Well before going to jail, John Mitchell said......

[rlev1223]

"This country is going so far to the right you won't recognize it."

Thus began a 30+ year effort to solidify for the Republican Party the formerly solidly Dmocratic south, using race, resentment, fear, religious and cultural bigotry and smoke screens of every sort --- including violence, fraud and intimidation when necessary ---just like the Democrats had done for the previous 90 years.

Nobody here needs a lesson in the ways that the think tanks, the radio shows, the corporate money, the Scaifes, the Murdochs, the Ailes, the
Ralph Reeds....etc etc etc have all worked for decades to
make this ghastly dream of their's come true ...well, perhaps some do, but this isn't the time.

The point is, they had the patience and the will to do whatever they needed to in order to create the Presidency we will now be stuck with for the next four years, as well as the legislative and judicial support for it and the media structure to obscure it.

If we are serious about dismantling this behemoth, it will take the same discipline and commitment. Perhaps this board can be the place where we decide that this country is going so far to the left you won't recognize it, and to start making that happen.

[goclark]

1. Now we're talking!

We need to talk about some of the issues we want to address and hit them hard.

For example:

Media - Who do we write to, which channels tdo we boycott?
What works for CNN,
Should we boycott Home Depot

etc. etc.

[rlev1223]

2. I don't know

It is way too early, at least for me, to start wondering about
stuff like that. One of the biggest problems is that the left is contantly reactive -- Kerry alway seemed to be responding to Bush's agenda rather than controlling his own image and message.

This is not the way it will work. Creating a progressive populist message that will feel inviting and not threatening to the aspirations of the electorate is not something that will happen by shaking a fist at Wal-Mart or writing a nasty letter to FOX TV, or by boycotting anything way other than in a targeted industry-wide action, such as the farm workers were able to do in CA in the 60s.

I personally don't have a to-do list, other than to start imagining
what should be on one. Watch this space.

[NuttyFluffers]

3. just slow down, slow everything down.

slow your spending, slow your production speed, slow your driving, slow your walking, slow everything. kick up your heels, relax, take the gov't cheese, let everything naturally decay. after time entropy will take over. the snowball of malfeasance has already built up to huge dimentions and if half america refuses to put the effort to stop it it will steamroll over our country and destroy it, giving an opportunity to start over.

just slow down and let the wrath of entropy fight your battles for you. a long leisurely vacation abroad sounds good about now.

[seraph]

4. I love that idea. Now how do we do it?

Clearly we're all burnt out. And this is great talk, but it needs to go beyond talk and become reality.

That takes the will of several people spreading the message.

And we need to figure out leadership and what that message is going to be first.

[rlev1223]

9. Start by reading this -- know thine enemy

Great book review of Economist book on how THEY did it

http://www.motherjones.com/arts/books/2004/07/07_102.html

[Socialist Dem]

5. it's still the economy

It wasn't all the protest that got Sinclair to back down...the only thing that worked was when their investors started getting nervous and Sinclair's actions were begining to affect the bottom line.

That's how things work now. We'll all be ignored until we start hitting the corporate bottom line hard enough so they notice us.

[Hamlette]

6. thank you, I've been screaming this all day

we need someone/some group to organize it and we all help fund it.

The GOP was the minority party for the first half of the last century. Liberal and progressive causes ruled. We had both houses of Congress for forever. Then, knowing they were the minority, they set about to start a "revolution". Reagan was the FIRST conservative to be elected prez.

Oh, and they are STILL the minority. They have just pulled the wool over the eyes of many Americans with talk of "values" (code speak) and "death taxes". Only 9% of Americans want abortion illegal in all circumstances. How are we on the losing side of that issue? The republican noise machine.

That was the machine that met in November 1992 to figure out how to impeach Clinton.

That was the machine that changed the language in america. When they started conservative was a dirty word, now liberal is.

The problem is, it is divisive and we hate that. But we're gonna have to swallow it. (Things the gerrymandering come immediately to mind).

We need to stay on message. Anyone hear of anyone doing this, let me know. I'm ready to contribute my time and money. We can use their play book.

[seraph]

7. There you go!

Now, how do we do this?

Does it start here?

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

8. I thought that was Martha Mitchell...great line.

I should use it as my sig line becuase its oh so true!

[rlev1223]

10. she was a true southern nutjob

[goclark]

11. She was so smart and spoke the truth about their

Nazi administration.

That is why she got "sick" and died.

They killed her for her honesty.

She was not hardly a nut case.