Progressive Democrat Issue 37: NATIONAL ACTION

I have been spending a fair amount of time arguing with fellow progressives who I refer to as "purists" who spend many a great deal of time attacking fellow Dems as being sell outs or "just as bad as Republicans". My stand is that leftists are way to quick to pull out the DINO accusation, too angry in their rhetoric and they ignore the often exellent voting record of the Dems they attack. I have been taking a stand against the Balkanization of the Dem party, the circular firing squad. I will stand with any Dem (except Zell Miller) against any Repub in these days of Republican lies and corruption, and I wish the purist progressives were more supportive of their party (and visa versa, I should add!). But I want to emphasize that I am not against constructive criticism (even creative criticism) of Dems who are too cowardly to stand up against the Bush agenda. So, I offer this creative action calling to task the least progressive Dems.

The Campaign for America's Future is taking to task the 6 Democrats who have sided the most with corporate/Republican interests. They are doing this in a funny and creative way, in essence reporting these Dems "missing" to their campaign staffs.

From their email:

Since the start of President Bush's second term, the right-wing majority has pushed four economic measures that blatantly favor wealth and power over the best interests of the American people. As the party of the people and not the privileged, Democrats might be expected to stand up for the general good and oppose the special interests. Most did. But, six Democrats in safe seats went missing in action. They voted with the corporate lobbies against the people's interest -- on all four key issues!

We need your help to track down these missing Democrats and call them to account. Please send an email to each of their Chiefs of Staff to let them know that you noticed their member went missing in action -- and that you've joined the search party to find them, and ensure they don't disappear again.

The issues where the six Democrats went missing were the Bankruptcy Bill, the so-called Tort Reform bill, CAFTA and the Energy Bill -- all legislation cobbled together by corporate lobbies and all of it serving the few and undermining the many. Each piece of legislation endorsed by the missing six insults the basic progressive values that should define the Democratic Party.

*    The Bankruptcy Bill punishes the victims of financial catastrophe by allowing credit card companies to collect from them even after they are driven into bankruptcy from the loss of a job or a medical catastrophe. It is simply obscene that the missing six chose to stand with usurious credit card companies rather than working families in distress.

*    The so-called tort reform legislation severely limits the right of citizens to sue a corporation that does them harm through negligence, fraud or malfeasance. In the midst of the worst corporate scandals since the Gilded Age, it is outrageous that the missing six chose to protect corporations from the innocent citizens who are their victims.

*    The Central American Free Trade Agreement, CAFTA, extends the failed trade policies that have made America the world's largest debtor. We now are borrowing nearly $2 billion a day from foreign creditors, debts our children will work to pay off. CAFTA passed the House of Representatives by a single vote, meaning that each of the missing six House members is personally responsible for its passage.

*    The Energy Bill -- a business as usual, smarmy grab bag of corporate subsidies -- leaves America more dependent on foreign oil, does nothing for rising gas prices and surrenders leadership in the green markets of the future. Instead of focusing investments in the energy industries of the future, the missing six chose to lard billions in subsidies on oil companies already wallowing in record profits.

...

Newt Gingrich recently offered Democrats a little advice. Gingrich stated that the minority party in Congress must ìfight, fight, fightî if they ever hope to reclaim power, and pointed out that -- fortunately for the conservatives -- the Democrats haven't figured out that the job of an opposition party is to stand up for their convictions and oppose the majority's agenda.

Gingrich doesn't get much right, but he's right on this. If the Congressional Democrats ever hope to win back the majority, they must stand up, speak out and fight for our progressive values. And, at the center of that fight, they must defend the economic interests of working Americans against the entrenched special interest corporate lobbies that fly only the flag of profit.

We need you to join our search team. Please help us find the six missing Democrats and call them to account. And, once we find them, let's reassure them that we'll keep watch to†prevent them from wandering off again.

Although I am the big "let's not fight amongst ourselves" advocate, I find this campaign amusing and creative and it gets the point across with a minimum of acrimony. I think this campaign is ideal. Imagine if these congressional staffs get thousands of emails reporting their Congresscritter missing on key issues! So please enjoy the joke and make the point to these 6 Democrats.