Green Tea Party?

Kathy, You're Gonna LOVE This! (4.00 / 1)

Wait for it....

The timidity of the left exposes its cowardice, lack of a moral compass and mounting political impotence. The left stands for nothing. The damage Obama and the Democrats have done is immense. But the damage liberals do the longer they beg Obama and the Democrats for a few scraps is worse. It is time to walk out on the Democrats. It is time to back alternative third-party candidates and grass-roots movements, no matter how marginal such support may be. If we do not take a stand soon we must prepare for the rise of a frightening protofascist movement, one that is already gaining huge ground among the permanently unemployed, a frightened middle class and frustrated low-wage workers. We are, even more than Glenn Beck or tea-party protesters, responsible for the gusts fanning the flames of right-wing revolt because we have failed to articulate a credible alternative.

Sha-BAM!

A shift to the Green Party, McKinney and Nader, along with genuine grass-roots movements, will not be a quick fix. It will require years in the wilderness. We will again be told by the Democrats that the least-worse candidate they select for office is better than the Republican troll trotted out as an alternative. We will be bombarded with slick commercials about hope and change and spoken to in a cloying feel-your-pain language. We will be made afraid. But if we again acquiesce we will be reduced to sad and pathetic footnotes in our accelerating transformation from a democracy to a totalitarian corporate state. Isolation and ridicule-ask Nader or McKinney-is the cost of defying power, speaking truth and building movements. Anger at injustice, as Martin Luther King wrote, is the political expression of love. And it is vital that this anger become our own. We have historical precedents to fall back upon.
-snip

The hypocrisy and ineptitude of the Democrats become, in the eyes of the wider public, the hypocrisy and ineptitude of the liberal class. We can continue to tie our own hands and bind our own feet or we can break free, endure the inevitable opprobrium, and fight back. This means refusing to support the Democrats. It means undertaking the laborious work of building a viable socialist movement. It is the only alternative left to save our embattled open society. We can begin by sending a message to the Green Party, McKinney and Nader. Let them know they are no longer alone.

Sleepy Guy- reduced to NH Ex-pat's errand boy.

www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com
www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 14:08:29 PM CST

I said, Green Tea... (4.00 / 2)

Not Green. McKinney is not just fringe, she is  way out there in space, and Nader is ego-centric to the point of accepting help from Republicans using him to try to tilt the results in '04 (I'll leave '00 out of it). Nominating McKinney for president in '08 pretty much took the Green Party out of the running as a viable political organization for the forseeable future.  It is one thing to be disgruntled for good and logical reasons, and another to be totally off the rails whacky, conspiratorial and well, just plain crazy. And my point is not discarding the Democratic Party, but shaking things up.

But I threw this out there for discussion, so I'll be quiet now.    

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 14:29:13 PM CST

[ Parent ]

To be honest... (4.00 / 2)

I'm not that much of a fan of McKinney and I agree that Nader is ego-centric as well. We agree on something Kathy : )

I support the likes of the Progressive Democrats of America and members of the Progressive Caucus. These are the kinds of Democrats we need more of.

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by: NH Ex-pat @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 14:38:19 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Start an image factory (4.00 / 1)

'Cause you are gonna have one hell of a time convincing folks that the pols you like are in line with the polls you cite.

NOTHING gets fixed until we reform election campaign finance.

www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com
www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 14:42:14 PM CST

[ Parent ]

The pols I like are in line with polls I cite n/t (0.00 / 0)

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by: NH Ex-pat @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 15:48:35 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Common Ground :) n/t (4.00 / 1)

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 14:57:07 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Mud (4.00 / 1)

Patron: Is this coffee fresh ? It tastes like mud!
Waiter: Well it should, it was ground this morning.

from the "Join The Coffee Party Movement In New Hampshire"  on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/...
We recognize that the federal government is not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges that we face as Americans.

'Aints no more

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by: JonnyBBad @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 15:10:42 PM CST

[ Parent ]

pccc (0.00 / 0)

http://boldprogressives.org/home  

'Aints no more

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by: JonnyBBad @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 15:39:11 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Gotta love Chris Hedges... (0.00 / 0)

He points out all the things that are true with the Democratic Party. My only problem is forming a third party of progressives. That I don't agree with.  I say we stay and fight it out with the corporate, middle-of-the-road, moderate, DLC, gatekeeping, and Blue Dog Democrats and take over the damn party. America is more progressive than we think... and I don't mean that bastardized version Democrats like to throw around now. There's a big difference between what I term as progressive and what the Democrats consider progressive.

How progressive is America? Consider the following.

Taxes, health care, minimum wage, unions

*69% of US voters agree that "government should care for those who cannot care for themselves" (Pew Research, 2007)

*54% of voters agree that "government should help the needy even if it means greater debt" (Pew Research 2007)

*58% of Americans believe the US government should be doing more for its citizens, not less (National Elections Survey, 2004)

*Twice as many Americans back more government services and spending (even if this means tax increases) as the number who support fewer services and reduced spending (National Elections Survey 2004)

*64% of Americans would pay higher taxes to guarantee heath care for all US citizens (CNN Opinion Research Poll, May 2007)

*69% of Americans think it is the responsibility of the federal government to provide health care to all US citizens (Gallup, 2006)

*80% of Americans support a government-mandated increase in the minimum wage (AP/AOL poll, Dec. 2006)

*86% of Americans want Congress to pass legislation to raise the federal minimum wage

*71% of Americans think taxes on corporations are too low (Gallup poll, April 2006)

*66% of Americans think taxes on upper-income people are too low (Gallup, April 2006)

*59% of Americans are favorable toward unions, with just 29% unfavorable (Gallop, 2006)

Foreign policy

*67% of Americans think the US should emphasize diplomatic and economic means over military methods in combating terrorism (Public Agenda and Foreign Affairs, 2007)

* JUST 15% OF AMERICANS THINK THE US SHOULD PLAY "THE LEADING ROLE IN THE WORLD" (Gallup, February 2007)- that's a REMARKABLE rejection of US global hegemony and empire

*Just 29% of Americans support the expansion of government spending on defense (Earth to Obama???), compared to 50% who think maintaining a superior military worldwide should be a very important goal (Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, October 2004). Survival trumps hegemony as a top global aim for citizens, no?

*58% of Americans in 2004 did not think the US should have long-term military bases in Iraq (CCFR, 2004)

*To counter terrorism, 87% of Americans think the US should work through the UN to strengthen international law and make sure the the UN enforces that law; 67% think the US should work to develop poor economies; (my favorite) 64% think the US should make a major effort to be even-handed in the Israel-Palestine conflict; and 29% think the US should use torture to extract information (CCFR, 2004)

*89% of Americans reject the US's right to overthrow a government supporting terrorists who might post a threat to the US without UN approval (CCFR, 2004)

*66% of Americans think the US should be more willing to make international relations decisions within the UN even if it means the US will have to go along with a policy that is not its first choice (CCFR,2004)

*59% of Americans favor dropping the veto power granted to the five permanent nations on the Security Council, including the US (CCFR, 2004)

*57% of Americans favor general compliance with the decisions of the World Court, not just a case-by-case basis (as under the current US policy) compliance (CCFR, 2004)

*76% of Americans think the US should participate in the International Criminal Court, with powers to try individual American military and other officials for war crimes even if their own country will not prosecute them for such crimes (CCFR, 2004)

How's that?

How out of touch is Congress, especially the Democratic Party leadership?  

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by: NH Ex-pat @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 14:33:58 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Old Polls (0.00 / 0)

'04, '06 and '07? That was a long time ago and a galaxy far, far away.

 

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 14:59:46 PM CST

[ Parent ]

True.... (0.00 / 0)

But polls are polls and just because they're a few years back doesn't mean they aren't significant. I think it still indicates Americans are more progressive than the Democrats think.  

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by: NH Ex-pat @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 15:46:51 PM CST

[ Parent ]

No (0.00 / 0)

The polls just indicate that when the polls were taken, the questions were asked in such a way that a majority of the respondents agreed with your position on that day.  

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 16:01:49 PM CST

[ Parent ]

How recent do you want them to be? (0.00 / 0)

If they came from 2009 or 2010 would take them into serious consideration or dismiss them because they don't suit your political preferences? Or...

If these results were more in line with Hillary Clinton's platform (aka "neoliberal," "hawkish," and/or a "pro-Israeli apartheid government" and they came from '04, '06, and '07, would you still call them old polls from a galaxy far, far away? I'd like to know.

I feel like you're merely looking for any kind of an excuse to dismiss something I support. What would it take for you to seriously consider what I have to offer? Be honest.    

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by: NH Ex-pat @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 19:12:22 PM CST

[ Parent ]

All about you? (4.00 / 1)

I agree with nearly all of the statements in the polls, but the polls are old. What that has to do with you or Hillary Clinton, I don't know, but I do know that relying on polls five and six years old is not wise.

Relying on polls four weeks old can be a problem; see, e.g., Martha Coakley.  

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  Franklin D. Roosevelt    

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by: Kathy Sullivan 2 @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 20:10:25 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I'm confused (0.00 / 0)

as to why you feel the need to attack NH Ex-pat with this diary, Jack.

You may not like NH Ex-pat's views - but that doesn't give you the right to start a whole thread that seems to be a thinly veiled attempt at calling him out.  

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by: susanthe @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 16:29:29 PM CST

[ Parent ]

excuse me (0.00 / 0)

I meant to say, to  hijack a thread to call out NH Ex-Pat. Kathy started the thread, and Jack hijacked it.  

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by: susanthe @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 16:31:29 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Did you bother to notice (0.00 / 0)

that Christian uprated my comment?

by: Jack Mitchell @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 15:08:29 PM EST

Others have rated this comment as follows:
NH Ex-pat

Do you know that I e-mailed Christian to give him the heads up, so that we could toss this around? Do you care that I have a great relationship with Christian because we like to discuss ideas? It's fun and we are b-l-o-g-g-i-n-g.

The more you prattle about me, the better. You are building my street cred.

You are correct on one thing, you are "confused."

www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com
www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 16:44:00 PM CST

[ Parent ]

would that be the street cred (0.00 / 0)

in your recently referenced "hood?"  Building street cred, when you don't even live on a street in this state is an interesting concept.

I'm at a loss to see how emailing NH Ex-Pat to set up a weird little game is giving you some sort of  credibility. It sounds a lot to me like 6th grade girls calling each other the night before school to plan what they're going to wear.

I guess I just don't have the street cred to understand the ways of Very Important Men. Like - why you can't openly discuss something, without subterfuge.  

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by: susanthe @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 17:07:09 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Eeg gads, what happened? (4.00 / 2)

We're all cool. SGS just informed me there was a diary Kathy wrote that I might be interested in and that he shared a snipet of a Hedges' article that I sent him in Kathy's diary (the same one I sent you).  I think he was just trying to get a fun conversation started and to get me involved.

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by: NH Ex-pat @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 19:21:55 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I agree with this: (4.00 / 2)

Jack and Ex-Pat are, in fact, Very Important Men.  That is incontrovertible.

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by: Dartmouth Dem @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 05:50:19 AM CST

[ Parent ]

VIM 'n vigor (0.00 / 0)

www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com
www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 06:45:25 AM CST

[ Parent ]

These are not Westminster-style parties. (0.00 / 0)

We have two parties in this country, and our political culture treats each as the polar opposite of the other.  They're not, but it is just the two parties.  And unlike in a Parliamentary system, our parties are dynamic.  The party leaders though influential, do not get to choose the parties' nominees.  The voters do.  Our parties structurally adapt and coalesce around nominees for President of the United States, giving us the opportunity, every four years, to hollow them out and start over--an opportunity we have and avail ourselves of quite often in comparison to the entrenched factions of our fellow developed democracies.

Most of the political inertia in America is cultural, not institutional.  Our political culture is crippling our democracy, and the 24-hour cable news narrative driving it is not healthy.  Part of the problem is the idea that there is something sacred about the midpoint between the ideologies of the two parties, as if that's where the majority of Americans are.  They aren't.  Most people don't have the time or effort to be aware of every minute issue of public policy, of parliamentary procedure, of events that even committed activists have to spend considerable time keeping up with.  What they want is real leadership, real ideas, real vision, and serious people in the halls of power.  What it takes to get that, however, is for the people who fit that description to get better at messaging than the know-nothing fear mongers that are currently grinding our government to a halt with their ridiculous nonsense.

--
"Act as if ye have faith and faith shall be given to you." -Aaron Sorkin

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by: Douglas E. Lindner @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 21:28:51 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Actually, my tongue isn't exactly in cheek, as Kathy thought. (4.00 / 5)

It has been placed firmly between my teeth being bitten since last August.

It will stay there until we see how health care turns out.  

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

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by: Paul Twomey @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 15:47:18 PM CST

If your saying, what I think your saying (4.00 / 1)

In the ether of BH archives looms a SGS comment that goes something like, "the only candidate I will work harder for than Obama, is his primary opponent if he renegs."

Now, NH Ex-pat can list off a whole bunch of things where he thinks Obama has failed his campaign promises. I watched Obama very close. I feel irritated but not betrayed.

I don't bite my tongue because I need it to accentuate the positive. :v)

www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com
www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 16:10:39 PM CST

[ Parent ]

My problems arent with the President. (4.00 / 3)

While I would have done some things differently, I never doubt his intentions or motivations, and continue to find him an astonishingly inspiring person.

Now for the rest of the home team.... well lets see what we end up with for health care reform.


"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.  

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by: Paul Twomey @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 17:06:13 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Bummed by OFA (0.00 / 0)

I wonder, if this "Coffee Party" will become what OFA should have been?

www.KusterforCongress.com - www.paulhodesforsenate.com
www.nikitsongas.com - www.devalpatrick.com

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by: Jack Mitchell @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 16:16:56 PM CST

Doesn't Drinking Liberally count? (4.00 / 3)

It predates the tea partiers.

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by: elwood @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 18:15:14 PM CST

Just gotta say (4.00 / 1)

that I really love the mental image of the Tea Party "Patriots" defending Archie Bunker Hill!

Thanks for the editorial mention of Bunkerism, Dean!

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by: GreyMike @ Tue Mar 02, 2010 at 20:37:31 PM CST

Bunker mentality ? n/t (4.00 / 1)

'Aints no more

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by: JonnyBBad @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 08:35:28 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I'm for it! (0.00 / 0)

I read that article in the NYTIMES last night, and it sounds good.  I'm all for it, and loved how the woman just started it all.  Good stuff.


Be the Change you wish to see in the world (Gandhi)

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by: KrisSchultz @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 09:57:54 AM CST

Green tea party (0.00 / 0)

Love it. John Kerry should head it up, since he was famously excoriated by Maureen Dowd for asking for green tea in 2004.

I only hope no one confuses this with support for those jokers in the Green Party (lol). Oh wait, oops...

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by: michael57 @ Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 15:48:32 PM CST