Taxes, Abortion, Gun Control, Religion, etc...

[Dawgs]

Does anyone else feel it's important to defend our positions on these subjects?

We may never win again(at least in a Presidential race) if we can't get the rural voter. Bill Clinton knew this, and that's why he won. The Republican's know this, and that's why they go after single issues that are important to these voters. Look at Coulter's new book. It's called "Godless". Now guess what it's about?

The Republican's do a great job of framing issues. They first did it with taxes, then abortion and gun control, and now Christians. Are we just not good at doing the same? Is it because we have too many positions? Is it not that important?

[TimeChaser]

1. The problem is that we are constantly "defending" those positions.

We allow Republicans to make the debate and they just throw attack after attack at us. It makes it more difficult when we're constantly on the defensive.

Sorry if my response seems a bit incoherent, I'm not usually up this early. :)

[SoCalDem]

2. Coulters books are passed around the echo chamber, but few

people ever really read them.. Those books the repubes all write are bought IN BULK, and handed out for free at all their "get togethers" and think tank meetings.. The "bulk sales" boost it to "best seller" status to justify their being invited to the talk shows..

It's all smoke & mirrors..

Regnery(murdoch) publishes the crap
Mellon-Scaife et al probably BUYS them up by the crateload
Fox "interviews" the authors
and a few months later, you can buy them at the dollar store

[Dawgs]

3. I agree about Coulters book, but that's not my point.

It's more about how they find an issue and define it. Once they find one that works, they ALL use it to define themselves or Democrats.

[SoCalDem]

4. They can DO that because they all operate in an echo chamber

and take orders from a party hierarchy.. dems don't so that..

Ever generation or so, the repubes overreach and get slammed down.. Perhaps it's time again:)

Their set-up is such that the top guy is interchangeable. Their "base" (meant in every sense of the word) is well coordinated and any figurehead will do, BUT when they lose the support of the "fringes" they have coerced into supporting them for speicalized issues, they are back to their true numbers.... 30%..

The media and their pollsters spin it and spin it, but they are the dirty thirty party.. It's all they have ever been.

[Tesha]

5. As near as I can tell, Democrats *HAVEN'T GOT* any "core values".

As near as I can tell, Democrats *HAVEN'T GOT* any "core values".

I watch the discussion here in DU, and there is *NOT ONE DAMNED
PRINCIPLE* that everyone agrees is worth defending to the death.

Group A is perfectly happy to throw gays overboard if it means
the tiniest possibility of getting a few votes from yahoos.

Group B is willing to send Women's Rights up the river if it
will get two more NASCAR dads to vote for us.

Group C thinks abortion is murder and wants to see it stopped
by any means necessary.

Group D thinks illegal wiretapping is fine if it will let the
government catch a terraist.

Group E thinks that in a time of war, free speech rights and
your right to be safe against illegal search and siezure can
validly be curtailed.

Group F thinks the Palestinians are scum and should all be put
in camps somewhere.

Group G thinks it's no big deal if children, old folks, and
immigrants can't get good medical care.

Group H thinks it's fine that American public education is
going down the tubes faster than shit thorugh a goose because
there's always private and religious education.

Group I...

Group J...

By the time you get through with all of this, there is not
one item that we can agree is a *CORE PRINCIPLE THAT ANY
REAL DEMOCRACY WOULD AUTOMATICALLY TAKE AS A GIVEN*.

And that's why we'll keep getting our asses kicked. Republicans
may have crappy principles, but at least people can probably
enunciate them.

Tesha