Is the Party Over?

"Ask your member of Congress: Will you defend the Constitution?"
--Art Levine, "10 days left to stop the Dems from caving on FISA," Huffington Post, a few minutes ago

I didn't vote for Hubert Humphrey in 1968 because he smiled with no mirth in his eyes and refused to repudiate Lyndon Johnson's war. I have never voted for a Republican and never will, but I'm proud of not having voted for Humphrey, proud of having written Gene McCarthy's name on my ballot. Most of us, most of us who read the Huffington Post, anyway, have lines we won't cross: Humphrey was on the other side of mine. Humphrey and his failed party. Rarely has a party deserved to lose more than the Democratic Party did in 1968, after all those years of stubborness and vanity and murder, after it turned its back on the Peace Movement and nominated a morally bankrupt and unapologetic hawk.

2008 is beginning to look like 1968 to me. I will have more joy in seeing the careers of these treacherous Democrats ended than in voting against the vicious, corrupt, venal, incompetent, deluded, altogether disgusting Republicans. The Republicans are what they are: the Republicans cannot deceive me or break my heart. The Republicans cannot ruin the country, utterly and forever, without the astonishing collusion of these Democrats. Yes, the Republicans can do an almost limitless amount of damage, but they can't perpetuate the bloody disgrace of their long majority without the acquiescence of their fellow-travelers across the aisle. I think there are many of us who will have the Constitution back, and the honor and integrity of our country, or we will have the liberating, energizing task of founding a new opposition party, one that actually opposes the greed, destruction, arrogance, and ignorance of the failed Republocrat party now in power. I think there are a lot of us.

If the Democrats do lose in 2008, that will surely be the end of the Democratic Party. And that will be a good thing, if they lose by continuing down this moronic path, if they lose because they deserved to lose. Then, out of that rubble, if the nation survives in anything like it's fundamental, 200-year-old promise and glory, we who care to preserve it will be released to begin again, to oppose the devils of the right and the worse little devils of the unprincipled middle with good, decent, honest, "small-d" democrats, men and women who are liberal--what a wonderful word!, real new leaders who are progressives.

"Our legislative advocates will work behind the scenes to press members of Congress to commit to key legislation to restore habeas corpus, close Guantánamo Bay, reverse the Military Commissions Act and fix the so-called "Protect America Act" that allows warrantless searches of innocent Americans. And, every time Congress acts - or fails to act - we'll mobilize our more than half-million ACLU members to take action. So, please, ask your member of Congress: Will you defend the Constitution?"
--Art Levine

I think there may be enough of us, enough sickened and horrified Americans who thought they had voted for change and who intend to have it, one way or the other, whatever moneychangers they have to throw out of their temple to achieve it. Enough of us to unceremoniously discard the people who lied to us and stole our votes, the feeble, compliant, contemptible "off the table" compromisers and enablers we somehow accidentally elected. We will all be waiting with a kind of furious joy to see how our party's Senators and Representatives answer the ACLU's urgent, fundamental questions, the last questions we may ever ask them.

Comments

[FlowerGirl]

You are right. The Democrats deserve to lose. But they are only being true to their tradition; they were taken over by AIPAC before the Neocons took the Republicans for it.
Now their bright lights have shined favorably on the Kyl-Lieberman amendmednt in liew of an honerst declaration of war on Iran, and approved an old Israel plan (for us) to break Iraq into three pieces (for them.)
I will vote for Ahpeess O'Shitt as a more honorable than anything possible I have seen on the Democratic market yet.

[SamThornton]

Does my heart good to see there are still innocents who actually believe there will be an election in 2008 and that it would make the slightest difference.

[Doofus]

'If the Democrats do lose in 2008, that will
surely be the end of the Democratic Party.
And that will be a good thing...'

Using similar logic, if the Repos don't win
the Iraq war, their party is finished, and if
they don't win in 2008, 'sweet victory' will
no longer be theirs to accomplish.

It has been said lately that GWB seems to wish
to turn over the entire mess to the Demos, which
is not very different from what LBJ was able
to do in 1968, turning his war over to the
Repos in the form of Dick Nixon.

So, either way, we're looking at the end of
one political party or the other. Interesting times ahead.

[OtayPanky]

Frank Dwyer: If the Democrats do lose in 2008, that will surely be the end of the Democratic Party. And that will be a good thing, if they lose by continuing down this moronic path, if they lose because they deserved to lose. Then, out of that rubble, if the nation survives in anything like it's fundamental, 200-year-old promise and glory, we who care to preserve it will be released to begin again, to oppose the devils of the right and the worse little devils of the unprincipled middle with good, decent, honest, "small-d" democrats, men and women who are liberal--what a wonderful word!, real new leaders who are progressives.

===

Exactly so. Well said.

Very well said.

[Oldchef]

I wrote in for Pigasus in 1968. I was so upset and disillusioned after Bobby Kennedy was murdered and the Democratic Convention in Chicago killed the dreams of a generation that was poised to make a real difference in the world. The Democratic party again has an opportunity to make a real difference in this country for the ordinary working folks that make up the great majority, but it looks as if we'll end up fielding the candidate most acceptable to the big business interests that are making their fortunes grinding us down. Edwards in 08!!

[Doofus]

'I didn't vote for Hubert Humphrey in 1968
because he smiled with no mirth in his eyes
and refused to repudiate Lyndon Johnson's war.'

Good for you! How did that work out anyway?

Let's take a pledge, shall we? To vote for
the Repo guy (no matter who) unless the Demos
nominate exactly the right candidate (whoever
that might be). That'll sure fix those bastards!

(My protest back in '68 was to vote for
Hubert H on the *Liberal* ticket in NY,
as opposed to the *Democrat* ticket.
I sure showed them!)

[disgustedcitizen]

Sir, I stand with you. I, too, had high hopes last November, and now, I feel only sadness and disgust at the lack of courage show my the Democratic majority we put in place. To quote Winston Churchill after the WWII landing at Anzio beach, "we hurled a wildcat an the shores of Anzio - all we have is a stranded whale."

[Desiderata]

There's something happening here.
What it is ain't exactly clear.
Some men want us at war everywhere,
So they tell us we got to beware.

So we got to stop__hey, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down.

Paranoia strikes deep.
Into your life it will creep.
It starts when you're always afraid;
Step out of line, the men come and take you away.

It's got to stop__hey, what's that sound?
American Democracy going down.

[itmaybetoolate]

I agree. When it comes to defending the Constitution, there can be no compromise, no hedging your bet, no heming and hawing. You support and defend it or you don't. If you do, you "commit to key legislation to restore habeas corpus, close Guantánamo Bay, reverse the Military Commissions Act and fix the so-called "Protect America Act" that allows warrantless searches of innocent Americans." And, you impeach georgie boy.

amurica has lost its way.

[snaggster]

I believe the Dems are counting chickens before they hatch and will pay for it. I only wish that the GOP could go down the drain with them. Unfortunately, the two parties have a stranglehold on us. One's loss is always the other's gain. Not much to be gleeful about no matter how you look at it.

[billysviez]

i agree Frank and well said.

[Dap]

Dear Frank,

Outstanding essay/post, I do believe you pretty much captured my feelings on the subject as well. Agape.

[OldKnute]

Dear Frank.

You tell it like it is!

There should be ONE SINGLE QUESTION ASKED OF EACH CANDIDATE!

Do you swear to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United State of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic?

PERIOD!

All the best

Knute (Neo-LIB)

[OtayPanky]

The trouble with you, Knute, is that you're just too simple-minded to try to defend the indefensible.

Me too.