down our coaxial. With O’Reilly screaming “Muslims killed us” (about 9/11), host Brian Kilmeade saying “All terrorists are Muslim”, and binging on Quaran burning updates nearly 24/7.
Although Obama and the majority of Democrats in Congress had a strong following, political support, and a majority to get their work done, they failed to use the power given them by the people. Why did they hesitate? Because they believed that “hitting Republicans over the head” with their power could only get them so far, and that “honey gets more flies than vinegar.” Where did that compromise get us?

Instead of pushing to end tax cuts for the wealthy, the dems compromised. Instead of fighting for more stimulus for unemployment and job creation, dems compromised.

Obama passed healthcare reform, but again compromised on most of the demands made by his progressive base. 

DADT (Don’t Ask Don’t Tell) and the The Dream Act, were put on the back burner, then pitted against each other for an added deleterious effect. The Dream Act failed, and now that DADT had a judicial victory, Obama’s administration is appealing the decision!

Of course, our U.S. Supreme Court’s insane decision in Citizens United has not helped. By allowing anonymous outside groups to donate truckloads of money to elections nationwide, we are now seeing the results of what bought elections can look like, even locally. Tom Emmer of “Boycott Target because they support the bigot Emmer” fame, is a case in point. Outside groups choked the state of North Dakota with over 2.4 million dollars; and we all got to see what that kind of cash can buy.

Our new leadership in Congress is going to be the most destructive force for progressive issues in the last quarter century. John Boehner, the unscrupulous and well tanned actor/speaker from Ohio, will be leading the charge to destroy progressive values. Expect more prison privatization, more human rights violations, more and prolonged wars, more roadblocks to health care, lingering unemployment, more barriers to access to reliable and independent news and information, and the continued rape and pillage of our economy by the most unprepared and poorly informed Congress in the last century.

Had enough? Then we can’t keep being “nice.” We can’t keep reflecting the leadership that just lost these midterm elections; those in the majority who keep compromising what the majority needs, what the majority demands.

Begin turning the tide by consciously acting to end the systems of oppression that have been created and will be created by these new minions of money and special interest. Here are some suggestions:

1) Demand accountability of TELCOMS by asking the FCC to exercise its authority to regulate them and ensure net neutrality. Without the Internet and the freedom it gives us to communicate with each other and support independent media, we will all lose out.

2) Support a constitutional amendment to reverse the Citizens United decision. The First Amendment was never intended to equate corporations with people, or money with speech. We know this is unfair and insane - let’s level the playing field.

3) Flood the Dept. of Justice and Obama’s administration with your angry calls about their continued appeals of progressive legislative victories like the Defense of Marriage Act and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. We know when we’ve been had, Mr. President. Stop helping our opposition to deny rights to your supporters!

3) Join a local group to actively fight any SB1070-like bills in your state. Heed the words of Niemoller while you still can and stop the disease of discrimination in your community. Continue to ignore the plight of those being oppressed around you because it’s uncomfortable to talk about and unpopular to bring up, and when they come for you, there won’t be anyone left to save you.

4) The Dept. of Justice has the authority, right now, to force all states to register voters through the DMV and welfare agencies. Lean on them to do their job! The much maligned ACORN was summarily beheaded after they managed to sign up millions of new voters to elect a black man. Voter intimidation, caging, illegal rules and registration requirements abounded this year nationwide. With ACORN and organizations like it gone, we need to have a new way of increasing registration. This is an easy and cheap way to do it!

Whatever you choose to do, you cannot be content with compromise. In the face of this election, progressives mustn’t get quieter, but louder. Look how well it worked for the radical right after Obama’s victory: they now control the House, and nearly the Senate.

Imagine how much better the bold approach will work for progressives. Imagine the impact it will have on those starving for valor and thirsting for unabashed truth. Only by concerted action, which we must start in our own communities, reach across the state, and extend across the country, can progressives hope to emerge victorious in the upcoming 2012 elections.

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