An Open Letter To Democrats In The US House
The party won control because Congress keeps sending the message that what it is doing is unacceptable.
Dear Democratic Party:
So you鈥檝e wrested control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Again. Somewhere between all the celebration and the talking heads who will no doubt analyze the election results to death there lurks the truth and another message that will probably be ignored.
The powers that be will likely set a course of business as usual. They will be sharpening their rhetoric in preparation for another round of shouting down Republicans. Same goes for the Republicans.
Instead of getting ready for battle, Democrats should be working on reasoned and civilized dialogue based on irrefutable facts and not emotion. The American public has long suffered from attempts to beat down the other guy.
That鈥檚 how we got in this condition today. One where our politics are played out in sound bites containing little substantive data but filled with fear tactics and bombastic BS. It has only served to divide us and not unite us.
If Democrats hope to shape the course of the nation, they need to provide leadership. That is sorely lacking in all of our politics today.
But I am but one small voice in the vast wilderness. I too will be ignored as that is the state of our politics. I am but one citizen while the vast array of paid 鈥渆xperts鈥 on Fox and CNN will continue to see a picture based on what they believe to be on a much larger canvas. The truth is down here. It is where people live and work, not the babble the talking heads create.
The reason Democrats won this time is for the same reason the composition of Congress has changed time and time again. It鈥檚 not that people like that brand of politics. It is because they keep sending the message that what Congress is doing is unacceptable.
I don鈥檛 think it is a conscious decision, but we elect a Congress that is different, not because we like the product or brand name so much as we keep hoping that this time they will get it right.
The so-called experts have been telling us how divided we are. Democracy is fragile. We have come close to making it become obsolete in the United States.
If the Democratic Party is looking to carry on with business as before, then they will be providing another of those proverbial nails in the coffin. The tactics and focus needs to change.
Facts. And more facts. Forget where they came from.
Stop shooting the messenger and quit affixing labels to refute arguments. If Democrats want to lead, then lead.
Don鈥檛 dive into the mud. If they do, then we are in for another round of the same old stuff. That isn鈥檛 what the public wants nor is it what we need.
The Democrats have an opportunity to rise up to the challenge of being a party that can offer alternatives. But those alternatives need to be well-reasoned and articulated. Question is not are they capable, but are they willing?
Sincerely,
A frustrated but hopeful citizen
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