Those who follow my Twitter Time Line may have seen my discussion with a voter ID proponent and one of his friends that began the evening of August 28th and ended on August 29th.

Here was his reasoning, which are the common talking points why there should be voter ID.

To avoid voter fraud

To ensure the person voting is eligible to vote

All adults need ID to survive in this country so what’s the big deal?

In the course of the discussion he added that:

Only disabled veterans should be allowed to vote via mail.

The Black Panthers are intimidating people at the polls.

Regardless, all voting should be done on one day and people can wait in line.

ID that is necessary will only be required at “registration” not at the polls.

Mitt Romney got zero votes in precincts in Philadelphia.

Requiring voter ID isn’t racist or places an undue burden on anyone, including the poor.

Here’s the deal with voting ID from my perspective:

Voting is not only a right, it’s a responsibility.

Despite what the proponents of voter ID say, there remains zero evidence of people voting who are not permitted to vote.

In fact, an “undocumented” alien faces over a year in Federal Prison if they are caught trying to vote.

Let’s be honest here, would you risk a year in prison to vote in an election where that vote would have little to no impact on the outcome and no benefit to you whatsoever? Its stupid thinking. There is no voter fraud in this country, at least not enough to have any impact on any election. No history of voter fraud could be found despite the efforts of the Republicans to find it since 2000 to justify their efforts to show cause for enacting what are clearly voter suppression laws. It’s a red herring for those who don’t think for themselves and eat up whatever crap they are served.

The fraud in this country is clearly that of vote counting.

Voter ID has no impact on addressing the fraud in counting the votes. The fraud comes from voting machines that keep no paper record of their count, from companies who keep the algorithms for these machines secret even from State officials wanting to check out their accuracy.

Vote counting fraud is real, there is a history of it and with electronic voting machines, and recounts are in most cases no longer available. However, for vote counting fraud to actually impact an outcome, you need to limit the number of people voting. Limit that number by means of voter caging (taking registered voters off the voting polls without notice) and of course, requiring voter ID at the polling booth. They aren’t advocating it just for registration. As Paul Weyrich, GOP strategist and founder of ALEC (who wrote the voter ID laws for all the states implementing them) the Republican do better with fewer people voting. See the clip below. This is their game.

Now this guy also added that everyone needs ID to survive in this country. That actually isn’t true. Those in rural areas, nursing homes, shut-ins, homeless actually do get by without ID or with ID’s that the voter ID laws don’t permit them to use to vote. They are in fact eligible to vote, they just can’t get the ID’s these laws require. They do not permit Student ID, Social Security Cards, Government Assistance ID’s, only certain ID’s that usually cost people money and/or require them to provide information they can’t get without a lot of effort and cost like birth certificates. Married women who had their names changed often can’t meet the challenge to provide proof of birth to get an ID in their current name because their birth certificates are in their maiden names. This has been happening in Pennsylvania, where incidentally the guy I was Tweeting with says he’s from.

Those who have analyze the Pennsylvania voter ID laws have clearly shown with validated data that requiring ID’s would negatively impact 74% of women, minorities, elderly who tend to vote Democratic. It’s no secret that is the reason these laws were passed. If they simply want all eligible voters to present an ID at the polls, provide them to all registered voters free of charge without requiring them to travel or pay anything beyond their capabilities. But that is not what the ID’s are for.

This guy also mentioned the “Black Panthers” intimidating people at the polls. How voter ID would solve that problem he didn’t say. Now we all know that there are about 4 members of the Black Panthers still around. So they must really be moving from polling place to polling place. I pointed out to this guy the “True the Vote” organization that proudly boasts their intent to keep minorities from voting. It’s their mission statement, they have a website. He questioned their existence. See the links below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_the_Vote

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rob-richie/true-the-vote-fudges-numb_b_2785093.html

http://www.politifact.com/personalities/true-vote/

He also believes that voting by mail should be eliminated unless you are a disabled veteran. He first thought that voting by mail was fine until I pointed out to him that voter ID wouldn’t work for those people who vote by mail. It was only then that he modified his view to only disabled veterans should have that capability, everyone else should not only vote at the polls, they should all do it on one day and stay in line.

Anyone who has looked at the situation and used simple logic and common sense know that voter ID aren’t required because there is no voter fraud where people who shouldn’t be voting are voting. That is a fact. There is however plenty of evidence that the Republicans understand that the fewer people who vote, the better they do in the outcomes. They are on tape saying it. They also push for vote counting machines that have been proven to be easily manipulated to misrepresent the tally which is why many jurisdictions are now removing them. They use groups like “True the Vote” to keep minorities away from the polls. They remove ballot machines from heavily democratic districts making those lines longer while placing plenty of them in Republican leaning districts so it presents them no problem. They want to eliminate early voting, vote by mail and require all Americans to vote on a work day knowing there could be long lines to complete a ballot that may take several minutes or more to complete. This is to discourage voting, not encourage it. It is to keep the numbers low so the results can be manipulated to their favor. This is the voting fraud in this country.

As we approach the midterms, it is very important that despite the obstacles the right has put up to keep you from voting, you do so anyway. If you are still allowed to vote by mail or early vote, do it. Of course make sure you are registered and verify that you registration is still good. Use this link below to regularly check your registration.

Florida is only one of several states including Arizona that regularly removes people from the polls based on some obscure procedure and end up not telling people they lost their registration. They only find out when they go to the polls. So check regularly.

Voter Caging Information:

http://projectvote.org/voter-caging.html

Check your voter registration:

http://www.canivote.org/

How to register to vote:

http://registertovote.org/index.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=voter%2Bregistration&utm_content=Register&utm_campaign=Arizona%2B-%2BIP

Finally, even if you have to vote in person on voting day, don’t let the lines keep you from the polls. Show up and demand your right to vote. Don’t let “True the Vote” brown shirts intimidate you. If you can, take a day off from work and expect to be there a while. Use the Courts to demand that sufficient voting machines are provided in your precinct so you and others can vote. Don’t just roll your eyes and do nothing, get active and get active now to prepare for 2014. Low voter turnout will only bring more right wing nut jobs in office to make your life more miserable so they can make the rich even richer with no responsibility for American individual needs. Higher voter turnout often results in Progressive wins. Although Nate Silver says it is currently impossible for the Democrats to take back the House, he’s basing this on average voter turnout for midterms and gerrymandered districts. However, if voter turnout is at record highs, and you engage Republicans and Independents in your district to think about how this current House is making their lives more unstable for political and 1% gains, maybe they’ll vote the Republicans out. Many are bigoted, racist, misogynist and homophobic, but not all of them. Reach them; convince them that to vote Republican is to vote to continue Bigoted, Racist, Misogynistic and Homophobic policies. The vast majority of the nation is opposed to that, sadly the vast majority of the nation won’t vote during midterms. This is what we need to change.

Too many brave activists literally gave up their lives so everyone could exercise their right to vote, don’t let the GOP and their ignorant followers dishonor their legacy.

Get active and get out the vote.

I really can’t add too much of note or inspiration to what was said 50 years ago today by Martin Luther King and today by our President. Take the time to play and listen to both speeches with open minds and hearts and draw your own conclusions. Consider what has happened in this nation during these past 50 years.

However I will add that the journey still continues; we must keep moving, we have a long way to go to honor by our actions the words and actions of these two extraordinary men. We must continue to march.

On August 28, 2013 President Obama will give a speech to commemorate the “I’ve Have a Dream” speech and many are speculating on what he will say and how he will say it. Here’s what the President has to contend with from 50 years ago:

This speech is a tough act to follow, even after 50 years. The president by the mere fact that he is the President is the best follow-up to what has been described as one of the greatest civil rights speeches in history. But many have forgotten all of what Martin Luther King had to say on that day. That’s why I posted the link above. Please hear the entire speech. He had so much more to say than that he had a dream that people would judge others by the content of their character and not the color of their skin (while I’m on the subject, I did not vote for Obama because of the color of his skin, there have been many black candidates who ran for President before him, I voted for him because of his message, because of the “content of his character”). The focus of this speech was to rally all Americans to fight for the rights of all Americans.

The March on Washington was for Jobs and Freedom. Many of those who spoke before Martin Luther King focused on the extremely liberal view that all Americans regardless of race, ethnicity, or creed deserved jobs. It was more than just being able to “buy a hamburger but to be able to pay for that hamburger” as MLK once remarked.

King mentioned that “1963 wasn’t the end of the struggle but the beginning.” This was before the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act were passed by Congress. King also made mention on that day that along with the “Negros” in the crowd, were Whites. He remarked that those whites knew their needs were intertwined with the needs of the Blacks. This wasn’t for just the “Negros”, this was for all Americans of all categories. All deserved equal rights, equal treatment and dignity.

Most importantly in his remarks was the fact that all those who struggled for those rights must do so nonviolently and there shouldn’t be hatred for all whites because many whites were there too demanding the same rights. He remarked that those who struggled shouldn’t “degenerate to physical violence” and should be “meeting physical force with soul force.” It was a call for a disciplined and honorable fight to bring rights to all Americans regardless of the anger, hatred and violence those who oppose them may present.

50 years later, an angry mob represented by those who call themselves the Tea Party have fought to take rights away from Americans. Funded by the money interests who demand more freedom for themselves and less for the average Americans have been the loud voice that permitted State Houses, Congress and the Supreme Court to take away voting rights and civil rights that many have shed their blood for in the 1960’s. They are using the anger, violence and threats that Martin Luther King cautioned the civil rights “Freedom Riders” to not use.

So what should President Obama say on Wednesday?

He should follow up with what King called for in 1963, he should rally all Americans to recognize the plight of all Americans and fight for the rights of all Americans.

He needs to renew the struggle to return the protections of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act that do apply to all Americans regardless of the political affiliation. He should demand that we refrain from the intellectually shallow and hurtful anger utilized by the Tea Party Activists and learn the facts of the world around us. Then have open conversations with others and then follow up by utilizing our civic duty to vote for the candidate that best represents and will provide not only what we want, but what we need.

He should renew the call to action that King started in 1963 because it’s not over. 50 years later we see that this struggle may never be over. There will always be those of selfish intent and inhumane reasoning who will coerce and con the intellectually lazy to do their bidding and destroy the fabric and promise of this nation.

We are the People of the United States of America. We are the Government, We are not Corporations. We are flesh and blood Americans who need to look out for ourselves by looking out for others, whether we like them or not. The only way we can effectively do that is to be political aware, politically active and vote in all elections. Otherwise we are merely spectators to the demise of our rights and privileges as taken away from us by the rich and powerful.

President Obama, tell us to be responsible American Citizens looking out for one another, nothing more nothing less.

Oh, and maybe remind Americans of Martin Luther King’s warning to all on August 28, 1963 that “Those who hoped that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.”

The Koch sponsored Tea Party are trying to bring us back to business as usual. Lets stop that now.

After 2008, the Republican Party noticed a small but growing painful lump in the in their body politics. Several theories were proffered regarding where it came from. Some suspected a long time unhealthy diet of Oligarchy. Others thought it came from environmental issues of racism, misogyny and homophobia. Regardless the lump was growing and was becoming more painful to withstand. Tea Partyitus fed from the money supply the body politics enjoyed from corporate donors like the Koch brothers. Keep in mind that the money that was infused by the Koch’s was tainted with Libertarian and John Birch Society viruses that weren’t properly screened out. This is what most likely caused the lump to grow.

In 2009 the lump grew into a malignant mass. It began to consume the body politics. As it grew, it sapped the nutrients needed by the healthy part of the body politics, causing them to die off and being consumed by the malignancy. By 2010 the Republican Party body politics began to openly show itself to be diseased and deformed. The mental state was soon infected. The party would ramble in incoherent delusional rants lacking any grounding in reality. The mass had gone to the brain of the body politics. The party knew something was wrong. After suffering loss of strength in 2012, they sought out help from experts. They accepted that they weren’t well and perhaps a change in lifestyle was in order. The party considered allowing a more complete diet of viewpoints and tolerance in that would help bring back their strength. Sadly as the mind continued to wither from Tea Partyitus, the party continued to only ingest the nutrients they already knew were bad for them; anger, bigotry, racism, misogyny, homophobia, intolerance. All of this only caused the cancer to grow even more, consuming what little good was left in the body politics to the point of where we are today.

The Republican Party has been a part of the American Family since just before the 1860’s. It was a valued member of the Family, assisting in our growth as a powerful nation, culture, and economic power. It hasn’t been too well since after the 1930’s, but would rally from time to time and helped the nation. However, today it is stricken and may die unless drastic measures are taken.

If the party wants to survive for another generation, it must make a radical cosmetic change to it’s deformed body politics. It must undergo a complete Assectomy by 2014. It must cut out all of the malignancy. To ensure it’s all gone, it may have to remove what few clean cells exist around the malignancy. This can be done by removing all GOP politicians in all elected offices. By doing so, the nutrients the Tea Party Malignancy has been sustaining itself on will be cut and what’s left of the tumor will wither and die. Hopefully more healthy cells will begin to take hold again. This could result in the nation beginning to mend it’s wounds and move forward. The thing is, the Republicans must make this choice themselves and act upon it without delay, otherwise they will die like their ancestors, the Whigs.

This is one disease where it’s best to give money and support to others to build their strength and avoid being infected themselves.  The Tea Party is a malignant cancer of intellectually lazy, angry bigots that destroy everything it comes in contact with. Like all cancers, you can’t begin to heal until it’s completely removed.

For a stronger, healthier nation, we all must register and vote in all elections, local and national in 2014. The country’s health depends on it.

I’ve been on Twitter for around three years and have had this blog for just over a year. I’ve tweeted and even posted some thoughts regarding Twitter, dealing with Trolls and Cyber Bullying. Recently I’ve decided to focus my blog on politics and most importantly getting people motivated to get themselves and others registered to and out to vote during this upcoming midterm cycle. This blog post will hopefully be the last exception to my self-imposed rule, at least until I change the rules again. The nice thing about having your own blog, you can make up your own rules.

Now my Twitter account is focused on politics, though I do tend to throw in random thoughts regarding a host of other issues, personal views, personal tragedies, links to comedy bits and music, and my own sense of dry humor and snark. Over the past few years I’ve gone through a whole host of experiences and emotions regarding Twitter. I’ve made some great friends, I’ve made some enemies and I’ve been betrayed by some. The thing is, that’s life. It’s finally dawned on me what they mean by “Social Media.” Twitter is life in multiple 140 character posts. The only difference from Twitter and traditional living is you can have some degree of anonymity to say things that you may not want revealed to people you associate and work with. It’s an opportunity to live outside yourself and hopefully not be held to account for your views, thoughts, etc from those who can make your real life very miserable.

Sadly, events of the past several months have also shown me that this ability is easier said than done. None-the-less, if you chose as I have to remain on Twitter, you have to accept that regardless of what you do to protect your anonymity; you will be found out so you may want to be careful about what you say. If you don’t want to be so careful, you have to accept the consequences that could come from posting your views or involving yourself with others on Twitter.

Depending on whom you are, what your interests are and what you are willing to express about yourself, you have a multitude of Twitter accounts to follow. Twitter is made up of those who simply Tweet about themselves and their personal lives and happenings. These are the nicest, least threatening folks around in this medium. Then you have those who use Twitter to set up business interests over business issues. Attorneys hooking up with other legal professionals. Engineers hooking up with other Engineers. Actors and Actresses hooking up with others. And there are those who Tweet along the lines of the, let us say “Adult” interests. You get the point.

As for myself and the majority of those who follow me and I follow back, my interest over time has focused on politics, namely Progressive Politics and how it relates to Conservative Politics. Now of course there are those who see themselves as “Conservatives” and their focus on Twitter is the counterpart to mine. Now regardless of your Twitter focus, there are some out there who have, or will have, or may continuously have the penchant to get very personal about their views and air their personal problems with others on Twitter for all to read on their Timelines. There really isn’t any rule against that, there appears to be very few rules in the TOS of Twitter outside of making physical threats or spamming.

Some have no problems reading these tweets. Some take sides and join in. That’s all well and good. However, if you don’t want to get involved in that sort of thing, the best way to avoid being drawn into it is to simply not get involved. You may feel anger at how one of your friends is treated, harassed, d0xed, etc on Twitter and you feel a natural urge to respond in defense. There is nothing wrong with that. The problem is, if it continues, if your entire TimeLine is focused on a turf war regarding personal views and slights of others, you detract from whatever main agenda you want to participate in on Twitter.

Nice thing about Twitter is you have the ability to follow or unfollow whoever you want. You can block whoever you want, you can read the Timelines of anyone you want (provided you’re not blocked) and simply just not get involved. You can also show moral support for whoever you want either in the open or in DM’s.

I tried to play peace keeper in a Twitter battle some months back and it came back on me and soured my whole perspective of Twitter. It dragged me away from writing about my interests and for a short while, made me the focus of attack from people I knew and thought I could trust as well as people I had no idea existed, nor did they know me. I also found friends I thought I never had showing me support. After going through this for a few weeks I decided to simply not tweet anything regarding this still ongoing Twitter feud.  It still goes on; I still follow the Timelines of those who haven’t since blocked me. I do so because many still tweet messages of a progressive nature that I see as important and I will retweet them on my Timeline to get them out to my followers. I have retweeted progressive messages from people on opposite sides of the feud. I’m more concern about getting the progressive message out rather than perpetuate a feud. I’m not going to counsel anyone on how to or what to tweet, especially if the matter is of personal interest to them. That’s not mine or anyone else’s call.

I will still defend those I feel need defending. Not from others in Twitter but from those who use the tweets of those people against them. I’m of course speaking about what happened to @DeniseRomano, otherwise known as Vox and @PrisonForBush. Their tweets were used against them by the Texas Department of Public Safety in an investigation. I saw that as uncalled for. Many joined in to defend them. What I found interesting and inspiring was that among those who spoke in a single voice defending Denise, were those who have been battling each other on Twitter these past several months. Both sides of this feud agreed that Denise was to be defended and protected. It gave me hope that maybe, just maybe things would ease between the two sides. To some degree it has, but it still continues.

As with real life, you can involve yourself with any group, person, ideology, subject matter you want on Twitter. You can be as involved as you want or be as much of a spectator as you want. Only thing to remember, if you’re out there, expect to be drawn in and decide how much you want to get involved. Also, your privacy is in no way secured from anyone. That idiot 18 year old kid in California who ran down and killed a 54 year old woman cyclist in California knows this now. California used his tweets to show just how much he liked to speed on the road and are using his Tweets to increase the charges against him. In this particular case, I say “GOOD”.

Controversy does gain you more followers and notoriety. For those who want that, be as controversial as you want. Those like me just want to get the word out that I think we all need to be involved in the political process before its too late. I don’t have the high number of followers on Twitter or readers of this blog as others, but at least I can tell myself I’m giving it a try and I have nothing to apologize for.

I have followers/friends on Twitter for whom I’m grateful for. I have other followers who just monitor what I tweet for whatever reason possesses them. Three years on Twitter has taught me not to get personal with others for personal reasons. If they insult or attack me, I’ll just ignore and block. If I have nothing nice or constructive to say about them on a personal basis, I won’t tweet anything at all. My focus on Twitter is politics and how people’s political views and agendas impact others. For that, I will comment on and get as snarky as I damn well please. Politicians are fair game since that is what they sign-up for by getting into politics.

Private Citizens don’t deserve to be attacked by me and I won’t do that anymore in the Twitterverse or this blog. It’s simply not worth it in my opinion. But that’s just my opinion.

Now back to Politics. Thank you for reading.

Some of you may notice that recently several of the blog posts on this site have been removed. Without going into too much detail, I was asked respectfully to remove them and I decided to oblige. Those of you who have followed me on Twitter and this blog most likely know what I am talking about.

This blog is an amateur endeavor of mine with the purpose of doing what little I can to spread a progressive message about the state of politics in this country and hopefully convince at least a few people who take the time to read to get more active in taking this country back, getting like-minded progressives energized and motivated to get themselves and others registered and geared up to vote out those who are obstructing this nation’s progress. I don’t want to be part of any further squabbles by some who have appeared to lost sight of this goal. There is too much to do and too little time to get it done before the midterms.

My readership is small, others do a far better job of getting the word out to others; however, any distraction from what I feel is important serves no good purpose in my humble opinion. I’ve placed the events that began several months behind me and don’t want to be part of what remains of it. If that upsets any of you who know what I am referring to, I’m sorry.

All I ask is that all of us who agree that we need to get the nation educated as to what the right-wing fringe is doing to individual Americans, their hopes and welfare, and agree that the only solution is getting people more involved in the political discourse to correct the matter, focus on just that. Let us all please move forward and put the needs of this nation above any personal slights, insults or attacks. I know it is difficult for many, but holding on to the pain serves no one in the long run.

We don’t have to agree with everyone or every method of getting the message and views out to the nation, we just need to get the message out.

Thank you all for your time and understanding.

Peace

As we approach the next round of mid-term elections, we see a repeat of the 2009 through 2010 cycle where a small but angry, loud and often not so bright group of “conservatives” calling themselves the Tea Party are disrupting Congressional Town Hall events to speak out. As with last the last time, they are using bumper sticker phrases provided to them, heaven forbid they actually tried to think the issues out for themselves.

Last time the message was to get Congress to vote against the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that they phrased “ObamaCare.” Their actions failed, ACA passed, but the coverage of the events soured the majority of moderate and liberal voters so when primaries and midterms came, even fewer than usual showed up to vote. As a result the extreme right wing took the House as well as many State Houses and Governorships around the Country. They were successful in taking over just as redistricting was about to take place, so they were able to gerrymandered Congressional and State Districts to make holding on to their power much easier. Just to be sure, they also started imposing voter suppression measures to make sure those not so inclined to agree with their fringe views would either have a difficult time voting, or won’t be able to vote at all.

ObamaCare passed but those who sponsored the Tea Party Movement got what they actually wanted, fringed right-wing pseudo conservative control of government that would favor the financial backers of the movement. It’s already been written about and confirmed that Charles and David Koch, as well as other extremely wealthy “Libertarians” and Ayn Rand following narcissists are the money and organizational support of the Astroturf movement known as the Tea Party. David Koch tried to run for office once himself as a Libertarian Vice President in 1980 and failed miserably. But why run for office if you can create an atmosphere of angry mobs spewing hatred of the poor, minorities, “takers” who are the real problem in this nation? Like many despots in the past, play to the worst in people to get them so angry they will do whatever you say to make them feel better. Because these people are so angry, they don’t stop to realize that what they actually advocate hurts them just as bad if not worse than those they are angry at. It has worked for centuries and is working again. Because they are so loud, angry and often violent; more tolerant, moderate and peaceful voices remain silent. The moderates and liberals also tend to just drop out of the system out of frustration and disgust.

The Koch Brothers and their paid “Think Tanks” like the Heritage Foundation and their political wing known as the American Legislative Exchange Council  (ALEC) have done a thorough job over the past 30 years, but even more so in the past 10 to essentially take over State and Federal Government, despite the majority views of the citizens of this nation. The Koch’s do this for themselves, not for the country and since they have the money, and get more money every day to fund their manipulation of the system, it has worked out very well for them. They push to keep the worst in office not to necessarily take over, but to obstruct those who are actually trying to help the people of this country have better lives. This serves to keep those people even angrier at a Government that doesn’t work. It doesn’t work because the Koch’s and their cohorts have been successful in getting people in office for the sole purpose of stopping government.

So here we are again in the lead up to the next cycle of midterms. The angry Tea Party faction aren’t really talking about ObamaCare per se, they want a new tactic that is this time directed at the Republican representatives, they want a Government shut down as a means to end ObamaCare. Now reasonable and intelligent people know that such a shutdown will not stop ObamaCare, but it will make Government even more non-functional and inept. This gives the money interests more ammunition to say that Government is a failure so it should be abolished. Those who think logically realize the problem with that statement. If government is so inept nothing can get done and people suffer, how does having no or little government at all help? The Koch brothers and their cohorts are hoping for the one thing that has never worked in the history of the world, a Libertarian style Government. They want a government where businesses rule completely, Oligarchy and Fascism on steroids. The voices of the workers/citizens be damned, only those with the money and power have a say and the rest of us are merely slave labor to keep those with the money even richer and more comfortable with increasing wage disparity and increasing poverty and suffering of the masses. Never in the history of this planet has such a form of government worked. It isn’t sustainable and would lead to more business government control of a growing disgruntled group of workers and citizens not happy being placed in serfdom to serve the uber wealthy. It would actually create the tyrannical government they say they want to abolish.

Polling is clear that the majority of this nation wants healthcare. Though they don’t like the term ObamaCare, when asked about each specific component of the Affordable Care Act, each one has majority support. Polling is also clear that a majority of the nation supports federal jobs programs, banking regulations, unemployment assistance, food stamps, infrastructure repair, educational support, and cooperation and compromise among the two political parties. Everything those who claim to speak for the Republican Party say their “base” the angry, misogynist, bigoted, racist, intellectually lazy and mostly white folks are against. The Tea Party is a minority voice in the Republican Party when it comes to total percentile of registered members, but they’re the only voices being heard. With the Koch brothers’ money and infrastructure, this loud angry voice shuts out the moderate and liberal politicians and voters in the GOP. For fear of being primaried by even more idiotic right-wing nut jobs, those who would be more inclined to vote for the people of the country and not the money interests are forced to go further right themselves. Others leave the party all together. Many retired Republican politicians, free of the mess their party is in speak out against what has happened. Many have simply left the party and gone independent. Problem is they still tend to vote for anyone with an R after their name, if they vote at all.

The angrier you are, the more easily manipulated you become by others who give you something to be angry at. Thoughtful intelligence and reason are often a defense against giving in to your anger and avoiding being manipulated by others. Sadly it also leaves you less inclined to take a strong stand to fix the situation. We all need to reach out to those who remain in the Republican Party who are disgusted with what has happened to their party and help them to take it away from the Libertarian Koch brothers and other money interests. We need to convince the moderates and liberals who remain to be heard over the loud angry voices of the Tea Party Faction and call them out for what they are. Yes, this will result in politicians being primaried, it will result in individual voters being insulted and despised by the angry mobs who are the Tea Party, but many respect those who do stand up against Tyranny. The Tea Party are the pawns of the Koch brothers plain and simple, and they need to be reminded of that. They need to explain to us how fighting for the things their leaders tell them to fight for helps them individually and the nation as a whole. It’s not easy, but we need to reason with them to latch on to what little intelligence they may have left and lead them away from the Dark Side of current day Republican politics.

We need to go further, we need to also make sure that everyone votes, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents and whatever other parties there may be out there. The more people who vote, the more of the will of the people is heard and takes hold, not the minority corrupted views of the money interests who control and manipulate the Tea Party and uses them to do their will. We need to also demonstrate we respect and encourage debate, cooperation and compromise. Finally, we need to stop fighting among ourselves.

I’m seeing on this side of the political divide the same tactics being used on the extreme side of the right wing. Self appointed keepers of what is or isn’t liberal, progressive and/or democratic calling people out for not abiding by their litmus test. It would be nice if as the founders intended, we didn’t have political parties, only political views. Most Americans of all political factions and the independents actually agree on most core issues for the people of this country. Focus on those issues, not whether they’re your political clone and willing to kiss your ass on every subject. Encourage debate on this side of the aisle and see if it spreads to the other.

Debate our views with the views of the other side and maybe come up with compromises that will make this country stronger and better for all. The Republicans of old once did this on a regular basis. This is how we became an economic and military power as well as the most envied country in the world, all factions working together for what was best for the nation. It’s only when the Republicans decided that no voice would be heard but their own and that cooperation and compromise were bad words and a bad concept and  then this nation started to fall apart. Now the Democrats are hinting at doing the same. This is no better. As many have said, no one person or side has all the right answers.

The current state of political discourse was several years and millions (possibly billions) of dollars in the making. Changing it will also take time and requires a plan.

First step is to encourage the Moderate and Liberal members who still remain in the Republican Party to stand up and make it clear they want moderate and liberal voices to be heard in the party or they will vote for someone from the other party.

Make sure that they follow through and vote, not sit any elections out.

We then need to work together to fight back all efforts to suppress the votes.

We need to join with those on the other side who’ve been afraid to speak out and tell them that we have their backs.

Just because they may now or were once registered as Republican doesn’t make them the enemy for life. That is the kind of litmus test many on the left want to implement. This is counterproductive and that is quite simply asinine. You have to question the reason of anyone who tells others not to listen to or acknowledge anyone they think once belonged to a party they don’t like. Listen instead to what people have to say, what their priorities are and begin the discussion.

Again, as many have said, we all have much more in common than what we disagree with on. Those who want to isolate completely others only tend to divide a movement and weaken it.

The more tolerant, more receptive, more inclusive we become, the stronger our overall movement becomes and then the power of the money interests fails because; though they may have the money, we will have the votes.

However, if we wait too long to start this change, we may no longer have the ability to vote anymore.

Bring all people back from the Dark Side to the good side of American Society where we all look after each other’s backs, even if we don’t particularly like them because if we do,  they might just do the same for us.