The DemocraticUnderground can say things the Democratic Party cannot say.

[johnlucas]

165. I agree. That's why I always say I'm more part of the Underground than the Democratic

I love the name of this site. It captures the totality of this place perfectly.

DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND

Half of this place is pretty much cheerleaders for the Democratic Party.
They never question whether what the party is doing right or wrong.
They just believe in supporting the party, supporting the team.

I think of these folks as the DEMOCRATIC of Democratic Underground.

Half of this place are the ones who fight for principle no matter if it hurts the Democratic Party or not.
They frequently question the party leaders, the President, whoever.
They are many times at odds with the party line or President's actions.

I think of these folks as the UNDERGROUND of Democratic Underground.

And both of these halves may hate to admit it but both halves need to exist & need each other.
The problem with the DEMOCRATIC half is they can follow the party right off the cliff since they are loathe to question their motives & actions.
But the GOOD thing about the DEMOCRATIC half is that they work as a solid unified team & give you the numbers you need to win elections & get like-minded people in office in the first place.

The problem with the UNDERGROUND half is that they are too individualistic & fractious to ever build a cohesive coalition for stemming off the wrong-headed opposition.
But the GOOD thing about the UNDERGROUND half is that they correct & restore the moral principles of the party reminding you of why you got behind the party in the first place.

I learned this especially in the aftermath of the 2010 elections & in the midst of the 2012 elections.

I was so disgusted with Obama's & the whole Democratic Party's capitulation that I sat out of the 2010 elections.
I had never failed to vote in a state/national election before in my life.
But here I was giving up on the voting thing in 2010.
As a Black man this has significant importance since I value what my people fought for to get the right to vote.
I had even stopped keeping up with politics. Hardly even coming to Democratic Underground.

After Osama Bin Laden was killed in 2011, I started to get back into it a little but even then I was still just too disappointed to care.
But as the lead-up to 2012 got underway, I slowly got back into politics bit by bit until I was full-in.
I understood that no matter how disappointed I got in Obama or the Democrats, I could NEVER sit out another election like that.
Sitting out in 2010...It's gonna be something I will always regret & I ain't big on having regrets.

I understood why the DEMOCRATIC cheerleaders were there & what purpose they served.
I understood why the UNDERGROUND fighters were there & what purpose they served.

The cheerleaders post endless picture threads about President Obama, the First Family, & other Democrats then swoon with lovestruck eyes.
But those pictures are the fuel that keeps the cheerleaders in this game.

The fighters argue everyone through the ground griping about how this wasn't done right, that wasn't done at all, that should be done, this could be done now.
But those arguments are what remind all the players why we're in this game.

It's a beautiful family, this Democratic Underground family.
I believe this is one of the most important sites on the internet.
It's a form of media after all & media—AKA the message—can change the world.
John Lucas