Time for an Intervention at the DNC and OFA

The morning after the Democratic Party got trounced in the MA Senate Race my mother-in-law yells from her room that Obama is going to be on the tube.

I am thinking – great, he is going to acknowledge problems in any number of areas as far as his agenda is concerned.  We gotta do something with Healthcare or Afghanistan or the TARP.  Maybe an assessment of the party itself and why we lost last night?

I walk in the room and he is talking about stopping Government Contracts going to Tax Cheats.  Let me say that again.

Stopping Government Contracts going to Tax Cheats.

HEY !!!   

Mr. President, 

OVER HERE !!!

Who is setting the message here?  What kind of alternate reality are you guys running?  We just got our butts kicked and you are changing the subject?

Uh-uh – no way.  Get back here and explain yourselves.

If you plan on winning this fall, we need a real assessment that there are political problems.  Not with the GOP, but with the Democratic Party.  Why did we lose?  What are we going to do about it?

It is painful, but necessary.  We need a self-examination needed as how things are being run.  This isn’t a one-time aberration, this is a continuum.  From the spring and the flowering of the Birthers, early summer last year when the GOP rattled the cages of Congresspeople in town halls, to Palin and the Death Panelists, to the Teabaggers nothing was done.

We lost VA and NJ.  No change in strategy.

Obviously, the first thing we are going to need to do is acknowledge the problem.  I ask you to help this intervention by calling on the DNC and OFA acknowledge this issue by picking up the phone and calling:

202-863-8000

Ask for the Chairman’s office.  If you get to a full email box, hit 0 get to the operator and ask for a callback.  Be nice to the message taker, they only work there.  Save the irritation for the higher-ups.

Once we acknowledge the problem, we need a solution.  This is a self-respect problem and a media image problem.  How are we in the minority with VAST majorities in both the House and Senate?  The Democrat’s self-image as a bunch of victims is stopping us from getting anything done.  This lack of self-respect is driving this administration to do some pretty odd stuff.  We change this and we can change the policies.

There needs to be a realization that this is a team operation.  Yes, we are on the same team as Democrats.  If someone attacks one of us – they are attacking all of us.

There is no penalty for ripping the President.  I was listening to Arlen Specter describe President Obama on the Smerconish Show last Thursday in the weak light of, “going to China with his hat in his hand”.  I called the show and called him out on it.  How dare any Democratic official give space for the opposition to maneuver?  Who’s team is this guy on?  It should not be me as a lone looney going after a so-called Democratic Senator.  This needs something more.  I can’t be the only guy out there with sharp elbows in the paint.  We need to challenge these people where they say stuff, when they say stuff.

It doesn’t need to be the President defending himself.  He can’t.  He is running the country.  We need to do that.  I did get a call back from the DNC and the attitude was passive.  The attitude was essentially, ‘we are waiting for the White House to tell us to do something.’

That is the wrong attitude.  The DNC and the OFA need to be the protectors of President Obama.  You run your mouth against the President, we will pepper you with facts laced with attitude.  No one should have to tell this organization it needs to do this.  It is common sense.

The coach doesn’t get on the field and throw blocks – WE DO.  The offensive coordinator is the DNC and the OFA – I have seen nothing offensive except their performance.

Where are there media hounds in the party monitoring what is being said and challenging the GOP mythologies?  It was big news when Stephanopolis let Guiliani slide with his standard noun, verb, 9/11 rant.  Why has it taken soooo long?  Our media hounds need to be set loose to make people remember where we are and how we got here.

Do you seriously think our economic situation would be where it is if we actually paid for the 2 wars we got involved in last decade – yeah who put us there… G O P.

Why are the twin towers gone… G O P.

Who did an indecent job at security… (all together now) G O P.

We need to reinforce our own mythologies, but better yet, live them.  You know - the ones where we are for the working guys.  Maybe that means ripping up what was done in Healthcare last year.  Maybe that means any deals with Big Pharma are off the table and we can start from scratch.

You know the mythology about Equal Rights – yeah the time is right and the country is ready for it.  Walk the talk.

There are at least 10 other issues I can’t put here without your eyes glazing over.

Right now there needs to be a tougher attitude.  Cool ain’t cutting it.  Neither does having your hair on fire.  There is a medium stance that generates a level of respect.  We haven’t gotten there.

We have to get there quick.