This is why I left the Democratic Party five years ago (and, no, it's not pronounced "Democrat" Party - man, that annoys me). When they nominated an empty suit named Al Gore over Bill Bradley in the summer of 2000, that was the last straw. I felt at the time that I was safe casting a protest vote for Ralph Nader because George W. Bush was obviously so stupid that the voters would never send him to the White House. I underestimated two things: 1. The incompetence of the Gore campaign and 2. The rip-roaring stupidity of the average American voter.

The Democrats have got to get together and formulate a positive message. Not a feel-good, pie in the sky, everythings coming up roses message. Not a "vote for us 'cause we're not them" message. But a strong, no-nonsense, 2005 version of the Contract With America minus the bullshit. They must be honest and emphasize the sacrifices that'll have to be made by every citizen. Yes it can be done. In the summer of 1960 Jack Kennedy made personal sacrifice the cornerstone of not only his acceptance speech at the democratic convention, but of his inaugural address six months later. The tidal wave of human excrement that comprises the administration of George W. Bush has looted our national treasure to such a point that the social and economic infrastructure of this country is in danger of collapsing. Sacrifices will have to be made particularly by the people (read: richest two percent) who benefited the most from the looting to begin with.

Dang! We do live in interesting times, don't we?

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
tomdegan@frontiernet.net

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What makes anyone think that this pathetic excuse for a people and a culture can do better? As Tom has already said in the post above this one, the American people are mind numbingly stupid. If that were all, I would pity them and want to help them. But they are also arrogant, rude, selfish and violent, and I have come to despise them over the last many years. I was born among them and I still live among them, but I disavow them.

They can't assemble a decent liberal party because that would require a density of integrity and intelligence just not to be found here. What the American people can do very well, however, as the world has seen, is to assemble a party that can lie and steal.

The best thing that could happen to the American people most certainly will, and that is, a great humiliation and an economic and political correction. It would be disgusting for such a country to continue to prosper, and it has no business pretending to be a moral example or a world leader. It is just a bully now, and the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

God bless America? Hardly.

Proud to be an American? No, deeply ashamed and disappointed.

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FIRST, you have to accept that the system as we know it is so BROKEN it can't be fixed. SECOND, you have to begin to accept that something will be needed to be in place to replace it if we are to control it (the American people), and THIRD, we have to start thinking outside the box. We have to over come our "cognitive dissonance" and realize the world is changed forever and it doesn't match what we were raised to believe is how we are to live and function in this society and government.

Once we do that, we can accurately view our new world and make plans and actions toward achieving dominion over it. We can develop elements to fit with such concepts as "sustainable communities". We can begin to bond with each other again to aid and assist in living in this new reality. The sense of community has been lost (how is another discussion).

We must rid ourselves of the leeches who are controlling the current reality and are perpetuating its lingering death (our politicians). We must start locally, find our own leaders within our groups and begin the process of building a world within that totally ignores the world without. These are just some ideas, I am sure as more people discuss what needs to be done, other will come up with great, creative ideas. Finally, when all is in place then we would have to finalize this with "civil disobedience" by depriving the system of their resources to continue it by not paying our taxes to the gov, rather into a trust fund for the "people" controlled by their real elected local representatives.

I am not saying I know how this should look, only that it needs to look different than what we have now, heaven forbid. Its beyond redemption I am afraid.

I would like to begin looking at this like " a new adventure" and that these are exciting times for REAL honest to gosh change. Lets begin.

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This article has it right. The system needs a good overhaul, but don't expect the politicians to do it. Both parties are controlled by the Establishment and a third party can't win. This is not necessarily a conspiracy, but powerful groups whose goals are not in the interest of the ordinary person have taken over. Everybody knows the problems, campaign finance, corporations are out of control, politicians don't work for the people, and on and on. It is up to the people to take control of the government. I believe that it can be done before the 2006 election. Go to a new idea
PS If anyone expert in Java Script would lend a hand I would appreciate it.

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The democrats are even more guilty than the republicans because they know better. The rebublicans are just evil, stupid, greedy, and wicked and they remind us of this everyday.

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The rulers of our country have their party. Nader refered to it as a dulopathy, We can call it theirs. We have ours. It is the Labor Party. The program speaks to the needs of the working class, employed and unemployed.
Michael
comm97@earthlink.net
Michigan

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Doesn't anyone remember the early 90s? When Newt Gingrich and Tom Delay and every other right-wing Republican would leap onto the House floor to blast "The Democrat Party" for corruption, capitulation, cronyism, and on and on into the late hours of the night...with only a C-SPAN camera for company.

Dems, if they are to avoid another crushing defeat next year, have to take the offensive now, with a withering negative message. There is so much to attack. The Republicans have littered the political playing field with dozens of scandals and nightmares...from Katrina to Iraq to Libby to Noe to Frist to Delay and on and on. Every political brain, from Rove to Carville, will tell you: Negative ads work. Just ask John Kerry, if he's even bothered to figure out what truck hit him a year ago this week.

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When not one Democratic Senator stood up to support the black caucus protesting the disenfranchisement of Florida's African American voters following the first Dubya electoral debacle, it should have become clear to anyone with a doubt that the Democratic Party of FDR and even of Harry Truman was long dead. Cowardice and self-aggrandizement are the earmarks of all politics in 21st Century America.

There are not two parties, although a handful of idealistic hopefuls in the House continue to play political ball with people they should avoid (including Barbara Lee who alternately thrills and disappoints).

Without a new party, the American electorate cannot expect to escape the clutches of the church/state/corporate triumvirate, not to mention the military industrial complex of Dwight Eisenhower. We are slaves to the market we so adore and the market is the last resting place of freedom. Although, of course, the so-called "free market" is just one more marketing ruse of greedy crooks with their tentacles deep into both parties.

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As a reply to some previous threads - the huge market correction is coming! For sure it will wake everybody up, but by then it will be too late.

In the year 2016 the first of the babyboomers will be required to start cashing out their 401(k)s. Around the same time, it is estimated that social security will be bankrupt, we will run out of fossil fuels and China will overtake us as the world's biggest economy.

Do you think that the Democratic Party gives a rat's ass?

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I keep hearing on liberal blogs and websites that the Democrats are spineless. This is not the case at all. They always fight for their principles. For example, Clinton went to the mat to push NAFTA through. They have also demonstrated an impressive sticktoitiveness on the question of Iraq. They were for the war at the beginning. They are for it now, even if it means going against the grain of the desires of the American people. I have no trouble understanding the Democrats at all. What I don't understand is how outlets like the Nation Magazine, AlternNet and CommonDreams keep rallying around such a warmongering and pro-corporate party. I assume it is because they are funded by the same millionaires who funded Kerry's campaign and who will fund Hillary Clinton's.

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Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of decades to build up a third party that could actually win the White House. A better solution, in my opinion, is to start championing the true progressives in the Democratic Party: Boxer, Conyers, McKinney, Slaughter, Kucinich, Obama ... I think these people deserve our support.

As for Gore ... I am a strong Gore supporter. I think people underestimate the conservative/corporate resistance to the Clinton/Gore administration ... it is not as if the office of the president is so powerful that it can easily stand up to transnationals. I also think people overestimated the power of the office of the VP. Check out Gore's recent speeches. True, he did not fight very hard for his presidency, and this was a mistake. But Gore is smart, progressive, and actually makes a lot of sense if you stop to listen to what he says. The media did a real number on Gore during the election ... totally unfair coverage. Gore is definitely not an "empty suit." Anyone who thinks so should read Earth in the Balance.

There is a progressive caucus within the Democratic Party, and this seems to be our best bet. Turning on the Democrats as a whole is self-defeating, and plays into the hands of the Republicans by throwing away our votes on third party candidates that cannot hope to win a national election, at this stage. Green Party for local elections? Great. But we won't get a Green into the WH for the foreseeable future. We need another plan for that.

They are not all alike -- the Clinton/Gore administration seems like paradise compared to the Bush/Cheney administration, does it not? Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

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The Corporations need to know the aggregation of all of us has the money and the power, not them. We need to flex our muscles where it hurts them. We need to show the corporate owned politicians who runs the capitalist materialist show. Remember Bush's first advice after 911? Go shop! That is the vulnerable underbelly. Hit them where it hurts, their financial statement. We need a national strike with all of us taking to the street in a peaceful demonstration. The IMF loaned poor Bolivia lots of money, then when they could not pay it back, they demanded the Bolivian water supply be no longer public, but privatized. Want to pay for water like you pay for gasoline? Nope, neither did they, so they shut everything down and went on strike and the people of Bolivia won!!! If we don't buy their products, if we don't do their work, they will understand, that they need us more than we need them. Are we so spoiled, are our values so skewed that we can't do sacrific for the bigger picture? This takes planning, so let's get started. Get all the organizations, doing their own thing, tko stop the redundancy of their efforts, and resources, both monetary and human, and join together in our own Solidarity - you remember Poland's success!, working together for one common goal -- what a powerful force!!! Tell the corporations, the politicians, the media, we won't take their crap anymore and we need a specific change. So let's get communicating with every organization you know, like Moveon, True Majority, Common Cause, Sierra Club, Union of Scientists, NOW, everyone you can remember on every front. We have been fighting little battles on every front, divided and conquered, but we need to unite and win the big war, and its not in Iraq, it is right here.

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What an ironic twist of history that Al From founded the Democratic Leadership Council in the year made infamous by George Orwell's novel of that title.

I invite you to vist Third Way.com, the DLC's pathetic attempt at hijacking, devaluing and smearing the word "progressive".

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Let's argue about differences between the Repugs/Demoncrats all we like, but there isn't much difference. The bigger problem is that we can see the problems(poverty, war, injustice, environmental destruction, etc), but we don't truly want a solution. And I'm talking about almost everyone in this country, especially the "liberals" and "progressives" who spend so much time reading of and reacting to the horrors our govm't, and more importantly, our way of life, have imposed on the world. How many of you still drive your cars to work each day? Anyone composting their food waste, or better yet, their human waste? Do you know what's going to be on TV tonight? Do you still buy stuff made in China(which you don't need) from national chains, and food from a thousand miles away? How many of you have a woodstove in your house to heat with?
I include myself in this group, those who see the problems in our society, but can't make the leap to really living in a healthier way. I'm not saying that it's easy to live in this way, or even possible all of the time. But the idea that you stick a "Food not Bombs" sticker on your Chevy Blazer and think you're doing well is ridiculous. Or that recycling makes you a better person (it just makes you feel like a better person...try making purchases that don't require recycling, like canning local tomatoes in jars that are reusable, or buying bulk to reduce packaging waste).
Until the idea of waste becomes ridiculous to us, until demand for renewable sources of energy and public transportation creates an economy that values such things, until we, as progressives, start truly walking the path of righteousness(and coopting that word from nuts who never act like Christ), we won't see any valuable, sustainable changes in our society or government. We can wail about corporations having all the power, but in the end they have the power because we buy in, and because we don't represent an alternative to buying in.
That being said, I'm pessimistic about seeing a strong movement in this country towards sustainability. We all have it too easy(even those of us without much, compared to how much of the world lives, are living the "good" life), and we're conditioned to think that we deserve what we have, and that we have to fight to protect what we have. I see more chance of the economic "correction" talked about in previous posts. I think it's going to take a lot of hard lessons to reeducate this country.

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Why is no one paying attention to the Great Crime of 2004 in Ohio? Because Americans have lost any bit of interest in history and politics. They have been lured by "entertainment" -- whether from TV or Ipods or video games or anything that doesn't involve the mind. Americans are passive and easily bored. That's why the younger they are, the more they talk on cell phones. Sitting alone and thinking or reading is just plain boring to them. They have to be stimulated every moment of every day just to get through life.

I guess Bush's crimes and those of his cronies are just too boring to deal with. Maybe we do need a draft !! By the way, where are Bush's sweet lovely daughters? One of them promised to teach "underprivileged" children. Maybe her grandmother told her what that word means and the legacy college "graduate" changed her mind. How boring !

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huh?

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We, Americans, do have problems in our country, as does every other group of people around the world. Our fix won't magically come from an individual, or even a group, in our government (local, state, or federal).
Our fix will come from us, the individual people, if it comes at all. Our problems have come from us, and our present and future will remain disgraceful unless we, as individuals, communities, states, and a country, make it otherwise.
It's up to us.

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dennis kucinich proved that our problems are caused by the stupidity of the american voter, and not by a lack of good choices (the usual argument for a third party). i pray that when primary time comes again, registered democrats will vote for the candidate best qualified to be president, as oppose to basing their decision solely on who they think can win.

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Totalitarianism or Bust

The Rabid Right has a huge psychological advantage over democrats which they wield like a club to beat democratic politicians into submission: it’s called Mutually Assured Destruction. Rather than risk civil strife, much less civil war, democrats will capitulate to totalitarianism to keep the peace.

Since congressmen make a $165,000 per year, they apparently think they can weather totalitarianism without to much discomfort. Perhaps they can, but for the rest of us, things are going to get really ugly.

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Simple. They are owned by the same corrupt corporations that own the Republicans. The only salvation is to bombard the media with demands that they stop censoring and start covering other parties. The Greens of today are what the Democrats were under Sam Rayburn, yet no one is permitted to know what they support in today's world, not even the Four Pillars that all 83 Green Parties in the world must support: grassroots democracy, economic justice, environmental responsibility, and nonviolence.

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Yeah, America can do better. So why don't we?

Because – to quote a favorite Bush phrase – "it's hard work." We have to tear ourselves away from our I-Pods, our cell-phone blathering, our celebrity worship, and all the other petty, meaningless media-generated straw-man "issues," and actually THINK! I know that it's painful, but if we as amercans do not open up and really understand what is happening to us, and who is doing us in, then there is no hope for this nation; we might as well just turn it over to Wal-Mart. It is sad and particularly frightening that we have not progressed from Hunter S. Thompson's 1973 America. We've had 32 years to learn to be better, and we've blown it; let's just hope that America's fate doesn't follow that of Thompson's.

I'll say again what I've said in this forum for a long time: I suspect that the fix is in, and that there is no difference between the parties as far as who is paying their freight. The phony differences are now just enough to keep us off balance, to keep us all dancing to the same worn-out music, while behind the scenes, corporations call the tune.

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I have given up on the Democratic Party as well. With the exception of a (very) few Democrats, they are no longer real progressives. Every time they have had an opportunity to stand up for what's right, they have failed, especially in regard to the invasion of Iraq.

It seems to me the only true progressive party in this country is the Green Party. Yes, I know - a third party, a 'wasted vote' in some people's minds. But I simply cannot in good conscience vote Democratic anymore. It's time for real positive change, and to me, the Green Party is it.

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I tend to agree with the above post. The Democratic party is no longer progressive. It's mired in the left wing versions of the same corruption seen in the current White House. At least the right takes a stand and doesn't back down.

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http://www.worldcantwait.org/

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I'm a life long registered Democrat party member who has been watching the current inaction since November 2000. At that time, I had hoped that boring ole Gore would return some integrity to the White House. His collapse in the face of the Bush coup was disheartening. The collapse of the whole Democratic party in light of the subsequent lies, corruption, and moral penury of the Bush administration and the Republican party has left me stunned. Where have the New Dealers gone? Where have the '60s marchers gone? Don't know, myself. I'm just stunned and the Party's not getting a cent until they start acting.

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I laugh everytime I read that people are upset about what the Democratic party does day in and day out. what do you expect from a party that is completely sold out to corporate interests? You think they will do anything different? Hillary is pushing for more troops - Is she smoking CRACK??? Most of America doesn't even want this war anymore, how come the dems are talking about more troops?? Cause they are beholding to the same greedy bastards that control the Republican party.

The sad truth about America is we allow corporations to buy off senators, governors, congressman and the president - everyone is for sale. Now Corporations even instill their own into our government (Cheney), how we can ever expect laws to benefit most Americans? Laws are here only to benefit the bottom line. It doesn't get passed me that of every lousy selection that Bush has made for a government position the only one in which he really picks a qualified person is the Federal Reserve. Who controls America???

What else can you say to explain how corporations set up account in the Caymans and not get reprimanded? how can you explain corporations like energy companies writing the energy bill or the clear skies initiative? How do you explain American companies producing sneakers in China for 50 cent a pair and they charge us here 140 dollars. Now I'm not saying all corporations are bad, cause that isn't true. But we have let corporations run amok in America.

And in this global market, those corporations can easily skip out of the US if the economy here goes bad - where will that leave us? We can't expect nothing from Republicans nor democrats - cause our system has sold them to the highest bidder.

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What the hell kind of a slogan is "America Can Do Better". It says nothing about Democrats and shouldn't that be the point. Although, it doesn't suprise me one bit that the Democrats came up with this meaningless slogan. Does it mean "Ameican Can Do Better" with Better Republicans, "America Can Do Better" with Better Democrats (true), "America Can Do Better" on the job, what the hell does it mean. Pathetic!!!!

The Democrat party is about as exciting as water. I even find water more facinating with the differing filtering methods.

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Hey, this is Boots Riley from The Coup.

The world can't wait to drive out the Bush Regime.

November 2, no work, no school.
We gonna march. Join us. 12 noon at Union Square.
Come on, you seen the pictures.
Bush made torture into a sport and justifies it.
You saw Iraq destroyed by a war based on lies.
We all watched Bush leave people to die in New Orleans and treat people like criminals.
This regime is what's criminal.
The Bush Regime is out to remake the world.
Unending war, a devastated environment, forced religion, no right to abortion, no dissent, no critical thought.
We have to stop this now. If we don't we will be forced to accept it.
The future we get is up to us.
The beginning of the end of the Bush Regime starts Wednesday November 2.
Join us at 12 noon at Union Square.

Check it out www.worldcantwait.org or Call 866-973-4463

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Dem "leaders" need to communicate with the masses. As long as the "corporate media" controlls the message, America will never have a viable left wing. We have allowed capitalistic principals to control ALL our media. Media is too precious and public to sell off to the highest bidder. It's our common BRAIN out there.

In Europe and Japan (the rest of the civilized world, say) public media is still big. Look at England -- BBC is still astride the airwaves and our public television uses their material. And, they still have a viable left-wing.

Whatever happened to the idea of the Democratic Party itself putting up a cable TV channel of its own? COMMUNICATE!!

Did the Democratic Party even contribute toward or help with Air America? No, they waited for "private parties" to do that. The vacuum was so intense that it immediately took off, to the amazement of propogandized Dem "leaders."

We need to demand that our government make available multiple FREE channels for public access and then we need to insist that our party leaders, think tanks and universities produce content FOR THE MASSES. We have public access TV here in Portland, OR and the Dems don't even use it.

I want a George Soros channel!! Where is the Harvard channel? What are we getting for billions in taxes they don't pay on their huge endowment income due to their tax-exempt status? We are getting dozens of journals which they pretend to "sell" for $125 for an annual subscription (4 slim mags) or which are "available" on line for $25 perarticle.

You can read them in the local university library but you can't check them out like other books.

This is the sum total output of our academic establishment here.

That's crazy. No wonder the rightists can paint the leftwing as demons with impunity -- there is no rebuttal. The left has silenced itself.

The government needs to make the bandwidth available through legislative means and then our progressive forces need to step up to the plate and produce content FOR THE MASSES.

Our Dem "leaders" don't seem to understand that they need to communicate with the entire population -- white trash and all -- or remain a pathetic opposition party for 50 years. It happened in Mexico and Japan and it could happen here.

Jan VanDenBerg

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Look, folks, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. How many of you waste countless hours typing out incensed emails advocating this or that position on some blogspot. To correct some obvious errors caused by too much monitor-fixation:
1.) Americans are not stupid, just ill-informed, poorly-educated, morally simplistic, and apathetic about national politics. There's nothing in our culture than encourages a change, and the patronizing tone of the intelligentsia only encourages the alienation of ordinary men and women from culture/politics.
2.) Democrats are not weak and spineless, they merely lack a coherent vision and strong leadership. This is the inevitable price of a party that embraces diversity and a multiplicity of views - they value freedom of thought over conformity. The Republicans adopt the opposite stance. Which would you prefer, cause you can't have both.
3.) Don't go wishing for some Libertarian/Isolationist reform or rewriting of the Constitution. It's a pipe dream and any sensible person should realize that both the US itself and the world around it are completely interdependent systems.

So, once again, I ask you, what are YOU doing? How about five easy steps to change the world for the better.

1. Stop driving. Walk wherever you can, and if not, take a bus.
2. Spend at least 2 hours a week volunteering for the public good. Work in a soup kitchen, tutor disadvantaged children, whatever, just do something.
3. Get involved in LOCAL politics. That's where change needs to start and one sensible man or women CAN make a difference. School Board meetings are a great place to start - boring as hell, but the line in defense of science and rational education has to be drawn somewhere.
4. Give a little money to _everyone_ who asks, even if it's only a dime. All arguments about encouraging dependance aside, the bottom line is that there is no effective welfare system and the only reason the wealthiest country in the world has people dying on the street is personal greed, pure and simple. You can rationalize it all you want, but at the end of the day, you can still spare it and they can't survive without it.
5. Treat everyone you meet, especially those whom you disagree with most, with respect and tolerance. That was Gandhi's policy and he beat the bloody British Empire.

So, what are you waiting for?

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As of this afternoon, the Democrats are demanding answers and finally shaking things up. Maybe they saw the above article!

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Though I share many of the frustrations expressed about the performance and timidity of Democratic leaders, I want to point out something crucial: The Republicans got a lethal grip on this country because they united.
If the Harriet Miers flap revealed anything, it was the fissures within the Republican party. Part of their genius, however, is to exert the discipline to rarely air those differences publicly, and to coalesce as one voice when necessary -- especially at the ballot box.
By contrast, Democrats are constantly sniping at one another, rather than projecting a sense of unity despite differences and instead of joining forces quietly and productively behind the scenes.
It's to the point now where when someone like conservative pundit George Wills blathers on about how Republicans have nothing to fear from Democrats because they're so divided, one has to degree.
I think this attitude hurt Gore's campaign in 2000, and Kerry's in 2004. They were imperfect candidates on many counts. But somehow Democrats have forgotten that only coalitions succeed in this huge, highly schismatic country -- and if we had either a Gore or Kerry presidency today, it's hard to conceive we'd be in a quagmire in Iraq or on the verge of seeing Social Security, Medicare and other programs gutted to pay for tax cuts for the mega-rich.
As the playwright Tony Kushner has commented, if we elect an imperfect Democrat, at least Dems will have some power to press him into doing the right thing -- just as the right-wingers have had the leverage to make Bush do their bidding.
But if Democrats keep savaging one another, with even great gusto than they attack Bush & company, I see little prospect of even incremental change in this country

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Or even some silly or stupid ones if you want. This thread can be for anyone who has a phrase or saying that they think the Dems should latch onto. Here are a couple I use a lot.

The Bush Davidians.
Enron-ocracy.
Whack-a-moles = republicans

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Right now the Democrats are gearing up to fight the Supreme Court Nomination. They have not appeared oppositional since the nuclear threat, but they will have to use the filibuster. Then all hell will break lose. There many side issues going on in both the House and the Senate. I read many of the weekly newsletter form congressional Democrats as well as this site.

It is very easy to sit out here and say what we would do. We are angry and disappointed; but you have to work to change things. No third party has ever won a the presidential election. I personally will not now think we can afford the risk now. If you want a third party then you start on the grassroots level and work your way up. It will take about 8-12 years to build to a country wide third party. Throwing away your vote will not change anything, except your can feel self-righteous about letting Republicans win once again, because you did not vote to the Democrats. Big Deal, we may not be able to survive these three years, must less another 4 or 8 years of The Republicans. If you do not like things run, then work hard to constructively to change them.

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As of this afternoon (Nov 1), Harry Reid and Senate Democrats initiated a closed-door session to demand the state of (or lack of) investigations conducted on pre-Iraq war intelligence and its possible manipulations by the White House.

Cheers

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Yes, I'm talking about myself. In '68, because HHHumphrey was Johnson's gofer on the Vietnam War, I excused myself. Only to watch Tricky Dick turn the US into a country club for corporate CEOs while keeping the war going. Compared to the poor excuses for political leadership since then, HHH was Conan the Barbarian.

We create our leaders. True, not out of nothing. But when you feel some excitement about prospects, trust it. Go with it. How can it possibly get worse than it already is.

I like to moan about the leadership my 60s generation saw get killed. Is there anyone around these days even worth assassinating? We'd better hope so. And when such leadership appears, we'd better hope some of us are willing to take the bullet for them. Nothing less will do. It's long past the time to rock the boat.

Can anyone remember why "A rolling stone gathers no moss"? And a "hard rain gonna fall"? "The times they are a'changin'"?

In those days the Earth shook. It's time for us all to get to the shakin'. Tomorrow, you say? I'll be there.

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This also is why I am a registered Independent/Decline to State. The Demos don't represent me and are doing a piss poor job, IMHO. On the other hand, we need a viable opposition party that represents the people and has the good of the country at heart. We're still looking.

Guy

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Magnetic Ribbons and the Yellowcake of Faith

When we wake puking shame
at last, and know the dream
for sham, embraced en masse...
When bells that rang victorious
hang mute, their tarnished claims
ignored in disrepute, and
bitter sons, having been all they
could be, can't wish back innocence
or the leg below the knee...

(This brash regime's trimmed reason
from its ranks, its black guard
in the street, protecting flanks.)

...then will we heed the schemers'
gloating leer? "There's no future
for any of you here."
Row on row, with hand
in trembling hand, it's come to this.
WE DREAMERS BETTER STAND!

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The reason you guys are getting "weak slogans" from the Dems is because they are just a milder version of the Reps, nothing more and nothing less:you should go your own way and form a genuine alternative,namely, a socialist party like we have in Scotland, the Scottish Socialist Party (http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/) or in England, the 'Respect' party. Otherwise, even sites like 'Alternet' itself will just be mere talking-shops, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing".

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I have a blog that I think may interest many on this very same topic. It discusses keeping evangelical and all religion out of the voting booths and asks the questions - where are the liberal/democratic faces in times like these?? I hope you enjoy it.

http://letstalkaboutreligion.blogspot.com

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The last remnant of the democratic party went down with Paul Wellstone. There is not a single democratic office holder that I am aware of in this woebegotton land that is worth a tinkers damn. The grandee's of the party are a sorry bunch of fickle and feckless sellouts. Many have been around for decades....some kind of alien life-form I suspect...so as a matter of self respect I have decided to cease voting

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I think there will be more of the same whether or not I participate. There is only one central issue concerning the political system and that is virulent, pervasive corruption. Both parties collude very successfully to exclude non-aligned would-be candidates on every level. This evolved system has no legitimacy and the voter by expressing this worthless franchise in fact endorses it.

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Yes the democrats don't seem to have a plan of their own,This is the time to get together and come up with a coheseive plan.

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The Democratic party should not cater to the idiot right. Slogans must be backed by concrete, meaningful and realistic ideas, put out there for everyone to publicize like the so called "Bullet Points that the Republicans use (and abuse) so effectively. THAT is what the Democrats are missing.

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"What did you expect...???" Insofar as the statement "America can do better..." What do we mean by "better"...??? Do we mean better citizens, weapons,military,religion, what...???
In my opinion, Bush 43 like most political animals, regardless of party affiliation are bought/sold by big money...My father, a political activist in Texas stated ,constantly repeated, and was exclaimed by Joe Kennedy during the John Kennedy campaign that : "Elections are won by three(3) things; Money, Money, and More Money..." Why do you think Tom "THe Money Hammer" Delay is on trail in Texas...? "Money, money, and more money..."
So if we are to reform, rather change. the political system then curtail the money aspect of elections via a "National Voting System.." not controlled by any party but by the public...

S...Jim...Rodriguez+++El Eclecticist+++
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333

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Not really.

More like those in power have become so arrogant they stopped worrying about covering up their crimes.

Dems biggest failure has been to just sit by and giggle as the Republicans cut their own throats...

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Democrats are part pf the problem as well; both parties support the goals of the corportocracy. The recent attachment to the budget to increase H-1B visas by 350,000 was sponsered by Microsoft, they want to import cheaper IT workers even as the market has experienced job reductions over the years and as a market that should represent economic opportunity for minorities is opened to immigrants that will be offered those jobs at 35% less than a citizen would.

Our 'representatives' of both parties do not represent its citizens, the common good, or national interests. They represent their corporate sponsers. That's the reason Democrats can't mount an effective response to Republicans.

DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED AGAINST GIVING U.S. JOBS PERMANENTLY TO AN EXTRA 350,000 FOREIGN WORKERS A YEAR
Akaka of Hawaii
Byrd of West Virginia
Dayton of Minnesota
Dodd of Connecticut
Dorgan of North Dakota
Durbin of Illinois
Feingold of Wisconsin
Landrieu of Louisiana
Rockefeller of West Virginia
Stabenow of Michigan

INDEPENDENTS WHO VOTED AGAINST GIVING U.S. JOBS PERMANENTLY TO AN ADDITIONAL 350,000 FOREIGN WORKERS A YEAR
Jeffords of Vermont

REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED AGAINST GIVING U.S. JOBS PERMANENTLY TO AN ADDITIONAL 350,000 FOREIGN WORKERS A YEAR
Inhofe of Oklahoma
Sessions of Alabama
Vitter of Louisiana

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We have no option but to try to push this party in the right direction, while sticking with it regardless of how bad it gets. Face it, progressives are trapped with the Dems, so criticizing the party is our only option.

Criticism can be productive, as long as we are reliably voting Dem and supporting Dems. Third party rantings and/or withdrawal into one's own personal clamshell and refusing to vote or donate/volunteer are nothing more than support for the Republicans.

Are voters to be expected to endure being trapped with the Dems, regardless of their failure to deliver, and ALSO to shut up and not express criticism? That's nonsense. If we are going to support this party, then we also have a right to try to push them in the right direction.

I draw the line at "in-fighting" to the point that one votes Green or doesn't vote. That's not "in-fighting" because one is not a Dem; that is just attacking the Dems. But criticizing the Dem leaders? Hey, I'm trapped in with them and I'll criticize if I think they deserve it.

We can infight but we need, also, to be realistic and to work toward realistic goals -- like taking the House of Reps back from the Repugs in 2006. Who is donating to the campaigns of Democrats in red states (other than one's own state) who have announced their intention of running against sitting Repugs in the House in 2006?

You sneering urban blue-staters -- you who wanted to secede from the white trash in the red states when Bush won -- are you donating any money to the campaigns of Dems in red states? If not, stop insulting rural America -- you're just making it ever harder for rural Dems to make any progress.

I think that if you are going to criticize, you need to "pay to say." Show your support with volunteering, activism, and donations and your VOTE and then criticize all you want.

If you don't vote or you vote Green or you don't donate or help, well, then SHUT UP. You have become part of the problem.

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Everytime I visit Alternet.com and read the readers' responses, I get the feeling that this is a "shit on the Democrats" site. Very little is said in response to the excellent articles posted about the vicious, dangerous, racist, fascist, etc. acts of the present Repukian regime and controlled Congress, but volumes of vitriolic spittle is unloaded on the Democrat's leadership and its failure to respond with molotov cocktails and roadside bombs to the autrocities of our government. Get a grip. Things are starting to happen. Harry Ried's calling for a closed session of the Senate to deal with the Admenstruations (mispelling intended) lying and duplicity leading up to the Iraqi war is the sounding shot. Now I read of the Repukians claiming that their precious George made his decisions based on intelligence passed on to him by the "adultrous", family value-less Clinton administration. (Musing note: it is too bad that George W. doesn't have the comforting distraction of a BJ to insulate him from the BS he received and is receiving from the Vice and his cohorts.)

My point is: give it some time. The Bushies are squirming now and more is to come. The Dem's have given those worms enough rope and now we can enjoy them hanging themselves.

Right now I don't give a shit about the Congressional elections of 2006! With the gerrymandering that has taken place over the last 10 years, it would take a divine miracle for the Dems to take control of the House, and the Senate would be a minor miracle. But the mainstream media is starting to respond to the red meat being thrown them and it will be a delight to watch those fascists bastards mowed down as their putridness is exposed by the light of day.

Am I an optimist? Nah, not really. Just one with an historical perspective: our nation has been this way before, and the truth has won out!

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A well-reasoned, articulate review of the situation. But we now need illumination. We need solutions. If the American Political System needs to be indicted, as the late Hunter S. Thompson alludes, then where do we, as the Loyal Oppostion, begin? Let this be the heart of discouse.

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This is not a democracy, it's a plutocracy - just ask Eisenhower. Google "military-industrial complex". Democracy has no future in this country, as it is run by a corporate elite pulling the strings behind the scenes.

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While I agree that we should expect more from the Loyal Opposition, I also agree that an indictment of our political system is a good thing. But I'd go further: The average adult today is disgusted by the incompetence, plotting and corruption of our elected officials - and they "react" by taking the easy way out.

Polls get the attention of politicians, but polls are often taken "online" where a few clicks of the buttons defines "public opinion" while giving a false sense of security to that same public. We've formed bad habits as a result, to the extent that opinions have taken the place of investigation and reasoned thought. America is said to have become fat and lazy on fast foods - we've become mentally fat and lazy on the equivalent of fast foods: our addiction to forming easy opinions on complex issues.

Beyond that, I believe that we've reached this state because we've become a nation of ideologues. Ideologies are available like drugs in some remote bazaar and they too replace independent thinking and initiatives.

Conservative critics have been right all along - Liberals are struggling with their own intellectual bankruptcy. But at the same time, Conservatives are experiencing their own breakdown - that of reaching the absurd ends of their limited and hostile world view.

Is the behavior and performance of our two major political movements atrocious? Of course, because as Voltaire pointed out: When someone can get you to believe nonsense, then they can get you to commit atrocities.

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