Washington: We Need More Teams In The Game
How many of us would sit down to Sunday night football if there were only two teams and they only ever played each other?
Isn’t that exactly what we’ve been watching in Washington?
When Nader was campaigning for President the D’s and R’s were bonded in their mission to keep him out of the limelight and debates. Nader wanted to ask questions they didn’t rehearse. They liked the fight with each other, knew how each other played the game because they made the rules, set the boundaries, shared lobbyists, knew how to get the money and keep the power just between them.
And despite the fact the Greens had a clear written platform and their candidate had potential to steer change toward the greater good, when the vote was being made Greens were shunned into voting for Democrats who still blame Ralph and his followers for Bush.
Neither team wants anyone else to play ball.
Perhaps the Republicans were right to embrace the Tea’s instead of allowing them to be another 3rd and unimportant party pulling votes from ‘their side’. Besides, they were mutually focused on the distractions and divisiveness of abortion and making ‘liberal’ a dirty word.
And now that the Tea party and their billionaire corporate backers seem to be controlling the Republican party, and voting districts have been gerrymandered to their liking, that embrace is somewhat backfiring, isn’t it?
Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 split the Republican party and created the Progressive party which had a platform including the women’s right to vote, strict limits and disclosure of campaign contributions and the 8 hour work day.
I long ago dropped my support of either of our present teams and became an Independent. But in my heart I am a GLIP; a Green, Libertarian, Independent, Progressive.
Perhaps I don’t get to vote in any primaries, but I believe that if we had more teams in the game, representative of our various beliefs and ideals we would have more fair play and honesty in Washington.
We would also be able to vote our conscience.
Captain Lynda Schuh
Sugarloaf