Shakespeare’s Sister has a good post up on how the Democrats are abandoning their base:

Why the hell are we sticking with the Dems?

I don’t know about you, but I invested time, energy, and money into the Democratic Party during the last election, and I’m not getting much of a return on my investment. In fact, lately I’ve been feeling like the party to whom I’ve been loyal for my entire life is giving me the finger.

The confirmations of Condi Rice, Alberto Gonzales, and Michael Chertoff … the slow response to broaching voting accountability legislation … the passage of a measure to limit class-action lawsuits … the bankruptcy bill … the constant move toward the center … and on and on and on. I complain about the idiocy of the Dems almost as much as I do the Republicans, and I’m starting to get more than a little pissed off.

If you are, like me, a true progressive, you’re being let down by the Democrats. They can’t pull together an effective opposition, they can’t deliver a concise message, and they sell out liberal interests in a heartbeat as they make a break for a muddy middle, which they inexplicably remain convinced will help them win elections. I’m finding myself increasingly required to defend positions (such as gay rights or legal abortion)–to other Dems–that shouldn’t even be in question. And to boot, many career Dems are just as beholden to special interests as the GOP and are motivated little by the needs of the people they are meant to represent.

It’s a tough call. In 2000 I worked for and voter for Ralph Nader (*ducking*), because in Gore and Bush I saw bad and worse. I bought into Ralph’s idea that they were just two arms of the same Corporate Party (which, to some extent, I still believe.)

Then along came Shrub and my horrific realization that a centrist, mushy, Republican-Lite was a far better proposition than a Born-Again Dry-Drunk Neo-Con. I consoled myself with the fact that my vote for Nader in Idaho didn’t hurt Gore’s chances for those 4 electoral votes at all, and swore that I’d dig in, hold my nose, and work like hell for the next Democrat to oppose the Bush Crime Family.

Along came Howard Dean, and I trembled with the anticipation that a real, firebrand, stand-up for liberal principles guy was going to be the nominee, a nominee I could support not just with my brain telling me “gotta support the viable two-party candidate”, but also with my heart telling me “I believe in this man.”

Of course, Dean screamed, which we just cannot stand for (*?!?*) and I ended up wih Kerry. My heart sank, but my mind pressed on. Gotta work hard and support Kerry. Gotta push for the only viable candidate who can dethrone Bush.

I volunteered. I canvassed. I worked phone banks. I put up signs and handed out fliers. I blogged like crazy. I wrote articles for my own column (OregonHerald.com) and Letters to the Editor.

And what did I get? Diddly-shit. A guy who wouldn’t smackdown the Swift Vote Bets (yeah, I typed it like I meant it). A guy who couldn’t make a case against the single worst administration ever. And a guy who, after promising to count every vote and fight for democracy, paid no attention to voting irregularities and hackable Diebold machines in Ohio.

Feh. I shoulda known better. What do the last two Democratic presidents have in common? Both were Southerners raised in poverty. I shoulda known better than to support one rich kid Skull & Bones Yalie running against the other rich kid Skull & Bones Yalie. Nader’s “Bore & Gush” comparison of identical corporate candidates was far more accurate in 2004 than 2000.

So what do we do? Work like hell to get a true progressive nominee for the Democratic party. Failing that, hold your nose and vote Democratic anyway. At the local, election-winnable level, start building victories for Greens and other third parties.