Pathetic

[LynneSin]

And no, I'm not talking about the vote that happened yesterday.

For too long we've been trying to climb Mount Everest and failing because we forgot to learn how to mountain climb.

I'm talking the defeatist attitude we have.

Republicans are loving ever minute of it because the more they divide us the easier it will be for their MINORITY (because there are more folks registered democrat than there is republican) to control the majority. That's how Hitler won Germany even though he was in the minority - divide and conquer then dumb down the masses so they're clueless to the real horrors going on in the country!

And we'll allow it because we're dumb enough to walk away from the party.

You know how the republicans got control? They started small. Back in the 70s, the School Boards and town councils were some of the most liberal folks you could find out there. Fast Forward 30+ years and they're overrun by neo-conservatives pushing the republican agenda of religion to numb our children's mind and dumb them down so they're nothing better than proles running the factories at $6/hour. Republicans knew that by starting local they could push their agenda from the ground-up. And we're still wasting our time tackling Mount Everest!

Personally, I'm done with the senate - they serve no purpose to me although I will continue to vote for my democratic senators because even on their worse they and a republicans best day - the democratic senators are still the better option for me.

I might even help with a few local house races in Pennsylvania because I'm hoping that maybe our saving grace will be retaking the house. BUt even then I'm not holding my breath.

But let me ask you this question. Do you know who is running your local school board? What ideologies are they pushing on your children? How about your state government? If the Supreme Court starts overturning stuff it'll go back to state rights. Is your local state congress friendly or are they already creating legislation to toe-the-line with the republican agenda (I'm pretty safe here in Delaware).

Republicans are winning because a long time ago they realized that the key to success is putting their people into local offices to start influencing the masses at ground zero: The local schools and communities. And today we're seeing the product of their early efforts to start small and expand from there.

Start small. Find out who is on your school board and then go out there and fight for it back (One only needs to look at Dover Pennsylvania to see that it can be done). Make sure your local offices are democrat friendly and if they're not - do something about it.

I'm not too upset about what happened yesterday because I realized years ago that our federal government is failing us and I need to stop relying on them. Hell, half the reason why I want Bob Casey to win as PA senator is because at least in DC he won't be around to screw up Pennsylvania because if he's a senator he won't be running for Governor of Pennsylvania in 2010. (In fact I'm hoping that Chuck P gets enough name recognition and he runs for governor - that's the type of people we need in governor positions).

Spend the rest of the day wallowing in your anger and self-pity (I probably will) but tomorrow sign up for your local party and get active. This is far from over. The Democratic Party is MY party and I'm not about to give it up without a fight!

[HereSince1628]

1. That's all very conventional. I think its time for more assymetrical

politics.

We are going to lose the politics of collectivism where our minority viewpoints, votes and monetary contributions are lost like a drop in a bucket.

Our future is in the radical politics of the scant minority. A minority that insists on being noticed.

Think about it.

The successes of the 60's were the consequence not caused by the legislators that finally voted for the Civil Rights Act, or the Clean Water Act.

Those events were precipitated by the presence of a few dedicated activists ready to force the rightness of their message onto the American scene.

[LynneSin]

2. Not in the culture of this era

the neo-cons have spent 30+ years numbing down the masses that all they need to do is up the terra-alert to Orange and suddenly everyone becomes chicken.

[HereSince1628]

5. You completely missed my point Lynne. I said abandon the notion

of masses. We aren't even in a credibly large minority.

The struggle now must be like that for Civil Rights in the 1940's, twenty years before the Civil Rights Act was passed.

It is the largely individual struggles of dedicated activists and determined individuals who rather than hope to contribute to a majority, took their message onto the street and into public view by their personal actions.

Majority support was slow in coming and it has rapidly slipped away.

I don't expect to live long enough to see the damage of the Alito appointment undone. But I expect to raise hell when Alito's regressive jackboot treads on my sensibilities.

[QC]

3. Recommended! n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. Politicians don't lead. They follow. Vote issues and they'll come to you

As long as we continue to vote for anyone with (D) after their name they can continue to do straddle the fence and be the "not as bad" party. We bitch about them chasing the "centrist" voters because they might vote for the Repugs. Make them chase the "progressive" voters because we might vote Green or Socialist or not at all.

[LynneSin]

6. My battles though, are in the primaries

Even on a democratss worst day and a republican's best day I still know that I'll still get better representation from the democrat even if it's a marginal one.