Tell me again why talking points are a bad thing?

[Stinky The Clown]

Talking points (many of them distortions or outright lies) insulated the powers from any blame in the spy scandal.

Talking points (many of them distortions or outright lies) insulated idiot son from any blame for lying us into a war.

Talking points (many of them distortions or outright lies) insulated them from every piece of shit scandal that's come up over the past five years.

The Dems - if and when they actually manage to get someone in the media to even acknowledge their presence - can't even stay on a single message.

Talking points need not be lies or distrotions. They can just as easily be truth.

And there is ***much*** truth out there that we need told.

What, again, is wrong with message discipline? What, again, is worng with 'talking points'?

Not lies. Just a focused and disciplined **single** and **coherent** message.

[Warpy]

1. Well, memorizing a sheet of talking points is sure easier

than sitting down, doing the research, and coming up with a whole set of opinions. They may be handy for people who can't articulate their wishes very clearly, also.

However, too many folks out there are using them as a substitute for doing their own thinking, and that is very sad.

[Vincardog]

2. I am fine with everyone singing the same song, as long as I pick the song

[Inland]

3. I agree. In fact, let me say this:

Talking points (many of them distortions or outright lies) insulated the powers from any blame in the spy scandal.

Talking points (many of them distortions or outright lies) insulated idiot son from any blame for lying us into a war.

Talking points (many of them distortions or outright lies) insulated them from every piece of shit scandal that's come up over the past five years.

The Dems - if and when they actually manage to get someone in the media to even acknowledge their presence - can't even stay on a single message.

Talking points need not be lies or distrotions. They can just as easily be truth.

And there is ***much*** truth out there that we need told.

What, again, is wrong with message discipline? What, again, is worng with 'talking points'?

Not lies. Just a focused and disciplined **single** and **coherent** message.

[merwin]

6. Yes, but...

Talking points (many of them distortions or outright lies) insulated the powers from any blame in the spy scandal.

Talking points (many of them distortions or outright lies) insulated idiot son from any blame for lying us into a war.

Talking points (many of them distortions or outright lies) insulated them from every piece of shit scandal that's come up over the past five years.

The Dems - if and when they actually manage to get someone in the media to even acknowledge their presence - can't even stay on a single message.

Talking points need not be lies or distrotions. They can just as easily be truth.

And there is ***much*** truth out there that we need told.

What, again, is wrong with message discipline? What, again, is worng with 'talking points'?

Not lies. Just a focused and disciplined **single** and **coherent** message.

[Lorien]

4. Talking points get the message into the public consciousness

If there isn't a a focused and disciplined **single** and **coherent** message coming from our side, then the ONLY message the ADD Public hears is the focused and disciplined **single** and **coherent** message coming from the GOP. There isn't anything wrong with talking points (since they DON'T need to be distortions and lies), they win elections. The sad part is that Democrats have a kneejerk aversion to the very idea because it's been used by the GOP (with amazing success)and because of the general distaste for "groupthink" by individuals within the party. We seem to be proudly disorganized because of this mindset, and the job simply isn't getting done. It seems like most here have an extreme distaste for the term "talking points", just as the general public has been taught to have a distaste for the term "liberal" (and most Americans ARE liberal, make no mistake about that)! Maybe if we phrased it as "working together to set the topics of the debate", " Addressing the important issues in a way which results in their being reported on by the MSM" or some additional lengthy,vague,and awkward statement the concept would be more palatable to the majority on the left (we do like requiring research of the populace, after all)!

[unblock]

5. methinks you gots it wordsback.

talking points (many of them distortions or outright lies) didn't do those bad things.

DISTORTIONS AND OUTRIGHT LIES (many of them delivered via talking points) did 'em.

[Stinky The Clown]

7. Lies or truth ... the same message stated over and over by every

spokesmodel on your side gets the message out there as truth.

Our side ...... ? To me it seems we're too fearful of offending someone or not saying **exactly** what **everyone** wants to hear.

The case of a Republican being off message is so momentous an event that it is ballyhooed here on DU as somehow being our saving grace.

The case of a Dem being **on** message is equally momentous.

Isn't there something wrong with that picture?

[Neil Lisst]

8. Your point is a sound one.

Republicans are organized and largely unified when comes to getting and staying ON MESSAGE. They're hitting the talk shows hard early in the day, setting the agenda, defining the issue, labeling our positions.

Meanwhile, our leadership is either absent, unheard from, or weak in responding or laying out our position. Our party is a mess from that standpoint. Bush falls on his face for 4 months, and we cannot capitalize on it, because we have no plans. We have a bunch of people who all think they need to fly the plane, and none of them appear capable of piloting.

I am waiting for a LEADER to appear. You get to be a leader by LEADING, not by being one more voice yapping in a non unison chorus. I'm put out with just about all of our men and women in Washington. Bush has fallen on his face, and where are we? Languishing. At least he talks. At least he gets out. Where are our people?! I hope they're all having a good holiday, because their taking two weeks off gave Bush the floor unopposed.

I want new leadership across the board. We need young blood - under 50 - in the leadership positions. Replace all three figureheads - Pelosi, Reid, Dean. We need new faces and a message. If we can't agree on a message, if we can't find some things to get behind in unison, what good are we? I'm really disappointed in us as party right now. I don't ever remember us being so fundamentally useless in Washington as we are now.

To all Dems in elected office in DC, I say:

Stand UP, or go home, and let someone who will STAND UP take your place.