A Serious Debate for all Lafayette Citizens To Consider (web-master)
“Lafayette Democrats Surrender” is much ado about nothing.
November 26, 2006
I see no reason for Glenn Armentor to resign from his position on the Lafayette parish Democratic Executive Committee. Glenn Armentor is against totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and he favors egalitarianism. Any person who stands for those principles is a Democrat.
posted by Anthony Fazzio @ 5:55
PM 1
comments (http://lafayettedemocrats.blogspot.com/2006_11_01_lafayettedemocrats_archive.html) In “Lafayette Democrats Surrender,” my friend, Mike
Stagg, objects to Glenn Armentor hosting a party for Republican Mayor Joey
Durel. Mike’s objections focus on Durel’s lack of leadership and Durel’s
Republican Party status, all of which are true. But, Mike’s demands are more in
tune with Republican Party intolerance and exclusion than Democratic Party
tolerance and inclusion. See, Inclusion:
A Party Tradition!
Glenn Armentor’s “public display of support” for Joey Durel is motivated by Joey Durel’s “public display of support” for many Democratic Party ideals, of which the “fiber to the home project” is the most prominent. Many conservative Republicans criticized Joey Durel for choosing the Democratic “common good” and turning his back on Republican private sector bare-knuckle entrepreneurs. But, Joey Durel did the Democratic right-thing rather than the Republican wrong-thing.
Granted, Joey Durel didn’t “show leadership” on a most troubling issue of race, but neither did many elected Democratic Party officials, all elected Republican Party officials, all of the local Lafayette newspapers, all of the local Lafayette TV stations and all of the white Lafayette radio stations. Too often we forget that race is a matter of parity, not party.
Granted, "vote for the person, not the party" is a perennial election trap. Every liberty loving American should avoid the illusion that you can “know the man” via “sound bites.” It produces political abortions like the presidency of George W. Bush. Nonetheless, as matters currently stand, no Democrat is running for mayor of Lafayette, so Glenn Armentor isn’t working against “the interests of the party.”
But, an equally dangerous perennial election trap is: “Democrats should be against whatever a Republican is for.” Every would-be Karl Rove depends upon that type of mentality to ensure Republicans control the political agenda, which they’ve cleverly done over the years. Every year it creates “wedge-issues,” which are non-issues.
Glenn Armentor’s willingness to dialogue with Joey Durel and Lafayette Republicans ensures that Democratic principles are at least considered. Democrats come in all shapes, sizes, kinships, and philosophies. In a pluralistic deliberative participatory democracy, like our democracy, dialogue is critical. As a nation, we’ve already been through 6-hellish-years of “my way or the highway.” Why should we repeat narrow-mindedness on a local level?
Glenn Armentor’s “public display of support” for Joey Durel is motivated by Joey Durel’s “public display of support” for many Democratic Party ideals, of which the “fiber to the home project” is the most prominent. Many conservative Republicans criticized Joey Durel for choosing the Democratic “common good” and turning his back on Republican private sector bare-knuckle entrepreneurs. But, Joey Durel did the Democratic right-thing rather than the Republican wrong-thing.
Granted, Joey Durel didn’t “show leadership” on a most troubling issue of race, but neither did many elected Democratic Party officials, all elected Republican Party officials, all of the local Lafayette newspapers, all of the local Lafayette TV stations and all of the white Lafayette radio stations. Too often we forget that race is a matter of parity, not party.
Granted, "vote for the person, not the party" is a perennial election trap. Every liberty loving American should avoid the illusion that you can “know the man” via “sound bites.” It produces political abortions like the presidency of George W. Bush. Nonetheless, as matters currently stand, no Democrat is running for mayor of Lafayette, so Glenn Armentor isn’t working against “the interests of the party.”
But, an equally dangerous perennial election trap is: “Democrats should be against whatever a Republican is for.” Every would-be Karl Rove depends upon that type of mentality to ensure Republicans control the political agenda, which they’ve cleverly done over the years. Every year it creates “wedge-issues,” which are non-issues.
Glenn Armentor’s willingness to dialogue with Joey Durel and Lafayette Republicans ensures that Democratic principles are at least considered. Democrats come in all shapes, sizes, kinships, and philosophies. In a pluralistic deliberative participatory democracy, like our democracy, dialogue is critical. As a nation, we’ve already been through 6-hellish-years of “my way or the highway.” Why should we repeat narrow-mindedness on a local level?
I see no reason for Glenn Armentor to resign from his position on the Lafayette parish Democratic Executive Committee. Glenn Armentor is against totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and he favors egalitarianism. Any person who stands for those principles is a Democrat.
"Democrats are asked to "vote for the person, not the party" but can Armentor or any other Democrat point to a single example of where Lafayette Republicans have taken a similar approach in any race?"
I do know Republicans in Lafayette who supported Charlie Melancon for Congress, can't really say they voted for him, though, since he wasn't for the district. I know quite a few Lafayette Republicans who voted for Mary Landrieu. There's your examples.
That said, I'm glad Durel no longer represents my town as I moved from Lafayette a year ago.
8:27 PM