the "vision thing" is our problem now,

[ulysses]

primarily because we don't seem to have one. Or we do, but it's poorly articulated/too hard to articulate. Or we have a number of them, several of which directly compete with each other. At any rate, ask ten of those coveted swing voters in flyover country what the Democratic vision is and I'll bet you'll get ten different answers, seven of which are neatly articulated by the Republicans.

Style and substance both count. I suggest a succinct, ten-point mini-platform, much like the Contract on America except realistic and helpful. I think we need to think big thoughts again and, since we're pretty much completely powerless, this is our chance to do so. We have nothing to lose except the need to choose which hard-fought gains to attempt to save through filibuster and which to allow to wither and die.

I would like to see this presented to the media on Inauguration Day next month. That won't happen, but if we don't come out fighting, what's the point of being here at all?

Can we do this? Folks complain about the griping on DU about the party, so I'm hoping to see lots of them adding to the ideas here. As a working structure, we might consider the following general "themes" on which to hang some well-articulated, progressive specificities:

- education
- class/poverty
- foreign policy/terror issues
- jobs/economy
- environment
- energy
- civil liberties
- social security
- 2nd amendment issues
- veterans/the military

I'm hoping for something other than links to the Dem platform. Anyone?

[orpupilofnature57]

1. NO ,stop using that dirty ambiguous word , not progressive, pro-liberal

You cant appease neo-cos,so stop trying to merge,without calling it just that.

[ulysses]

2. "progressive" is ambiguous?

How?

[orpupilofnature57]

3. PROGRESS IN IT SELF, IS LIKE FIRE, AIR, WATER, SOMETIMES

They can save you or kill you, in it self neutral.We dont need more neutral.

[pa28]

4. Medicaid is a worthy thing to fight for.

People who are sick, old, children and others incapable of caring for themselves may literally be kicked to the curb to somehow survive. We'll see the third world come home if this particular program goes down.

A fight for Medicaid could show the human cost of an extreme conservative agenda in graphic terms.

[ulysses]

5. very true.

[Trajan]

6. Some say we have no vision ...

Others think it best to attack others for not having vision ....

Cest le Vie ....

Whatever happened to New Deal/Trumanist/JFK/Great Society liberal, progressivism ? ...

Did it 'fail' as the yoyos on RW radio like to insist ? ..

Did it disappear ? ... or are we STILL living it ? ...

Same as it ever was ....

[ulysses]

7. well, what do you think?

Whatever happened to New Deal/Trumanist/JFK/Great Society liberal, progressivism ? ...

Did it 'fail' as the yoyos on RW radio like to insist ? ..

Did it disappear ? ... or are we STILL living it ? ...

I'd say we're living with the last vestiges of it.

[ulysses]

8. is that it?