Age of Reason

Fighting Democrats Better Fight for the South

So says Texas Democrat and recent TX Supreme Court candidate David Van Os, who is obviously a fighter.

In my recent race for the Texas Supreme Court against a right-wing pro-corporate Republican, I carried some rural Texas counties that John Kerry lost handily. My statewide margin of loss was 400,000 less than Kerry's margin of loss (of Texas). The difference between my campaign and Kerry's was that I directly challenged corporate power in a give 'em hell manner that wasn't crafted on the basis of any damn polls, but from my own passion because I'm mad as hell about the corporate takeover of government and Republican Party totalitarianism, and I said it on the stump just exactly the way I really feel it. Whereas John Kerry is so used to basing his votes and his positions on what pollsters tell him, he doesn't even know what he feels or believes. Rural Texas audiences didn't lynch me; to the contrary they responded with standing ovations. They are HUNGRY for FIGHTING Democrats to return, in a way they haven't seen the Democratic Party act in years. Their mommas and daddies loved "give 'em hell"  Harry Truman, and they were brought up to think of the Democratic Party as the party of the people. But they don't see that any more. Party of the people means you mean what you say and say what you mean, and you don't run away from fights, and you fight for the people. For myself, I am not going to campaign for any Democratic nominees any more who are softies who are afraid to confront corporate power and Republican totalitarianism with passion and toughness.

Yes, the Democratic Party can get the heartland back. Whenever it rediscovers a politics of the heart and throws out all the polling, Democratic participation indexes, computer projections, and targeting and the consultants who peddle it, out the nearest window. That includes throwing out the "battleground" tactics. We damn sure aren't ever going to win in the South if we don't have the guts to fight for the South. Communicating from the heart will reclaim the heartland.

More of this quote at kos and plenty more advocacy from Van Os at his site.

posted by conchis @ 8:53 PM