So, let me see if I have this straight...

[NoodleyAppendage]

The best the Democratic Party can muster for the upcoming mid-terms is that we need to show up to vote NOT necessarily for the Dems, but against the Repubs so crazy Tea Baggers won't get in office. Is this correct? Boy! That's a winning election strategy. It's really worked in years past. <rolleyes>

The sad fact is that Obama and his DLCer crew squandered the wave of populist sentiment generated by the 2008 election.

If they had spent less time acting like domestic abuse victims in trying to court Republicans and more time steam-rolling the Republicans, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in now.

Maybe the wake up call should be less on the electorate and more on the party to actually start growing a pair.

'Nuff said.

J

[Deep13]

1. Agree, and yeah, we don't have any choice...

...but to try to keep the fascists out.

[NoodleyAppendage]

3. I'll vote, but it's really sad that it has come to this. n/t

J

[babylonsister]

2. You can blame it on whatever you like; I think the crappy

economy is the culprit, and that did not start with Obama.

[AuntPatsy]

13. Even far too many on DU seem to forget exactly by whom this mess was begun and just how deeplly

it was shoveled under mountains of clutter, not as easy to dig out of such a mess as some believe..kind of sad...

[sandnsea]

4. DeFazio is running against Obama and Pelosi

And the Wall Street bailouts and billions of waste in the stimulus. So apparently you need to vote for him so you can be just like a teabagger.

Better?

[NoodleyAppendage]

5. missing the point award n/t

J

[sandnsea]

9. Do you know who DeFazio is? n/t

[derby378]

6. Down here, I have a lot of Democratic candidates to vote for...

...from the city's DA to the State Representative to a new Congressman. Not to mention our first Democratic Governor since 1994.

Dallas County is turning a little bluer, but we have a golden opportunity to turn it true blue this November with a new slate of Texas Dems. So yeah, I'm all in.

[blondeatlast]

7. Did you offer up this wild enthusiasm for your choice in the primaries? nt

[Autumn]

8. Very unpopular sentiment here, but you

got it right.

[Ozymanithrax]

10. The sad fact is that people are trying to make an argument to vote for Republicans...

with their ass rather than vote for their own benefit and the benefit of the people with a ballot.

[RaleighNCDUer]

15. That's a fucking lie by the Dem right, to cover the fact that they

have no ideas which are NOT republican ideas to begin with.

Offer Dems a chance to vote FOR Democratic principles, and then see how many people sit on their asses.

[sandnsea]

16. The $700 billion stimulus was FULL of Democratic ideas

Even the $400 refundable tax credit was a Democratic idea.

And LIBERAL Democrats are running against it, even though they took credit for all the projects it provided for the last 18 months.

[Ozymanithrax]

17. No, this is the truth. Vote with a ballot for a Democrat or vote with your ass for a Republican...

They love Democrats for not voting, because Republicans know that not voting is an action and actions have consequences.

Life is full of difficult choices. Democrats have a choice, keep Democrats in power and enact slow change for the benefit of working class and Middle class Americans or put Republicans in power for Republican benefit. They have to vote for Democrats to do that. If the don't vote for a Democrat, they vote for a Republican. That is not "Dem right." That is the reality of the system we have.

The worst possible Democrat is better than the best possible Republican. No one should vote for a Republican with their ass.

***Edited for a mispelling***

[RaleighNCDUer]

18. I vote for principles, not party. If my party abandons the principles

that brought me to it in the first place, if it gives me no reason to vote FOR it, that the party's problem. I'm not going to vote for a republican just because he in on the Democratic side of the ballot.

[Ozymanithrax]

21. If a person does not vote, and Republicans win, that person voted for Republican principles...

Not voting is a choice, an action, and consequences come from that action.

A vote isn't an isolated incident without effect, and choosing not vote is not an isolated incident without effect.

Because Republicans will determine what legislation is passed and what Congress and the Senate does, there are no principles involved in allowing Republican Conservatives to come in power. Anyone who stands on principle will stand in the ballot box and make the tough decision on which party or individual will serve better. There are no principles involved in staying home.

[RaleighNCDUer]

22. Fuck that. Not voting is simply not voting. You want me to vote?

GIVE ME SOMETHING TO VOTE FOR.

It is just that simple.

[Ozymanithrax]

25. Fuck that. Not voting is an action, a choice.

The easy choice is to not vote and say, "it isn't my fault" but that is just so much empty justification. The responsible choice to look at the people running and decide which will be better. Don't do that, and you let other people make the choice for you. There is not none of the above in this system. Someone will win and someone will lose. You can do eveyrthing in your power to make it better, or do nothing and make it worse.

[Individualist]

24. That stale talking point is bullshit - and everyone knows it.

[Ozymanithrax]

27. Equating principals and not voting is bullshit...

Typical, Republican style bullshit.

Life is full of tough choices. Vote or quit pretending to care what the outcome is.

[Individualist]

30. Your crystal ball needs an overhaul

I do vote; I vote for progressive Democrats.

And the talking point that "not voting is voting for a republican" is still bullshit, and everyone still knows that.

[Ozymanithrax]

31. In our winner take all system, not voting is voting for the other side.

Because one side or the other will be in power.

Let's let Republicans vote for Democrats with their asses.

Get real liberals into primaries and I will vote for them to replace Centrists Democrats.

In the general election, the worst possible Democrat is better than the best possible Republican, because if Democrats win they get to make the choices about agenda. Though I may not like all the choices they make, the majority of those choices will be better than those made by Republicans with the rest a crap shoot. Republicans in power will do nothing that I like.

I look at a ballot and make a tough choice on who will better serve. Choosing not to vote will put Republicans in power and they will not hesitate to make the choices that non-voters refuse to make.

[NoodleyAppendage]

26. Spoken like a true abuse victim.

Maybe we all are abuse victims. We seem to be so willing to give our party a "pass" every time they screw us over. Maybe we should do the healthiest thing and just walk away (or form different party).

J

[Ozymanithrax]

28. Spoken in psudo-psychological babble...

We either do everything we can to make the system better or do nothing and make it worse. It has nothing to do with abuse.

[JoePhilly]

33. Let the stay at home cry-babies stay home .... its not worth arguing with them ...

Honestly, they are like toddlers. They want what they want, and they want it NOW ... and if the can't have that ... then they roll on the floor screaming.

And the more attention you give them, the louder they get.

Time to treat the screaming toddlers like screaming toddlers ... ignore their ranting ... step over them as the roll on the floor screaming endlessly.

Its like when your kid threatens to run away ... don't argue with them ... pack them a lunch and tie it to a stick and hold the door open. They won't get to blocks before the practical realities smack them in the face.

Focus on the real enemy, the GOP. Debating those from "the left" who hate the Dems gets you nothing, other than frustrated. Let them scream. Pack them lunch, open the door.

[RaleighNCDUer]

35. Oh, so people who don't roll over for the republicans and their

DLC toadies are 'cry babies'? Those who are asking why the fuck Gitmo is still a fully funtioning concentration camp, which every civililized country in the world despises, nearly a year after Obama's deadline for closing it are 'cry babies'? Those who point out that DADT was given a pass not only by all republicans but by some of the very republican-in-democratic drag senators that we want to see collecting unemployment are 'cry babies' - those same republican-in-democratic drag senators that YOU say we have to vote for to keep our majority - TO WHAT FUCKING PURPOSE if we throw that majority away?

Practical realities? If you keep electing RWers to congress, you will get a RW agenda, no matter WHICH party is supposedly in control.

If you can call me a cry baby, then I can call you a fucking rightwing asshole - and if you want to take it up with me personally, just say when. In the meantime, YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME WHO TO VOTE FOR.

[JoePhilly]

38. Get up off the floor ... toddler ...

I have not elected any RWers to Congress.

In fact, I helped REMOVE Liddy Dole from her NC Senate position ... dopey.

I do enjoy your weak-ass threat at the end ... what do you want to do, meet after school?

I suppose those with weak-skin (like you perhaps?) might use the ignore feature following such a response, but not me, have never used it ... I don't scare so easy ... I have much thicker skin.

This country is not monolithic. Sadly, in some states, the best Dem we can get is a blue dog. And while that is SAD, I'll take a blue dog over a Tea Bagging GOP member (which they all are now) any day.

You hate the DLC ... sure ... they have the unenviable job of trying to unite a party that is too diverse to unite.

You bring up DADT ... 100% of the GOP voted against it. 4% of dems did so. Maybe we should conclude that the Rs and the Ds are "the same" from that.

But that is the practical reality I refer to. The Dems have made huge in roads on DADT, the GOP is blocking it, and we'll have to fight to change that ....

But your endless bitching and moaning does little to help.

In case you missed it, the media takes YOUR disapproval of Obama, and lumps it with that of the crazy far right, and then claims that MOST AMERICANS think he is too liberal.

In a practical sense, you are helping the other side.

If you HATE certain Dems ... great ... go after them in the PRIMARIES!!!! If you win, GREAT, I will support that candidate. But if your preferred Dem loses ... understand that they lost because YOU did not do a good enough job in getting their message out ... and then ... to prevent the GOP from gaining ground ... SUCK IT UP!!

(edit:typo)

[Touchdown]

37. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Don't let me stop you. It may be fun to watch you run out of breath.

[NoodleyAppendage]

23. Bling, bling, bling. n/t

J

[Ozymanithrax]

29. No bling bling, just empty justification to feel better about...

letting Republicans win.

[donheld]

36. right!

[Greyhound]

11. Democrats seem to be happy with the republiks being the default winners.

Simply being the other guys gets them into office every few cycles. How does it go, The party of bad ideas vs. the party of no ideas?

Was there ever a time when the party gave us something to vote for?

[xchrom]

12. so it seems ... so it seems. nt

[thetonka]

14. During most of my voting age life

it has been about voting for the lesser of the evils. We have not had an opportunity for true representation from either party in a LONG time. In fact, I can't even remember when.

[laughingliberal]

19. K & R nt

[ProSense]

20. Six weeks before the election, there are two types of people

those making a case against Democrats and those who are not

Dems are also going to take up the middle class tax cuts.

Elizabeth Warren was appointed to the CPFB last week, and Republicans aren't happy.

Also, I'm not seeing the problem with Democrats forcing Republicans to vote on DADT.

[Individualist]

32. You get it! K&R

[yowzayowzayowza]

34. Neither straight nor correct.

'Waves of populist sentiment' don't vote in the US Congress. Your perception of "the best the Democratic Party can muster" speaks for itself.

Nuff said.