Our job at the DU ...

[hfojvt]

14. funny that you mention 1976

because in 1980, Ted Kennedy ran in a primary against Carter - apparently upset about Carter's conservative ways.

I voted for Democrats in 1984 (because I flipped a coin in the voting booth) and in 1988.

In 1992, I voted for a 5th party candidate, because Clinton sounded like such a Reaganite. In 1996, I did it again because I was still unhappy with Bill and because the media assured me that Dole would lose anyway (and I certainly wanted Dole to lose)

Not sure about all the other non-presidential elections, but I know I have not always voted straight ticket D. In 1994, I voted for the moderate Republican Scott Klug over Ada Deer. During the radio debate that I heard, he seemed intelligent and decent and she seemed like a Deer in the headlights. Her campaign also semed to be only "vote for me, I am a woman" (at that time, amazingly enough, Wisconsin had never elected a female to Congress (something it did in 1998 when Tammy Baldwin defeated Jo (Ann) Musser. Tammy is now a Senator, but I think she is STILL the ONLY female Wisconsin has elected to Congress. She was the first candidate I donated money to in 2002)).

In 1996 I again voted for Klug over former Madison mayor Paul Soglin. As a candidate, it seemed like he blew off my little town. I never saw him and Klug was all over the place - on the radio, in parades. Further, I heard from my dad, that the city government under Soglin had hassled my grandmother about some code or other. Now I am not against codes or laws, per se, but if your government is picking on a 93 year old woman who had lived in that house in Madison for 65 years, that does NOT play well with her grandson.

So my loyalty is not lockstep.

But since the victories in 2006, it seems like there has been a contingent here that only likes to see the flaws. The glass is always more than half empty. Democrats NEVER do ANYTHING right. It reminds me of Counterpunch circa 2004. I read Counterpunch from perhaps January 2003 and they seemed excellent at opposing Bush. But then the Democratic Primary began, and suddenly they only wanted to punch at Democrats. Oh those Democrats, they were all just awful. It was like they had joined the Committee to RE-Elect the President. What a bunch of CREEPs they became.

Truly though, I am sickened at the thought of President Hillary, but I also don't see how it can be stopped, barring a miracle. Yet for all that, I still think that Congress is kinda important, and as far as I am concerned the Democratic Party here could even run a piece of human excrement against my Congresswoman and I would vote for the excrement - happily. They could even run Raj Goyle whose campaign in 2010 seemed to be "vote for me, I am practically a Republican" and I would be happy to vote for Raj (although I did quit my monthly donation to DFA after they endorsed him - supposed to be supporting progressives there guys).

The bottom line though (and shoot, is ANYBODY still reading this stream of unconsciousness?) is that you can NOT make the Democratic Party more progressive by abandoning it. That VOID has not proven to be influential to do much more than shoot itself in the foot by electing George W. Bush. Gotta show you can win the primary if you expect the party to care.