An open letter to the Democratic Party from Rudyard Kipling

Dane-Geld

A.D. 980-1016

It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation
  To call upon a neighbour and to say: --
"We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight,
  Unless you pay us cash to go away."

And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
  And the people who ask it explain
That you've only to pay 'em the Dane-geld
  And then  you'll get rid of the Dane!

It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation,
  To puff and look important and to say: --
"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
  We will therefore pay you cash to go away."

And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
  But we've  proved it again and  again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
  You never get rid of the Dane.

It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
  For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
  You will find it better policy to say: --

"We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
  No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
  And the nation that pays it is lost!"

The Democrats have been paying Dane-geld to the Republicans for the past four years now, first with health care, and now multiple times with the debt ceiling. The Democrats need to be adults as a party and call the Republicans out on their extortion and as soon as they stop paying them Dane-geld the Republicans will lose their leverage over the Democrats. As long as the Democrats keep compromising by paying Dane-Geld the Republicans will be in power regardless of how many seats in Congress they hold. The Republicans are getting what they want as opposed to what the majority of Americans chose in the last election, and this is a betrayal of the American people.

Man up, be willing to debate the Republicans and call them out! (With the one exception of Elizabeth Warren who has been willing to speak truth to power in a way that is commanding and non-compromising.) Compromise is weakness.