Our party leaders are listening, keep talking.

A few months back I was furious at the bosses of the Democratic Party both in Ohio and nationally. This was due to Paul Hackett being forced to drop out of his race for Senate. I was angry because they took the choice out of the hands of the democratic voters of Ohio. I was furious because it was clear the Democratic Party good ole boy network was heading right down the same road that has led us to lose election after election.

The Democratic Party cannot afford to lose. This country cannot afford for it to lose. The state of our democracy is in danger. Our status and respect around the world is failing, our middle class is being crushed, health care and fuel policies are making a very few richer and stealing the future from the rest of us and our freedoms are being taken from us one by one.

I promised that night I would not give one dime of support to the national or state democratic parties. I started calling myself a progressive and not a democrat. I started calling for change, new leaders, with new ideas, with new energy and no old debts to pay back to corporations or special interests.

Rather I supported candidates directly, not through the party. I gave my support with my words, a little of my money and my energy. I’m not a big contributor by any means and neither are most of you, yet it is us that can change this party, this country and the world.

What happened in Connecticut showed us all that and apparently that message is indeed being received by the party. I have been happy to see the leaders of this party immediately express their support for the choice of the democrats of Connecticut despite the fact he hasn’t been part of their club.

This is just the first step of a long battle. We must turn our attention to taking the congress back. Then once doing so stay diligent that when our party controls congress they will act. It cannot be business as usual. It cannot be about what corporations and special interests want. It cannot be about who looks good, the republican or the democrat. It must be about the needs and desires of the citizens of this country. It must be about honesty and integrity. It must be about leading the world by example not by operating with “the ends justify the means” philosophy.

If we do win the congress and we must, and if the elected leaders take the actions we demand of them, we will have little problem taking back the white house. But if we follow the same old path of the past politicians of both parties, the future will be very bleak for our party, our country and the world.