Will Democrats Become A Real Reform Party?

February 8, 2005

Will Democrats Become A Real Reform Party?

The reaction of grassroots Democrats in almost every community in America to the tendency of Washington’s elected Democrats to support the worst of Bush’s appointments and policies is starting to have a real political impact. The impending selection of Howard Dean as the new Chairman of the Democratic National Committee highlights this development. Democratic Senators and House members are starting to get the message.

The Senators who voted to confirm Gonzales as Attorney General and Rice as Secretary of State are facing a very angry base of Democratic activists. Many Democratic activists are encouraging primary challenges to these incumbents.

The activist base of the entire Democratic Party is angry and disappointed by the failure of Democrats in the House and Senate to challenge the legitimacy of Bush’s reelection because of election fraud and vote manipulation. Only California Senator Barbara Boxer among Senate Democrats demonstrated the kind of real leadership desired by the activist base of the Democratic Party. The Corporate Media and the Republican Spin Machine savagely attacked Senator Boxer as expected. The real workers and backbone of the Democratic Party loved her courage and actions. Boxer could defeat Kerry in almost any future Democratic Presidential primary based solely on her challenge to Bush’s Ohio electors.

Democrats truly believe that election fraud, vote suppression and the misuse of office by Republican Secretaries of State at the state level have permitted the Republicans to steal two Presidential elections in a row. They believe that the Republican-dominated Corporate Media has been bought with tax breaks and lax enforcement of anti-monopoly regulations to the point that election outrages are ignored. Because the Corporate Media is failing to do its job, the public fails to understand the extent of the problem that is undermining our election system and thereby our American Democracy!

These rotten elections are giving the Bush Republicans an excuse to push an array of radical Right-Wing policies and radical Right-Wing appointees. The result is government for and by Wall Street instead of average Americans. We have tax cuts for the Super Wealthy and Corporate interests that are not deserved or healthy for the American economy. We have new bureaucratic curbs on trade unions. We have weakened rules against polluting corporations. We have an explosion of corporations sending American jobs and investment capital out of the nation for their personal profit with Bush Administration support.

Our citizens are losing our abilities to curb corporate excesses in the courts in the false name of “tort reform.” HMO’s and drug companies are designing government healthcare programs for their profits instead of the needs of taxpayers and citizens. Tennessee’s “Senator HMO” Bill Frist has been selected to be the Republican Senate Majority Leader.

George W. Bush has decided to “piratize” Social Security so his Wall Street allies can profit. The Bush Republicans are seeking to undermine the Social Security program they have largely opposed since 1936 beginning with Alf Landon. It has been reported that Bush has railed repeatedly against Social Security over the course of his life as far back as his college days.

The Iraq War has been a complete disaster for American foreign policy and America taxpayers. We have created many new terrorists that are killing American soldiers, American contractors and our allies every day. The Iraq War has weakened our military and undermined our fight against terrorism. We have lost much of our moral high ground around the world. Our own Constitution has been undermined by the actions of the Bush Administration. Our national treasury has been raided by corporations backing Bush Republicanism in the course of funding Bush’s Iraq War.

Democratic activists are outraged that our Democratic Senators and House members are often collaborating with the Bush Republicans on these issues. Playing “Republican Lite” has been a real disaster in terms of policy or electoral success. Corporate Bush Republican ideas of reform are almost universally bad jokes on American citizens and taxpayers. Democratic Senators and House members need to become real fighters and speak for the Democratic activists they should to be representing. We need elected Democrats who represent true Democratic values and the grassroots of the Party!

Millions of new voters will rejoin the electorate, if they become convinced that the Democratic Party will truly represent them instead of being the other Corporate Party. Howard Dean as the next Chairman of the national Democratic Party is a great first step. Dean listens to the local Democratic Party leaders and activists. The Washington cliché needs to follow his lead and show some courage in advancing our Democratic convictions. Forget compromising with the Corporate Bush Republicans because their agenda is ruining the American Dream.

Written By Stephen Crockett and Al Lawrence (hosts of DemocraticTalkRadio.com ).
Mail: 234 Johnstown Road, Elkton, Maryland 21921. Phone: 443-907-2367
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