[Peace-discuss] Punish the Democrats?

[Ron Szoke]

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2010/101510.html
 	
The 'Teach-the-Dems-a-Lesson' Myth

By Robert Parry (A Special Report) 
October 15, 2010

If my e-mail inbox is any indication, many American progressives plan 
to use the Nov. 2 election as an opportunity to “teach the Democrats a 
lesson” by either not voting or casting ballots for third parties, even if 
this contributes to the expected Republican (and Tea Party) landslide.

The thinking seems to be that the loss of the congressional majorities 
will punish the Democrats for accepting half-measures and compromises 
on issues from health care and financial reform to job stimulus and war. 
The Left’s hope apparently is that the chastened Democrats will then 
shift toward more progressive positions and be more assertive.

However, modern American political history tells us that this strategy 
never works. After the four key elections in which many progressives 
abandoned the governing Democrats – in 1968, 1980, 1994 and 2000 – 
not only did Republicans take U.S. politics further to the right, but the 
surviving Democrats tacked more to the center and grew more timid.

All four elections also were marred by GOP dirty tricks that drew little or 
no reaction from either the governing Democrats or the progressives, 
emboldening the slash-and-burn Republicans to operate in an ever 
more audacious style.

Tragically, too, the Left’s sideline-sitting contributed to the unnecessary 
deaths of millions of people in wars from Vietnam and Central America 
to Iraq and Afghanistan. Arguably even worse, U.S. inaction on global 
warming – a neglect surely to be continued if Republicans and Tea 
Partiers are victorious in Election 2010 – may doom the future of a 
livable planet.

In other words, the “teach-the-Dems-a-lesson” strategy not only 
doesn’t work, it’s extremely dangerous.

.  .  .
<much more>  

 
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