Note: This diary is now Snark. I have received a warning from Admin stating that it "crosses the line" between "theory" and "advocating", in terms of discussing the possibility of a 3rd party on Daily Kos. I have confirmed that I will not continue to call for the President to start his own party. The diary will remain up as a basis for discussion of the issues it addresses. I am proud and happy to be a Democrat, although I continue to join many of my fellow Kossacks and fellow Democrats in believing that party (and the system as a whole) needs improvement.
Note: This diary was partially motivated by this thread in a Diary last week in which MB discussed the "rule" against advocating third parties. Please read that before commenting, if not before reading.
There is really only one way to resolve the mess that the Obama Administration has made of modern American Politics. THIS IS NOT SNARK. I'm serious about this. And I think it will work.
It is to the point now where you can't trust ANY elected officials to actually do what is right for the AMERICAN PEOPLE. You vote someone into office, based on campaign promises and sound-bites and 30-second TV ads, but you have hardly any way to know for sure what they stand for, or what they'll do once they're in office. Democrat or Republican, every politician seems to be just a politician, with no ideological commitment beyond re-election.
Who are the corporatists? Who are the totalitarians? You might as well guess, because even after they're in office, you don't even know if what you're hearing from the corporate-owned media or the blog sites is true, let alone complete, in their accounting and assessment of what's really going on. So what do we do?
I think it is clearly time to start a third party. And I know a way to pull it off. Unlike that string of also-rans in the late twentieth century (Ross Pero, Steve Forbes, Ralph Nader) or the large number of "boutique parties" that already exist (Greens, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, etc.), this new third party will actually:
A) put elected officials into national office
B) not require decades of state and local efforts
C) improve the political climate and not simply spit the vote
D) strike a mortal blow to the corporate oligarchy
Sounds great, doesn't it? Here's the plan...
The answer is so simple, it is practically staring us in the face. Some of the infrastructure is already in place, in fact.
President Obama needs to start his own party. Leveraging the existing OFA that's already been set up, and using the large majority that already supports the President (insert link to polls here), all that is really necessary is for him to announce that it is going to happen and, viola, a third party. Not just a third party, a winning third party. Not just a winning third party, but a progressive third party.
The unprecedented amount of direct small individual donations that fueled most of the Presidents first run is clear evidence that reliance on the fund-raising networks that currently funnel almost all campaign donations from corporations and 1%ers isn't necessary. Utilizing the bully pulpit and the incomparable leadership of the President, and providing a means of popular support for the new kind of dynamic, pragmatic, results-oriented breed of politicians that Mr. Obama represents, this can actually be accomplished in time for the 2012 election! I know that's a bit idealistic (but not idealogical!) Regardless, it will provide a non-corporate alternative for voters in 2016.
The Progressive Party can be a reality. We can jettison the Blue Dogs on the right, the Professional Liberals on the left, and basically suck the heart out of the existing corporate-owned DLC driven Democratic Party. By including the vast moderate middle that strongly supports the President's "avoid the gridlock and Get Things Done" approach we can explode our numbers in a way that tying ourselves to the Identity Politics crowd prevents us from doing now. By aligning the Progressive Party with the moderates, rather than the left, we can accomplish progressive/liberal goals without alienating the soft conservatives that have become extremely disillusioned with the Republicans. Many on the right are already wondering where they can go when the Teabaggers take over their party. And although nobody on either side (and certainly not the corporate media) wants to say it, many Republicans voted for Barack Obama in 2008, and even more will do so in 2012 (or his chosen successor in 2016) if the President starts his own party.
Goodbye Tea Party, so long Professional Left, take a hike military/industrial complex! It is an ideal solution.
So here's to the Progressive Party: a party for change! The most popular President in decades, the most powerful leader in politics, the most exciting opportunity to move this country forward past the "old partisan politics" that keep us mired in the ideological battles of the last century, and in the grip of the "old (white) boy's club" that is really just a front for Big Business and multinational corporations.
So sign on to give your support, or tell me how I'm wrong. This Is Our Time. This Is Our Moment. Hope. Change. Prosperity. Is there even a downside?