by Pa RockCitizen Journalist
Last week our Democratic Party betters, personified by the over-the-hill duo of Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, announced a bold new effort to bring party members who have strayed over the years back into the herd. In particular this effort seems to be aimed at reclaiming the love of white, working class individuals whose parents and grandparents were once stalwarts of the political party built and fashioned by the likes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Schumer and Pelosi and their ragtag assemblage of second-string political players are calling their Hail Mary effort "A Better Deal," a lackluster and insipid moniker that has so far inspired more derision than it has brand enthusiasm. Some acknowledge that it echoes progressive slogans of the past - Teddy Roosevelt's "Square Deal" and FDR's "New Deal," while others go farther afield by noting its similarities to Papa John's "Better Ingredients, Better Pizza" slogan.
The name, "A Better Deal," is, quite frankly, a big yawn. The saddest aspect of the Democratic Party's latest effort to unify and ignite its base is that it undoubtedly put a wad of cash in the pocket of some political consultant, money that could have gone toward providing actual jobs or alleviating some real poverty of individuals in need.
But I guess political consultants have to eat, too.
The new slogan has a three-point plan to back it up. "A Better Deal" calls for an increase in the pay of individuals, a reduction in the cost of living - so wages will go farther, and providing workers with the training and skills they need to work in the 21st century. And while those program points are all forward-looking, they fail to capture the fire of the leaders of the Democratic left flank - people like Bernie Sanders (actually an Independent),Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Kamala Harris. While the party regulars are mumbling self-righteously about raising pay, others are out setting fires with talk of a $15.00 an hour minimum wage, real consumer protections, and single-payer health insurance for everyone.
The time for trying to out-Republican the Republicans has passed - that train has left the station. The GOP owns all of the talking points that benefit the rich and big business, and running along the track frantically screaming "Us, too! Us, too!" benefits no one and captures no voting blocks.
America doesn't need "A Better Deal." The status quo is a failed experience for many in this country, and they have nothing to gain by supporting Democratic party elders as they add more spit and polish to worn out approaches and yesterday's answers. Yes, our workers need to be prepared to face the realities of the 21st century - and so do our voters.
The Democratic Party is struggling to strike a match in the dark - when what it needs is to draw down a lightening bolt. America needs big ideas, bold strokes, an unbridled determination to reach into our very souls and pull forth those values that made our country truly great in the first place. The other party promotes a return to "greatness" in the guise of greed and hatred. Democrats need to grab the term back and define it in terms of people, all people.
America will never achieve its full potential if we are forced to stand on the backs of our brothers and sisters in order to reach it. A "great" America will be one in which everyone enjoys a share of her bounty - and not just the privileged few. "A Better Deal" sounds like too little, too late - and it is definitely too lame. The time fast approaches for "A Bulldozer Deal" to come in and topple some of America's prize pigs and tip a few of our big bulls. The leadership of the Democratic Party needs to figure that out before their relevance completely evaporates.
And the heat is rising.
Last week our Democratic Party betters, personified by the over-the-hill duo of Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, announced a bold new effort to bring party members who have strayed over the years back into the herd. In particular this effort seems to be aimed at reclaiming the love of white, working class individuals whose parents and grandparents were once stalwarts of the political party built and fashioned by the likes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon Baines Johnson.
Schumer and Pelosi and their ragtag assemblage of second-string political players are calling their Hail Mary effort "A Better Deal," a lackluster and insipid moniker that has so far inspired more derision than it has brand enthusiasm. Some acknowledge that it echoes progressive slogans of the past - Teddy Roosevelt's "Square Deal" and FDR's "New Deal," while others go farther afield by noting its similarities to Papa John's "Better Ingredients, Better Pizza" slogan.
The name, "A Better Deal," is, quite frankly, a big yawn. The saddest aspect of the Democratic Party's latest effort to unify and ignite its base is that it undoubtedly put a wad of cash in the pocket of some political consultant, money that could have gone toward providing actual jobs or alleviating some real poverty of individuals in need.
But I guess political consultants have to eat, too.
The new slogan has a three-point plan to back it up. "A Better Deal" calls for an increase in the pay of individuals, a reduction in the cost of living - so wages will go farther, and providing workers with the training and skills they need to work in the 21st century. And while those program points are all forward-looking, they fail to capture the fire of the leaders of the Democratic left flank - people like Bernie Sanders (actually an Independent),Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Senator Kamala Harris. While the party regulars are mumbling self-righteously about raising pay, others are out setting fires with talk of a $15.00 an hour minimum wage, real consumer protections, and single-payer health insurance for everyone.
The time for trying to out-Republican the Republicans has passed - that train has left the station. The GOP owns all of the talking points that benefit the rich and big business, and running along the track frantically screaming "Us, too! Us, too!" benefits no one and captures no voting blocks.
America doesn't need "A Better Deal." The status quo is a failed experience for many in this country, and they have nothing to gain by supporting Democratic party elders as they add more spit and polish to worn out approaches and yesterday's answers. Yes, our workers need to be prepared to face the realities of the 21st century - and so do our voters.
The Democratic Party is struggling to strike a match in the dark - when what it needs is to draw down a lightening bolt. America needs big ideas, bold strokes, an unbridled determination to reach into our very souls and pull forth those values that made our country truly great in the first place. The other party promotes a return to "greatness" in the guise of greed and hatred. Democrats need to grab the term back and define it in terms of people, all people.
America will never achieve its full potential if we are forced to stand on the backs of our brothers and sisters in order to reach it. A "great" America will be one in which everyone enjoys a share of her bounty - and not just the privileged few. "A Better Deal" sounds like too little, too late - and it is definitely too lame. The time fast approaches for "A Bulldozer Deal" to come in and topple some of America's prize pigs and tip a few of our big bulls. The leadership of the Democratic Party needs to figure that out before their relevance completely evaporates.
And the heat is rising.
1 comment:
And then back to reality. We just had a visionary leader in President Obama. All of his efforts to take the recovery to Main Street failed because of obstructionist Republicans for 6 of his 8 years in office. Even while voting for Obama and again for Obama America chose to return the prepaid Congressional Republicans to office. You want to remove leadership? The citizens of their states have to remove them.
Then there is Bernie's emerging problem. He is acting like Trump in not releasing his tax returns.
I recently had this discussion on Facebook. While my friend only saw what you see, I see the work on the ground from the school boards to the top offices being waged daily, and that in Kansas - by Democrats.
When America wants change, Americans will do like Democrats in Kansas are doing. They will get up off their behinds and go knock doors, gather volunteers, register voters, and be the change.
Getting dirty money out of politics is the place to start. To do that we need to elects more Senators like Warner & Harris and more Representatives like young Mr. Kennedy.
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