"I’m for whatever gets results. I don’t go for any organization that has to compromise with the power structure and has to rely on certain elements within the power structure for their financing, which puts them in a position to be influenced and controlled all over again by the power structure itself. I’m for anything that gets results for the masses of our people – but not just for the benefit of a hand-picked few."
--Malcolm X; January 28, 1965

There are, of course, people who hold a wide range of social and political views, who identify themselves as "democrats." I am one of those people. In the past year – and particularly in the past couple of months – I’ve read and thought about a number of the OPs and threads on the Democratic Underground, including a whole bunch that focus on what people believe that being a "democrat" really is …..and is not. Many of these have been both interesting and of value, others with little meaning or value, and of course, many that fall somewhere in the middle.

I’ve been a member of the DU community since 2003. I joined, in part, because I found this forum to be a place where liberal and progressive democrats could talk shop. There are people who have slightly different opinions on what "liberal" and "progressive" means; in my view, a liberal seeks to make substantial changes to the system, in order to bring about social justice, while progressives believe that the system requires changes from the foundation up, in order to make social justice a possibility.

I identify myself as a progressive democrat. I am entirely comfortable working with liberals, who I consider slightly to the right, as well as with my non-democratic friends who are further to the left than I am. We tend to view certain things in slightly different terms, but we have shared values, common goals, and a sense of trust.

While I do not seek to impose my religious/spiritual beliefs on anyone else, they are part of my being. I subscribe to a humanist, earth-based Liberation Theology. That translates into my being a Kennedy Democrat: President Kennedy’s American University address, in which he spoke of a world without offensive weapons systems, and an investment in human beings, is my manifesto. I am a King Democrat: when Martin Luther King, Jr., told us in his "A Time to Break Silence (Beyond Vietnam)" speech that we had to come to value human life more than machines and profit motives, I know he was absolutely on target. I am again a Kennedy Democrat: the transformation of Attorney General Robert Kennedy into Senator Kennedy, the anti-war advocate of the poor and oppressed, is in my opinion a road map for all those who work for social justice. I am a Gandhi Democrat: I know of no God other than that found in the hearts of the poor, oppressed, and suffering. And I am a Malcolm X Democrat: I believe that we must try to be honest, speak honestly, and live honestly, even when it is inconvenient or uncomfortable.

During the Bush-Cheney years, I enjoyed DU as an island of relative sanity, at a time when I believed that our form of Constitutional Democracy was being ruthlessly and utterly destroyed. This is not to say that I was suffering from any delusions about the serious threats to our democracy in previous times. Nor that I thought the election of any and all democratic politicians would be a cure.

Yet, I invested time, energy, and money during the ’06 and ’08 elections, just as I have ever since turning 18. The difference was that I had a greater ability to engage in "voter education and registration." In my own small way, from the grass roots level, I was able to contribute to the larger movement that is best illustrated by the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States.

Still, I did not fool myself into believing that our mission was accomplished, or our goals met. I had stated numerous times on DU, for example, even before last year’s elections, that liberal and progressive democrats would be required to step up the organizing for pressuring President Obama to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Not only because these are not wars we can "win" – one might have supported the initial military response in Afghanistan, but that window of opportunity closed long ago, and the invasion of Iraq was necroconservatism’s lie – but not only will the continued efforts to occupy these lands cause far more suffering, death, and hatred, but they make meaningful human progress in this country impossible.

Recently, I have noticed a disturbing increase in posts on this forum that strike me as going beyond advocating a moderate democratic agenda, and instead seem like attempts to impose a rigid, conservative democratic view. This goes beyond the usual clutter that is found when browsing DU:GD. I do not care if Carrie Prejean picks her nose, or if Jon and Kate pass gas. But I do question the motivation of those who seem intent upon discrediting liberal and progressive ideals, labeling them as unrealistic, and defining conservative democrat’s actions and inaction as being "the way."

Malcolm used to describe the politicians in Washington, DC, in an interesting way. He said that the republicans were wolves, who would bare their fangs right to your face, to let you know they were a threat to your well-being. And he said the democrats were foxes, that smiled to your face, then bit you from behind. Now, of course, Malcolm had some friends in Washington, and was speaking in general terms. I think that most liberal and progressive democrats understand and appreciate what he meant. Conservative democrats might understand it, though I doubt they would appreciate him telling the truth that way.

Now, I realize that not only is there room for wide differences in values and opinions within the democratic party, but that the same holds true for the Democratic Underground. But, as a progressive democrat, who engages in the organizing efforts at the grass roots level, I know that I can’t go back to the well in 2010, and get much support for the politicians in Washington who have helped continue the wars, or who have not fought for the Public Option, or other meaningful changes. I will only invest my time, energy, and money in support of those who engaged in meaningful efforts to help the masses of our people, rather than that hand-picked few.

Peace,
H2O Man