This move to the left/right stuff is bs.

[txaslftist]

We gotta do better keeping up with current events.

"We gotta go more progressive..."
"We gotta go more conservative..."
"We gotta go with Lakoff..."
"We gotta go with Dean..."
"We gotta go with Gore..."
"We gotta go with Hillary..."
"We gotta go strong on defense..."
"We gotta go for peace..."

"...or we'll just keep on losing, bwaaaaaah!"

Newsflash, folks: We aren't the loser party anymore.

Lemme give you an illustration. I'm watching the Apprentice last night, and the girls lose. The project manager brings two girls into the room with the Donster, to see who he'll fire. She brings in the dork who blew the party plan and the hot blonde. Okay, you know the Donster ain't gonna fire the hot blonde (He serially marries hot blondes fer Chrissakes).

He says to her, "You didn't do anything wrong. I don't know why she brought you in here. The only way you are getting fired is if you say something really stupid in the next 10 minutes." Wisely, she stfu and sat there looking alert and winsome (I don't know if she really looked winsome, but it sounds cool).

The Republicans are awash in red tape, an unpopular war, torture veto, corporate whorism, indictments, CIA leaks, hurricanes and it is ALL THEIR FAULT. They look like complete dorks, which is what they are.

We are the hot blonde in the room.

All we gotta do is look winsome, point out the flaws in the GOP, say things to make the individually variegated constituents in the various regions of the country happy, and STFU. As long as we stand for TWO things: COMPETENCE and INTEGRITY; They get fired, we go to the next round.

[MrBenchley]

1. Amen to that!!

The Republican party is literally falling apart over the Miers nomination, and we've got people in here more itnerested in bashing Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer....

[txaslftist]

8. Heh. I totally forgot to mention the Meirs debacle.

Add that to the list; Ach, the cronyism!

[MrBenchley]

14. Many wonderful things about Harriet....

One is that just by popping into the spotlight, she brings up just about every scandal and misstep that Chimpy and the GOP have had.
--she's hip-deep in the Tom Delay mess...
--she actually seems to have read the "Osama's gonna attack" memo to the Chimp, and gone along with the "who cares" decision....
--she helped hide the chimp's arrest record from the public
--she helped cover up that the chimp deserted during wartime
--she reminds eveyone that this incompetent, corrupt drunk hires only incompetent, corrupt cronies

Second, she's got the right wing publicly pissing and maoning that she might actually BE impartial (as a judge is supposed to be), and Chimpy publicly trying to hint that the fix is in--I don't think either half of that is sitting well with most Americans.

And it's a plus that she looks like the sort of person Limbaugh usually pillories as a feminazi....

[txaslftist]

16. Nice summation. Deserves its own post.

[MrBenchley]

17. I've put it up a couple times this week

usually to people who were wondering why Democrats were softsoaping her...

[ulysses]

2. respectfully disagreed.

We've been down this "all we have to do is watch" road before. We need a positive agenda.

[txaslftist]

9. This IS a positive agenda. It goes like this:

I will be honest, he is not.
I will represent YOU, he will represent who pays him.
I will put the people of my (district/state/region) first, he will put his lobbyists first.
I am not for sale, he has taken Delay money.
I represent YOU. He represents Boardrooms.
I will appoint competent people, he will appoint his friends.

I stand for some things, and these are them: (list what you honestly stand for, hopefully Progressive stuff your constituents also share, but at least stuff they don't virulently hate)
I will not compromise on some things, and these are them: (list your unshakeable values, hopefully stuff your constituents also share)


I am a Democrat, he is a Republican.

You are the hot blonde.

[ulysses]

10. fair enough on this part

I stand for some things, and these are them: (list what you honestly stand for, hopefully Progressive stuff your constituents also share, but at least stuff they don't virulently hate)
I will not compromise on some things, and these are them: (list your unshakeable values, hopefully stuff your constituents also share)

Of course, it's in the making of these lists that the problems start...

[txaslftist]

12. That's an illusion.

The making of the lists is NOT the important part. That's the current perception of the DLC/DNC/Moveon divide, but it is a false dichotomy.

The only people who think the list is the most important part are the single issue or issue clump people. That is not the majority of folks. The majority of folks want HONESTY. They want INTEGRITY and COURAGE.

What was more damaging to Kerry? His initial support for the war or his later opposition to it? Neither. What hurt him was his seeming to waffle over the issue.

Why do folks support Feingold? Because he has consistently stuck to his principles.

The people are thirsty for the truth and people with courage to speak it.

[ulysses]

15. erm...

Why do folks support Feingold? Because he has consistently stuck to his principles

That's not why I support him, but then I'm a DUer.

I still disagree. The "making of lists" isn't important, no, but issues are.

[blm]

3. And you couldn't find a better platform for a truly bigtent party than the

Dem platform.

It really doesn't need to move left or right. It just needs even a half fair media that allows the actual issues to be heard.

[Atman]

4. I don't think we can just sit and look winsome

Winsome, lose some.

We need to kick some fucking ass. Period.

Unfortunately, the DLC wants us to kiss some fucking ass.

[Birthmark]

5. I don't think I can do winsome.

Will a kind of constipated grimace do? If so, I'm runnin' for something!

[blondeatlast]

22. If we keep our tongues in our mouths regardless of the temptation

to stick them out and point and laugh at Delay, Rove, and the rest of the big L Losers on the other side, we'll be okay.

:rofl:

[CTyankee]

6. We will NEVER be as disciplined as the Repubs

That is a problem but it is also who we are. I swear we'll have to get the country ruined before we can get rid of this gang. They can just sell their kool aid like it's coca cola and people drink it. We tell the truth and we don't get elected (to the WH). It's a damn shame.

[Pithy Cherub]

13. How we tell the truth matters - greatly!

If we are all nuanced and apologetic for having to tell the truth - (or for being beautiful - to follow the metaphor), it is not leading. A straight forward clear message wins hearts and minds.

The Wrong Iraq War is now owned by the Left - and America, but we have Dems saying what again? :shrug:

[txaslftist]

23. "we'll have to get the country ruined..."

you mean you don't think we're there yet?

We're skinning our teeth out here.

[CTyankee]

24. Yeah, I do, in so many ways

I just never thought it would come to this. It is so discouraging: to tell the truth and have people not believe it. What a tragedy!

[MadJohnShaft]

7. This theory is brilliant - I see nothing wrong with it

one day soon we'll hear 'YOU'RE FIRED'

[lastknowngood]

11. Until the Dem's actually stand for something instead of always

kissing the shrub's ass we are going nowhere. The DLC is intent on dividing the party into repug lites and traditional repugs to try to counter the fascist repugs now. I've been a dem all my life but if I don't see some LEADERSHIP out them soon, I'm going independent and it will be questionable if I ever vote again. That is how disgusted I am.

[txaslftist]

18. Last night on the Daily show...

...Jon is interviewing John Edward. The two Jo(h)ns are face to face, and Jon Stewart asks something like, "You think the administration is deliberate about some of these things or do you think they're incompetent?"

John Edwards: "They're just completely incompetent..."

To the loudest applause of the night.

We lead on COMPETENCE. On knowing how to govern.

Competence and Integrity.

[hippiegranny]

19. I love what you have to say

and in a fair world, I'd agree. But I can be only semi-optimistic for two reasons: voting. machines.

[txaslftist]

20. Well there is that issue...

Demand paper ballots.

[blondeatlast]

21. I just heard a woman on Ed Schultz talking about being

a soccer, stay at home mom conservative who voted for Kerry and vowing that after the oil refinery bill today she will NEVER vote R again, and she sounded completely sincere.

Obviously, we need to have a trategy, but we don't need to panic and overplay our hand right now.