> Instituting proportional representation for
> Congress or even a simple reform of requiring independent commissions to
> draw up Congressional boundaries -- as is done in Iowa -- would make far
> more difference in improving our political life.
I absolutely agree and even posted something along these lines to this list.
My problem with "defending the rights of criminals" is that it represents a larger inability of Democrats and progressives to define the framework of public discourse in this country in terms that are favorable to them.
"Criminal" is a code word for "black" that enables Repugs to pursue bigoted and racist policies without appearing to be racists and bigots. However, Democrats and progressives not only are unable to replace that framework of public discourse with an alternative one - but implicitly accept and perpetuate it by discussing policies in its terms.
When Repugs talk about harsher penalties, death penalty, three-strikes, victims rights and similar nonsense that means one and only one thing - keeping people of color in "their place" - Democrats and progressives reverse the sign of that rhetoric and talk about compassion, redemption, giving a second chance and the like - but they do not reject the public discourse framework that equates criminality with blackness. To be honest, Dems and progressives are not the only ones guilty of that association - cultural icons very popular on this list and elsewhere do the same equation and are very proud of it.
The point I am trying to make is that it is very difficult, if at all possible, to win any political debate when the issues are framed in your opponent's terms. Until Democrats can re-define policy issues in progressive rather than conservative terms, they will be always forced to fight an uphill defensive battle. Breaking the connection of blackness and criminality is but one of such "re-framing" issues - but judging from the reaction of Bill Cosby on this list, it will be opposed by gutter populists within who love to bask in their counter-cultural status. Other re-framing would require reframing the issue of taxation from "burden" to "paying one's share" , social welfare programs from "handouts to the fringe elements" to "investment in public goods," government from "bureaucracy" to "guardian of public goods" and so on.
Wojtek