Markos vs. Harold on Meet the Press

Markos Moulitsas, founder of Daily Kos, hit it out of the park today on Meet the Press... by talking about a strange notion called 'democracy.'

I was honestly amazed to hear Harold Ford - of the DLC (Democratic Leadership Committee) - insist that Daily Kos is too far left.

This actually explains so much of this Bush-enabling defeatism we've been seeing from Democratic leadership; at last, it all makes sense.

So this is why the Democrats are caving before the necon idol, and dooming their party to never-ending weakness, public disdain (record low poll numbers) and a likely defeat in 2008. They just don't get it.

I'm sure they're doing exactly what their corporate handlers have asked of them... but perhaps the corporate sponsors have an interest in seeing the neocon gravy train continue.

Of course the people have made no such pacts with corporate devils.

We are at the mercy of these devils already; and we're sick and tired of watching our country fall apart, the people languishing without healthcare; all while the corporate media lies to us, and neocon, corporate government seeks to dictate our every move for their financial gain.

The Democratic leadership doesn't seem to grasp even the most basic energy force in democracy... the pendulum. The people are angry. The people are moving left.

The people understand that the Constitution is under attack, that no one is ending the war, that jobs are going overseas and the middle class is under attack from corporate carpetbaggers -- and these Democrats we elected to defend us have caved. They are obviously part of the problem.

Markos and Susan Gardner wrote an Op-ED for the Washington Post yesterday, talking about the grassroots movement to the left, and how it has won over the 'mainstream.' This isn't rocket science... this is basic democracy in action.

I cannot grasp how Harold Ford (and others) came to misunderstand - to such a great degree - the role the people play in these lobbyist-funded, political games.

Yes Harold: we're still here! And we just might know a little more about 'what we want' than you do.

From the OpED:

Ford, like his fellow Washington insiders, grossly misunderstood the American electorate. He and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley continue to do so [" Our Chance to Capture the Center," op-ed, Aug. 7]. Convinced that this is fundamentally a conservative nation, Ford demanded that Democrats unceasingly inch toward the right or risk electoral irrelevance. As then-DLC official Ed Kilgore put it in 2005, "If we put a gun to everybody's head in the country and make them pick sides, we're not likely to win." But we who live outside the D.C. bubble -- in all 50 states, in counties blue and red -- were hearing voices at odds with the Washington consensus. People wanted real choices at the ballot box. And given the disastrous rule of the Bush administration, they wanted a Democratic Party that stood tall and pushed back like a true opposition.

The new leadership responded. A concerted grass- and Net-roots effort, bridging online activists and the labor movement, forced Democratic officials to reject any "compromise" with right-wing interests seeking to gut Social Security. Democratic poll numbers rose in the wake of this victory as Bush's fell. Standing strong for a core Democratic program was not only good for our country, it was smart politics.

Meet the Press: Markos' opening statements:



Then this amazing exchange:




Harold... this is how democracy looks, bud. Look it up.

Here, let me help you:

American Heritage Dictionary
de·moc·ra·cy (dĭ-mŏk'rə-sē)
n. pl. de·moc·ra·cies

1. Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.
2. A political or social unit that has such a government.
3. The common people, considered as the primary source of political power.
4. Majority rule.
5. The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

Democracy means everyday people, talking about the issues; without Harold Ford controlling the spin, the conversation, or the 'talking points.' Pretty frightening stuff.

I for one have never seen any antisemitism or 'anti-anything else' out on Daily Kos. If people are angry about things like - oh - party betrayal of constituents, surely they still have that right Harold? To label it antisemitism is quite the stretch. Was that a Fox talking point? Murdoch hand you that on an index card, Harold? It sounds so much like O'Reilly...

Harold, Harold... you could take a few lessons on dĭ-mŏk'rə-sē from Markos (not that you'd listen.)


About that pendulum, Harold...

I kept finding myself wanting to explain the pendulum to Harold.

I will be the first to admit that I know almost nothing about politics, other than what I have learned from watching - and especially from history. But I do know about the PENDULUM.

Harold, to give you a mental picture... it looks a bit like this:



When the government moves too far to the right, or (imagine) too far to the left, the people -- like passengers on a listing ship -- will immediately move to the opposite side to try to balance the decks.

Even conservatives are leaving the Republican party in an effort to stop the neocons; and Democrats are moving way to the left. There is no middle now. Just neocons -- and people moving left.

If Harold knew anything at all about politics, or basic democracy, he's realize... LEFT IS IN. Left is good! Left is where everyone is moving to counteract the greed and war-mongering of the arch-conservative right. There can be no 'middle' without first restoring balance.

Wow - these Democratic leaders are clueless. Too bad for them... and for us.