Why Beltway Dems Get Their Asses Kicked - Part 2 - The Blogger's View

[DinahMoeHum]

Part 1:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2433793&mesg_id=2433793


Part 2 - The Bloggers' View
Link:
http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/2006/02/commerical-interruption-with.html

(snip)
The problem is that we're outsiders. People for the American Way, after sitting on their hands, is now raising money after not fighting Alito, using him as a boogieman. NARAL is still backing Lincoln Chafee, despite his refusal to vote for a filibuster, and the rest remain mute as French mimes. PFAW now says "we did all we could" to stop Alito, which is, excuse my French, utter and complete bullshit. Ralph Neas must think we're idiots. We were the only people in the fight, and they want to collect the money for it.

Second, the Washington insiders think we're their bitches. We exist to raise money, do field work and shut up. Many bloggers are stunned when they get on a conference call with the 527 people and pols.
(snip)
(snip)
The problem is that we lack the institutional support the right has. Their bloggers may be hacks for the most part, but they are part of a larger team. We need more from those rich liberals we see in the media. What, exactly, are they waiting for, another election, another 527? The more people who do this full-time, the better the work becomes. It isn't that your support isn't great, it is. It makes things possible, but unless someone has an endowment of $2m to kick in, our activities are limited.

I mean, we can see how the right treats their young people, and how you still have to have a rich father to work on the left. The left has gotten use to cheap, subsidized labor and then wonders why they aren't effective. Because the best and the brightest wind up in government, with unions, with people who can pay their bills.
(snip)
(snip)
You are either an insurgent or not. If you want to change the Democratic Party, you have to be serious about. No more talk about the Greens, no stomping off. We have to be serious about getting rid of the dead wood at every level and pushing our arguments relentlessly.
(snip)

(...much more, including views from MyDD)

:kick:

[RandomKoolzip]

1. I've said for years that unless all those liberal Dems

in Hollywood and in the music industry don't start coughing up some SERIOUS dough to set up some think tanks and some real media organizations, all their vocal support is meaningless. Against Moon, Coors, Scaife, etc., we're like the natives with our crude spears and rocks against a vast army with tanks, guns, and nuclear weapons.

Cough up some dough, Hollywood, or STFU.

[AtomicKitten]

2. I think it's because the Dems have no STRONG leadership.

The Democratic Party is like a Hydra and the Rs keep lobbing of our heads.

Our base is all over the place, half numbed by the status quo and the other half so furious they are attacking the party rather than the opposition.