Goal: Democratic supermajority in Congress

[ozymandius]

I present to you an achievable goal framed in a mindset. Accept supermajority as reality. Every step from here until then needs to be calculated in order to get there. Locally and nationally. I believe that it is doable. Following are some notes that I believe will help get us there.

Swing, swing, swing

Some people cannot be helped. Disregard the individual who has a "re-elect Bush" sticker on the car today. Time is better spent elsewhere.

Howard Dean (rather clumsily) reminded everyone what the Republican party has been doing to poor Southern voters for a generation. Southerners have formed an electoral juggernaut in the "R" column by wooing them with viceral hatreds and promising a conspicuously mythical Republican lifestyle through reckless tax policy. In effect, this is self-descrimination. Inflammatory as Dean's comments portend, there is a mountain of truth to his statements on the issue.

Exposure of the Republican myth lexicon is the hook for reluctant Republican faithful and particularly the swing voters. Virginia and Alabama are fine examples of Republican-inspired stewardship. These states have operated on the idea that taxes cannot be raised, only lowered. Alabama now boasts a failing education system. Virginia's roads and bridges are crumbling. The stark realities of tax-cutting madness are evident in reframing the appeal to the citizenry to support the essentials of a civilized urban-centered society.

The power of memes.
William Safire, senile conservative columnist for the New York Times, is grasping for past glory through a rhetorical war against any Democrat. His most recent column marries Dean's ideology with McGovern, attacking as he was keen to do so when he worked for Nixon. Nevermind Dean, Safire and his sloganeering ilk will attempt to associate any Democrat with a controversial historical figure.

I say fight back. Capsulate the failures of the Republican ascendancy during the past ten years with memes like red ink Republicans and Baghdad Bush. Name calling is a small, petty practice but it will make the road to a supermajority easier - particularly if the meme is accurate.

Conservative talking points
The premise as conclusion: circular logic is the primary conservative debate tactic. If you are a regular viewer to the Sunday morning shouting matches, then you have seen the conservative circular logic in action. Even moreso, CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox will host a cadre of conservative pundits and politicos who carry the same cue cards and display the same set of counter-intuitive talking points.

Have you ever seen a conservative nuance and argument? It's because they cannot.

This logic is ultimately assailable because it does not evolve. It does not follow a classical logical argument. The messages tend to be simple, supported by assertions and hyperbole.

When Democrats can nuance an argument with blunt force then the lustre will disappear from any conservative platform.

further reading -
Emerging Democratic Majority website

The Book. You can benefit DU by clicking through at the home page.

[SaddenedDem]

1. Podesta's Think Tank

We believe that a marriage of capitalism and democracy is the best of all unions.........

Richard C. Leone, President
The Century Foundation

Domain Name: EMERGINGDEMOCRATICMAJORITY.COM

Administrative Contact:
teixeira, ruy (XX128956) [e-mail]
204 E MELBOURNE AVE
SILVER SPRING, MD 20901-3513

[ozymandius]

2. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

:boring:

[SaddenedDem]

3. I think few are responding because...

it's such a pipe dream right now. We can't even hold onto the seats we have, much less gain a supermajority.

Nice dream, but that's all it is now. Especially with these voting machines in place.