I hate to be a spoilsport, but I have to agree with Chris Floyd. Not to mention the bait-and-switch done with this rally, which was originally stated as meant to “demand the change we voted for” instead of a GOTV rally meant to “show support for Obama.”
The best way to mobilize the Democratic base is by delivering on the change they voted for. Seems simple enough that maybe even the out-of-touch ‘leaders’ of the Democratic Party could figure it out, but apparently not.
The Unrepentant Marxist agrees
Accepting beforehand that this would be a pro-Democratic Party event, I was amazed at the flabbiness of the speeches. Mostly there was a pleading quality to them, along the lines of imploring the Republicans to play fair. There was nobody like Bill Maher or Michael Moore who was capable of hitting below the belt. God knows with all of the cretins running for office on the GOP ticket, there’s plenty of cannon fodder.
Much of this is because Democrats have no idea what they stand for. So how can they fight for it?
We are condemned to live in a period of history when liberals have lost their ability to rouse their base either through raw emotions or through political education and analysis. But on the upside, this vacuum creates a possibility for the radical left to get a hearing. Let’s hope that as the crisis deepens, we find it in ourselves to rise to the occasion.
As I’ve oft-mentioned, the radical left has been so comatose lately that we need to ask why. The capitalist crisis they say they’ve waited years for is here, yet their response has been crickets. The really incisive analysis of the financial crisis has come from mostly libertarian blogs like Zero Hedge while the socialist left, I think, really doesn’t understand what’s happening or what to do about it.
I hope we can rise to the occasion.