Done With Them

by Steve Soto

I stipulate up front that I am cranky from working way too many hours between work and the blog, but my problems are not special or worse than yours. I'm just finally fed up and have reached my tolerance for Washington, and our party.

Weeks after 105 House Democrats and dozens of Senate Democrats voted to shred the Constitution to shield the telecoms in the FISA vote, I have now received at least six phone calls from the DSCC and DCCC asking me for money. I got another call tonight during another late dinner at home after 11 hours at work, wherein the pleasant phone solicitor for Democratic congressman Jerry McNerney asked me for money also. When I asked the young man how McNerney voted on the FISA bill, he told me that McNerney voted against the five previous bills, which of course was the preemptive defense before telling me that McNerney voted to give the telecoms a free pass this time because "this version really protects civil liberties." I politely interrupted Jeff or Jason or whatever his name was to tell him that I would not give money again in 2008 like I did in 2006, and would never do so for McNerney again.

I also told the DSCC and DCCC the same thing. I'm done with them.

Then today, I got the face-slap that an Obama administration will not prosecute most Bush Administration officials for their lawbreaking. As a result, he'll only get my vote and nothing more.

Sure, most of you will say I'm only shooting myself and the party in the foot by standing on principle, and the trolls among you are cheering at this news.

But life's too short, and I've been disappointed by my party and its leaders many times over the last eight years, and I don't feel like going along anymore. Money is tight but principle is still in abundance with me. The DSCC, DNC, and DCCC don't need me and frankly never have. And truthfully, Obama doesn't either. There's the Beltway, and then there's the rest of us.

Which is fine because I've had enough. They'll do fine without me, and if they don't, then they should have thought about that first before selling out and all becoming one party. Perhaps in my post-retirement lifetime I'll begin work on my long-standing dream of a new Liberal Party, but until then the wallet and my heart are closed to false progressives and phony Democrats.

Sure McCain is odious, but we knew that already. Democrats have to make their case without my financial help because they haven't earned it.