bobquasit | In Shock

I just posted this over on the blog at Democrats.org.

I hope that I will not be abused for posting this.

I've been a proud Democrat and progressive all my life. And I've been passionate about it - very much so, believe me.

This morning I've been trying to come to terms with the abolition of habeus corpus, the legalization of torture, and the retroactive indemnification against prosecution for war crimes of all members of the Bush administration.

I've been trying to understand what it's going to be like, living in a country which has given the President the LEGAL power to kidnap, imprison for life, and even torture to death anyone he pleases, without the slightest danger of ever being called to account. He can do this to any American citizen, entirely at his option. No one may question him. There are no checks or balances. He has more power than any king.

And my party stood by. They cast their "nay" votes - all but twelve traitors to their oaths of office - but they knew full well that they were going to lose.

Why didn't they filibuster?

I suppose...I fear that it was because they were afraid that if they filibustered, the Republicans would use that against the party. News flash: Bush and the Republicans are using that against the Democrats ANYWAY. They already have, this morning. And no one, no one who knows anything about modern politics can honestly claim to be surprised.

Any one senator could have filibustered. None did. I still can't get my mind around it. What happened? Please, what happened? It's like a nightmare.

I don't see any way around it. The Democratic Party no longer stands for the ideals I believe in - the ideals of basic human rights for all citizens. And so, with great sadness and even more fear for the future, I just called my local Board of Canvassers and have requested disenrollment forms for myself and my family.

I see no way around it. The party has left me. And it let America die. Disenrolling is almost totally meaningless, I know...but how can I remain in a party that won't even stand up for the right to not be tortured, for every citizen to get their day in court?

I was a proud Democrat all my life. I hoped to remain one forever. I can't tell you how sad I am that this has happened to our country, and to our party.

I'm honestly almost in tears right now.