When will Democratic Politiians get tough on the GOP ?

[UCmeNdc]

It seems the Democratic Politiians are in the most part trying to appease the GOP politicians. Why?

[MrSlayer]

1. Because they share the same basic goals.

Is it not obvious? They work for the same people. The social issue difference is just to keep us (the people) fighting each other instead of fighting against them.

[awoke_in_2003]

5. I have to agree..

far too many are complicit.

[polichick]

12. ONE Corporate/MIC Party - TWO Faces...

Question is, what do we do now?

Those of us who have worked as Dem activists for decades get that there's no point in continuing, but it's unclear what the next move is going to be.

[MADem]

2. The GOP are destroying themselves, all by themselves.

If we step in, we'll take the blame for their troubles.

Let them keep opposing things American people want. It'll be their undoing.

[msongs]

3. some self destruction, controlling the house and senate lol nt

[MADem]

4. The governor of NJ laid it all out in his little 'counseling session' in Boston.

I think he's accurate and I REALLY hope they don't take his advice. I want the GOP to remain fractured, lying, carping losers.

http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_23875502/christie-boston-speech-gets-mixed-reviews

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/08/christie_republican_convention.html

[awoke_in_2003]

6. So we keep hearing. nt

[1StrongBlackMan]

10. Exactly ...

Plus ... why jump into something just for optics?

"Getting tough" on republicans (whatever that means) will not get any bills passed ... it won't stop republicans from voting to repeal ObamaCare for the 1,000,000th time ... It won't do anything, except divert attention from republican crazy by putting another player on the board.

I suspect that we will see Democrats "getting tough" when campaign season 2014 starts ... But it will be quickly dismissed by some as "merely campaign talk."

[MADem]

11. I think you have a very clear eye on the situation.

I agree with your thoughts completely.

[1StrongBlackMan]

13. While I have been called ...

all the derogatory terms, e.g., (President) Obama Cheerleader, (President) Obama apologist, Drinker of the (President) Obama Kool-aide ... you know the drill; what I am is a man that has spent a good portion of his professional career, engaged in high stakes negotiations and negotiating highly political environments. From this I see that President Obama (and his team) are far better strategists and tacticians than any one here gives them credit. And I'm pretty sure, the strategy is being shared with every Democrat.


I think that the strategy is designed to win ... and win big ... in 2014; then and only then, will he/we be able to do the things required to fix the economy, act on climate change, and all/most of the other things that Democrats want, because we will hold the Presidency, the Senate and the House.

The plan is to put the gop's obstruction on full display (and keep it there), while continuing to seek bi-partisan solutions, in order to get that plurality of republican voters and plurality of independent voters (a +4-6 majority, when combined) that poll as seeing the republican party as the party of obstruction and President Obama as the "reasonable" party trying to get things done.

See ... because of the gerrymandering after 2010, the Democrats need about +5 to attack and win those gerrymandered (red) districts; but no amount of "Democratic messaging" (or action) will accomplish anything there. No ... there is nothing Democrats can do to get working class republican will not suddenly see the light and vote their interests. And, there are not enough Liberal, Democrats, or left-leaning independents to +5.

So, in order to compete in those districts, we must get the above-described demographic to either: vote Democratic (very unlikely), or vote 3rd-Party (which further splits the republican party, forcing them farther into the crazy for the 2014 General elections); or, sit home in the 2014 General election (which the polling suggests is very likely).

Since the first scenario is so very unlikely, I won't speak to it; but the other two options are very likely, and polling suggests, are likely to occur simultaneously, i.e., the cohort will voter 3rd-Party in the primary (for a more moderate republican candidate) and when the crazy wins the republican primary (because the crazy by definition is more engaged), they will sit home in the General, because they can't/won't bring themselves to vote FOR more of the same crazy.

Now ... for the all important, other side of the equation ... Democrats MUST GOTV for the 2014 General election to get that +5.

[blkmusclmachine]

7. Never.

The "DEMS" need the GOPee as cover for their right-of-center ambitions.

[dmosh42]

8. The present Dem leadership is without guts, and a willing ally to the wackos in the GOP.

[bemildred]

9. Never. nt

[Jakes Progress]

14. Since there are so few Democrats who are democratic politicians

their voice is buried beneath the charlatans who run as Democrats and then laugh at the fools who elected them by serving other masters like big oil, war corp, and banks.

[BlueDemKev]

15. Democrats have more class

Than their Republucan counterparts. The Rethugs will deny it, but it is true.

[4dsc]

16. When pigs fly

While it seems there are a few good democratic party politicians who are afraid to mess it up with republicans they are the exception and not the rule.

[RussBLib]

17. some do

...but I'm afraid that they get drowned out by the crazies on the right. And the defense is not sustained.

Obviously, the inflammatory comments, the outrageous deceptions, the shocking displays of ignorance, get more publicity than a well-reasoned defense of anything. For the citizenry, it's more "fun" to ridicule stupid comments than to re-publish reasonable commentaries.

I think what we need are some Democrats willing to toss decorum to the wind and get down and dirty with some of the more asinine elements of the GOP, a la Alan Grayson. Call names. Ridicule. Attempt to embarrass the GOP. This is the kind of thing that is going to get publicity. But few Dems want to take that avenue.

I'll tell you one thing: Obama's DOJ needs to get tough with these Southern states who are now going hog-wild on voter suppression, thanks to the SCOTUS ditching Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act. That kind of shit cannot go unchallenged.

[Chan790]

18. A myriad of thoughts.

• Never deny your enemy a self-immolation.
• We do have Democrats who take the fight to the GOP, they get slammed on it by the media (Grayson) or dismissed as marginal (O'Malley, Warren).
• The complicit choice is always the "moderate" or "inevitable".
• We destroy them by immediately calling for an apology for any hard-shot at the GOP and dismiss any Democrat standing up against the GOP and the appeasement-Democrats as "fringe"; in any case it's then used to justify why we need to settle for the status-quo.