Just saw Harry Reid on The Today Show

[BJ]

I don't know much about the guy. Robert Byrd said he was the most effective Senate Minority Whip in generations.

That being said, however, in his short interview with Matt Laur, Reid said that Senate Democrats will work with the pResident. Now at first blush, I don't like that. It sounds a little too much like Reid's taking advice from the insufferable Grover Norquist, that the Democratic Party should shut up, accept its role of permanent minority party and emasculation.

On the other hand, perhaps that isn't a bad strategy. Perhaps we should let the national Democratic leadership roll over and let the reactionary Repiglicans run wild for the next four years. All the while more progressive wing of the party will re-build from the ground up, contesting every seemingly insignificant race in every backwater county in the nation.

Maybe guys like Nader are right, and this is no endorsement of St. Ralph. Perhaps the way only things will change in this country is for the economic and social climate get so bad that a complete upheaval is the only answer. A total meltdown of both parties as they are now.

That's not much consolation. But it's the best I can think of at this time. It's going to be a long, bumpy four year ride and right now I can't see it getting any better. So buckle up and hold on tight. Just don't close your eyes.

[robbedvoter]

1. Dems are in a position to have a strategy?

They gave that up when they failed to fight for a paper ballot vote. From now on it's kabuki theater all the way.

[Cheswick2.0]

5. I totally agree with you on this

It is almost comical how the party failed to see the BBV problem for what it is.

[paulk]

14. read this

http://verifiedvoting.org/article.php?id=5038

as far as I know, all three of these bills were killed by the Republicans, who control the committees that decide if these bills get voted on.

I know is so much easier to run around this board trashing the Democratic party than it is to try and understand how our system of government actually works, but maybe you should try it every now and then.

[Kolesar]

2. Malaise

Hey, it's only words. He can say whatever he has to say now, but when it comes time to do something, he does not have to do what he said in November 2004. It is really not that complicated.

[MrUnderhill]

3. Don't worry about that...

...the minority ALWAYS says it "will work with" the majority.

Doesn't mean it's going to happen.

[JNelson6563]

4. They position themselves for mid-terms

Just like for 2002 when so many got in line to give the trained chimp the obligatory blow-jobs. They never learn. They hoped their capitulations from last time would spare them Rove's nasty ways. Didn't work then, won't work now.

Julie

[liberalmuse]

6. Granted, Reid isn't a raging liberal...

but he's a good representative for the more moderate Democrats amongst us. He used to be my Senator, and I rarely had reason to be upset with the guy. He won't disappoint us as much as Daschle did. Daschle would finally speak out and then back off. Reid isn't going to do that. We'll know where he stands right from the beginning--no false hopes. I know we could use a more liberal whip, but I don't understand why certain people are absolutely ripping him to shreds. He does not deserve that.

[still_one]

7. reid's got a mixed voting record

I don't trust the democrats or the repugs

[veteran_for_peace]

8. I agree with Ralph

I think that the democrats have become republican light. If given the choice between full flavor republican and republican light the people will choose republican. We must offer a distinct difference if we are to make a come back. I am not talking about the Al Gore and John Kerry difference but a Dennis Kucinich difference. In my humble opinion it is better to lose on principle than to win by selling the soul of our party.

[BJ]

9. During the Iowa caucus I started as a Kucinich guy.

Then I went over to Dean, mainly because the Dean campaign recruited me. My objective was in trying to stop Kerry. The minute Christie Vilsack endorsed Kerry I knew he was the DLC's man. And with a DLCer in the top spot, I was more than a little nervous. I been sampling race after race where Democrats lost and the same thing keeps turning up: they were Republicans without the stupid mean streak.

I think we better burn into our memories what Joe Trippi said to David Brancaccio on the October 29 edition of NOW with Bill Moyer:

You see Dean try to reform the Democratic Party from within. And the Democratic establishment crushes him. So I think what's gonna happen is the first initial response is gonna be to reform the Democratic Party from within. But if it's squelched again by President Kerry and other establishment Democrats, then what you're gonna see is that energy forced to the outside. And I believe by 2008, 2012, you'll see a real movement out there sort of spawn a new party even, spawned by the internet.

[veteran_for_peace]

10. That is why I support Howard Dean for DNC Chair

We need to get rid of these New Democrats. They are the ones who are driving our party to the right which forces people like me to choose between the Green Party which is more in line with my political views or voting for the lesser of two evils which I absolutely abhor doing. I don't like voting for a person simply because they have a (D) after their name.

[BJ]

12. A best case scenario is for the reactionary right to drive...

...whatever "moderate" Republicans that are left out there into the Democratic Party, because the so-called "New Democrats" are nothing but Rockefeller-Republicans anyway. Then those of us who are disillusioned with the "New Dems" will bud off into something truly new and different or build the Greens into a truly viable party.

[blm]

13. That's horseradish. Kerry's lifetime record was well to Dean's left.

Dean was always on the right side of the spectre as a DLC governor and it was Kerry who kept a liberal record all those years while providing balance at the DLC for the left.

Dean didn't become a solid lefty on policy positions until his primary supporters on the left brought him around. Study his actual policy positions on trade and criminal justice issues from 1989-2002 and contrast them with his positions in late 2003 and you'll see the change. A change for the better, and I have no doubt he is now sincere in his evolvement.

[Kolesar]

11. There is a great interview w/ Joe Trippi on that page ... eom

[unfrigginreal]

15. If he's not just laying the groundwork for some much needed ambushes

then we're screwed in 2006. If he's a good politician then that's exactly what he's doing, preaching Bi-partisanship to the public and later blame the Pukes for not making an effort to work with the Dems.

[okieinpain]

16. well if we can get some leadership in the DNC chair, someone

with a clue (DEAN), we can put a hold on some of bush's agenda. we need to run some good people in 06, pick up a couple of senate seats, and we will be right back in the thick of things.

but that is not going to happen with vilsack.