My answer would be: Whenever the Democrats no longer serve their purpose and they cannot win anything through the Democratic Party.
When should people break away from the Democratic Party? How do we know when to break away from the Democrats?
Look, let's be frank; politics for working people is not about this or that candidate winning as if scoring points in a basketball game.
For working people, politics is about livelihoods and rights.
We, as working people, should never fall for this load of donkey dung that we must support the candidates nominated in this corrupt political process known as "nominating conventions;" nor should we be bound by who wins elections because they buy their way or someone like the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association buys their way.
Each and everyone of our votes is very precious because it is a key to a better life, for peace, for social and economic justice and we should protect our votes--- and ourselves--- by casting our votes only for candidates who will, once elected, struggle alongside of us as we struggle in our communities and places of employment for what is right.
What sense does it make for us to just hand over our votes to candidates who tell us one thing in order to get elected then turn around and ignore us or vote against our interests once elected.
We need to et somethng straight; we don't OWE any political party or any politician anything--- they are supposed to work for us not the other way around.
For working people, it makes no sense not to use the Democratic Party to the extent possible to avance our agenda for peace, healthcare, jobs, justice and an end to racism and discrimination in all its ugly forms.
On the other hand, it makes no sense for anyone to remain in the Democratic Party once they can no longer accomplish their objectives.
But, beginning to work outside of the Democratic Party should not translate into not working with our fellow workers who don't yet see the need to leave the Democratic Party because at the grassroots level of people who continue to vote for Democrats there are many people who understand it when people need to move outside of the Democratic Party to achieve their goals and objectives--- with such people we should work in alliance towards our goals and objectives.
We are already seeing many people either rejecting the warmongering, corruption and racism of the Democratic Party be leaving it or remaining to struggle inside within the frame-work.
As working people, I think we need to remain flexible enough that we support ANY initiatives inside or outside of the Democratic Party which are focussed on making life better for people.
As working people, we should appreciate struggles of others working towards our common objectives and not buy into this phony concept that we need to vote for Democrats because otherwise Republicans are going to win.
If Republicans win it is not because people are moving outside of the Democratic Party and drawing votes away from the Democrats--- the Democrats have no one to blame but themselves because the corporate, corrupt elements who manipulate and control the Democratic Party are not being responsive to the needs and desires of most of the American people who want nothing more than peace, good healthcare through some kind of public healthcare program, jobs at real living wages with everyone assured the right to access to jobs through the enforcement of affirmative action programs.
The Democrats have betrayed the American voters who went to the polls in 2008 and voted in a very solid majority that they wanted peace--- NO MORE WARS.
The Americam people don't want these dirty wars because they don't want death and suffering delivered upon other peoples in foreign countries in their name and as a people we understand that every single dime spent on this death and destruction robs us of a decent quality of life here at home; depriving us of healthcare, jobs, quality public education, decent housing, school lunch programs and this insanity of militarism is blocking our way in eliminating the scourge of poverty and the misery it entails.
I would encourage anyone and everyone to become engaged in some way in exploring politics outside of the Democratic Party--- let's just call it a new kind of politics of the people who aspire to a better world; not just in fancy sounding words aimed at getting elected and then doing the opposite; but in creating new kinds of people's politicians who will advance pro-people, rather than pro-corporate, anti-people, agendas.
It truly is a crime against democracy, a racist crime at that, that not one single Native American Indian is sitting in the Minnesota State Legislature because the same old dirty corrupt nominating process that politicians like former United States Senator Mark Dayton has complained about has been used for over 150 years to prevent the original inhabitants of this continent from having a right to participate in what is hypocritically called "the democratic process."
One must ask the question: What kind of dirty and corrupt hypocrites would have the unmitigated gall to do as DFL State Senator Mary Olson has done while backed to the hilt by John McCarthy and the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association with all the money she needs, to then, upon the nominating process that racists like herslf and her friends like John McCarthy, the racist Bemidji City Planner who planned Native American Indians right out of the jobs to which they are entitled by law, Rita Albrecht and long-time DFL wheeler-dealer Michael Meuers... after knowing the manipulation, finagling and shenanigans that take place largely with her own doing... to then announce "the democratic process has worked."
For a worthless, racist politician like DFL State Senator Mary Olson, there is perhaps no difference between "Democratic process" and "democratic process;" however, any halfway intelligent person who takes the time to see just how the nominating process took place for Minnesota State Senate District 4 can see that the process is anything but "democratic."
Tomorrow will see the "Democratic process" at work once again as the sugar beat industry along with the union "leaders" the industry has bought off like Mark Froemke who has forced less-than-living-wage contracts down workers' throats and left workers in the sugar beat refineries not much better off than what workers were subjected to over 100 years ago and enter into coalition with the sugar beat industry and the corrupt union bosses teaming up with the likes of JohnMcCarthy the racist rich white man who heads up the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association--- once again, Collin Peterson, who admits he is more conservative than his Republican opponents will, again, be seeking the DFL nomination for 7th Congressional District Congressman. Of course, the union bosses from the building and construction trades who have lamented affirmative action for decades will be supporting Peterson, as will the representatives of the teacher unions whose pension funds controlled by Las Vegas "investors" and those like the charming John Edwards whose campaign against poverty ended when he was caught with his pants down, are now the primary investors of funds building casinos in the Indian Gaming Industry.
In the labor movement we have a name for these kinds of sweet little deals--- "sweetheart agreements."
And that is what the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party has become--- nothing but an unbroken chain of "sweetheart deals" between corrupt politicians and those who will hand them the most money while wars and poverty rage on with the needs, problems and concerns of the people nothing more than a footnote needed to be mentioned in order to trick people into voting for them one more time.
Anyone can look to see the players who will dominate the nominating process for the 7th Congressional seat in Congress--- aren't these all the same players who rigged the Roseau County DFL Convention? The same players who rigged the nominating process in Beltrami County? Just take a look... it is one more rigged nominating process--- is it any wonder that former State Senator Mark Dayton has bolted from this corrupt and rigged process in his attempt to become governor being the one and only candidate proclaiming his allegiance to affirmative action--- the law of the land?
Just imagine, here are these "nominating conventions" taking place where the nominees are no better than the racist George Wallace yet these same racist candidates are receiving the money from the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association.
How is DFL State Senator Mary Olson any better that any Republican who states they do not believe in affirmative action?
In fact, George Bush was politically and ideologically opposed to affirmative action but even this neanderthal ENFORCED affirmative action... while at present, the Democrats refuse tio enforce affirmative action or demand that it be enforced--- why no enforcement of affirmative action in Minnesota? Because Brian Melendez the racist warmonger who heads up the Minnesota DFL and his elite little "Summit Hill Club" are taking the votes of African-Americans, Hispanics and Native American Indians, women and the handicapped for granted as they seek out the racist suburban, profressional, upper middle class, well-heeled and wealthy votes which bring in not only votes but tons of money to the MN DFL.
Politics--- Democratic Party politics is all about big money; no different from the Republicans... democratic politics, the politics of the people is a completely different matter--- this is a politics and economics of livelihood. There really is a big and fundamental difference. More and more people will be seeking the democratic politics outside of the Democratic Party as liberals and leftists come together in a progressive coalition seeking change. Many of these progressive coalitions will result in new political parties which should find a way to work together with the many people who will be running as independents.
At every opportunity, liberals, progressives and those on the left should be challenging what everyone knows is "the good old boys club."
Racism, bigotry, war, poverty, healthcare for profit and injustice---
Or, peace, equality, a decent standard of living for all, healthcare for people not-for-profit and working towards an end to injustices...
We really do have a choice... that choice is to accept what racist, warmongering, pro-corporate and corrupt politicians like John Persell, Brita Sailer and Collin Peterson toss our way like a few meatless bones they might be generous to toss out to a barking dog who wouldn't know enough to look a gift horse in the mouth--- or standing up and fighting back instead of following along after these Dumb Donkeys fighting each other for what the sparrows leave behind.
I'll re-publish this same blog posting the evening before the State DFL Convention takes place in Duluth on April 23,24, 25... I don't know why they don't hold this Convention on April Fool's Day.
With the way the Minnesota Democratic Farmer-Labor Party has played people for fools these past two years one would think delegates to the state convention would have to walk through a gauntlet of peace and social activists at the Convention Center in Duluth.
Something to think about around the dinner table tonight.
Alan L. Maki