Darcy Burner's Netroots Nation keynote: 'We have to make our leaders do the right thing'
By David Neiwert Monday Aug 17, 2009 3:00pm
I spent all day traveling yesterday, so I wasn't able to get this up, bu Darcy Burner's keynote speech at Netroots Nation on Saturday night was classic Darcy: concise, but compelling. Especially the heart of the speech:
So President Clinton -- how many of you were here for President Clinton's speech the other night? -- President Clinton did something very interesting in his speech. He delivered two fundamentally contradictory messages. He said, support the health-care legislation no matter what it is. That was one message he sent that he delivered quite clearly. But the other message that he delivered was that "Don't ask, don't tell" became policy even though he knew it was the wrong thing, because, he said, we didn't support him and make him do the right thing. That second message, that we have to make our leaders do the right thing was raw and true.
We can't rely on people in authority to make everything right. We have got to do the hard work of governing. It's our job as Americans. It's our obligation. And to be perfectly blunt, I consider it my obligation for Henry.
The vehicle we have for change is the people we have elected, and we have done, collectively, a tremendous job of electing people to office in this country. We have taken back the House, we have taken back the Senate, we have taken the presidency of the United States.
But that is just the beginning of the battle. There are a lot of people -- mostly not the people in this room, but a lot of people who thought that was sufficient and have stopped. We have to help the people that we have elected. And to be perfectly blunt, we have been asked to.
I have been working for the past several months with the Congressional Progressive Caucus -- eighty-three of the most progressive members of the United States House and the United States Senate -- and the message that I get from them consistently is: "We are doing everything in our power to make a difference. But we have to have the support of the grassroots. We need the grassroots helping to frame the message, we need the grassroots applying pressure."
In the health-care debate that's going down right now, the Congressional Progressive Caucus did something absolutely revolutionary in March -- which is that in March Congressman Raul Grijalva, the newly elected co-chair of the caucus, whipped the progressive members of the caucus and got enough of the members to say, "We will not support any piece of health-care legislation that doesn't include a public option."
That the progressives were able to then send a letter to President Obama and to Nancy Pelosi and to Steny Hoyer saying, "Guess what? You want health-care legislation? It isn't the Blue Dogs you need to be worrying about. You need to talk to progressives, because we are drawing the line, and we are not going to back down."
The next day I heard it being bandied about that Darcy suggested caving on the public option. As I told my friends, that wasn't what I heard. And if you watch the video, I don't think it's what you'll hear either.
[Video from Sum of Change. Mine sucked.]
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Foist!!
Not FRIST ??
( Sorry, just that this seems more apropos ... )
OT, but how is Prague treating you these days?
... then it means that they are not "our leaders" to begin with.
Answer to another master. The ones with the deepest pockets.
We elect "representatives" not leaders. The job is getting them to represent our priorities. Get a big enough parade going, and they'll jump to the front and pretend that they are leading it; but we made them do it.
.. you musta beat me by a coupla seconds ..
'We have to make our
leadersrepresentatives do the right thing.'Ever see Viva Zapata? Remember Brandos' "closing speech"?
So what do we do? I've been to Lynn Woolsly's office, I've made the calls, sent the letters. It's like we progressives play by the rules and tell the truth and we get bested by cheaters and liars, it's goddamn frustrating! Obama will NOT get my vote again unless there is a public option, it's that simple.
Sound of Dems shooting themselves in the foot.
So it's Obama's fault that 3 or 4 Democratic Senators won't go along with him?
Or, to put it otherwise:
90% of Democratic senators would vote for a public option
0% of Republican senators would vote for a public option
So let's all blame Obama and give Republicans what they want. Let's vindicate their blatant LIES by staying home.
bang, bang....Enjoy John Boehner running the House and Republicans being able to numerically filibuster EVERY major piece of Obama/Dem legislation.
While I understand your point I will say at least with the Republicans we knew what they were. We were under no illusions that they would give a damn about us or our agenda. We could always plan ahead with that in mind. I'm not so sure with the Democrats.
but staying home (from the next election) is not an OPTIMAL option;
neither is voting for a G-NO-Per RethugliKKKlan, for that matter.
How about a "THIRD WAY (TM)" ???
How about organizing on-line between now and the Mid-Term Elections to support, on the ground AND monetarily, ALTERNATIVE liberal progressive Candidates to challenge the DINOs in the House AND especially in the Senate.
The liberal progressive backlash against the RethugliKKKlans would have won in 2004 (excepting Diebold et.al.), and DID win in the 2006 Mid-Term elections AND in 2008. Indeed, if Exit Polls are as accurate as other democracies tend to believe, the Margin of Victory would have been far greater in 2006 and 2008 than Vote Tabulations would lead us to believe. Wrap your head around This concept: The anti-RethugliKKKlan liberal progressive vote of Democrats, Independents, AND disillusioned moderate Republicans actually represent a significant Majority of the Electorate.
Given the above premise, the extremely belligerent and vocal Tea-Baggers, Birthers, Deathers, and bat-shit crazy whackaloons are merely the vestigial remnants of the Neo-Cons -- the Dead-Ender 20%, PLUS the Paid Wage-Slave Shills of the Corporatist Cabal.
Why should WE let the 20%ers actually have ANY say in how WE choose to run this nation ???
You have to motivate the same people that have been killing the town hall discussions to fight for health care. Maybe put talking points out like. "The health care industry wants the terrorists to win". "Aetna insures the prisoners at Gitmo, but won't insure Americans". "The Health care industry discriminates against people with pre-existing conditions". Opps wait that last ones true.
Maybe Obama could hire G.W. Bush to fight for the public option. Then Bush could at the very least finally find those "weapons of mass destruction".Lobbyists
Matthews, CQ's Charlie Cook and Buchanan engaged in about 5 minutes of "hard core political reality" about the situation. And how it might yet work out (they all agreed we'd get a Bill). Bottom line: get a Bill with 80% of what Obama asked for (hence no public option) and it will effectively cut the legs off of Republicans and limit 2010 losses (which Cook and Buchanan both put at around probably 20 at this point).
Interesting discussion (even Buchanan made sense).
WHY IS PRESIDENT OBAMA GIVING REPUBLICANS AND BLUE DOG DEMOCRATS THE POLITICAL EQUIVALENT OF A GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD?
Here's my problem with how the public "negotiations" with Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats over national health care reform are being conducted by President Obama. By repeatedly stating and or implying that Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats actually WANT national health care reform too, when all they really want is to maintain the status quo; Obama is literally giving Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats a POLITICAL PASS for obstructing meaningful reform. He is not forcing them to PAY A POLITICAL PRICE for organizing dishonest and scurrilous campaigns to obstruct, undermine and prevent national health care reform.
WHY isn't he making them accountable?
WHY is he letting the rat bastards walk away unscathed while they're doing everything they can to screw him and the american people over?
WHY in the name of god is he doing that?
I still think that goes back to "bi-partisan' bullshit he talked of during 08' campaign. He hopes that they come around when we know they won't.
That's exactly why I think we have to forget Obama and fight for the legislation through our representatives in Congress.
After all, it's Congress that will produce a Bill for Obama to sign.
And Obama will certainly sign just about any Health Care Reform Bill that makes its way through Congress.
So .. it's up to us to contact our CongressPersons, write editorials, do whatever to get the kind of Bill we want through Congress.
If I thought they gave a damn that would be a good idea MountainMan, but I'm not sure the majority of our representives care.
I do my part in many ways but it seems as if nobody gives a shit what I think. Especially our elected officals.
I think that you have the right idea, MountainMan.
Think about a grass-roots 50 state organization (Netroots ??) that pools talent and a large number of small monetary resources to back (or threaten to back) liberal progressive Primary challenger and / or 3rd Party / Independent Candidate to upset our "loyal" Representatives-for-Life. A kind of "Dead Pool" of Corporatist Politicians, prioritized by Senate / House, and Region / Chairmanships. AFAIK, Sen. Harry Reid should be somewhere within the Top Ten, because he has aptly demonstrated his utter lack of BALLS, and LEADERSHIP.
"We have to make our leaders do the right thing"
That's exactly what the teabaggers and Town Hall disruptors say.
.
That's kind of the point, actually.
The teabaggers are winning the message war because they're turning out in numbers to oppose health-care reform.
And we're not turning out to support it in equal or greater numbers. They've out-organized us.
I have been concerned about the White House backing down on the public option. What about this? Could we send e-mails to the White House and the DNC with the
subject line: No healthcare reform without public option
E-mail body: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_OxkxcKi50
I would love to have them get enough to crash their servers and maybe wake those guys up. Thoughts?
Make copies of your medical bills, letters from insurance companies that reject coverage and other relevant correspondence and send it to the White House and every legislator on the Hill. Pay a little extra for a delivery receipt (make them sign for it). Do not fax it or email it because they can jam the fax and ignore your emails. For my brothers and sisters out there with no coverage or with preexisting conditions that make you uninsurable, send them a photo of yourself and/or your family with a brief bio and the statement "I/We need a single payer health care plan" . Let's flood the White House and Capitol Hill with REALITY. You may also consider making a little poster with your legislator's picture with the caption, "This person enjoys a government sponsored single-payer healthcare plan at my/our expense". Pair it with a picutre of yourself/your family with a brief description of your situation i.e. "No health care security for me/us". Send as many as you can afford. Help each other. This is not expensive. If you can handle it send them a copy of the funeral program or obituary of a loved one who passed away because the insurance company refused to pay for treatment.
I don't know about whether Darcy is thinking drop the public option, but I do know until she has answered for the following, there is no need to trust:
From: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/06/14-3
Someone at the Netroots should have asked her about this.
Note to self, send Darcy another $300 non tax deductible, because she has a fucking uncorrupted brain.
.
I gave to TWO campaigns last year...
... Even though they both lost, at least I know I acted with my conscious.
And Darcy's was one of them.
.
Until we progressives use our gifts, get off our duffs, and scream to the high heavens ... we will accomplish nothing with our government.
The only thing scum sucking pigs like Max Baucus and Kent Conrad understand is anger in HUGE goddamned portions and shoved down their throats until they choke on it and can no longer speak their putrid corporate laden lies.
I don't know why I give a damn any more, I really don't. I am old enough to be on medicare and have never had it this good. But I for one write my congress critters two or three times a week, and I stopped being polite several months ago. I am angry and it is high time they know it.
If we don't get a public option out of this president, this congress, I promise I will spend the rest of my life voting to get their worthless asses the hell out of office. I have never voted for a republican in my life, but if that is what it takes to get rid of the assholes in the democratic party that are ruining this party, then so be it, I WILL START VOTING FOR REPUBLICANS. At least with republicans you know up front they are going to screw you. With this load of crap we have as democrats, they tell you one thing to get elected and then vote like republicans when it matters most to our country for them to vote like true democrats.
Blue Dog Democrats MY ACHING NECK .... call them what they are: DINO'S, traitors, republican stooges lacking the honesty, courage, and character to identify themselves honestly! They all need to be run out of Washington on a rail!
Please do not vote RethugliKKKlan.
I believe that We can organize in such a fashion as to put the Fear of (Political) Death in the DINOs and Corporatist Democrats.
What do We have that They FEAR the most? What FORCE have We proven, in the past, to have in sufficient quantity and quality to WIN? How about Ideas, Organizational Skills, Leadership, and a truly awesome army of Grass-Roots Volunteers. Not to mention a very Large Pool of Small Monetary Donations.
No amount of Corporatist Cabal campaign contributions can BUY OUR VOTES. Our Votes Still Count. That is why We must NOT Give Up. (The FORCE is with US ...!)
Dr. Howard Dean's "50 State Strategy" was an exemplary SUCCESS! Dean was "kicked-to-the-curb", not by the Rank-and-File, but by the DINOs and DLC. Can We do the same to that Corporatist sack of shit traitor Rehm Emannuel? To the DINOs? To the RethugliKKKlans? I believe that we can, and we MUST!
that the system we currently have doesn't allow us to elect leaders who WANT to do the right thing in the first place!
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