I'm for a candidate who seeks to unite the american people (not parties) around their shared goals

[Political Heretic]

Obama combines policy proposals I support - sixty four pages of detail about them, which I have read - with a message that it is time for the American PEOPLE - not the political parties - to remember their commonality and shared purposes once again.

This isn't the first time I've posted what I wrote weeks ago, but its worth repeating: when you strip away all the political spin, and the partisan entrenchment, the people of the United States actually SHARE many core beliefs and expectations for their government.

A majority of ordinary people on both sides of the isle believe that we have a health care crisis.

A majority of ordinary people on both sides of the isle believe that this war was either ill-advised or ill-executed or both, and that it is hurting us economically, hurting us diplomatically and that its time we brought it to a close.

A majority of ordinary people on both sides of the isle believe that massive out of control spending and deficits combined with legal exemptions allowing multi-billion dollar corporations to pay less in taxes than a middle-class family is a failure of our system - regardless of what they think about higher or lower taxes in general or about the spending priorities of washington.

A majority of ordinary people across both sides of the isle feel that the protection of constitutional rights for American Citizens matter, and that accountability in government is tragically missing.

The disconnect is between the polarizing propaganda of beltway politicians and the establishment media consistently bombarding the airwaves speaking for the American people and telling them what they believe. While reseach consistently indicates that when partisan rhetoric is stripped away, the American people are overwhelmingly in favor of a richer, progressive more community oriented America.

It is time for a leader who will unite ordinary people across political divides around these common goals. That message of unity is not some secret scheme. It is the vision for a better tomorrow.

I'm also tired of DUers who believe that PEOPLE are the enemy and aren't looking for a better way for all ordinary Americans but rather would be happiest if any ordinary Americans with an (R) after their name - for whatever reason, were eliminated. I'm not for hate. And I'm not for the perpetuation of the myth that ordinary Americans can't work together - even with certain disagreements - toward a better society. And I'm angry at politicians on BOTH sides who perpetuate that message.

The trouble with ideological purity is that it frequently gets in the way of actual change.

[TwilightGardener]

1. I agree--first Rec.

[johnnydrama]

2. agreed

the idea that anybody who ever voted Republican shouldn't vote for a Democrat is absurd.

There's an 18% gap between the % that voted for Bush in 2004 and his approval rating now. I want every one of those people
to become a Democrat.

[LucyParsons]

3. I don't want to unite with people who don't respect the Constitution

Sorry.

[Political Heretic]

5. No one is asking you to.

You are confusing republican politicians with American people with Rs after there name. Interestingly enough, this doesn't have to be an opinion question. There's data on it. I will look to post some this week. When you poll Americans and get away from partisan language, the working-class public is REPEATEDLY far more "progressive" than the policies of Washingon - REGARDLESS of declared party affiliation.

My mother and father were R's for much of their life. True conservatism used to be a position I disagreed with, but one that was respectable. They certainly respected the constitution. In fact, it was their respect of the constitution that caused them to leave the Republican Party in 2004 and it is their respect of the Constitution that is why they will be voting for the Democratic nominee in 2008.

So keep demonizing people all you want. Ordinary Americans are more united than you think - they just have to get past people like you constantly PREFERRING ideological entrenchment and hindering the path to positive change.

[LucyParsons]

14. maybe my view is skewed because I'm in Texas

but most of my relatives don't understand or respect the Constitution, at all. They're all typical Christian Republicans stalwarts, coincidentally. I have no time for them.

[Bread and Circus]

4. good job.

[mojowork_n]

6. Outstanding post. Thank you. n/t

[jackson_dem]

7. You can't unite the people without uniting the parties

The only time we had real unity was, surprise surprise, when there was only the Democratic-Republican Party for a few years.

[Political Heretic]

9. Thats not even remotely true.

Tagged for later - I have to go. :(

[Imalittleteapot]

8. Excellent post!

And what you say is why I've come into the Obama camp.

[Beaverhausen]

10. anecdotally- my parents are republican. They DO NOT want the same things I want

have you spoken with any republicans lately? Seen the issues talked about at the republican debates?













oh why do I bother...

[Cant trust em]

11. My aunt is a republican

though I didn't know it. I talk with her about politics a lot and I always assumed that she had was a democrat. She believes in most of the things we believe in (getting out of the war, fixing health care, climate change solutions). She's voting Democrat in November.

[loyalsister]

12. lessons I have learned from family, etc

It is my belief that sterotyping and dismissing out of hand the individual people has the same implications for groups whose general broad opinions I personally dislike as it does for the people who I stand up for when I see injustice based on sterotyping.
It's kind of similar to that principle of coming around to respecting the free speech of NAZIs.
With that, I have to believe that not all Republicans have bad intentions.

[Political Heretic]

13. I sure have. I live in Idaho. And my parents were republican for most of their lives.

They are voting for the democratic nominee, according to them, no matter who it is.

People don't have to agree on everything. We in the democratic party don't even agree on everything. We just have to have honest disagreements and recognize the things we do agree on. The biggest point is that it turns out that a majority of Americans are much more progressive than the "Red/Blue" divide the media painted for us, when they are asked about issues in a non-partisan way, avoiding political buzz words that are programmed to send them into a tizzy.

[lastliberalintexas]

15. How far are you willing to bend?

"A majority of ordinary people on both sides of the isle believe that we have a health care crisis."

Yet republicans do not want universal healthcare and still believe that the healthcare industry should be for profit. HOW do you get to a solution? Which side caves? How much does the left have to give up this time in order to pacify the ignorant fucks who don't understand economic issues and instead argue based on feeeelings?


"A majority of ordinary people on both sides of the isle believe that this war was either ill-advised or ill-executed or both, and that it is hurting us economically, hurting us diplomatically and that its time we brought it to a close."

A majority might disagree with the war, but there is no consensus on how we get out. Some believe the "we broke it, we fix it" mantra should apply, some believe immediate and complete withdrawal is the only solution, some believe we should stay there or else the "terrorists" will follow our soldiers home and slit our throats in our beds. How do you find common ground with people who see boogeymen under their beds and vote based on such irrational fear? Don't believe those are republican voters with whom your guy believes kumbaya could be sung? Come to Texas, I'll introduce you to quite a few of them. Unfortunately.


"A majority of ordinary people on both sides of the isle believe that massive out of control spending and deficits combined with legal exemptions allowing multi-billion dollar corporations to pay less in taxes than a middle-class family is a failure of our system - regardless of what they think about higher or lower taxes in general or about the spending priorities of washington."

HOW do you balance the budget? HOW do you eliminate the deficit and begin again paying down the debt? What do we have to give up this time so that spending can be slashed again? Will the sacred cow of military spending still be off limits, since we have to attract those nice republican voters who are oh so ready to make nice? Again, a majority might agree that spending is out of control, but if you think there is any real consensus on what spending should be cut, I have a bridge for sale...


"A majority of ordinary people across both sides of the isle feel that the protection of constitutional rights for American Citizens matter, and that accountability in government is tragically missing."

Yep, that's why there have been massive protests, work stoppages and marches in opposition to Gitmo.


"The disconnect is between the polarizing propaganda of beltway politicians and the establishment media consistently bombarding the airwaves speaking for the American people and telling them what they believe."

When republicans tell me this crap, I tell them to fuck off. Since I can't say that you under DU rules, I will instead simply say that you are repeating right wing spin and talking points. The republicans have been nothing but polarizing during the last 30 years, and only now that things aren't going so well for them and their candidates they decide we might try to compromise? Screw that. Partisanship is a GOOD thing. It means that the party members are standing up for the issues and the reasons for which they were elected in the first place.

You might call me a purist, I really don't care. If it's acting like a purist to refuse to compromise with people who believe that corporations should be able to act with fewer regulations, that poor people are that way because they are lazy/stupid, that Arabs want to kill you and me and the American Way of Life, that raising the minimum wage costs the middle class more in taxes, or that progressive taxation is bad for the economy, then please call me a purist.

Oh and, I don't want republicans elimiated. I do, however, want them sent back to school where they are taught critical thinking skills and (at the very least) US history from 1900 to the present. The people who have bought into the republican message of close-mindedness, selfishness, self-centeredness, hatered, bigotry and prejudice ARE the (political) enemy, whether you admit it or not. I have plenty of friends who fit into that category, even, but they are the political enemy. Politics isn't about making friends, it's about implementing policy. The republicans understand that, I just wish our side did too.

[Beaverhausen]

16. great post! I wish someone would answer it