My Koolaid Flavor Is Still Purple, Thanks

I just got home from the first political fundraiser I have ever been to, a dinner hosted by the Waldo County Democrats. I am still a registered Democrat. I want to believe friends who I value very much that we have a chance at revolutionizing the party rather than simply cackling as we watch it burn. And I do sincerely believe that local Democrats, including my own elected Maine state rep and House Majority Leader Erin Herbig, do believe mostly the same things I do and they do speak for the poor and the working class. Erin, in particular, has done this, observably, for at least the seven years I have lived here, anyway. Getting the opportunity at this dinner to read about local legislation that Erin is behind was both fascinating and powerful – I will definitely write more about them in separate future posts.

These local Democrats are passionate, idealistic, and they genuinely  want to make the world better. I do not hold local Democrats  responsible for the disaster that was the last Democratic presidential primary. I am one of those local Democrats, and together we all sure as hell voted for Bernie in the primaries. So I do not hold them (us!) responsible for Trump’s ascension, despite continuing to hold the DNC responsible.

And yet…

I got to listen to a concluding speech about how the Democrats are always for the people and the Republicans are not, and ultimately that because of that everyone under the Democrat umbrella should stick together. Stick to the blue Koolaid! But…we just lost a presidential election because we “stuck together” behind the DNC’s corrupt decision to run Hillary. We all kept quiet while the DNC chose, for our first serious shot at a woman in the Oval Office, a white collar, moderate, corporation-ass-kissing, Democrat-In-Name-Only. And on a national level the party shows no sign of changing direction, admitting to no wrongdoing whatsoever, telling progressives it’s our fault – it makes me sorry I sucked it up and voted for her, because I am a progressive and it’s still my fault. So when I hear a speech telling me to “stick together,” I seethe.

Now, this is admittedly my first experience at a Democratic fundraiser or political speech-giving-occasion of this sort, so, it’s March, perhaps the Democrat apologies have already been handed out at previous events.

But I haven’t gotten the apology memo yet, from either the nationals nor the locals. So sitting through this rah-rah speech, all I could think was, this speech is for everyone in this audience who already thinks this election is the fault of anyone EXCEPT the Democratic Party. This speech catered to them. Not to me.

I was, for many years, a registered Democrat. I do think Representative Erin Herbig is amazing. But my Koolaid will continue to be purple.