Fight Democrats Fight!

John McCain is a serial liar and a kept man who does not even know how many houses he owns. McCain is so out of touch he is just now learning about the Internet, and, really, it seems more than a little creepy that he talks obsessively about his prisoner-of-war experience in the Vietnam War so much.

McCain’s proposed political policies and programs may be framed in different language, but they clearly follow President George Bush’s pattern to reward the ultra rich at the expense of the middle class and to continue the botched Iraq occupation. The idea that the 71-year-old McCain cares about ordinary Americans is simply ludicrous. The vast majority of people who will vote for McCain will do so against their own economic interest.

Given all that, along with the disastrous Bush presidency, you might think this would be the year for Democrats to recapture the presidency.

Yet as the Democratic National Convention opens in Denver today, there remain questions that have plagued the party for years now: Will the Democrats fight? Do they even have “fight” in them? Why does the Democratic Party leadership always let the Republican Party define the terms of the fight? Why are Democrats always on the defensive? Why do they always play it safe?

Here are three specific concerns of many Democrats—do not be fooled by the mainstream media gibberish—as the convention opens:

(1) Will presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama fight McCain in a down and dirty campaign? He must do so to win. In recent weeks, Obama and his campaign have shown they may lack gumption. Obama should have been traveling the country in recent weeks attacking Bush and McCain at every stop for their reckless policies related to the economy and the Iraq occupation. Instead, many people will remember Obama’s nuanced answers at the right-wing Saddleback Church, where McCain trounced him in the image war. The decision to appear at the Saddleback Church forum was ill-advised, and it shows how the GOP—and this includes the millionaire Rev. Rick Warren—will treat appeasers and bipartisan politicians. There is not a shred of bipartisanship in Warren or McCain. So will Obama fight?

(2) Why did Obama’s campaign start tilting to the right? It has accomplished nothing but a growing alienation of the Democratic Party base and especially its younger voters. Seriously, when Democrats go to the so-called center these days, they are really going way to the right. All the polls show Americans want a true Democratic Party economic program and they want out of the costly Iraq occupation. So why is Obama running around making sure he falls in line with GOP ideology about offshore drilling? Why does he consistently praise U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, one of the most right-wing members of the Senate? Obama needs to back away from the bipartisan rhetoric and start standing up for his own political party. He will not win without an enthusiastic base.

(3) Why did Obama choose U.S. Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate? Many Democrats I know believe it was a “safe” to negative decision. Biden, for example, was once a major player in ensuring the nation’s bankruptcy laws were changed to help credit card companies at the expense of ordinary Americans. Biden’s son was actually getting paid by MBNA at the time he crammed this bill down everyone’s throat. The selection of Biden will be marked as one of the great political gaffes in all American political history if Obama loses the election. Obama and his campaign staffers had a chance to truly unify the party, make more history, and, in many people’s minds, ensure a victory by selecting Hillary Clinton. They did not choose to do so. Why?

A few short months ago I was fortunate enough to hear Obama speak on Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas. Simply put, it was the best political speech I have ever heard, and it made me feel hopeful for the future of this country for the first time in eight or so years. The Austin crowd adored him, and they chanted and cheered.

All that is left from that night now is extreme worry. McCain gains in the election polls on a weekly basis as Obama moves further to the right and as he alienates many Democrats with his safe choice of vice president. Will he fight? Will he stand up? Maybe we will learn the answers to those questions over the next few days.