Thoughts on Massachusetts

Last Updated on Thursday, 21 January 2010 11:07 Written by John Hartwell Thursday, 21 January 2010 10:56

Here are some initial thoughts from four members of our group.  What do you think?  Please add your comments or send me an email and I'll post it.  Thanks.

Brian Schwartz

The loss of the Massachusetts seat to the Republicans is as much a wake up call as I can imagine for the Democratic Party but initial responses are such a sorry rationalization for frittering away a mandate to govern as I have ever seen. Those few of us who despaired of the Party righting itself and understanding the very new and dangerous political and economic world we are living in have no pleasure in these results nor any desire to say, "I told you so." For me, I am increasingly inclined to change my registration to "independent" and walk away from the innner workings of the Party. It is so compromised by its sucking on the teat of corporations, banks and the health industry cabal that they are beyond redemption. I, for one, do not care any longer to be battling with the people in the Party who are inclined to shift to the center. The handwriting is on the wall for all to see. The Republicans will ascend again and take us down the drain if we don't right this ship. I am going to join those who are looking for a third alternative as the two parties are corrupt and compromised beyond redemption while the people suffer and continue to get ripped off.

David Isenberg

Right now I feel about as heartbroken as I did on the day after election day 2004.  I don't know what I am going to do. I thought DFA, in its original conception as a grass roots
little-d democracy organization, was a good thing.   Now it has been co-opted by the party. On the other hand, I don't know if any third way wouldget the results we need. I just don't know what to do at this point. I'm going to take some time to think it through.

Mike Brown (by text)

Hunker down.  Protect and support CT Dem candidates.

Roy Fuchs

Brown's win should be a wake up call.  Democrats can't spend the rest of the year letting the Republicans continue to spout off half truths without calling them on their responsibility for virtually every problem we have (except Hillary's vote on Iraq and Schumer's support of LIEberman).  They glibly say we can't afford anything resembling affordable universal health care because we have become so indebted - due in large part to their voting for our fighting at least one unnecessary war, giving the better part of $1 Trillion to big pharma for the Medicare drug bill and an almost equal amount to through counterproductive tax cuts to those who need them the least - and no Democrat calls them.

President Obama says we should look ahead, not back.  Bullsh*t!  We should define the opposition just as they are defining their Democratic opposition!

Republicans hate the stimulus package.  Who's the Democrat who'll ask them where we'd be today without even what Professor Krugman calls too small a stimulus?

We also have to stop conflating "Democrat" and "Progressive."  Senate Democrats never had a 60 vote majority - unless you think the fixer upper Joe LIEberman and Ben Nelson drove the last nails into represents health care reform.  And, BTW, what's the difference between Ben Nelson's earmark - getting the US to pay Nebraska's Medicaid costs - and getting the large banks to agree to allow the taxpayer to absorb bailout losses if the banks agree to accept the gains, or keeping an unnecessary military base open, or paying large corporate farmers not to plant while we underwrite agricultural research designed to improve productivity?  And why wasn't Joe LIEberman smart enough to get everyone else to pay for CT's Medicaid?