Real Time With Bill Maher: Center-Left Democrats vs. Occupy Wall Street

Source:Real Time With Bill Maher. Perhaps you know who the guy in the photo is yourself.

Source:The Daily Press

Bill Maher has this idea that since there's a Democrat in the White House, that President Obama should govern like Dennis Kucinich. What he doesn't seem to understand, is that President Obama and Representative Kucinich come from two different factions of the party. Barack Obama comes from the adult realist faction of the party. Progressives and Liberals that see the world for what it is and try to make it the best that they can, with what's available to do so.

Dennis Kucinich comes from the dreamer utopian faction of the party, Socialist Hippies from the 1960s, and early 70s and today that haven't grown up. And see the World that they want to create apparently not realizing what's possible, but believe everything that they want is possible. And its possible now to turn America into Europe to create their Socialist Utopia. And you got these two competing factions, the adults with the power in the party that see the world for what it is and try to make it the best that they can, against the Hippies that want to see the world that they want now.

And if you support any policy thats different from what the Hippies want, you're some type of corporate sellout to the Republican Party or something. President Obama is like a father with his only real life family, as well as his kids in the Democratic Party. That help him run the party, plus with millions of adopted children that complain about not being able to have cake for dinner. And throw temper tantrums when they can't have cake for dinner or have to eat salad with their meat. And tell their parents they hate them when they can't stay up all night on a school night.

The Socialist Hippies (the Democratic children) in the party that doesn't have a great grasp on reality, that want everything now and doesn't understand what Hubert Humphrey called the "Art of the Possible". So the state of the Democratic Party right now a political party that I'm proud to be a member of is basically two parties and I believe within ten years could become officially two political parties. Which I believe would be good for both American liberalism and progressivism, as well as socialism giving each political movement their own voice.

You have the Liberal Democrats led by the President and the Congressional Democratic Leadership and the DNC. And then you have the Hippie Socialists again from the 1960s and early 70s. And want to bring that movement about today and create their own Socialist Utopia a perfect world. Where there's no wealthy or poor people, no violence, no war, give peace a chance. Everybody is equal, sounds like a decent Hollywood film or Hollywood fantasy. No bigotry, but the only problem that they have, is that they don't have a damn clue how to bring those things about. They tell the Leadership "this is what we want now go out there and accomplish that". Without having any idea of how to bring that about.

Hippy Democrats are like a head coach who wants to have the best team in the league. But doesn't know what type of system he wants on offense and defense, or what type of players he wants. Or how to write a game plan or run a practice, that these things are just details, right. Sounds more like a great fan than a successful head coach. And then leave it up to the Liberal Democrats the adults in the room to get the job done.

And when the Hippies accomplish some of those goals that the whole party supports, what's the thanks for the Democratic Leadership, they get called sellouts by their kids the Hippies. Who weren't even invited to the party because they probably would've thrown food or gotten into a fight. It's like giving your kid a corvette as their graduation present. But then getting called as asshole because you didn't give your son a Porsche. Thats why the Liberal Democrats run the Democratic Party because they are the adults in the room.

Politico Magazine: Will Marshall: How to Save The Democratic Party From Itself

Source:The New Democrat

Will Marshall seems to be arguing that since the Republican Party now operates the anti-government Tea Party Right, to go along with the Christian-Right when it comes to social issues, that the Democratic Party should operate the middle. That it would be dangerous for the Democratic Party to operate the pro-big government Left, because most of the country is not there on the Left or with the Tea Party on the Right. I agree with Marshall that most of the country is not that far Left or Right.

Americans tend to be between the 40s, to use a football field analogy. They don't tend to be on the 20's the two wings of the American political spectrum. But there's a difference between center-left and dead-center where you don't have any real political core. And everything is about negotiation and give and take because you don't have any real political core. Any real ideas and values that you truly believe in other than the basics of the Constitution.

The fifty yard line would be the dead-center. It's called dead-center for a reason because not any Americans are so moderate without any real political core. They tend to be somewhere between liberal and conservative. With the wings occupying the fringes of both parties. the center-left would be one of the forty yard lines. Liberals and Progressives, mainstream pragmatic leftists who have their own policies and views, but can and will work with pragmatists on the Right when they don't have all of the power and have to work with the other side in order to govern.

The Democratic Party doesn't and shouldn't be the dead-center moderate party with no clear convictions and nothing they'll fight for and stand for party. And tell voters, "vote for me because I'll do what I believe is best and work with the other side to govern". No, it doesn't work like that in American politics. Americans like to know who they are voting for and what that person is about and where they are on the issues before they decide to hire that person or not. And that is not just the wings, but mainstream Liberals and Conservatives who are between the 40s politically.

The Democratic Party doesn't need to be the dead-center party, nor should it. But be what it has traditionally been at least the last fifty years or so. Which is the center-left party in America that is about growth, opportunity for all that comes with both freedom and responsibility. The party that champions personal freedom and civil liberties. And economic opportunity and freedom for all, so how you do in life is not about who you were born to and how wealthy your parents are. But how you did in school and with the quality opportunities you were given there. And how productive and successful you are as an adult.

The Democratic Party should be the Liberal Party. Not a a social democratic or socialist party or the Green Party. But a center-left liberal party that is about both personal and economic freedom, but personal and economic freedom for everyone and not just people born to wealth. Not a pro-big government, or an anti-government party, but a party that is about the individual and using government to help people who need it get the tools that they need to live in freedom. And then allowing for everyone to live in freedom and manage their own personal and economic affairs. Not using government to try to run their lives for them from an economic or personal perspective.