Put Democracy First

The most profoundly revolutionary statement made in English, the one that changed the human world, is "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. . . ."

But today's Republican leadership is more interested in staying in power than in serving democracy. They back a racist President who is a malignant narcissist or a racist crook or both. What they care about is political control. But what about the Democrats?

Trump has already committed a dozen offenses in public that warrant impeachment. These offenses may not constitute prosecutable crimes. If they are crimes, no one is going to charge Trump, anyway. He has to be impeached, a political act.

The unheroic Democratic leadership has calculated, perhaps incorrectly, that their election chances will be best served by not making impeachment an issue. Nancy Pelosi seems to be trying to figure out the best way to win, not the right thing to do. For example, single payer health care is the right thing to do, and she knows it. But some Democratic leaders are claiming that a position in between single payer and no health care might be more popular. 

Some whisper, "Let's find a candidate for President who will appeal to old white male voters. That's the ticket." Never mind which candidates are best on the issues. Or "Let's nominate someone who looks like an elongated Robert Kennedy."

If  Democrats like AOC push for the right things, not the most half-assed things, they might win big. Defeating President Spanky is vital, of course. We aren't certain which is the best way to do that. We might as well do the right thing.