Last edited Wed Apr 22, 2015, 09:37 AM - Edit history (1)
I feel you are focusing on what goes on in DU "General Discussion" and the battles there...which don't seem unusual to me having been here since the aftermath of the Supremes Shut Down of the Florida recount vote which was still in process to make their ruling. Every election since has had many disagreeing factions over candidates. This is the first election where we only have one Declared candidate and on the Democratic side and its an unusual situation since it's the first time a spouse of a former President of U.S. has declared as a candidate.
What is an interesting transformation for Election 2016 for those of us here on "Democratic Underground" is that there are now more interest "Groups" available for those of us who are concerned about what we see as urgent policy issues facing our Democratic Party after eight years of a Democratic Presidency. Policies of our Party can be discussed in depth and information shared absent the bickering, infighting and snark of the "General Discussion Forum" Battleground.
If one only visits DU to see the latest "GD" post or battle then one would get the impression that people who post are not involved in their communities and are wasting their time focusing on petty political differences rather than being out running for local office or finding candidates they agree with to do so and pounding the pavements to make sure that they get out the vote. Yet there are many of us who do post in GD who have done or are doing exactly that local grassroots activity but they long gave up discussing their candidate or what they did between the General Elections in in "GD" because there wasn't really any interest when so much fun is to be had by poking sticks at each other.
Now here are the issues:
TPP/TPIP:Are Democrats all for it because President Obama supports it and is out campaigning for it now in MSM
FOREIGN POLICY:
When Obama came into office we were in Iraq and Afghanistan. How many countries are we involved in Now? Is a new Cold War with Russia wise policy?
DRONE STRIKES in FOREIGN COUNTRIES:
Without Declaring War should the U.S. be involved in these actions?
WALL STREET GIVEAWAYS:
Shocking Lack of Prosecution of the Wall Street Bankers, Hedge Funds and Crooked Real Estate Powers that caused the Housing Crash due to the Financial De-Regulation that took place in former Administrations (Reagan through Clinton) causing a Financial Crash which which caused hardship for Americans caught up in it who lost their homes due to faulty and illegal title transfers and caused such a financial crisis that the Treasury Secretary had to beg Nancy Pelosi to get Congress to act to Bail them out! The costs to US Taxpayer and Now windiit's way into Austerity for the Eurozone members like Greece, is still ongoing.
None of those responsible for this were Prosecuted. They were Bailed out with our Tax Payer Dollars, Pension Funds and Savers and they continue to profit while Austerity and Zero Interest Rates for Savers and Retirees is now the New Normal. Some of the very people responsible for this disaster were picked to serve in our new Democratic President's Administration. The policies of that great Swindle on the American People caused by Deregulation of most of FDR's Banking reforms which served us well since the Great Depression were dismantled and not replaced by tougher regulation because both DINO Dems and Republicans were comfortable with policies that allowed this to happen. And in fact there are those, on both sides, who want MORE De-Regulation and to go after Social Security and Medicare to pay for it. Will another Crash or Disaster caused by these Hedge Funds, Venture Capitalists and Banksters be Funded by the Rest of Us?
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY:
"Drill Baby Drill" as Fracking has increased under a Democratic President despite reports of drinking water hazards/earthquakes and depletion of our natural resources. Our President has opened up our East Coast and Part of Alaska to Drilling while saving a few other places he's declared off limits.
NSA SPYING and PRIVACY ISSUES:
Still needs to be addressed.
WAR on WHISTLEBLOWERS:
Our Democratic Policy seems to be to not tolerate Whistleblowers who reveal Government Programs, waste, fraud or abuse in Govt. Agencies or outsourced to Private Contractors which could be harmful to the people.
MILITARIZATION of OUR POLICE DEPARTMENTS:
We allowed military equipment (Helicopters, MRAPS, Assault Weapons, Night Vision Hardware, etc. ) used for War to be given to Police Departments all across the country. We are training our heads of local police departments in Israel and this includes even small police departments such those in Ferguson, Mo. Huge Weapons Conventions are staged in CA. to show off even more innovative Military Hardware to prospective buyers encouraging even more misuse of these weapons on our citizens. Minorities and Women are being abused and killed by badly trained police who then try to cover up their actions and there doesn't seem to be anyone in authority wanting to discuss how the Militarization of our Police is still growing even if it started under Bush II.
.................
These are issues that need to be discussed and hopefully rationally as we move forward with a possible Hillary win or even if one of the Repubs gets back in. I don't think that this is just about what you call the "Left and the Left of the Left" when our Democratic Party seems (with much evidence) to have drifted towards the Right and those very people we worked so hard NOT to ELECT.
Many of us here, myself included, have and still do work with Democratic Party issues locally. We just don't talk about it as much because the internet is not as open a place as it was in the past where people innocently felt free to talk the specifics of who they associate with and what they are doing. Others, here, work with groups for change by donating, calling, writing their Representatives. And, many were engaged in the past but because of health reasons, age or other reasons can't be as active and DU is a place for them to keep involved and up on issues that are important to them.
I guess you could call me a "Left of the Left" Democrat. I wasn't always but its not me that has changed. It's the Party that has changed. I remember strong labor unions, fight for women's equality, Consumer Advocacy/Protection of the Nader Days, the Fairness in Media Doctrine, Action for Children's Television and Ant-War Demonstrations across America. I remember much more....but, I've said enough.
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