Dear BTL,
Democrats use one feeble excuse after another to explain their 2004 defeat, blaming the superstitious vote, electoral rigging, apathy, etc. There may be some truth in all of these justifications, but each misses the real cause – pervasive hostility by the very constituents the Democrats pretend to speak for. Look at their record with the gay and lesbian movement.
It's true that Republicans are led by superstitious bigots and ultra-right extremists who legislate against unions, women, minorities, immigrants, civil liberties, environmentalists and the GLBT communities. They're half the problem but not always the worst half. The Democratic Party inevitably betrays voters after elections. They're accomplished phonies who largely agree with Republicans except about which set of felons should hold office. Democratic supporters, including many self-appointed "leaders," make the error of projecting their personal views onto candidates who don't share them. We can't win playing their game. When a politician promises us equality, but a business manager who "might" donate big bucks says equal protection is "too costly," who wins? For both parties what truly matters is their stock in trade and chief product – votes to trade for money, privilege, influence, and currying favor with the rich and powerful.
In contrast the GLBT communities have a singular political target – equality. With equality we'll prevail, without it we're in danger. That's our "secret" agenda.
Democrats didn't lose in 2004 because of evangelical votes or the "threat" of same-sex marriage, but because they had wrong answers to the big questions. Victory would have been easy if they'd campaigned for immediate withdrawal from Iraq, embraced trade union programs, rights for ourselves, minorities, immigrants, and women and promised to curb the voracious greed of corporations. But they didn't – it's too costly for business and lobbyists would stop visiting carrying those briefcases crammed with money.
In trade unions and in the African American community serious steps are being taken to organize political parties independent of the two fraudulent parties. We'd empower ourselves to get out of the political closet and into productive politics if we support those efforts wholeheartedly.
{ITAL Bill Perdue
Las Vegas, Nevada}
