Party vs. Policy

[Mr.Liberty]

Something that really bothers me about this country on both sides of the debate are people who can't see past their political party. I believe Partisanship has blinded a good number of people in this country into believing things they would normally not believe if it were the other side proposing it. Look at the phony outrage over war now on FAKE News that was never apparent during the Bush years. Sad thing is conservatives fall for this, but so do Progressives. Obama has done many a things we either decried under Bush or definitely would have. What happened? Do we throw our values to the wind when we get our guy in office?

Partisanship is a useful tool used by the 1% to divide and conquer. You have the media that will play both sides off against one another, but ultimately serve the same cause. The Corporate Cause. The coverage of SOPA and PIPA has been close to non-existent...so was the coverage of the NDAA. These are policies that a child can see is threatening to our way of life but where is the outrage? People say if Obama loses, the alternative is worse. I don't know about that. I think it'll be more of the same. Only difference is Obama isn't going to use these anti-democratic powers and the Rethugs might...that's why you don't pass the sh*t in the first place!!

Throughout history when times get tough at home, Empires resort to war to distract the population and rally them against an external enemy. Napoleon did it. Rome did it. The drumbeat for war is stronger than its ever been in this nations history and there's no sign they're putting the gong down anytime soon. How long will we support Democrats that continue this downward trend? In 2020 when we're still bogged down in foreign lands and haven't stopped, will we still support the Party? Will America even be stable in 2020 if we don't stop warring soon? These are questions we have to ask ourselves. When is enough enough? The Occupy movement has the right idea, we need their demands to be the platform of our Party. How can voting even be taken seriously anymore when the process is so DILUTED with payola?

Think on these questions DU. Do you support the Party or do you support a Progressive Agenda? Because the two are TOTALLY different. There are too many DLC Dems calling themselves Progressive and are nothing of the sort. I'm a Liberal, and I support a Liberal Agenda. Anything short of that is settling for less.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. "I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever

"I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever, in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in anything else, where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent. If I could not go to heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all." Thomas Jefferson to Francis Hopkinson, 1789.

"Were parties here divided merely by a greediness for office,...to take a part with either would be unworthy of a reasonable or moral man." Thomas Jefferson to William Branch Giles, 1795.

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." John Quincy Adams

[Mr.Liberty]

2. Nice qoutes!

[T S Justly]

3. K&R (nt)

[RC]

4. I wholeheartedly agree.

The Democratic Party is far to the Right of where it was 40 /50 years ago. I have trouble calling my-self a Democrat anymore.
But I still have no problem calling my-self a Liberal and a Progressive.

I look at the actions, not so much the person. Look at Al Franken for an example of the latest case in point. They are still backing the intent. Up till now I liked him, He was a voice of reason. Not any longer.

http://www.americablog.com/2012/01/story-behind-sopapipa-is-campaign-money.html
So this month, when all the big entertainment companies joined forces with Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform and the US Chamber of Commerce, the nation's foremost big business lobby, to fight for sweeping anti-piracy legislation, it was almost a foregone conclusion that they would get what they wanted.

>SNIP<

I'll leave you with one thought. There are two ways to see Al Franken's cosponsorship of PIPA. One is that he's ex-Hollywood, so by supporting PIPA he's just loyally voting his roots; all that MPAA money is just a happy by-product.

The other is this — all that money is necessary for a Senate candidate who's has to fund a state-wide re-election fight; and this "Hollywood roots" stuff is just the cover story — the smoke screen that confuses his base, one that might otherwise think he's selling out his supposed "progressive principles" to harvest the bucks.

In the first scenario, Franken's an innocent; Stuart Smalley perhaps. In the second, he's very very smart, and willing to risk the Internet if he thinks his progressive base won't notice.

How is this a Liberal or Progressive stance? Are we being sold out or bought out?

[FarLeftFist]

5. What if you're just Anti-Republican and no progressives besides the current President are running?