CPR for the Democratic Party

[MuseRider]

forward freely....

CPR for the Democratic Party
by Stephen Dinan
[e-mail]

Howard Dean, it is said, put the spine back in the Democratic Party. The
question is whether that is the only body part that ails it. A year ago, the
Democratic Party was like a zombie, staggering along, mostly obedient to
Bush's demands for war, curtailing of civil rights, military buildup, and
the siphoning of resources towards the elite. Activists and progressives
watched in disgust, believing that the two-party system was further
collapsing into a one-party system.

The loss of the 2000 election to Bush was blamed on many things. Ralph
Nader and his supporters provided a convenient scapegoat. Election
deceptions in Florida provided another. However, both of these were
symptoms of a deeper issue: the Democratic Party was starting to feel hollow
to many people. It was lacking passion - the red-blooded vigor of activists
and the boldness to lead into the future. It had started to cozy up with
the corporate and power elite, leading its moral compass to spin without a
clear direction. It had gone soft.

This year's Democratic primary season has begun a resurrection of the
Democratic Party. The first stage involved finding again the backbone to
stand up to injustice, corruption, and deception. Howard Dean's campaign
surged precisely because it put some activist attitude and plain-speaking
vigor back in the party, especially around the Iraq war. Demoralized party
members began to believe again in their power to triumph against the Bush
administration. The Democratic Party stood up straight again rather than
slouching. Howard Dean deserves kudos for this.

For a full resurrection of the party, though, more than a spine is needed.
Another key ailing body part is the heart.

The heart of the Democratic Party has been on life support for some time.
When I say heart, I mean authentic compassion, courage, and a deep sense of
our connection as human beings. All of these have been waning. There has
been a sense among working class folk that the Democratic Party has cared
less about their issues or concerns, except when it came time to getting
their vote. There hasn't been the same level of heartfelt compassion for
those who are oppressed, discriminated against, or marginalized. Compassion
for those in other countries has been similarly weakened. Finally, the
deep sense of caring for the earth and all its species has diminished,
leading to more tepid stands on the environment. There have been beacons of
hope, such as the late Senator Paul Wellstone, but the sense of heartfelt
care has palpably diminished in the party.

Another quality of the heart is courage. The word "courage" actually
derives from the French and Latin words for heart. The strength of our
heart is intimately linked to our ability to be bold or daring, to go
against conventional opinion, to stand up for what is right, even at
personal cost. The Democratic Party's behavior has been more strategic or
calculating than courageous in recent years. Rarely does one say, "WOW!
That politician is courageous!"

A third quality is our sense of interconnection as human beings. For most,
this comes as an appreciation for the spiritual dimension of life. For
others, this is the more secular vision of being linked as one planetary
family. Either way, the heart touches something more profound than
policies, personalities, and petty feuds. There is a sense that we are all
in this together and that we have a shared purpose and destiny. For those
in the United States, this also manifests in a deeper kind of patriotism, in
which we are each helping our country blaze as a brighter light unto the
world.

All of these qualities of the heart have been diminished in recent years in
the Democratic Party. There are signs, though, that this may be changing.

One example is Mayor Gavin Newsom in San Francisco taking a stand for gay
marriage in the last few weeks, opening the door to a flood of marriages and
publicity. Newsom has put his reputation on the line with a bold stand
against discrimination. It emerges from authentic compassion (for gays who
have been discriminated against), it takes courage (to face the firestorm),
and it honors human interconnection. Publicly recognizing a committed love
beyond two individuals is the essence of marriage. In this way, Newsom's
decision blesses the heart connection between people who have never been
publicly honored for that.

This is quite beautiful and a hopeful sign that the Democratic Party might
again be opening to lead forward with courage.

At the national presidential level, the heart is an especially potent
ingredient in the Dennis Kucinich campaign. In Dennis, we find someone who
declares himself a peace candidate and advocates for the creation of a
cabinet-level department of peace. We find someone who champions the poor
because he empathizes with their plight from his own upbringing. We find
someone who goes beyond reform of health care to universal health care so
that no one who is ill goes untreated. We find someone who champions
sustainability and compassion to the degree that he is a vegan, eating no
animal products. And we find someone who wears his spiritual understandings
on his sleeve, unusual for the Democratic Party, which tends to keep matters
of the soul separate from political discourse.

On a personal level, Dennis is a compassionate and generous man, clear that
his role is to serve. In the campaign, the single most common denominator
among supporters is the report that they fell in love with Dennis after
hearing him speak. He speaks straight from his heart into the hearts of
those listening. In particularly powerful speeches, there is a palpable
sense of hearts opening in the room: tears on people's cheeks, a happy glow
in their faces.

As a political leader who is running a campaign fueled by love, Dennis can
bring an extraordinary gift to the party. Each presidential candidate, in a
way, has brought a gift to reassemble the pieces of a more integrated,
healthy, and whole Democratic Party. Dean brought spine. Dennis can bring
heart.

Whether he is the nominee or not, this can be his gift to the party and to
the American people. If we marginalize or dismiss his voice, the vast grass
roots of people that love Dennis will feel again that their heart is not
welcome in the party. We will move backwards towards the era of
fragmentation, perhaps with more people splitting off again into a pending
Nader candidacy. The Democratic Party needs to welcome Dennis with open
arms and even celebrate his presence as a sign to his supporters that it is
willing to undergo CPR and open to the virtues and qualities of the heart
again. It should also look at meaningful ways that his platform can be
advanced by the party.

To win the votes of the American people in the fall will take heart as well
as spine. By supporting Dennis over the next four months with your votes,
donations, and volunteerism, you can help to further resuscitate the party
and make it an expression of love for yourself, your community, your
country, and your world.

For more information on the campaign, see
www.kucinich.us