Rallying the Base

Fightin’ words from Susie:

Look, I’m furious. And ashamed, and bewildered, and just about anything else you can say about yesterday’s performance by the Democrats.

And yet.

And yet, we simply have no choice. We can indulge our anger to the point where we’re paralyzed - and boy, won’t that make Karl Rove happy! Or we can push on and fight harder.

Ours is not a generation known for patience. We do love the sprint, but we’re not so good on the long haul. Grow up, guys - reclaiming our country is a very long haul. These bastards are dismantling everything, regardless of merit. Should we let them continue? Are you okay with bad schools, poisoned food, unsafe workplaces and a stagnant wage in an economy where we’re supposed to be grateful for a job, any job? If you’re so morally opposed to torture, is your solution to sit on your hands and let it continue?

Is your need to punish the Democrats worth that? Some slippery ideals, there.

Shakespeare’s Sister offers another perspective:

Something I failed to make clear in my earlier post is that the Dems’ complete failure on the torture vote—silence the week before; no filibuster; split voting; general timidity against this astounding rubbish—makes me loathe to accept the premise that, even if the Dems win one House of Congress, they’ll deliver on the gossamer promise to stop this madness in its tracks.

The argument for tactical voting is predicated on the assumption that the Dems will do what we hope—block outrageous SCOTUS appointments, restore the rule of law, guarantee fair elections, etc.—but what if they don’t? That question is haunting me today in a way it hasn’t before, explicitly because of their performance regarding the torture bill.

I think that I fall somewhere between Susie and Shakes: I will, as always, vote for a full slate of Democrats in November. Despite the evidence before us, I do believe that they will fight the Bush Administration if and when they have the power to do so.

But I’m finding myself less than inspired to do any volunteer work on their behalf. Democrats have accomplished the unthinkable: in a year when the actions of the Bush Administration should have had the Party faithful on fire, the Democratic Party has succeeded in demoralizing its base.

Where do we go from here?