Why Ralph Nader makes me a better Democrat

I had the pleasure and opportunity to be a part of the organization that brought Ralph Nader to the University of Utah campus in 2002. He had just come out with another book, "Crashing the Party" and was going to speak about becoming a more civically engaged society. He inspired me so much. I have an autographed copy of the book and after I read it, I wasn't so mad about him running for President in 2000.

SIDENOTE: I do not think Nader hurt Al Gore in 2000. Al Gore, by failing to distinguish himself effectively from Bush, hurt himself in 2000.

Nader's words struck a chord with me. In his speech, he said, (and I'm paraphrasing) "When your grandchildren look at you years from now and ask, 'Why is the world the way it is? Did you do everything you could to make it a better place?' and you can't answer them, you did not do enough to help change the world." In his book(s) (I also got a copy of More Action for Change), he discusses many things that are wrong with our country. I agree with him.

But it is because there are so many things that are wrong with our country that I have worked so hard to get more Democrats elected. I think the country would be much healthier with multiple political parties running things. Diverse opinions create conscious and (sometimes) eloquent discourse. But things being as they are, we only have two viable parties and because of this, my priorities lay with getting more Democrats elected wherever I can.

For example, I am currently having a discussion with some people who want to get rid of our dear State Senator Buttars here in Utah. They believe that only a Republican can beat him. I, of course, vehemently disagree.

You see, I believe that a Democrat can win anywhere in the state of Utah. Yes, I really believe this and yes, I've been told I'm delusional.

My reasoning is simple. When people tell me, "A Democrat can never win so what's the point," I respond, "Well, have you ever helped a Democrat when the odds were stacked against him/her? Have you ever thought of running as a Democrat?" The problem doesn't lie with the policies, platforms or beliefs of the party; it lies with people's attitude to just give up in trying to get Democrats elected. They feel it's a pointless endeavor and don't even start to help.

This attitude is what loses elections.

If everyone who was ever pissed off at their republican legislator or Congressman actually did something (like, donate to or canvass for their Democratic opponent) I guarantee you that it would indeed make a difference. We may not win the race by a landslide but we'd certainly put up a fight.

If you don't think the Democratic candidates are liberal or progressive enough or should believe in something differently, get out there and make them change their minds.

Ralph Nader is best known as running for President in 2000. But before that, he was (and still is) an amazing community organizer and consumer advocate. He knows, better than anyone, the absolute importance of getting out there and doing things and not just sitting around talking about it. We all can do something to make our world a better place but no one ever changed history by sitting in front of a computer typing or on the couch watching TV.

So if you've ever been one to say that a Democrat can't ever beat a republican--especially in Utah--I strongly urge you to use more than your words and start "walking the walk." Help out the Democrat in your area or, if you live in a Democratic area, go to another district to help. You'll see and be making a difference.

Wouldn't it be nice to one day say you helped turn Utah blue (or at least a purple)?

Fun Holiday Democraticness

I just saw this parody of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" from Rep. John Dingell on The Hill. So funny! (And so true)!

My favorite part:

“Drive faster”, they screamed at their non-union drivers
“The House passes bills as consistent as a geyser”
But then a phone rang, with an audible tweeter
It was none other than the Senate Minority Leader
“Sir I have plan to stop the Christmas cheer”
“One that is dastardly, mean and quite insincere.”

“Do tell!” said the listener, his ears all atwitter
“We need a good plan, the pick of the litter.”
“We have no agenda, the Party’s a mess
“Our presidential frontrunner too often wears a dress
“Tax cuts for the rich failed, so too has fear, war and bigotry
“So what I propose are filibusters and stopping conference committees”

Politics, Charles Barkley Style

I KNEW there was a reason I liked Barkley when he was a professional basketball player. This interview with The New Republic just emphasizes his unique greatness. (If you cannot access the link, let me know and I'll email you the article. It is definitely worth the read!)

In this interview, Barkley talks about everything from illegal immigration, the (unjust) civil war in Iraq, racism and even gay marriage.

An excerpt:

So is that what interests you primarily--economic issues?

America is divided by economics strictly. You know, people always talk about race, and we have racial problems in this country. Of course we do. But the real issue is the rich against the poor. We've got to get poor white people and poor black people and Mexicans to realize they are all in the same boat. If you in one of those three groups and you are poor, you are going to be in a bad neighborhood, you are going to go to a bad school, and you are going to have strikes against you. You can't commit crimes in good neighborhoods. They will get your ass. Their kids go to private school, or they go to school in a good economic area. But the poor people, they are all in the same boat but they divide you based on race or stuff like that. A lot of these politicians say things like "We've got to stop all these illegal immigrants." I am like, "That is so easy to stop." They are not working for other immigrants.

Has your perspective on these issues changed in the last few years?

Yes, when I realized that rich people will always be rich and the poor people are like crabs in a barrel. They are going to fight with each other, but they are really in the same boat. They want you to argue about gay marriage. They want you to argue about the war in Iraq. There is not a single person in this country in good conscience who can say the war in Iraq is going well. But then when you see someone criticize it ... some other guy from the other party says he is badmouthing the troops. And I am like, "No he's not." We are able to disagree, and saying that the war in Iraq is not going well is not treason. Some of these guys want to try people for treason. The war in Iraq is not going well.

When did you stop considering yourself a Republican?

I never was a Republican. I said this when I was playing. I was doing some interview talking about politics, and my grandmother was there, and the reporter said, "Are we Republicans or are we Democrats?" My grandmother said that Republicans were only for rich people, and I said, "Well, I'm rich."

Didn't you say you wanted to run for governor of Alabama as a Republican?

No. If I run, I would run as an independent more than anything. But I am not sure you can win as an independent because there is so much money at stake in politics. My only goal in life is to help poor people. The problem I have is, in America, people just believe anything they read or see on television, and some of those things are slanted. If you watch Fox, it's slanted--and I mean really slanted. Sometimes I think the people just don't have any common sense. A lot of them don't.

Indoctrinating the Youth

While at the Utah County Democratic Convention earlier this week, I picked up this book explaining to children Democratic values.

I love it and the kid thought it was pretty neat too.

How the 2nd and 5th worst Presidents begat the 1st worst President

Yes, that is true. I believe that the the 2nd and 5th worst President's (Reagan and Nixon, respectively) helped create the 1st worst President ever (that would be the current idiot occupying the White House).

Let me explain.

After Nixon and the Watergate scandal began the steep decline that was the apathy of most Americans towards politics. This apathy, I believe, began after JFK was assassinated and continued until his brother was murdered years later. You see, the Kennedy brothers brought an idealism and wonder to the office. People paid attention and began to care deeply about their country. They trusted the politicians.

This was shattered by Nixon.

After Nixon (and Ford), Jimmy Carter took the helm as President and the right-wing got nervous. They began their 30 year quest to take over the United States and were quite successful until last year. This "revolution" began with the two-year Presidency of Reagan (the 2nd worst President, if you'll remember).

People already mistrusted the government when Reagan took over and thought that he would save the world from the Soviets and poverty. In fact, Reagan just made things worse but the neo-cons dug their claws in deeper and deeper and held out for the man who would bring the world into the right-wing republican revolution on the new century. Led by Karl Rove and the brain child of Cheney and others, George W. Bush stole the 2000 election and has reeked havoc on our nation since day one.

From Tom Paine today:

Over the last six years, with Bush in the White House, Tom DeLay ramrodding the Republican Congress, and Karl Rove focused on mobilizing the Republican base, conservatives have largely had their way. Bush pursued the core ideas of each strand of “movement conservatism” largely to catastrophic effect. In each case, he was simply walking in Reagan’s footsteps.

The neo-cons got the Iraq war they plotted for, and produced the worst foreign policy debacle in U.S. history. Their toxic mix of militarist unilateralism, scorn for allies and the United Nations, dismissal of international law, embrace of an imperial presidency above the law was Reagan’s opening act. In his first term, Reagan scorned détente, arms control, the U.N. and global accords. Reagan also fecklessly exposed U.S. troops in Lebanon—and had the intervention literally blow up in his face. He just had the good sense to cut and run, and then pick on a target easier to deal with—hapless Grenada in the Caribbean.

Bush also has allowed big business to run the government with blatant disregard to how that kind of economy would affect the citizens of this nation (not like he'd care, after all, it's not like he was elected by the American people). This scenario wasn't anything new--Reagan did the same with the savings and loan scandal.

Nor was Bush the first Republican to use moral issues to get himself and colleagues elected. While Bush used gays and lesbians and attacked the very foundation of our families, Reagan used race as his a way to divide people to elect more republicans. Which one is more despicable, I'm not sure.

Scandals plagued Reagan's administration too. Only, the American people were too caught up in their own lives to notice. It took the blundering and interfering in a civil war in another country because of oil and the misuse of billions of dollars to get people truly outraged.

Both Presidents were not too different:

Small government conservatives didn’t get much from either president, since both favored top-end tax cuts and military spending over balanced budgets. But both Bush and Reagan cut back on spending on the poor and on domestic programs. Both disdained the civil servants they were elected to lead. Both starved vital infrastructure investments from levees in New Orleans to sewers in our cities. Both stocked regulatory agencies with corporate lobbyists intent on gelding the agencies that monitored their former clients.

I bring all of this up because tonight, the Republican Presidential candidates debated tonight "invoking the persona of Reagan." They do this like it's a good thing that will save our country and solve all of the problems.

I attest that it is because of Reagan we have the problems we do today. Having another Reagan in office will only make things worse--not better.

If I were to give advice to a Republican candidate running for President, I would tell him to give it up. The American people are not stupid and are tired of being spoon-fed the rhetoric of the right-wing. They want honest and ethical leadership. They crave change. We can no longer keep doing the same things over and over again and electing the same people over and over again. IT'S NOT WORKING!

In 2008, it is my personal goal to register 10 people a month from January until October and get them engaged in the Democratic Party. They need to know what is going on with their country and that this can not go on any longer. If people aren't truly pissed off about the way our country has been run for the past 30 years (except those 8 years under Clinton 1), then they need to be.

I will find them.

This will be MY quest. And I will succeed.