Message to Democratic Party "Leaders"

[SoCalDem]

I have been watching a repeat of the Dem Strategy Group from Friday..

What a bunch of clueless hand-wringers.. All I have seen them do is apologize over and over for "not being this" or "not being that"..and lamenting how the party is in disarray..

MESSAGE.,......


WE..out here in "Real-World-Land" are NOT in disarray.. WE did what was asked of us, and THEN some...

The "party" is more unified than it ever was...but YOU guys... Yep YOU at the TOP are the ones who have let us all down...yet again..

We "ordinary people" are NOT the ones who get invited to be on TV, radio..no one asks for OUR opinion pieces in the WSJ or the NYT..

I am sure you have noticed by now that the media is very much skewed AGAINST the democratic party, and we NEEDED every opportunity to count.. It seems to me that every time I saw a Dem on TV, it was either "Mikey , the milquetoast", "Angie, the Apologist", or "Noel, the Know-nothing"..

The "spokespeople" in our camp tended to be unphotogenic, tangled-tongued, and generally unprepared. The repulsive-cans ate them for lunch.

and now that the post mortem has begun, we hear NOTHING from any of you except how you don't want to identify with Moore or Soros, and how we need to change..

Hellllllloooooo.. Those two people and the people at moveon gave this party the energy that won this election for us.. Yes I DID say won.. The election was ours for the taking, and instead of kicking up dust clouds that could be seen in Timbuktu (like the repubes would do...and WERE ready to do), the task of saving democracy is not even worthy of mention by our LEADERS.. Shame on you...

The democratic party needs to look out to the grassroots people for the direction of the party.. We have been let down harshly TWICE in a row.. actually 3 times , counting '02, so why should we listen to your lame excuses yet again..??

[mattclearing]

1. Amen.

eom

[SoCalDem]

4. Now one of them just said that Soros & moveon spent 25 million

to "turn NH"..and they ought to reconsider.. Yeh... that's the ticket..

If the Dem party had started hollering "stole another one", and "count every vote"....

Stance is 90% of the win.. we acted like losers, so even when the fraud IS exposed, the public saw our candidates as "gracious, yet wimpy losers"..bah!!!


In retrospect, Soros & moveon should have hit the voting issues harder in the beginning..but I think they were pretty sure that Kerry would win easily, so why rock the boat??

The boat SANK....and took all hands on deck with it.

Republican vote rigging and obstruction of voters.. THAT's what "won" the day for the little dictator..

110 "extra" votes x 31 states "won" = 3.41 million mandate


The "rig" was to insure the popular mandate, so that EVEN if Kerry had won (because R's miscalculated), they would have rammed that "mandate" down our throats...and they would have TAKEN the victory anyway..WHY?? Because they "know" that the dem leaders can always be counted on to "play nice"..

FDR and Truman are rolling in their graves, at the wimpishness.

[mattclearing]

24. Move-On

They wimped out on a lot of ads that I think they should have run. What happened to, "He lied. They died." ??? They blew it.

I think Dem leaders can play by the rules and still destroy these people.

That they consistently refuse to do so, leaving us to worship at the alter of Randi Rhodes and Michael Moore, should tell us something.

FDR and Truman would have eaten Dubya for breakfast, spit him up, and then beat his ass. Punk.

[Sterling]

34. Move on does not believe we are fighting a criminal group of thugs

I have met most of the top people there and they will not consider that Bush and gang lies, cheats, steals, and murders their way into power.

It's sad but true. None of the gatekeepers of the "left" have the balls to face reality.

[m berst]

39. good point

The Democratic party is a dead lion. The grass roots movement is a living dog.

"A living dog is better than a dead lion. Our cause, then, must be intrusted to, and conducted by, its own undoubted friends - those whose hands are free, whose hearts are in the work - who do care for the result."

- Abraham Lincoln

[Rockerdem]

49. Here's the scenario in '08

a. if the economy is really, really good, they'll win.
b. if the economy sucks, we win.
c. if the economy is about where it is right now, and we're mostly out of Iraq - and we run a nuancer again - they "win" again.

We're all talking tough now. But think back to early this year. Who then would have been riding the Kerry horse because of his firebreathing attack-dog style? NADA. After the regulars stomped Dean and Kucinich, we meekly accepted our dilemma & rationalized for the machine pick. And that's why the suits at the function mentioned in the OP are so confident that they can pull the same stunt 4 yrs from now.

[guajira]

2. Thanks for saying what I've been thinking - I bought F-911 DVDs

yesterday - the pre-viewed ones that are on sale 2 for $20. I bought one for me and one for a Christmas gift.

I too get furious when I hear Dems say that Michael Moore does not represent mainstream Democrats. Michael Moore represents ALL Americans!!!

I also put a message on my phone answering machine asking callers to "take a minute to think about the more than 1000 Americans who have been killed in Iraq, as a result of B*'s invasion for oil". Some callers have said they like the message and some have just hung up!! Those are the ones I didn't want to talk to anyway!

I still have my "Truth for a Change, Vote for Kerry" bumpersticker on my car along with my democraticunderground.com sticker.

In other words, I am not giving up!!

[Rockerdem]

47. Great message

Besides being 100% on point, it probably keeps the telemarketer scum at bay too. I'm going to work on something similar. Thanks for the tip.

[Laelth]

3. I firmly believe Kerry won.

We should be talking about all the things we did right, this time, and not stuff we supposedly did wrong.

:mad:

-Laelth

[Pepperbelly]

5. Remember, it is their expertise that has been indicted and these ...

assholes, rather than falling on their swords are trying to weasel themselves into keeping their gigs.

I agree wholeheartedley. Our surrogates were factually challenged and had a gut deficit that was extraordinary. When the sift boat thugs were trashing Kerry, the campaign's and party's "response" (what little there was) was inept, ineffective and made the surrogates look stupid which, as I think about it, maybe they are. At any rate, we need a brand new first team because these fuckers have forgotten how to address bullshit.

They always sound like whiny shits. Fuck them. The very best remark in defense of Kerry during this crap, was from Bob Kerrey who, when asked about those slandering assholes, "Fuck them and you can quote me on that."

That made me smile.

[guajira]

9. Why the Kerry camp did not stop the "flip-flop" label confounds

me greatly. That name stuck with him throughout the entire campaign and no one showed how B* was a far greater flipflopper and a liar too!

I wonder if any of them learned any lessons from this heartbreaking loss!

[SoCalDem]

11. Amen... I am a nobody and EVEN I knew how to combat that

I called it the "shit sprinkles" explanation..


Mom: .."Who wants ice cream?"...

Kids: .."I do, I do, I do"..(all vote yes) ..just like the 87 billion

Mom:...."Okay, the ice cream has "shit sprinkles"..come and get it"..

Kids:..."NO WAY "....

I know they could not have said "shit" (oh-my-tender-ears-no-one-has-ever-heard-that-harsh-word)....but they could have said "doggie-poo"..

Flip-flop was the DUMBEST thing ..and let the guys at the top thought it was no big deal.. It was so easy to understand and could have been refuted easily with the MAJOR flop-flops of *²

[Pepperbelly]

16. friend SoCalDem ... one of my very favorite, all time Democrats ...

after the election, was interviewed on my local NPR program ... Dale Bumpers, retired senior Senator from Arkansas. Like Bill Clinton, Dale spent his entire political career kicking ass in a so-called red state. He couldn't believe how ineffectual Kerry had been at the simple little liberal 'attack'. Dale noted that he had dealt with that every single election in his whole career.

He said it's simple. In the debates, he would ALWAYS note to his opponent's face, that if you took the word 'liberal' out of X's vocabulary, he would have absolutely nothing to say. He would get the line in very early and everytime the word came back out of his opponent's mouth ...

tee hee.

Dale was the MAN. He turned the same attacks time after time. He even noted that the last time or two he ran, the gops mentioned Tedy Kennedy more often when running against Dale than they mentioned Dale.

But he won. Time after time. Overwhelmingly. Each time. He retired because he wanted to retire. (he was born in like 1925 or something.)

[n2mark]

18. Dale Bumpers

One of my favorites, I'm from Michigan and now live in Az. I always hoped for him to become a Pres. or a veep.

[Pepperbelly]

19. He would have been great. nt

[Lydia Leftcoast]

25. I wanted him on the ticket for years, but

it was not to be. :-(

[Rockerdem]

48. Dale Bumpers had spine.

Compare with Senator Reid. A mealymouth. A Senate roll-over/play-dead critter. We're in big trouble unless that situation changes drastically. Why not somebody like Biden?

[sangh0]

6. I never thought I'd see the day

a DUer posted a blistering critique of the DNC that I agree with 100%. I particularly appreciated the way you blame it on their cluelessness, and not the result of some ridiculously wide conspiracy, which is exactly what I think.

Good work.

[SoCalDem]

8. Thanks.. Day after day during the campaign, I would CRINGE

every time a questioner would lob a softball at one of the candidates or spokespeople.. I was on the edge of my seat....waiting for the home run... Then..out of their mouth(es) would come "...oh, I haven't heard of (insert any important event/policy/Bush transgression here)..." and then they would go right into the canned statements..:puke:

When I call c-span, I have googled for dates and names ..I have my facts in order..and I get a scant 45 seconds, but I ALWAYS catch the rightie with his pants down.. I love to see them sweat and turn red-faced on camera..

But then ...I am not a "nice" person :evilgrin:

[realFedUp]

7. No wonder we didn't have a message....

I'm not finding one among any of the panelists.
No one up there spoke for me.

[Warren DeMontague]

10. I Know What The Democratic Party Needs...

A couple of these.

[onecitizen]

12. The first thing we do..........

is get rid of CONSULTANTS. Like you said, they are clueless. Let them consult each other (which must be what they do anyway) and soon, they'll be out of a job.

[SoCalDem]

13. The national party officials should have representatives in EVERY state

ON THE GROUND...going to local meetings, and taking OUR thoughts BACK to DC.. WE ARE THE PARTY...

It's no wonder that there is a disconnect..They are trying to work top-down...instead of bottom up :(

[Lydia Leftcoast]

14. Hey, SoCalDem and others, have you seen this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1408844

she asked, shamelessly promoting her own thread.

This is what should be happening in every one of the 50 states. We have to take the party back from the Beltway know-it-alls.

[Stinky The Clown]

15. Blood and Guts

When is this party going to wake the fuck up?

The "leadership" is just plain fer shit. Emasculated wimps.

I want a party leader who speaks with passion, with righteous anger, with rhapsodical vision. Fuck nuance. Nuance doesn't reach the ears of the American sheeple.

I want a party that sends junk yard dogs out to "debate" the screech monkeys.

I want to see a Dem commit a stabbing on live TV and then reach into the chest cavity and yank the heart out beating and bloody.

And I want party leadership that **controls** the fucking message. Short and sweet.

We can have nuance in strategy sessions and platform/issue discussions. But in our public face ....... yelling, screaming, hot passion.

Hone our message to a few (Lakoff-inspired) uber memes and stick to them.

Relentlessly.

This is not about the standard bearer. It is about the leadership of the party. No more "I feel your pain". I want *them* to feel the pain. The pain we inflict by moving the country to our side.

[HEAVYHEART]

17. RIGHT ON!!! I love this post!

[n2mark]

20. Our Dem Leaders

do not bother to ask the Democratic voters what they think, they do what they want to do. Well, guess what? They better start asking if they want to win. We are paying their salary so they better get with the program. Sad to say though, they give the impression they want to be pukes, this is scarry!

[SoCalDem]

21. Their salaries should be pegged to their victories

They would be bankrupt:(..

It always used to bother me wen the union leaders would prance around with their diamond pinkie rings, and their round bellies...urging the rank and file union members to strike (I was a union member)...and they knew that THEIR salaries would continue unabated, while OURS would virtually END...and their negotiating skills usually ended up with us giving up stuff and getting less than what the original offer was..:grr:..


I always wished that when we went on strike, THEIR salasies would stop too..until a fair agreement was reached... I am a dreamer:(

[Sterling]

35. Who says they want to win?

I have no reason to believe that they have an interest in winning. Everything I have seen tells me they are already doing there real job which is to make sure the PNAC agenda is unobstructed.

They are exceedingly good at it too.

[IllegalCombatant]

22. we're just another focus group to the 'leaders'

grassroots is so 9/10 didn't ya hear?

and hey, old george bush ain't so bad...

"It bothers me when America gets as divided as it was," he said. "I once said to a friend of mine about three days before the election -- and I heard all these terrible things. I said, You know, am I the only person in the entire United States of America who likes both George Bush and John Kerry, who believes they're both good people, who believes they both love our country and they just see the world differently?" - LITTLE ROCK, ARK. 11/18/04 -- Bill Clinton

good thing we ain't divided anymore, see... just think in 08 we won't have to go up against that honorable yet formidable opponent George W. Bush.

[eauclaireliberal]

23. RE: "Message to Democratic Party "Leaders""

The democratic party needs to look out to the grassroots people for the direction of the party..

The democratic party (and the DLC) needs to be dragged behind the proverbial woodshed and shot.

[VioletLake]

26. This bad boy needs a kick. n/t

:kick:

[Gold Metal Flake]

27. The only thing that surprises me about this thread...

...is the fact the the DLC apologists have not invaded with their freeptard-like sarcasm.

We knew the Dem Party leadership was for shit in the mid-90s. It has not changed. Time for change. NOW!


edit: fatc

[Pepperbelly]

29. it's a matter of competence, not policy.

These guys screwed the pooch at every turn. It dismayed me that they could not find ANYONE who could actually address the issues in a relevant fashion. They would just hit these inoffensive talking points while being eviscerated. They would not take the attacks on directly.

[Sterling]

36. If what needs to be done is so painfully obvious

to everyone not in the DLC/DNC why is it that they can't get the picture? Sorry I don't by that they are that stupid.

[sangh0]

40. It's NOT so painfully obvious

in a nation where a majority thinks that Saddam had WMD;s and was working with OBL.

[SoCalDem]

46. I blame our "unbiased" media for that canard.

And I think they did it purposefully so they could continually pump up their ratings:grr:

and now that the damage is done, it's too late to change the minds of those ignorant bystanders

[kodi]

28. mostly, they are fucking leeches who never did an honest day's work

when organized labor went down the tubes, the democratic party lost its working class soul.

and we wound up with this group of clowns.

i wouldn't trust those college educated dunderheadeds i saw on cspan on anything. if those well-fed idiots are the vanguard of the revolution, i'm getting off at the next stop.

[Sterling]

37. I got off two stops back.

Looking for a new train now. I won't go over the cliff on the DLC dipshit train.

[Skidmore]

30. I was watching that trainwreck this morning,

and told my husband that our problem is with the leadership. Thanks for this post. I was furious by the time that thing won down. Why would that one idiot think that the Carson guy from Oklahoma is representative of what the future Dem candidate should be? I watched Carson debate Coburn and until their names and party affiliations showed up on the screen, I wasn't sure which one was the Dem candidate. Donna Brazile needs to quit praising Rove and his cutthroat psycho tactics and at out to talk to the people. She clearly spends too much time in DC lunches. The 2006 elections will be the last chance for me to seriously support the Democratic party, unless something turns around.

[Skidmore]

31. double post please delete.

[nascarblue]

32. Exactly what I was saying and got attacked for saying it....NT

Next time before you all attack, why don't you watch the show in question?

[Gold Metal Flake]

33. Kick this!

Change. Now. Fast.

[IrateCitizen]

38. Democratic fecklessness also affects media coverage...

Thanks for posting this, SoCalDem. I missed the panel of which you are speaking, but I really wouldn't even need to see it in order to know the general outcome.

I just finished reading In The Eagle's Shadow by Mark Hertsgaard. He had some interesting thoughts in it about how the press corps in the US operates strictly within Beltway parameters, which applies to this discussion. Basically, the US media's idea of debate over issues is completely confined to the limits of the Washington debate. When the "opposition" party is noisy and ruthless, then media coverage will be critical of the party in power (i.e. the Republicans vs. Clinton). Conversely, when the opposition is weak or non-existent, the media's coverage will be very non-critical (i.e. Reagan and Dubya).

The Democrats slit their own throats when they refuse to be a true opposition. Not only do they fail to generate a message that will find resonance within the public, but they also influence the media coverage in a way that guarantees a minimum of critical coverage of the party in power. Then they wring their hands and lament about their inability to reach voters because they didn't play to the "issue of the day" or "moral values" quite enough.

The whole crew of them is ineffectual and self-defeating, and they should collectively be discharged of their duties and sent packing.

[sangh0]

41. I really wouldn't even need to see it in order to know the general outcome

So true, and so sad.

[IrateCitizen]

42. I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or become outraged...

... at their utter cluelessness and continued stupidity.

I just keep thinking back to when Jamie Rubin told a reporter that Kerry would have also invaded Iraq, in order to pump up his "national security" credentials.

Where the fuck does the argument go from there? How does Kerry then criticize Bush's handling of the invasion and occupation? The debate can only go into nuances from that point forward, and the American public doesn't give a shit about nuances.

[sangh0]

43. Welcome to my world

That's why I stopped my cable years ago. How many times can my skull be banged against the wall before it caves in?

[barbaraann]

44. The Foundations of Party Power by Walter Karp

It was a Republican state party boss, Senator Boies Penrose of Pennsylvania, who early this century stated with notable candor the basic principle and purpose of present-day party politics. In the face of a powerful state and national resurgence of reform and the sentiments of the majority of the Republican rank and file, Penrose put up a losing slate of stand-pat party hacks. When a fellow Republican accused him of ruining the party, Penrose replied, "Yes, but I'll preside over the ruins." Given a choice between winning elections with reform candidates and maintaining his and the regulars' control over the Pennsylvania party, Penrose chose to control the party. In 1918 when an insurgent group, known as the Nonpartisan League, beat the regular candidates in the Republican primaries of North Dakota and Idaho, Republican regulars in those states made the same choice. In the general election, they threw in with the opposition Democrats to defeat their fellow Republicans. In Iowa, four years later, Republican regulars worked strenuously to elect a Democrat when an insurgent Republican won the party's Senatorial nomination and for the same reason: the election of those Republican candidates threatened the regulars' control over the state party. To put the matter as concisely as possible: insofar as a state party is controlled at all, the sole abiding purpose, the sole overriding interest of those who control it, is to maintain that control. This, not election victory, is the fundamental and unswerving principle of party politics in America, and the full implications of that principle of action, the extent to which it governs the deeds of party politicians from the most obscure to the most eminent, are the burden of all that follows in this book.

To begin to grasp what that principle of action means, it is essential to clear up an ambiguity regarding the term "party" itself, for party politics is largely hidden behind that ambiguity. Nominally a state party is a coalition of local party units - themselves smaller coalitions of politically active citizens from each legislative district of the state (the basic unit of a state party) - concerned with electing candidates of their choice to the state legislature and with voicing their views in the statewide party coalition. Insofar as each local party coalition is competing for election victory, it is independent, since the members are bound to concern themselves first and foremost with representing local sentiment, both in choosing local candidates to the legislature and in voicing their preferences in the statewide coalition's choice of statewide candidates. This is one meaning of the term "party," and the prevailing party doctrine describes to some extent the politics of such a party.

...http://www.justicedemanded.org/nh2.htm

[IrateCitizen]

45. Another KICK!

:kick: