The Democratic Party on

The Yellow Brick Road

 by Attila Gyenis

The Democratic Party Leadership needs to go see the Wizard of Oz. No, not see the movie. They need to find the actual Wizard of Oz. It is clear to many that the Democratic Party doesn’t have a heart, or a brain, or any courage at all. There is a terrible tornado that has been wrecking the country for the past seven years, and all the Democratic Party wants to do is follow in the steps of the Wicked Witch of the East and pretend that there isn’t anything dreadfully wrong. Not even Dorothy would do such a thing.

The Democratic Party could certainly use a heart. They must have misplaced their heart somewhere along the way (as many political parties eventually do) because they aren't asking questions about the unjust war in Iraq (or the wire tapping or the signing statements), and impeachment if off the table.. They have no intention of stopping the deaths of soldiers and innocent civilians in the illegal (and immoral) Iraqi War for oil. Or torture for that matter. Instead, they talk about leaving Iraq with honor. Where have we heard that before? (hint- Nixon during the Vietnam War)

The Democratic Party would certainly improve the tin delivery of their ‘policy’ statements, and maybe they would even start believing in the issues they was talking about, if they only had a heart. I would recommend that they ask Mr. Dennis Kucinich where to look. It would be great to have a candidate with Mr. Kucinich’s heart who understands that you cannot have peace without justice. We need a candidate whose vision of the world is based on fairness, honesty, and compassion. We don’t need another candidate who only supports issues if it is politically expedient to do so.

Which leads us to why the Democratic Party should obviously be looking for a brain (even though I thought that beating Bush was going to be a no-brainer). They think that going along with every Bush policy is a smart thing. Sorry to inform them, but copying the answers from the dumbest person in the class isn’t exactly the brightest thing to do. Hopefully the next test they take will be multiple-choice so they could at least guess at some of the answers.

The Democratic Party Leadership has difficulty acknowledging that voting to give Mr. Bush authority to go to war was a mistake on their part (let's not even talk about their failure to support impeachment). They cannot concede that they were wrong on the alleged WMD threat posed by Mr. Saddam. They haven't questioned the legality of the Guantanamo Bay prisoners (I mean enemy combatants). And of course, they were supporters of the WTO and NAFTA (like all good republicans). They seem to think that ‘anybody is better than Bush’ should be enough of a presidential platform to run on.

They waffle on most issues because they haven't made up their mind (oh wait, that is why they are looking for one). So I would suggest that they ask Mr. Ralph Nader where to go to find a brain. We could use a thoughtful candidate that takes the lead in determining what issues are important instead of waiting for the latest poll to say what was important. We need a candidate with Mr. Nader’s mind who approaches social and economic problems in a thoughtful and dedicated manner; who works at resolving issues in a manner that benefits the public at large; and who would work relentlessly to protect the public trust first and foremost. Someone who would work to protect clean air and water, end war profiteering, and provide health care for all. We could sure use a party who thinks and acts with their brain instead of the dollar bills that are waved in their direction.

This leads us to the last thing that the Democratic Party must be looking for-- courage. If they only had a little courage. It would go a long way. They could fight the Wicked Witch of the East and maybe use the 'i' word. And they wouldn’t be afraid of little monkeys yapping at them. You remember those little flying monkeys. Some of the little monkeys are saying, ‘if you don’t support the war in Iraq, you are supporting terrorism.’ or ‘remember 9/11’ if you question anything the Wicked Witch of the East is doing.

If the Democratic Party only had a little courage they would pick up the bucket of water and melt away the Wicked Witch of the East.

But they don't. I can't explain why. It does take a heart, a brain, and courage to determine principles, and to have the conviction to stand up for them. It may take a little more than a clock, a diploma, and a medal. But not much more. Maybe all they have to do is click their heels together and ask. But even that may be too much to ask from the Democratic Party leadership.

There isn’t a yellow brick road that leads to Oz. But there is a path that leads to a more just and fair society. It is not paved with preemptive strikes, or lying about the reasons you go to war, or failing to take responsibility for your actions.

The path to a fairer and more just society requires that we act with our heart, and our mind, and have the courage to follow through on our principles. This is real life, with real consequences. I don’t know what road America will take the next presidential, but I certainly worry that the Democratic Party might be on the same path as the wicked witch.

We're asking the Democratic Party Leadership, please wake up. We are not in Kansas anymore.

(c) 2007 Attila Gyenis

I encourage the democratic party to give us a reason to vote for them.

www.NotOneMore.US - Take the Pledge for Peace

www.NotOneMore.US/staythecourse.htm - How Bush makes decisions (attempt at humor)

 Other Links - They were written for the 2004 election but surprisingly are still relevant.