OPEN LETTER to my fellow Arizona Progressives and Liberals

Originally Published in March--Worth Repeating Again

What are you doing getting ready to throw another Democrat under the bus, found a Democrat not pure enough?   Can we afford the luxury tossing away a Congressional seat so we can demonstrate the power we exercise in the Democrat party?  Do you really think acting like the obstructionist Tea Party members of the GOP is the way to go?

Let's stop taking Congressman Barber to the woodshed every time we don't agree with him 100%.  The most powerful way to build or tear something apart is word of mouth.  You like something, tell your neighbors, your recommendation has meaning.  

When you are unhappy, even just a little bit and you go around with stinging questions and making qualified statements of support, your words will be ringing bells long after you come back into the fold.  Careful all of a sudden what you have is better than the alternative, how do you undo the damage?   Can you put your words back in the bottle?

I hear some of my friends words and they hurt deep down just as much as GOP rocker Ted Nugent calling our President Obama a "subhuman mongrel".  Words can hurt and to the casual non political observer stick in their mind.   Coming from you, your words have more meaning after all you are the main stay of the Democratic party to your friends and family.  You are sowing seeds creating destroying results that you never intended.

Talk is cheap, but to put something behind it, you need to walk the walk too. Take the Republican National Committee and their big talk about diversity, inclusion, reasonable and mainstream forms of gun regulation, sensible immigration reform. What spin, what nonsense.  Republicans have learned talk a good line, sell a bill of goods after all snake oil salesmen got away with it, why not them?

I am worried that we are failing ourselves and have become a Presidential year party.  Every four years we wake up with the political itch, fight a good fight maybe even make a few worthy gains then go into hiding not to wake up for another four years.  Our voters only see the importance of voting in Presidential years, too often they ignore the bottom of the ballot and concede many elections.  Know what, it is not enough just to win the top of the ticket.

All we have to do to see the errors in that is follow the Koch brothers around the country as they buy one election after another.  We might win the Presidential election, but who is enacting the laws, who is winning one legislative battle after another?  Don't just look at Congress, the action is taking place in state legislatures, city halls, school boards all across the country.  

The Kochs are spreading their money around in places giving them the most results for their dollars.  Look at another Congressional race in Arizona.  The talk is $963,000 against Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick in District 1.  Step back a minute, almost one million dollars in one Congressional race and the primary for the Republican nomination is months off.  That's planting a lot of crops before the neighbors even started plowing.

While lots of big money flows into Presidential campaigns, the Koch brothers are counting on making money talk in local and district races all around the country.  Governorships, Legislatures, County Commissions that's where Presidents come from.  Building up their triple AAA farm clubs, the Koch's are going to own the President's office when the likes of Governor Scott Walker move to the White House.

Progressives the question, who are we warming up in the bull pen?  You can't do it with the once every four year attitude and appearance.  

Face it the big political money is looking at the nettlesome regulations, control over state legislatures, having favors from county supervisors that are the targets of their money. Progressives we are letting them win by neglect and our involvement with pet causes losing sight of the real control and power.

Progressives we need political minor leagues, training ground for fresh new candidates, we need more action in the bull pens.  Let's work on preparations of candidates holding solid progressive values and build up for future elections.  Go a bit slower, build up more and tear down less.