Raw Story (Saturday): Pelosi outlines Democratic strategy for 2006

[Jack Rabbit]

From Raw Story
Dated Saturday May 6

In blogger call, Pelosi outlines Democratic strategy for 2006 elections

In a call to bloggers this afternoon monitored by RAW STORY, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) outlined the Democratic strategy for winning the 2006 elections.

Pelosi and her fellow Democrats went into the current congress with an exceedingly weak hand. Republicans held both houses of the legislature, and Senator John Kerry's (D-MA) loss to President Bush in the general election left many within the party disillusioned. The Democrats had no way to govern, and very limited ways of getting their message out.

According to the Congresswoman, even liberal papers often refused space for Democrats out of fear of losing access to Republicans, who controlled both houses of congress and the presidency. "It was across the board," the Congresswoman said. "We couldn't get the established media to really tell the tale,."

"That's why we had to have over a thousand town meetings--we couldn't get anything in," she intimated. "We don't have the votes, people think we can't win, so why bother talking to us. That's the attitude around here."

Read more.

[emulatorloo]

1. Kick and nominating n/t

[benddem]

2. rawstory won't open for me

anyone else having this problem?

[LoKnLoD]

6. Me too

I'm getting "currently awaiting resolution", they must have changed their web host.

[madfloridian]

3. Link doesn't work.

.

[still_one]

4. and I did NOT see anything about Iraq in this strategy

if we win in 2006 it will be in spite of the the Democratic leaders, NOT because of them

[welshTerrier2]

12. a sham of a mockery of a sham

great ... the Dems now believe they are in a stronger position to tell Americans where they stand ...

what clearer message could they have sent than this past week's Senate vote to give bush yet more funding, with not a single string attached, to continue the war in Iraq exactly as he's been doing for more than 3 years??? not a single string attached !!!

the great hidden strategy, spoken from the Dems' new position of strength, has now been revealed ...

thanks for nothing ...

[pat_k]

16. can't build on sand. . .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2609487&mesg_id=2609642

[Punkingal]

5. Hopefully her and Reid will resign leadership...

And let someone step in who will allow real Dems to run?

[paulk]

17. do you have a comment on what Pelosi had to say?

what the fuck is your point?

just another generic attack on a Democrat?

got some constructive criticism to offer?

anything?

what's a real Democrat?

you?

are you a real Democrat?

[movonne]

7. I couldn't get into Raw Story last night...does anyone know why???

[acmejack]

8. Their hosting company is changing servers and it could take all weekend!

But they should be up today or so they tell Raw Story (Who is exceeding pissed, I might add).

[rodeodance]

9. We should all media blast this story

[Jack Rabbit]

10. Note to those having trouble with the link:

I was having some trouble with Raw Story about three weeks ago and cleared my modum out. Even after that, it's been slow coming up.

[paineinthearse]

11. I get "Currently awaiting resolution...."

Time will tell.

[Grateful for Hope]

13. It came up for me with no problem n/t

[Minnesota Libra]

14. She sure got the media thing down pat but maybe the town meeting..........

....thing is the best approach anyway.:yourock: That way the neocons/fundies can't launch a wide spread counter-attack until it's much too late.:bounce:

[Adelante]

18. I love town meetings

We should have ten thousand between elections.

[pat_k]

15. ". . .If there was one issue to win the election [for]. . ."

". . .If there was one issue to win the election , it would be the power of subpoena--the American people should know. . . "

Perhaps they are beginning to get their priorities straight (seeing that dealing with the criminal administration trumps all else), but it sounds like they are still in denial (failing to see that they have a duty to Impeach -- that forcing Bush and Cheney out of power is the Number 1 reason to win).

You can't build a "positive agenda" on sand. Bush and Cheney have nuked the Constitution. As long as the Democratic caucus fails to stand up for the Constitution they are trying to build something on sand and continue to come from a position of weakness (and are seen as weak). How can they fight terrorists "over there" if they won't stand up to the terrorist in the White House? (If mushroom clouds in 45 minutes isn't a terroristic threat, I don't know what is.)

Bush and Cheney have made it crystal clear that nothing short of Impeachment will stop their exercise of unrestrained power. It's understandable that the political establishment is in denial. The truth is hard. But as long as Democratic leaders remain trapped behind their wall of denial, they are not just being derelict in their duty, they are undermining the Party's ability to gain the public support needed to accomplish anything at all.

As difficult as it can be, facing the truth brings hope. Impeachment is the cornerstone of any "positive agenda."

The conflict and chaos that is spreading inhumanity and destroying lives in the Middle East is not inevitable, but as long as we leave governing power in the hands of men who are a law onto themselves, options that would be available to a legitimate American President will remain closed to us.

We can transform resignation into hope right now by Impeaching Bush and Cheney. When we restore legitimate leadership in the White House, the doors of possibility that are closed to the criminal Bush administration will open.

To Impeach, or Not Impeach? That's the Wrong Question

Our House is Burning. Stop Remodeling and Put Out the Fire!

[AtomicKitten]

19. subpoena power

"There have been no oversight hearings on Iraq, no oversight on Abu Ghraib," she marveled. "If there was one issue to win the election , it would be the power of subpoena--the American people should know."

The only reference to Iraq, however, it is clear used in the same sentence as Abu Ghraib she considers it an outrage, an uninvestigated outrage. Don't forget Ms. Pelosi voted 'NO' on the IWR http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2002/roll455.xml, and for that she should be applauded, not disparaged.

Sometime people fling their outrage a bit too randomly.

[Jack Rabbit]

20. That by itself is worth putting up with a few DINOs

OK, you folks in Connecticut and Washington, get ready to hold your nose and vote.

[AtomicKitten]

22. DINO is in the eye of the beholder.

And the audacity branding people that is breathtaking. The ONLY person that fits that mold is Zell Miller, for obvious reasons.

It's about time DU'ers understand that there are Democrats of all flavors in the party, and just because some deviate from YOUR opinion doesn't make them any less a Democrat. In fact, I would go as far as to say those bent on purging others in the party aren't particularly good Democrats.

It is the strength of the common denominators that binds people as a cohesive voting block.

And attacking Nancy Pelosi is indicative of a genuine lack of fair and reasonable assessment of the party leaders. If you want to discuss ANYBODY that voted 'YES' on the IWR, I'm with you. But if you cannot discern and even acknowledge those that said 'NO,' then you are not qualified to label anyone a DINO.

On edit: I have come out fully behind opposing those voted 'YES' on the IWR in their primaries, just so you understand my no-mercy attitude with those that voted 'YES.'

[welshTerrier2]

21. i'll see your subpoena power and raise you a subpoena power

one of the remarkable, undemocratic idiocies of our system of government is that the minority party does not have a right to hold formal hearings nor do they have the power to subpoena witnesses and force them to testify under oath ...

this does a huge disservice to the American people because it strips the minority party of any realistic oversight capability ... especially at times when one party controls all branches of government, this weakens our democracy and allows the party in power to pretty much do whatever the hell it wants to do ...

i truly hope that the Dems seek to remedy this as soon as they return to power ... the minority party in the Congress should have full power to investigate the possible indiscretions of the majority party's actions be they in the House, Senate, or Administrative branch ...

[AtomicKitten]

23. that is so true

Watching John Conyers hold the "unauthorized" hearings in the basement and watching asshat Sensenbrenner turn off the mics is nothing short of a fascist state.

This abject power grab must be remedied, and I hope the Dems have the good sense to do just that.

[Jack Rabbit]

24. I like that idea

If I could work my will, we'd do away with the presidency and go with a parliamentary system. One of the features of that would be parliamentary opposition days, where the opposition formally controls the agenda for a day every so often.

[robbedvoter]

25. Psssst! Nancy! kerry didn't lose! Pass it on!

You ignire the sham of the elections, yous strategery is crap!

[FogerRox]

26. Impeach - Indict

[jarab]

27. Generous - to a fault - with our strategies. Will we

ever learn how to play that game without giving our hands away?
...O...