Donna Brazile, on today's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, threw down the gauntlet to progressive Democrats regarding the primary challenge to Joe Lieberman's senatorial seat by Ned Lamont. Brazile said she unequivocally supports Joe Lieberman who she called "a good Democrat". Even George Will put in a word for Lieberman. What gives?
Progressive Democrats are apparently being warned that they should not challenge the power in the party - and apparently that includes challenging their representative pundits that live the good life regurgitating the message as glorified spokespersons for the powerful in both parties.
The pundits on This Week, Donna Brazile, George Will and Peter Beinart, all said they thought Lieberman would prevail, but at the same time they admitted that other Democratic Senators who have been supportive of the war effort are watching this race carefully. It was George Will, I think, who cautioned progressives that their support of a candidate should not be about just one issue, the war, even though as most progressive's know, in Lieberman's case it's about a lot more than that one issue.
One thing seems obvious, all the Democratic Party leadership are nervous about this challenge by the netroots, the voice of the people, the progressive element that is gaining unprecedented power. What makes them nervous about average citizens gaining a voice? What makes them nervous about Democracy actually working as it's supposed to?
What is George Will's interest in seeing that Lieberman retains his seat? After all, George is not a Democrat. Could it be he sees Lieberman as a ally of the right? And what is Donna Brazile's interest? Could it be she, as Al Gore's pseudo-quasi, campaign manager in 2000, had something to do with the misguided selection of Lieberman as Gore's running mate and feels threatened by the idea that voters think Lieberman is a lackey for corporations and the powerful?
Could it be the pundits feel that they are the only qualified voice of the people? That they make the decisions and tell us what to think and who to vote for - they and the establishment members of the two major parties?
Could it be they fear their power to control is being threatened - that they will no longer be influential or needed if the citizenry begins thinking for themselves? Do they feel their means of earning a six-figure income by forcing their opinions on the rest of us is possibly in jeopardy?
Yesterday a baseball sports announcer commented that in the baseball world of the past it was once the norm for baseball players to find a way to get along with and meet the demands of the team manager but now it is reversed. Managers in a large way have to meet the demands of the players. After all the players are the team, not the managers. In the same way, the members of the Democratic Party are the Party, not the leadership.
God forbid that members of the Democratic Party rise up and take control of the party away from the corrupt, corporate controlled elitist establishment who serve only themselves.
God forbid that in a Democracy the people's voice be heard.
God forbid that in a Democracy the people have a say in the way their nation is governed and the law of our constitution be honored..
God forbid that in a Democracy the people rule and not the powerful - that in a true republic and a true democracy the people are the power and those elected to serve them listen and respond to them - not attempt to usurp the people's power and rule over them as authoritarians and dictators.
Gary
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