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Democrats: We aren't Perfect, but they are &%$#ing Evil: Saturday's GNR [1]

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Date: 2022-07-02

Every week, when I encourage people to get involved with the Democratic party, I say “We aren’t perfect but they are *&%$ing evil.”

I am sure I didn’t come up with that phrase on my own, but I sure do endorse it. Democrats aren’t perfect, but the other side is *&%$ing evil. That is as true as true can be.

It may sound like I am picking on Democrats with that statement but that isn’t how I intend it. Nothing is perfect. I am lucky enough to have a great marriage, but it isn’t perfect. My kids are amazing, but they are not perfect. I really like my job, but it isn’t perfect. I try hard to be a good person, but I am far from perfect.

Even my Buffalo Bills sometimes lose a game.

So when I say Democrats aren’t perfect, I don’t mean that they aren’t great. I do think the Democratic party is great.

Here are just a few votes that show which party is fighting for us:

Again and again and again we see Democrats voting for policies that actually help people and Republicans voting against them. Again and again and again.

So why do people trash Democrats?

One reason is that we are a big tent. The other party is evil. So the sane party has to accommodate a lot of people. That means that everything from people on the far left to people in the middle both fight for what they want and sometimes lose. And those losses upset them.

I have friends on both of those ends.

I hear friends in the middle of the political spectrum complaining a lot about the votes we are losing when Democrats focus on issues that isolate people in the middle and make them feel like anything they say may be interpreted as wrong and closed-minded and that they might get “cancelled.” I think those complaints are exaggerated, but, honestly, they aren’t wrong. Sometimes we are too quick to see the people as bad if they don’t evolve at the same pace we do or see things slightly differently.

I hear friends on the far left complain that Democrats don’t do enough to push policies that would protect us from the far right and aren’t willing to risk enough. I think these complains are exaggerated, but honestly, they aren’t wrong. Sometimes we are too careful to not rock the boat.

So what does it matter if people complain about the party? What does it matter if people on the ends of our party voice their feelings loudly and publicly and frequently?

It matters a lot. It matters because people who don’t pay a lot of attention, and don’t always vote, are listening. And when they hear you trash the party, they are less likely to vote. It doesn’t matter that you are “holding your nose and voting” if you are raising your voice publicly to trash our party, you makes things worse for all of us.

Our Democracy is in jeopardy. The Supreme Court has already fallen. This is a crisis. This is a 10 alarm fire. And when we have that kind of event, we don’t complain that the only fire fighters around aren’t good enough and that people shouldn’t bother calling them.

Instead, we pitch in and do all we can to put out the mother^&$#ing fire. If the firefighters aren’t great HELP THEM. Apply to be a fire fighter yourself. Nominate people you trust to the position. But don’t disparage them and complain about them. Don’t pretend that they are only slightly better than the fire itself.

Because that attitude is bullshit. Democrats aren’t perfect, but they are pretty fucking good. If you think they are too far right or too far left, then support other candidates in primaries. Run for office yourself. Call their offices and write letters asking them to do what you want. Encourage your friends to do the same.

Because here is the truth: This is our battle to win. We are the majority. We can win elections and we can save democracy. It won’t be easy and it won’t be quick and we will suffer some painful losses on the way but we can do it.

The only thing that can keep us from winning is if we let our divisions come to the front. We lose if we relitigate the primaries of ‘16 or ‘20. We lose if we trash our party when undecided voters are listening. We lose if we spend our energy fighting one another instead of fighting the Republicans.

Remember who the enemy is. At every moment in this fight, remember who we are really fighting.

If we work together we win.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/7/2/2107888/-Democrats-We-aren-t-Perfect-but-they-are-amp-ing-Evil-Saturday-s-GNR

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