Now this is a great rant, especially coming on the heels of a post about Dean, who at least has a backbone. It’s by Georgie10 over at DailyKos.

Democrats can either surrender this government to a party which seeks to destroy it, or we can take Lincoln’s advice and play our available cards. To those who say filibusters–judicial, patriot act, etc–are too politically costly, I say that failure to filibuster is conceding that this nation isn’t worth fighting for. Instead of worrying that we will be labeled “obstructionist,” I say we filibuster Alito, filibuster the Patriot Act, filibuster time and time again until this crazy government comes to a screeching halt. Enough is enough. The list of scandals is overshadowed only by the list of names of the 2,190 whose deaths have yet to be honored by this administration.

At what point will our party realize that it’s not just the midterm elections at stake here? Politics is secondary to the fact that our country has changed, drastically, over the last several years. What is that change? It is the unraveling of the American flag thread by thread. It is erasing the Bill of Rights letter by letter. It is, ultimately, about waking up one day and not recognizing this great society as the “America” we know and love.

This new year requires a new attitude by the Democratic Party. The party must acknowledge the gravity of the political climate today. It is not a time to crack jokes on Sunday talk shows; it is not a time to mince words or to parrot political consultants. It is a time to speak with the courage and conviction that is required when one is fighting for the heart of their country.

Democrats will not win by pledging to “do better.” We will not gain a majority or even the Presidency in 2008 by approaching the American people as politicians. If we are to win, we must rediscover what it means to serve at the will of the people. We must show voters that we are willing to fight, not just talk, for their interests.

=======

WE get it. We’re the heart of the party: the ones working ourselves to the bone day after day. We’re the ones without healthcare, the ones with our family members serving overseas. We’re the ones kicked out of public events and placed on watchlists because of our political beliefs. We’re the ones with kids who are taught “intelligent design” as part of the war against science. We’re the ones who can’t get married, the ones whose homes are subject to sneak and peek searches, the ones who have to wait 12 hours to vote and who pray that our votes will actually be counted. It is us, goddammit, who truly realize what this country has become and where it is headed. It is our rights being stripped away from us, our America slipping away before our eyes. All we ask is that our party recognize this. That a holistic approach towards government is needed. That while the Democrats focus on individual battles, it is our entire government which needs to be saved.

read the whole thing