I know what to do about the "A.N.S.W.E.R." organizers

[Kolesar]

We have to get them jobs--really cool jobs like jockeying jet skis or as a D-J. Rich liberals like Peter B. Lewis have to get them cool jobs in cool places--preferably a job with a lot of travel and get them out of the country. Maybe they can go to Amsterdam and study and party. Peter B. knows what it's like to party. Get them some girlfriends. Get them girlfriends, marry them off, & buy them a house so they are too busy to be organizers. It has worked before!

[SteppingRazor]

1. Why would you want to do that? n/t

[mshasta]

2. that will be nice and

to work for a promotional modeling agency in London...

[MadHound]

3. Then who is going to organize and put on the national protests? You?!

:rofl:

The Democratic Party?
:rofl::rofl:

[no name no slogan]

4. Maybe we should get them to give the Dem leadership SPINES

The organizers from ANSWER were not afraid to risk their "careers" to stand up for what's right-- if only our esteemed Democratic "leadership" (i.e., Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, etc.) would have done the same...

[elehhhhna]

5. Now THAT'S an idea!!!

[Kolesar]

6. Most of the House Dems voted against the Iraq War Resolution

[no name no slogan]

7. Exactly. But what about the leadership, like Gephardt?

Oh that's right, he was in the Rose Garden with Dubya.

Like I said, the rank-and-file people know what's going on. The leadership have their heads in their arses-- or don't have the courage to stand up for what's right.

[Kolesar]

8. Well, it's been about 2 months since * poll numbers crashed

It was during the Downing Street Memo revelations (although it was part of a long continuum of events). The time is nigh for the hyenas to move in and rip out some entrails.

[formernaderite]

19. I hear you, and am tired of the bitching

because the ANSWER people actually show up. Pathetic...where were all the democratic party stalwarts? Nowhere to be found.
Now, I find that astounding.

[no name no slogan]

20. Exactly. Maybe if we had a "real" opposition

in control of this party (instead of the lame-ass, lukewarm "me too"-ism of the last decade), we wouldn't be at our lowest electoral ebb in 60+ years.

I may not agree with ANSWER's politics 100%, but at least they've got the balls to stand up and say what they believe in, consequences be damned.

[Kolesar]

24. this thread is not about the democratic party. It is about ANSWER

An argument that the Dem leadership is not doing what they should is actually beside the point.

[Just Me]

9. Why?

If you could do better, prove it. Put your name on a protest that draws hundreds of thousands of people.

What's with the tearing down of ANSWER around here? Do any of the critics have proof that they have done better? No? Gee, I wonder why. :eyes:

[txaslftist]

11. ...proof they've done better?

if your sole measure of success is attendance, then the GOP did better at their conventions.

The fact is ANSWER fucked up the protest of 9/24/05. They monopolized the little media attention given to espouse a bunch of causes that are so far from the mainstream that they marginalized (at least in the media) the other 200,000 people who showed up.

The question is not whether we could "do better". We could hardly do worse.

[Just Me]

21. Um *LMAO* there were more protestors.

Are you friggin' kidding me?

"We could hardly do worse."

HELL-THE-FUCK-LO!!!! If a quarter of million people (just in D.C.) compared to a few hundred ain't good enough for you, why even bother participating on this board?

You act like we are not the voices of the majority (who are too bogged down or afraid to speak for themselves).

Why?

[goodhue]

12. Yes, the ANSWER bashing here on DU is pretty silly.

But apparently some of them there ANSWER folks are known international communists, and don't support the war for freedom. They were "debunked" as such many moons ago. Plus they tend to spoil C-SPAN viewing with endless talk about all sorts of unrelated social justice issues. Oh, the horror. :nopity:

[Kolesar]

17. It's only a message board. Nobody reads this

And I'm not bashing them, I am making fun of them. Besides, if I want to while my time away on an obscure message board making fun of zealots acting out on cspan, then that is my right.

[goodhue]

18. Yes, but what is the problem?

What harm has ANSWER caused? If they were not part and parcel of a the broad coalition there would have been far fewer folks in DC.

[Kolesar]

22. Fair question

I think ANSWER only brought a trace fraction of attendees to the rally on their own merits. Some Ohioans refused to go because of them.

To tell the truth, I am just funning on all the ANSWER threads here on DU-land today. I watched the rally and just got bored as the prime speakers ended and the also-rans did their thing. I put on my grubs and went to work the garden before it ended. The rally actually seemed less strident and less "destroy Israel" than the last rallies. Of course, I missed some of the 9/24 rally.

I have come not to expect a real professional show out of the antiwar movement (as contrasted with the women's rally last year w/ Madeline Albright & all). They are kind of tedious and I know most people wouldn't bother to find their way to cspan at noon on Saturday anyway. On the balance I find ANSWER more sneaky than offensive and their surly presence only degrades the affair by about 20%.

For those who are so concerned, I actually organized three protests when Beast/Cheney were here campaigning and protested one of their cabinet officers--who was really annoyed when we got into his press briefing and got interviewed.

[no name no slogan]

25. Since when has protesting been "entertainment"?

You talk about the "show" put on by Madeline Albright at a rally. But why should exercizing my 1st Amendment rights have to provide you (and the other C-SPAN viewing masses) "entertainment"?

Who the hell CARES whether or not a rally is entertaining-- it's not supposed to be "Survivor". It's people expressing their opinions in one of the oldest ways possible-- using their voices.

And if the women's rally w/ Albright was so gosh-darned "entertaining", then why is John Roberts going to be our next Chief Justice of SCOTUS? And why will O'Connor's replacement probably be an anti-choice white male? Did the "entertaining" rally really help change things?

[Kolesar]

26. I didn't call the women's rally a "show"

[txaslftist]

10. Giving ANSWER too much credit...

...I've seen a lot of ANSWER apologists saying, "Well then, whose gonna organize the next protest, you?"

Besides the obvious, "YES"; the second response is "Yes, just like we organized this one. We didn't secure the park permits, but it was sites like this one that got people to come, thinking it was an anti-war protest ONLY. We don't need ANSWER to get organized."

Aside from that, didn't ANSWER really piggyback onto another organization's protest this time? Didn't they sort of get the jump on the permits and then force everyone else to play to their tune?

Screw them. Let's just do a protest that is anti-war and not anti-corporations, christians, Israelis, Haitians, and whatever else that bullshit distraction was about. And yes. We will organize it.

[Kolesar]

14. ANSWER horned in on UFPJ. See this DU thread &Kos link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2114744#2114811

[Just Me]

23. You lay out what ACTION you have successfully coordinated,...

,...then, I'll listen to your SUGGESTIONS (rather than mental/psycho/moral assasinations).

Prove your credibility and your success in organizing. Give one successful example. Just one.

[txaslftist]

27. Oh give me a break.

You send me the funding that ANSWER has and I'll put 500,000 on the street in Washington easily. And they'll be normal people.

Here's one for YOU. Why don't you tell me how ANSWER is funded.

[Skidmore]

13. You'll be creating a whole new batch of

Wolfowitzes, Perls, and Hitchens.

[Kolesar]

15. "Leftists" who sat and stewed for half a generation

[Skidmore]

16. In their own juices, no less.

:)