Molly On The Sad State of The Democratic Party

Molly Ivans has a good article at TruthDig about the sad state of the Democratic Party. While she uses her lack of support for Hillary Clinton as her starting point, she goes on to explain how spineless and out of touch the Democratic party has become.

If no one in conventional-wisdom politics has the courage to speak up and say what needs to be said, then you go out and find some obscure junior senator from Minnesota with the guts to do it. In 1968, Gene McCarthy was the little boy who said out loud, “Look, the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes.” Bobby Kennedy—rough, tough Bobby Kennedy—didn’t do it. Just this quiet man trained by Benedictines who liked to quote poetry.

What kind of courage does it take, for mercy’s sake? The majority of the American people (55%) think the war in Iraq is a mistake and that we should get out. The majority (65%) of the American people want single-payer healthcare and are willing to pay more taxes to get it. The majority (86%) of the American people favor raising the minimum wage. The majority of the American people (60%) favor repealing Bush’s tax cuts, or at least those that go only to the rich. The majority (66%) wants to reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.

The majority (77%) thinks we should do “whatever it takes” to protect the environment. The majority (87%) thinks big oil companies are gouging consumers and would support a windfall profits tax. That is the center, you fools. Who are you afraid of?

I totally agree with her position here. The Democratic party has become completely toothless as an oposition party, and incapable of regaining control of the government.