Herding Cats ... I mean unifying the Democrats

[mandyky]

One of the thing that attracts me to Howard Dean is his theory that the Democratic Party needs, to put it mildly, some fine tuning. We need to get the Senate and House back to really be able to do anything when we get regime change in 2005.

How do we make our party stand for something again?
How do we borrow from Howard Dean the idea of a unity movement?

I love liberals, and want to help bring our country back from the right a bit, but we liberals tend to kill the good for want of the perfect. How do we change and remain a big tent?

I think it is SOOOOO COOOOL that at least 2 of our own DUers are running for the House! What else can we do?

[Cha]

1. We all think for ourselves ...unlike the repugs, although I hear

even some of them don't like bush.

It's hard to "herd cats"...that should be our mastcot ..not the donkey!

My local Mohawk Valley Peace Coalition is trying to get someone to run against Sherwood Boehlert for Congress because he voted for the Iraqi Invasion.

[WoodrowFan]

2. Herding Rabid Cats! OYE

I agree. Sheesh. Clark! PSSST!! Dean! FSST! roaaaoor, scratch, claw, Kerry, HISSSSS. litterbox stuff everywhere, Mr. Skinner having to replace the curtains from all the claw marks.... If it's not claiming Clark is responsible for the Holocaust in league with Aliens, it's claiming Dean is slighting to the left of Trotsky and can't be elected! Kerry, of course, doesn't exist but is really Neil Bush wearing a mask developed by Skull n Bones!! I for one take the pledge not to bash any Democrat (even Joe Liebermann).


I reserve the right to point out that nut posts ARE posting links from rw nut sites, and Nadar isn't a Dem so I can bash ol Ralphie and His Giant Inflatable Ego all I want!!


CLARK/DEAN in 2004!

[BeFree]

3. Liberals

Are always searching out for a new and better way. We are out of control. We constantly push the envelope. Cons, by their very nature, are under control. They don't push, they accept.

When a candidate pushes the envelope the consequence is that the envelope contains more. One problem we have is that some Dems wish to keep the envelope smaller.

It is good to have more and more Dems pushing the envelope. Just have to be careful with the flames, eh?

[Brush_Hill]

4. My thoughts on "standing for something"

This is my first post. Sorry if I rant. Too much pent up "rage"
It seems to me that we Democrats need to start "standing for something" from the top down. Please get rid of Terry McAuliffe. Sadly, we need a real pit pull that can stand up to, overtake, and re-spin the Repuke babble. Ann Richards was on CNN the other night and when asked if W could be beaten in 2004, she said without hesitation "YES, of course" and then explained why. We need a "Karl Rove" type in our camp. We also really could use a television network. FAUX is the mouthpiece for the right. They do not even hide that fact any more. There are plenty of corporations that would spend advertising dollars on a liberal news network. I used to think that CNN was that network but no longer. Maybe MSNBC or CNBC. Hello, Ted Turner, we could use a little help here.......
Terry, the grass roots little people are beginning to speak. And mobilize, and fundraise, and QUESTION. You and the Democratic Leadership are terrified of Howard Dean because he actually STANDS FOR SOMETHING. For that matter, so do SMB and Dennis K. For the sake of democracy (remember that?) in America, get to work!!!!! The one-party Republican-Taliban is a machine that wants to see us gone. I am not going away. Neither should the rest of us.

[mandyky]

5. Welcome to DU!!

I agree and you did just fine with your post!

[newyawker99]

6. Hi Brush_Hill!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Mairead]

7. Too many people make the barely-enough the enemy of the best

It's hardly ever a contest between the good and the perfect.

They settle for less than they need because someone bluffs, criticises, or threatens them. 'We can't do that', 'It'll never work', 'We've always done it this way', 'Why can't you be satisfied?', 'You're a damned ideologue', 'You better get outa town, moran, or else'.

And then, just as other weak people have been doing since before Aesop's time, after they give in they say 'Those grapes were probably sour anyway', and 'This lemon is really pretty sweet'.

It's how the fascists always win.

[JVS]

9. Isn't that the truth!

And then they wonder why ground is lost when the right has its backlash. The right is going to be pissed if they lose, whether it is to Lieberman or Kucinich, we might as well have someone who will make some progress against them, before they get a turn to try to roll it back. Otherwise they get to keep rolling the progress back even more.

[Padraig18]

8. I liked your analogy

My ward committeeman once told me about his job, and put it this way:

WC: "Paddy, do you see this grey hair on my left temple? That was my first wife."

Me: "Oh?"

WC: "Paddy, do you see this grey hair on my left temple? That was my son's doing."

Me: "I see."

WC: "Paddy, do you all of THIS grey hair (running hand over entire rest of his head)? That's from 40 years of Democrat voters. It's like trying to shovel fleas, some days!"

Me: *helplessly giggling*

Any way, I liked this statement of yours best: "I love liberals, and want to help bring our country back from the right a bit, but we liberals tend to kill the good for want of the perfect. How do we change and remain a big tent?"

I wish I knew; if you find out, let me and my WC know, will ya? :P

*edited to correct typos.

[damnraddem]

10. Cats are hard to herd; but they're still quite successful as a species.

I'm not looking for Dean to herd me. So long as he feeds me (good quotes and insightful views), pays some attention (to what I and others say), and doesn't get too upset when I chew the furniture (or speak out on my own views, especially when they differ from his), I'm happy to let him act like he's herding me -- I think Democrats can unify for a while on that basis. I don't support him because he supports my ideology (he doesn't) but because he's a moderate Democrat with some good ideas, including early, public opposition to the Iraqi invasion -- someone who could unify most democrats and draw some swing votes.

We're already creating a big tent. At my state Party's meeting last weekend, I kept emphasizing that the numbers of people being drawn into action by Dean will be a great benefit not just to the Democratic candidate for president, whether or not Dean, but also to state and local Democratic candidates.

[SharonAnn]

11. Ahh, but lions are incredibly successful hunters - in packs!

Did you ever see on the nature shows how a group of them (females?) go after their prey?

It's something to consider! Don't go one-on-one with the Repugs. Hunt with a pack and take them down one at a time!

Yummmm, lunch for a week! Then, time to go after the next one.

[Tyler Durden]

13. And TIGERS, the archtypical indy feline agents...

...are on the brink of destruction.

THINK before you BASH.

[mandyky]

12. I was talking about "herding ourselves" using things,

some of which Dean has inspired.

Even when we win 2004, we still need the Senate and House back, etc. And we still need to deal with the DLC, and get rid of Terry McAuliffe. But we need a plan to get Dems on the same page enough to elect Congress folks.