“The Destiny of Man is to unite, not to divide.
If you keep on dividing you end up as a collection of monkeys
throwing nuts at each other out of separate trees.”
T.H. White
I have grown frustrated with the Democratic Party. In the highly charged political climate of the times it is definitely an ongoing case of the squeaky wheel getting all the grease (read: attention). Or perhaps a better analogy, the bratty child screaming the loudest gets the candy.
The new Republican party for years now has bullied, maligned, and engaged in all manner of nastiness to fuel its rise to power and we are now reaping the rewards of allowing them to do so. I genuinely feel sympathy for those few who remain who are of the old guard where honor and duty to their constituents meant something. I may not have agreed with them, but I respected them. And now it seems as if every couple of days I'm hearing that one of them has decided not to run for reelection. Perhaps they are disgusted with the antics of their party. Or perhaps they are being forced out. Either way, their absence from office leaves a void left to be filled by yet another neofascist.
The Democratic Party on the whole is determined not to lower themselves to the same level of skullduggery. We've tried to reason with the unreasonable, to no avail. We've offered candidates that reflect all the good things the Party stands for and can offer. Most of us have kept to the high road in politics. However, what it comes right down to is we're beating a noble but still dead horse.
When I listen to people talk about the two parties, what I hear most often is that the Democrats are seen as “weak” because we don't seem to be standing up to the opposition. We're seen as too quiet. Too wishy-washy. Perhaps even intimidated by Trump and his followers. People, we have to do something about the message we're sending out!
On a local level, in addition to “getting out the vote” efforts, the Democrats are focusing on a winning hearts and minds type of ideology. We're providing badly needed resources to our neighbors in need and focusing on what we can do to help. We're involved in protecting women, children, the disenfranchised, and the environment. And many are risking themselves in protecting those who might be the target of unconstitutional seizure. We're doing good things. Vital things. But it is not enough.
How many changes have been made because those seeking the changes were “loud and proud?” Consider the civil rights, women's rights and gay rights movements. Think of all the good that came from them because people were willing to set aside their fears, stand up, and march enmass. They weren't afraid of shouting down their opponents. They weren't afraid to make themselves heard, and their momentum fed on itself. I saw a spark of this on that day when the nation stood up and declared that it would not accept kings. There needs to be a steady calendar of such passionate yet peaceful national assemblies. Only in lending our individual voices to make one can we be heard often and loudly enough.
This is where the Democratic Party can take the lead. We don't need to degrade ourselves by succumbing to the same dishonorable tactics as the current crop of Republicans insist on doing. But we do need true unity among our ranks. We need to be seen as a cohesive whole with a clear, unquestionable vision of what needs to be done and how to do it, and then get our message out there. And we must develop the tenacity to go nose to nose with the worst our opponents can offer. There are candidates in the party who are already doing this but, sadly, they don't appear to have the strong backing of their party. That at least is the way many are viewing campaigns led by Democrats.
The Republican party as it exists right now is dismantling everything America has stood for since the American Revolution. They are not going to stop unless they are stopped. It is up to us to stop them.
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