Democrats: The New Republicans

Picture it. From far above Iowa you zoom in. At first it looks like a patchwork of farm and industry. As you zoom, you near Cedar Rapids, IA, a community of about 120,000. There is nothing out of the norm so far. Continue zooming in to a small park on the Northeast side: you know, trees, a few outbuildings, picnic tables, the normal stuff. Keep zooming. Zoom in on a picnic taking place at this park. There are a few hundred guests, all of them here for the annual Linn County Democratic picnic. So far, nothing earthshaking, just games, food, fun…normal picnic stuff. Now, let’s pick out a little area at the picnic. It’s a children’s game that involves a large piece of colorful canvas cloth and beach balls. Everything seems to be in place: the children, the canvas, the balls, the man volunteering to facilitate this game. Only there is something unusual here – very, very unusual. You see, the volunteer standing here is a Republican. (Feel free to insert record-scratching sound here). I am that man.

What is a lifelong Republican doing volunteering at the Democratic picnic? Well, I had to do something. I have one or two disagreements with the direction the Republicans are going. I’ll give you a brief sampler:
Civil Rights Violations
Corporate Welfare
Death Penalty
Environment
Extraordinary Rendition
Foot Dragging on a Cease Fire in Lebanon
Geneva Conventions Violation
Guantanamo Bay
Homophobia
Human Rights Abuses
Illegitimate War
International Arms Trade
International Criminal Court
Media Consolidation
NSA Spying
Racial Profiling
Secret Detention Centers
Signing Statements
Spying on Peace Groups
Torture
Transparency
War Crimes
Xenophobia

But hey, what’s a few civilian deaths, tax breaks for oil companies, race-baiting, mercury pollution-belching factories, torture photos, international law violations, Nazis in the military, and war crimes among friends? It kind of makes me want to go to the window and shout “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!” ala Peter Finch as Howard Beale in “Network.” I am horrified by the behavior of our government. The Administration is abusing power, Congress is failing to hold them accountable and, if we let the Republicans continue to rule, we’ll have an even more skewed court system. Even the news business, once thought of as the “fourth estate” has gone from watchdog to the lapdog of the Administration. So, who is left? If the three branches of government won’t hold each other accountable, and if the press has taken a paid holiday, the only ones left to hold this government accountable is us, the people.

And so, here I am, a Republican without a party. As Jerome Armstrong and Markos Moulitsas Zuniga expressed in Crashing the Gate, the Democrats haven’t exactly distinguished themselves in the last four years, but they’re the best game in town. Therefore, I’ve started this blog – RFD Blog – Republicans for Democrats.

So, what else can you and I do besides volunteering at the Linn County Democratic Picnic?

We can give. More than anything Progressive politicians need cash. You can give to your local Democratic Party headquarters. You can give to a local candidate.You can give to Moveon.org. You can give to the ACLU or Amnesty International.

You don’t have to give money to give of yourself. Candidates need help in knocking on doors, hosting get-to-know-the-candidate parties, calling neighbors and getting out the vote.

You can wear your convictions for everyone to see. I like Clothing of the American Mind. Please let me know if you have suggestions for other sites.

We can educate ourselves. Read progressive blogs. Listen to Air America and Democracy Now. If they are not in your area, you can listen to their Podcasts. Watch documentary DVD’s such as Manufacturing Consent, Why We Fight, The Corporation, or The Robert Greenwald Documentary Collection. When you are through with them, tell others about them and donate them to your public library.

We can write. You can add your comments to this blog. You can write letters to the editor, you can write your representatives in Congress.

CLICK HERE FOR 100 IDEAS OF HOW YOU CAN HELP WIN THE FIGHT FOR PROGRESSIVES IN AMERICA!

CLICK HERE FOR 50 SIMPLE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO FIGHT THE RIGHT.

Feel free to join in the conversation. Please leave your comments below.