Every clown needs an audience (ignore the splinterists).

[LoZoccolo]

We have about nine months before the next elections. We also have a sizable portion of people trying to distract us from the work involved in these elections, work we do under limited resources of time.

I would invite the real activists here, the ones who do things to change this country other than:

- Not voting for Democrats.
- Not giving money to campaigns.
- Not talking to family members who disagree with them.
- Complaining on an Internet message board when they themselves have the power to do something.
- Talk about starting a revolution or a civil war while at the same time not even working for a primary candidate or advocating for the issues they find important.

to not let their time be sapped by people who would significantly take them away from our next opportunity to shift the balance of power from the Republicans, who will give us very little of what we want, to the Democrats, who will at least represent an improvement.

Remember, every clown needs an audience. Use the button if you need to.

[mzmolly]

1. I agree with you. I have a hard time biting my tongue, but you are so

right!

Let's choose a special smiley? Scottlee chose this one in the primaries when people said the same thing over and over about Dean, perhaps it's time to fight poop with poop again?! :hurts:

Or we could try this? :nopity:

Or we could just let the threads sink, but that doesn't generally happen so?

Recommended!

[LoZoccolo]

2. I like the violin one!

I've been doing this ensemble:


:hi: :nuke:

[mzmolly]

3. That's good too.

I'll be back to kick this sucka later!

Have a great weekend LZ :hi:

[LoZoccolo]

4. You too!

:hi:

[mzmolly]

5. Hey I just had my first official opportunity to use the idear!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2435433&mesg_id=2436546

K, I'm out the door now.

PEACE bub. :)

[Dr Fate]

6. I agree except I would be more specific with point #2

"Not giving money to campaigns."

I invite people to do what they want, but I will only be contributing to specific Democrats who I feel listen to and agree with me.

I personally will not give any money that may find its way into the hands of any Senators who "showed back bone" against the Democratic Base by refusing to show to opposition a Unitary Executive with a filibuster.

I just made a $10 donation to Kerry and my Senators, Boxer & Feinstien will get one when I get paid. DU will get one soon enough as well. I'd like to give more than $10 at a time, but times are tight right now.

I encourage all DUers to give what they can afford- EVERY PAYDAY to a DEMOCRAT who represents their values.

Insert yoursekf in the primary process but stay away from 3rd parties, and focus on DEMs you like-Fair enough?

[LoZoccolo]

7. Kick.

:kick:

[AtomicKitten]

8. I thought you wrote "ignore the sphincterists"

but decided it's the same difference.

Onward! The House in 2006.

[welshTerrier2]

9. the OP is just more splintering ...

would it be fair to conclude that many of the traits you're criticizing, e.g. those who don't vote for Democrats and those who don't give money to campaigns (presumably Democratic campaigns), means that you don't think the Party should make an effort to win over votes from moderate independents or moderate republicans who might be persuaded to support Democratic candidates?

i assume from your post that anyone who is not currently supporting Democrats is a clown and the Democratic Party should not waste their time chasing those votes or listening to the concerns of those voters ...

or is your real message that those on the left who are not supporting Democrats are somehow worse than those in the center or on the right who are not supporting Democrats?

your post does nothing to endorse the more enlightened political view that we should do the best we can to keep the lines of communication open to all possible supporters ... in the end, you are as guilty of splintering the Party as those you accuse ...

[omega minimo]

10. Your ludicity is shocking

My first thought on reading the OP is that the purpose might be served by the regrouping of GD/P which Skinner brought up a while back... which worked well during the Elito hearings week. A pre-sort of sorts.

There is a lot of factionalizing here, which "goes with the territory" yes-- but seems to come from a lack of recognition of the severity of the situation we are in...which also is near the point the OP is making.....

I OPd a thread recently that actually (eventually) had positive effects of some bridges crossed rather than burned....initially however it brought out a lot of highly charged attitudes and reactionary hostility. Recently had another where someone misunderstood by projecting EVERYTHING THEY ALREADY THOUGHT ABOUT THE SUBJECT onto a simple comment. And refused to understand clarification and got nasty. Then went on to post about REACHING OUT AND BRINGING DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE TOGETHER.

I agree with the spirit of the OP-- yet the way that it is actually DONE must be open-minded and peaceful, or it will, as you say, be more of the same.

:hi:

[welshTerrier2]

11. building a political strategy on insults and disrespect will go nowhere

yes ... if the message of the OP stopped at the idea that we should work hard to elect those we believe in and that, at times, online discourse is not always the most effective way to do that, i would have no problem agreeing ...

but, the tone of the post is divisive and not constructive to gaining more votes ... for example, is it really necessary to label those who disagree "splinterists"? many people strongly disagree based on very legitimate, deeply held convictions ... calling them "clowns" hardly seems like a constructive way to broaden the Party's base ...

and the OP sees these "splinterists" as "all or nothing" ... that alienates those who oppose some Democrats but support others ... is that the message we want those people to hear? and what's this focus about "complaining" on internet message boards ... exactly what is the OP doing if not that? and why is the loaded word "complaining" needed when citizens use the internet to voice their opinions? and who's to say whether these people are politically active in non-net spheres or not?

i prefer to see those who feel alienated by the Party as an opportunity for meaningful dialog ... with roughly half the country so disgusted they don't even vote anymore, i think we've thrown away about all the votes we can afford to lose ... none of these implies the Party has to move way to the left or way to the right or any other place; what we need to do is do a better job listening to people; we need to do a better job explaining ourselves to people; and perhaps most importantly, we need to start from a position of respect rather than disrespect for those we need to influence ...

calling them clowns and splinterists just might not be the most effective way to do that ...

[kentuck]

12. Almost as if saying....

if you don't support this war, then you must be unpatriotic?