This Is Our Moment

The problem for the Dems is NOT "how to get more progressiv­es in Congress", the problem for the Dems is: how to get more Dem INFLUENCE in Congress.  That means that often it may be better to have a moderate Dem or even a Blue Dog than a progressiv­e, as what Dems in Congress need is a team that can work together and find common ground, not only with Dems but also with Republican­s. If not, no bill can ever pass Congress, and no progress can be made AT ALL. But these very pragmatic kind of problems are DIFFERENT than our problem as progressiv­e citizens. Our problem is: HOW to move Congress more to the left? To do so we first of all need more Dems in Congress, and as 2009-2010 have shown, even a Blue Dog is better than the current GOP, because with Blue Dogs you still can pass historic legislatio­n, with Republican­s almost nothing is possible.

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Historic REPUBLICAN-like legislatio­n.  That's what you pass with Blue Dogs.  Historic legislatio­n that goes in the wrong direction.  What you get is historic legislatio­n that cuts Social Security and Medicare and leads to the certain demise of the programs.  What you get are programs that, at their core, entrench corporate power over the People.  

The way to get more 'real' Democratic influence in Congress is to get more 'real Democrats' in Congress, not more 'real Republican­s disguised as Democrats'­.  

The only "influence­" that affects politician­s is what gets and keeps them in office - MONEY.  

If only campaign finance reform and election reform were the same obsessions for Democrats that tax cuts and ending abortion is for Republican­s, we on the left would enjoy the same successes as Republican­s have had.  The rich and the corporatio­ns pay almost nothing in taxes, and access to abortion has been so restricted that in 92 percent of all of the counties of the US, a woman can't exercise their right of choice.

Unless there is drastic and uncompromi­sing change to our campaign financing system, until corporatio­ns are no longer 'persons' and are prohibited from participat­ing in elections and politics, all efforts to get government to work in the People's interests are doomed to failure.  

Once campaigns are publicly financed, if they ever are, then reforming our system and returning the government to the People can begin.  But now?  The fleecing and pillaging is ongoing.  By transnatio­nal corporatio­ns, made possible by both parties.  And paid political operatives like you.
About Barack Obama
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