My proposed new democratic slogan: The Party That Self Destructs Every Four years…
Seriously, folks, it must be in the water.

It seems that we, the beleaguered democrats who always save the country from Republicans by returning us to sanity and solvency, somehow always manage to be labeled as the cranks…

Among other things we’ve been called: We are idealistic, liberal, misinformed, without values, cowards, unpatriotic, without spirituality and now a new descriptor has been added to the definition.

Of course, everyone of these pejorative terms is false.

We are ultimately the heroes; the republicans don’t go to war. They are either too busy or too self-centered while they wave the flag, cherish their crosses, and run for cover….

Now, it seems that we eat our young.

What other impression can non-democrats come up with---even those addicted to fair play.

We beat each other up all of the time.

And make it easier for the republicans to demean and decimate us as inhuman and hardly worth preserving. If anyone has ever qualified to be on the endangered list, it is we.

Many have not forgotten the negativity that characterized the Ted Kennedy and Carter run-off prior to the Election of '76.

Then there was the internal feuding among those of the so-called Rainbow Coalition that was no coalition at all.

And then, of course, there was the contention between Kerry and Dean that seemed to go on forever and helped destroy Dean's chances--although the voters loved him for his ideas and the hope he offered.

Now, it's the Clinton vs. Obama controversy that is helping to bring us to a new low.

This is a fine line, folks. Yes, we deserve to know about each of the candidates in as much detail as necessary; but we have to be careful of the fine lines.

Clearly, Clinton has challenged Obama who she claimed is attempting to take on the mantle of Kennedy and Martin Luther King although there’s nothing wrong with that. (Excuse the Seinfeldian reference—I couldn’t resist!)

To dispell that perception, Mrs. Clinton has implied, inferred or intimated that as good as Martin Luther King was, that none of his actions would have borne fruit if it had not been for the efforts of LBJ to push through the necessary legislation.

This is a sticky wicket for most blacks.

Hmm! Contentious I would say… Some might say that the good reverend stuck the pen in Johnson’s hand…

While this might seem to some a tempest in a teapot, others especially minorities are distressed that the implication is to denigrate Mr. King, certainly among the holiest of holy to most blacks!

However, I must confess that the dignity and common sense displayed by some of the black historians, reporters, statesmen and women, and others was the most impressive thing I have ever seen. It gave me new hope and faith in America and America’s people of all colors and nationalities can negotiate their differences with sound judgment and statemanship and that our nation will not be torn assunder.

But now other innuendos and rumors are beginning to fly.

Of course in any of this, I don’t rule out the role of the Talking Heads or the Dirty Tricksters of the extreme right who will do anything to maintain the status quo—more weapons, more ammo, more deals where we sell our ammo and weapons to enemies so we have to build better ones. Get the picture?

Many I listened were hoping to inflame this into a race war. Reporters like Joe Scarborough on CNBC and O'Reilly of FOX seemed ready to pounce.

Here’s the latest accusations: Obama has been accused of being anti woman's rights or a child of Islam among a few of the recent charges.

If this is the case, it signals to us who have been aligned in politics for more than thirty years that it is possible to self-destruct.

In the end, whether republicans will win again because of our failure to pay attention to the sensitivities of the people or whether we can set these differences aside before the end of the Primary season and sit down and smoke the peace pipe will determine in large measure whether a democratic party is still viable.

I wouldn’t bet on it..

For all concerned, there seems to be little choice.


Les Aaron
The Committee for Positive Change

hubmaster@aol.com


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