My Anger has Reached a Boiling Point - I'm calling you out. [View All]

[Selwynn]

You've seen me white a few different pieces kindly trying to bridge the gap between progressive third party supporters, progressive democratic supporter and moderate democrats.

But today, I've just had enough. Now its time for me to re-post some tough love. I was on another board - this should should be a bastion for positive proactive progressive thinking and working for change. But you know what it is instead? Its a place for a bunch of bitter people with apparently no ideas for proactive change to come and post endless rants against the system, evil bad corporations, and of course their number one target, the democratic party.

After being there for a few months how many positive proactive posts have I seen talking about what progressive third party people should be for, and how to do it, how to organize, what to do next, the plan to actually do some of the abstract things that are mentioned? One. You know how many posts there have been posting yet another "editorial" saying the same old tired things about the bad two party system and how the parties are exactly the same and corporations run everything? All the rest of them.

Here is what I could no longer hold in:
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Does anyone ever do anything here other than the self gratifying bitching about how wrong everyone else is?

Do you ever actually ... you know.. spend one quarter of the the amount of time you spend ranking everything else out talking about what your actually FOR? Getting a better message out? Promoting positive change? Articles about your candidate's plan, approach, methods, strategy, platform, campaign stops, general message or other kinds of proactive activism?

The biggest mistake I ever made was getting into a spat with xxxxx about her devotion to Dean. I so totally take it back. At least she had an actual MESSAGE to share, and her candidate had actual things to say beyond the simply tired old cliche complaints. At least her candidate represented some degree of proactiveness and when she posted she wasn't posting a bunch of feel good rhetoric or adding yet another bitch session post to the sea of the same - instead she was telling stories of a candidate out there on the move, with a proactive agenda and giving information on all the ways people who felt like her could get involved.

I would kill for that from the rest of you. You all I think I'm mindlessly committed to the Democratic party, but your totally wrong. What you fail to understand is that the democratic party, and getting Bush out of the white house is the only thing I have left - why? Because I am so fucking disillusioned with progressive third party politics that I'm past disgusted. Why am I so disillusioned? Because this is all it EVER, EVER is. A bunch of people sitting around slapping each other on the back while they regurgitate the SAME OLD gripes and complaints over and over again, taking every opportunity they can to dig up ever story criticizing the system for how lame it is, the candidates of the two parties for how lame they are, every single person who in any way, even in the slightest degree disagrees with their position for how stupid they are, and contribute literally nothing to any kind of constructive proactive discussion.

I already apologized to xxxxx several weeks ago for jumping on her case when I shouldn't have - but now I have to say that I would give anything if more of the "progressives" here could take a few lessons from her. I learned that I would rather have people that were passionately committed to the things they really believe in and the candidates with a clear and proactive message for change then I would a bunch of people who have nothing to offer -nothing except mindless cliche negativity about everything else, for the sake of some kind of perverse catharsis.

But you know what I'm coming to believe it really is? I don't think most of you third party progressive really have a fucking clue in your head how to do anything other than sit around and mindlessly bitch about all the old cliches. I don't think you have the first fucking idea how to work for real change. I don't think yo have any idea what you really stand for BEYOND the vague abstracts. And you know what? I'm a little stupmed on that too - the only difference is, I want to work TOGETHER to figure it out and all you want to do is bitch and attack everyone and everything else.

Oh sure, we're all for tax reform, or for living wages or a more equitable society - but how are you and the progressives around you and third party politics or you candidate(s) going to DO that? And I don't just mean what kind of abstract policy would you want to implement. I mean, how are you going build support, change minds, get the transformation in politics that can accommodate that kind of revolutionary policy shift - what are you proactively doing other that bitching every four years with no answers and no plan.

You see, I'm not a democrat who leans progressive. I am a progressive so fed up and disillusioned with the bullshit of people exactly like what I read here that I'm saying to myself "well, fuck it, if I cant do anything else, at least I can help get that dumbass out of the White House."

You keep thinking that somehow if you just insult people enough, regurgitate the same old tired cliche arguments enough, give yet another lecture on the evils of corporatism or the failure of the two party system, if you talk down and belittle people long enough, that eventually they will says "wow, I finally see the light!" But that will never happen. All it really does, is make third party progressive politics look like a lot of bull shit.

All you would have to do is start consistently showing me a positive message of what you are *DOING* what your candidates are doing, a proactive message of hope and action - start showing me candidates with real dreams of change - not just candidates the based their ENTIRE IMAGE on bitching about how bad the system is.

My message to every person committed to third party progressive politics is: "I was one of you, but I'm fucking sick and tired of the bullshit. I'm not interested in some kind of club where we all get together and feel better about ourselves by endlessly bitching about everyone else and berating those who disagree with us. To hell with your rhetorical self-aggrandizing, meaningless bloviating inaction. Either tell me what you're going to DO and how your going to do it or shut the fuck up."

I'd love to be moved to progressive politics again. But all I've seen is a bunch of people just like you, who get off on being pissed off and blaming everything and everyone else who have absolutely NO PLAN whatsoever for real an meaningful change.

I say again, I'm not voting for Kerry because I've given up, sold out, or don't have the courage to vote third party. I'm voting Kerry because I'm so fucking disillusioned with the bullshit of progressives that I think to myself, "well, clearly since they aren't ever going to do anything except blame democrats and bitch about how unfair the system is, I guess at least I can do something by getting that tyrant out of the white house."

You show me progressive third party politics that is about something positive and proactive, not just about the same tired old bitches and complaints and the disdainful insulting treatment of people that don't see it your way, and I'll get on board. Until then, I reject this bullshit bill of goods.