Here's how you win independents: through LEADERSHIP, not "bipartisanship"

[Ken Burch]

Everyone now knows that bipartisanship is the same as surrender. We now ALL know that the Republican party will NEVER compromise with us. Independents know this too, and they no longer want us to try to compromise with the Right. In fact, independents would now almost universally agree that even ATTEMPTING to compromise with the right is a sign of a deeply delusional personality.

What independents want is leadership. They want a party that stands up for its principles and is unashamed of them, and that defends them no matter what. That's why independents voted for Reagan. No, they weren't as far right as he was(and he never did anything to moderate his appeal to appease independents). They voted for him because his sense of conviction read as strength and reassured them that they had a leader.

That's what we have to do. We have to BE THE CHANGE, and we have to be the change now.

Independents don't want our party to kiss corporate ass. They want it to tell corporations to stop kicking everyone else in the teeth.

They want the bankers to give up their arrogance and do what they're supposed to do for the country, not keep working solely for themselves in the short-term.

They want us to keep fighting for the public option so that private insurance will HAVE to stop screwing all of them over.

Independents NEVER wanted our party to apologize for being "too liberal". Most of them can't REMEMBER this party ever being liberal.

Independents want our party to lead. We lost them in Mass because the administration and congressional leaders DIDN'T lead.

Learn from that. It's about leadership, not pissing everything down to nothing. Nobody EVER wanted us to settle for mere incrementalism other than the CEO's.

[aaronbav]

1. Very well said Ken! K&R!!!

[Little Star]

2. A f#%*#ing men! k&r for you. n/t

[mzmolly]

3. Fully AGREE. Strength = respect.

:hi:

[cali]

4. So how come they didn't vote for a strongly anti-corporate candidate yesterday?

You do know that Martha Coakley focused on taking on the corporations like Goldman Sachs, right?

Look, I largely agree with what you wrote; that independents identify with strong leadership, but yesterday there was a candidate with a strong anti-corporate history. The independents went with her opponent because they perceived him to be the leadership guy.

[Ken Burch]

6. I agree that Coakley had some personal weaknesses

But those weaknesses were all in the sense of her utter lack of passion and her utter lack of energy. She ran as a female Dukakis.
And the independents reacted against her also to punish the administration for its fecklessness and timidity.

You only win when you've got the fire! Coakley never had any fire. Ever.

[dgibby]

5. This is what I posted in another thread:

Independents are what they are:
independent. We vote principles, issues, not party line. You can make all the promises you want, but if you don't keep those promises, there is no reason to believe we will continue to support you.

If you deliberately lie to me, cheat on me, steal from me, or abuse me, I will NEVER give you the chance to do it again. Once my trust is broken, it's broken, just like Humpty Dumpty, it can't be put back together again.

As an Independent, I vote Dem about 99.99% of the time, but no Party should take my vote for granted, just as no party should take their own members' votes for granted.

As for what's happening with the Dems now, I will continue to support progressive Dem. candidates, but I will not support the DLC. My contributions will go directly to the candidates that I feel best represent me, not to the Party.

[Ken Burch]

7. +10,000,000,000,000!

Most independents are people who WOULD have been Dems if only our party weren't run by weasels and fixers.

[TxRider]

8. Quite right and on point except

They also want action and leadership in increasing new jobs and helping unemployment and foreclosures etc.

The horrible stimulus bill was the best gift we could have given republicans. An "emergency" bill doesn't do most of it's spending 2-3-4 years down the road.

Independents are just that, but they are also socially liberal, economically conservative, and mad and hurting.

HCR is a long way down the priority list when your looking at losing your job, house, car, and money to feed your kids.

[Ken Burch]

9. I fully agree with what you've added there.

We need an FDR. Not somebody who'd like to hang out with Gordon Gekko.

[walldude]

10. K&R

Well said.