Eyes Wide Open

[NanceGreggs]

I am a Democrat. That is neither a threat nor an apology – it is simply a statement of fact. But it seems that being a Democrat requires a bit of setting-the-record-straight these days. So here goes.

I do not blindly support this President. I do so with my eyes wide open, acutely aware of his failings and accomplishments, fully cognizant of his virtues and his flaws. He is, however, a Democratic President,  and, as such, I stand behind him one hundred percent.

Yes, he has a (D) behind his name. That is not a free pass to do what would be unacceptable by someone sporting an ® or an (I). But I do not dismiss the meaning behind that (D) – in fact, I applaud the scope of its embrace and the depth of its worth. I am appalled by those who suggest that the letter alone is used as an excuse for looking the other way in the event of wrongdoing – especially when such alleged wrongdoing is a constantly moving target that exists merely in the imagination of someone who never sees a (D), or this particular President, as doing anything worthwhile.

I believe The Big Tent stands as upright as ever, despite the many efforts to bring it down – predictably from without, and sadly from within. I believe that The Big Tent includes Democrats of all persuasions – conservatives, progressives, centrists, far-leftists – and it is that diversity that makes us strong. I believe that those to my left and those to my right, so long as they are fellow Democrats, are my allies, my comrades, my brothers-in-arms. I also believe that those who seek to divide us – from without or within – should be confronted and dealt with as is appropriate.

In private, I may disagree vehemently with some of this President’s policies, decisions, priorities. But in public, I stand with him in complete solidarity, and I will not be moved – in the same way I will not be moved when an outsider speaks ill of my family, or my friends. This is not a matter of standing down when convenient – it is a matter of standing up when it counts.

I have no respect for those who demand loyalty from a President they feel no obligation to be loyal to. I have even less respect for those who expect to be courted and romanced in pursuit of their every vote, when they are so obviously willing to whore themselves to anyone willing to give them the attention they so desperately crave.

I do not expect perfection from my President or my Party. What I do expect is that legendary striving towards a more perfect union – and I believe my Party is and always has been more attuned to working towards that goal than those on the other side of the aisle.

I do not mistake compromise for capitulation, nor stubbornness for strength of character. I do not expect the current POTUS to act like an out-of-control idiot just because the former POTUS set a precedent for being a fuckin’ asshole. I believe that fuckin’ assholery is the sole property of fuckin’ assholes – which has nothing to do with my Party, nor a President who refuses to stoop to such measures.

I do not blindly support the Democratic Party. I do so as a matter of choice, a choice made between what this Party stands for, what it has achieved in the past and what it is capable of achieving in the future, and the alternative party, which has proven itself beyond all doubt to be detrimental to our democracy, beholden to monied interests, and demonstrably corrupt.

I am nauseated by the alleged “principled” crowd, who haven’t a clue as to what principles are – no less how their application works beyond what looks good on FaceBook. If sticking to your principles means sitting out an election because the Dem candidate has failed your purity test, or voting for a (totally unelectable – and you damned well know it) third party candidate in order to make a statement, your principles, such as they are, suck.

There is nothing principled about subjecting your fellow citizens to Republican governance; there is nothing principled about throwing your vote away when it might have made a difference; there is nothing principled about putting your own selfish political fantasies above the real-life consequences that will be suffered by those you periodically pretend to care about.

I have no patience for those who preach the "Both Parties Are the Same" gospel. Spouting a belief that Democrats and the GOP are indistinguishable, one from the other, is a sign of deliberate ignorance or political laziness – and I don’t know which is more reprehensible, in an era when information is so readily available and each Party’s record is so easily accessible.

If you’re waiting for the perfect candidate, the one who will agree with your every thought, before casting your vote, you are no more mature than a child stomping his feet when told he can’t have the impossible. And if you really believe that being told a Republican might be elected to office if you don’t vote is a scare tactic rather than a reminder of the consequences of your actions, you might want to consider growing the fuck up.

I find it incredibly amusing to be called a lock-stepper by self-proclaimed individualists who spout exactly the same talking points, verbatim, at exactly the same time, on exactly the same websites. I find it unbelievably laughable to be told I am merely a "sheeple" by those who continue to bah-bah-bah all the way to the RW Dude Ranch-of-Convenience, complete with comments about how Grover Norquist actually had some great ideas, and Dick Cheney wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

Of late, I have been particularly amused by so-called Democrats who have suddenly found some long-lost humanitarian sympathy for Gadaffi and/or Bin Laden, as though their demise would have been deemed untimely and/or questionable had they occurred under the watch of President Hillary, President Kucinich, or President Anyone-but-Obama.

It is truly sad to know that there are so-called Democrats who are more than willing to undermine the Party and this President at every turn. There is no end to their list of what’s gone wrong; there is no list they find acceptable as to what’s gone right. According to some, this President has accomplished nothing since being elected to office – and any accomplishments too glaring to be ignored are quickly relegated to someone else’s efforts, someone else’s credit.

According to some, the President who never listens to his constituents only achieves things as a result of his constituents who claim to have spoken up. The President who campaigned on healthcare reform and the repeal of DADT didn’t really mean it, and those things simply came about by sheer happenstance. And then there is the sweeping and oh-so-transparent reality for some: if Obama did it, it must be wrong – and that includes bringing our troops home from Iraq.

I am a Democrat. And as such, I support this Democratic President and this Party. I am proud to be who I am, proud to be part of what this Party means – and immensely proud to look at those who believe as I do, and know that I am in such splendid company.

As for the whiners and complainers, they are, despite their claims to the contrary, a small minority of absolutely no consequence whatsoever.

So fuck ‘em.

[There Is No Spoon]

I think "so-called Democrats" says it all. These people you speak of are not Democrats at all - they are SELFocrats or MEocrats. They are the self-absorbed nutty people you rarely met in real life as most appear to be sociopaths. Now there's the internet where the most outrageous sells. Positive reinforcement motivates them, but negative reinforcement motivates them 10x as much. They thrive off of the reactions of people who find their "take it just one step too far" words as just plain asinine. I don't know if ignoring them will make them and those sites that promote the insanity go away, but it sure keeps my stress levels down.

[madamesilverspurs]

Standing shoulder to shoulder with you on this. And proudly so!

[jaxx]

Nance that was wonderful.

[Ikonoklast]

They are Idealists who seek perfection and never find it, and are unwilling to compromise their Ideal in any way; reality has to be bent to their vision, or when invariably they find reality lacking, they reject embracing reality as settling for less than what they want and therefore a compromise, and resume their search for the Ideal.

Of course, all this is to be found in another person, in their own lives they make accomodations and compromises with reality on a daily basis, they just hate it when anyone else does it.

[OptimistesMaddie]

I am standing with you too!

Well done Nance!

[mcar]

This says it all. Thanks.

[yowzayowzayowza]

Ya had me rite til the end. I wouldn't slam the door quite so hard on our ideological, impolitic brethren.

[Joan Ruaiz]

Loved it! That last line was mighty strong, but hey.....sometimes a bit of harshness can't hurt, especially to those so willing to dish it out!

Again, thank you!

[nofurylike]

outstanding

much to say, but i can not at this time. just, thank you thank you thank you for that, Nance

[Tin Man]

Has the President let us down at times? Yes. Politics is the art of compromise, and I support the President because the alternative is alien to reason, logic and morality. The perfect candidate is a myth and chasing myths is off the table.

[There Is No Spoon]

(11-04-2011 12:43 AM)Tin Man Wrote:  Has the President let us down at times? Yes. Politics is the art of compromise, and I support the President because the alternative is alien to reason, logic and morality. The perfect candidate is a myth and chasing myths is off the table.

Nice summary.

[Tin Man]

Supporting cognitive dissonance is for Republican sheep. I stand with President Obama.

[Brewman_Jax]

Excellent and well done!