Letter: Unity is key to progressives regaining power

Graphic by Lori Deaton

A year has passed since millions of people around the globe mourned the United States’ election results. Some said it served the Democrats right. Some said to give him a chance. Some fell into deep depression.

If you were one who cheered the results, then this essay is not for you. If you were one who mourned and still holds great fear for our country and the world, then please read on.

In the past year, previously inactive people signed petitions, made phone calls, wrote letters, marched in rallies and attempted to meet with their representatives. Those previously too polite to discuss politics publicly are holding dialogues about values and issues in coffee shops and restaurants. People, like myself, who had no idea how to get involved are now full-blown activists.

This is all positive. This is our civic duty, and as Bernie Sanders says, “If there was ever a time in history for a generation to be bold and to think big, to stand up and fight back, now is that time.”

Fear and anxiety still persist. Every day, it seems more bad news hits the headlines. More division is felt not just between parties, but within parties.

My biggest fear is that the goal of those in charge will persist and we the people will be so divided that in 2018 and again in 2020, we’ll continue to see the country we love deteriorate into something we cannot bear.

The only viable solution is for us to pull together and join votes to change the establishment. We must encourage candidates to stand for the equity and empowerment of all. We must unite!

Without unity, we will fail. We will fail miserably.

How do we do join forces and stop the agenda to divide us further?

We may dream of a multiparty system and may even want to vote as if it existed, but the reality is we live in a two-party system: the Democrats and the Republicans. A third party has never won a presidential election. They have only been successful in splitting a party, causing the “other side” to win.

This is what we cannot allow to happen in 2018 and 2020!

If we truly want to see a more progressive and saner government, we will have to vote for either a Democrat or Republican. If we expect to ever stand a chance of getting a government that we can be proud of, we must begin to move the dial in the direction we’d like to go.

I fully understand the difficulty in voting for a party candidate you do not like or believe in. I also understand if we vote third party in 2018 and 2020, we will never win, and the Republicans will continue their disastrous agenda. I would far rather vote for someone who stands a chance of winning and aligns with at least some issues that defend all people than to toss my vote away on a third party.

We need to nudge the country in a kinder and more conscientious direction. To do that, I believe we need to help the Democrats who stand up for the good of all and to unify around these candidates at the voting booths.

This is why a group of dedicated progressives has united to form the Progressive Democrats of Buncombe County. North Carolina is the 18th state to have a progressive Democratic caucus, and we need vast numbers of people and energy to unify the Democrats and progressive independents to come together and win in 2018 and beyond.

We must come together! We must encourage and vote for Democratic candidates that stand up for the good of all. United we win.

For more information, please email PDOBPresident@gmail.com.

— Kris Kramer
Black Mountain

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22 thoughts on “Letter: Unity is key to progressives regaining power

  1. Grant Millin

    Well done, Kris.

    I agree it’s not always that great for the USA to only have one additional significant impact political party over what the People’s Republic of China has. But Merry Christmas, Fellow Democrats.

    Only an excellent Democrat candidate like Doug Jones and the national Democratic Party movement could have taken this seat away from Trump. By the way, another important way women have not been served is the way so many inaccurately maligned Secretary Clinton and helped Putin install Trump.

    Indivisible Asheville – WNC won MX Best in WNC 2017 for political groups. But when I suggested there was more to climate and energy issues than statements about “100 percent renewables only” information about how to participate with Indivisible Asheville – WNC was withheld.

    • Alan Ditmore

      A house divided cannot oppress the world! SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT LIKE TED CRUZE!!!! Third parties need to kick the Republicrats out of city halls one by one, at least a hundred city halls before attempting the presidency! The socialist Party of Debs had many big city mayors and councillors! VOTE AGAINST REPUBLICRAT WARMONGER ZONER SCUM FOR EVERY OFFICE!

  2. BMacAVL

    I’m really sick of the whole vote for lesser of evils garbage…”We may dream of a multiparty system and may even want to vote as if it existed, but the reality is we live in a two-party system: the Democrats and the Republicans. A third party has never won a presidential election. They have only been successful in splitting a party, causing the “other side” to win.” …both parties work for the same boss so it really isn’t two parties at all…in fact it is nothing but another media distraction “agenda to divide us further.”

    The oligarchy that controls the worlds money also controls our US Government and most of the developed world for that matter. If we truly want to unify the two parties it means getting rid of all career politicians, stop allowing the military industrial complex drive our economy through war, stop listening to the government controlled media, get all non-violent criminals out of the privatized jail system, and downsize the total number of folks literally sucking on the gov’t/tax payer tit.

    It’s simple, don’t make becoming a politician glamorous…they are glorified paper pushers and should be paid less than teachers because what do they really do? You hear they are to protect citizens and make the world a better place…right? In reality that is exactly opposite of what is happening…rather than uphold the constitution and create solutions to help tax payers, they continue to take away our rights and give themselves raises while we the tax payers pay for the POLITICAL CIRCUS you are suggesting we support. SMH

    More and more folks, especially young folks, are starting to realize these problems are part of the reason our government controlled media continues to divide through distraction every time you turn on the radio/tv, read a newspaper, or go online to read news. We need to all stop bickering and lean to live in harmony regardless of what your faith or upbringing taught you is “TRUTH” or “THE RIGHT WAY.” Stop saying “I’m right and they are wrong”…the sooner we all get over ourselves and turn our focus on the real problems with this country, the better.

    • The Real World

      BMacAVL — Well said but, I’m afraid you have flown over the heads of most readers here. That kind of macro info has been presented before but gains no traction. They don’t know what to do with it.

      They’re too busy always thinking in terms of fighting and dividing, more fighting and accusing. That is the behavioral playbook of the Left and it’s a loser. To the Dems — as long as low-IQ Tom Perez runs the DNC and Bernie (really?!!) is your savior then I bid you “good luck”.

      • BMacAVL

        @The Real World, To your point the DNC is pushing the agenda to divide, however the GOP is just as guilty and until the american voters show up and prove this fact, both parties are never truly looking out for the well being of tax payers fronting the bill…the system and all the greedy political constituents are winning…eating surf and turf lunch/dinners daily on our tax payer dollar!!!!

        Wouldn’t it be nice if we lived in a world where a majority of our population would see past the small politically driven differences between two parties and look to what actually creates the DRAMA ie our own law makers in “Hollywood for Ugly People”/”The American Rome!” While some readers are stuck in the GOP vs. DNC bullsh*t finger pointing…some of you folks out in MntX land must have the cognitive ability to reason and use logic while formulating opinions on right vs. wrong, fabricated spectacle vs. certitude & systematic formulated control vs. an individuals ability to cross evaluate concept thought to draw rational consultations.

        Growing up in a small southern town I know just how close minded both sides are about the entire system in place which is SO SAD and disheartening…I’m very thankful my parents taught me not to see things for face value and hang on to every word the talking heads of the media(FCC) spew persistently! Question everything and draw conclusions that actually add up to making sense rather than what is being spoon fed to the masses of cattle to be slain ONLY for the greedy upper echelon gain who ultimately are calling ALL the shots.

  3. While I agree that the efforts to divide Americans in the past year have been considerable (c.f. Russian interference), I take issue with bringing third-party politics into the same language of division. A third-party vote does much more than “toss away” one’s voice — it expresses true dissent against the existing power structure and signals to like minds that there is public support for an alternative position. Especially at the city or county level, where candidates with less funding have more potential to win, third-party candidacies can provide fresh perspective and start bringing about the more diverse system we hope to see at the national level.

    It’s also worth pointing out that existing power structures often prevent third-party candidates from gaining momentum for their platforms, even if a sizable minority favors them. See the refusal of the Commission on Presidential Debates to allow Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson to join last year’s debates, despite his polling in the double digits. The best way to create a multiparty system is to support third-party candidates.

    • NFB

      The best way to create a mulitparty system is to end the winner take all system. The two party system we have is a direct result of the winner take all system.

      • Agreed that preferential voting systems have a lot of potential, although instituting such changes might raise constitutional issues. Out of curiosity, what method do you think would work best, and would this method differ between government levels?

  4. Lulz

    LOL you leave out some things. In order for you to usher in your “progress”, you have to cull a portion of society out of it. And while doing so, also burden them with the past and hold them to pay for it in the present. Hence why progressive, nee communist, will bring about no real change of substance but one of violence. You run on no real platform to speak of. You merely run on finger pointing, blame, and ginning up hate. You have absolutely nothing positive to say about the USA and you seek its destruction. Better hurry up and wish for old whites to die off. Because that’s how twisted your ideology has to get in order to progress.

    • bsummers

      You run on no real platform to speak of. You merely run on finger pointing, blame, and ginning up hate.

      I know you are, but what am I?

      • Peter Robbins

        That’s politics. Playing nice didn’t do anything for Roy Moore, did it?

        • Lulz

          LOL and that’s where you fail. Trump didn’t run or win on politics. He hit hard and didn’t care whether he won or lost lulz. From the Bushes to the Clintons LOL. Politicians would rather “play” politics while the whole damn thing burns around them. And that’s why he’s immune to political tactics.

          Again, “progressives” run on nothing. You offer no solutions to anything. Yet in order to win power, have to have a scapegoat to transfer hate on by the groups you wish to gain votes, i.e. MANIPULATE. Divisive politics are the only way you can win. Yet nothing improves because of it.

          • Lulz

            LOL and oh, if this group of people that you point your hate towards are in all reality innocent and in your mind it’s just politics, what happens to them? They continually need to be persecuted in order to rally progressive supporters around the cause. Even if it means harm comes to them. So in all reality in order for progressives to gain power, that means that some will have to pay even to the point of death. To me that’s the very definition of evil lulz. LOL, that’s not a recipe for progress but rather one of subjugation and degradation lulz.

            LOL better pass un-Constitutional gun laws. That many will not obey.

          • bsummers

            Divisive politics are the only way you can win.

            It is to LOL. This from someone who never does anything but attack attack attack everyone on the left.

          • luther blissett

            “So in all reality in order for progressives to gain power, that means that some will have to pay even to the point of death.”

            That’s completely detached from reality.

            “Why can’t everybody have the opportunities that were available to white Boomers?”
            “YOU WANT US DEAD!”

          • bsummers

            Trump didn’t run or win on politics.

            It’s important to note that in a very real sense, Trump didn’t “win” at all. He lost the popular vote decisively to Hillary Clinton.

    • luther blissett

      “And while doing so, also burden them with the past and hold them to pay for it in the present.”

      White Boomers benefitted from cheap subsidized housing, cheap subsidized college, union jobs that could last a working lifetime with pension and health benefits, tax cuts under Reagan, tax cuts under Bush(x2) and they’re now settling down into Medicare and Social Security, often sitting on considerable home equity, while calling younger generations spoilt and entitled.

      It’s weird how old white dudes yell “help, help, I’m being oppressed!” at people suggesting that the richest country in the world should be able to give its young people the same opportunities that white Boomers had in the 50s and 60s. It’s almost like they know how lucky they were compared to their grandparents or parents or children or grandchildren, but have to believe they were special snowflakes.

  5. Enlightened Enigma

    Democrackkks have had their progressive agenda for decades…it’s not something that’s upstarting, yet I realize that most people are just too naive to realize what ‘progressivism’ really is…it leads to socialism, ‘the equal sharing of MISERY’! Democrackkks are EVIL.

    • BMacAVL

      @Enlightened Enigma; how could you blame the DNC for this “‘progressivism’/‘equal sharing of MISERY’!”, when the same political machine runs the entire show?

      How different are the DNC vs. the GOP…it seems to me they are all working toward the same goals…1) Re-election 2) Obtaining government contracts for friends/family 3) Continually growing bureaucratic control perpetuating inefficiency 4) Shutting down ALL conflicting views and label those who stand for truth as crazy 5) Wake up everyday and get paid, receive the best healthcare, and corporate kickbacks for themselves/greed rather than serving constituents they are supposed to be representing…thoughts?

  6. Tsalagisister@gmail.com

    What utter hyperbole.Seventy percent unemployment of the disabled…
    Progressive is an oxymoron
    Clueless humans a more apt moniker.

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