Interesting day at my local Democratic HQ in Western NC

[tpsbmam]

I went into do data entry for them. A couple of people were there making calls. Both had gotten responses indicating that people were voting for almost everyone on the Democratic slate except......our blue dog asshole Health Shuler. Some were quite vociferous about their dislike of this jackass but grudgingly said they'd vote for him (about where I am). And I was entering the data from pages of calls previously made. I'd say the majority of the entries I made indicated that they were mostly voting for the Democratic slate.......but were undecided about Shuler. There were notes by a couple of people who said they'd abstain from voting in that particular race. There were a few people who indicated a preference for "other." There is no other in that race -- it's the asshole Democrat or the asshole Republican. I'd prefer "other" too if we had a decent "other."

We've had some good progressive candidates run for that seat. Unfortunately, though Asheville tends to vote Democratic & progressive (Kucinich won the 2004 primary in Buncombe County, which is Asheville & surrounding towns), the conservative/Republican votes from the areas outside Asheville still win out in general elections. Shuler beat 8-term Republican incumbent Taylor, a major asshole. He was conservative enough to pull the votes away from Taylor. Well, that and Taylor was shady as hell with scandals dogging him. Maybe the conservative voters around here got a clue. And they found someone they could believe in with anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage putz Shuler.

So here we are. Stuck with a horrific blue dog asshole who most Dems apparently can't stand but who keeps getting elected by the conservatives of both parties who outweigh progressives in the area. I'm sure the same is true for so many of these DINOs. So how the hell do we educate these people who keep voting against their interests? One at a time? How the hell do we get through to all of these people voting for all of these jackasses, be they blue dogs or Republicans or tea partiers......what the hell aren't they hearing from us and what do we need to be doing differently to get through? I know one I've been able to get through to but damn, it's been a process over 2 years! But if that's what it takes.....

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. Good for you! I hope to start volunteering next week in the Raleigh area...

unloading Burr would be sweet..not sure if it is doable. Ready to start the calls and data entry! Keep fighting the good fight (my wife and I are on a two week vacation in Ocracoke - amazing to see Obama stickers everywhere! A dot of Blue in a very red area of the state).

[G_j]

2. Republican Chainsaw Charles Taylor was deeply hated

and when people, myself included, voted for Shuler, it was to rid ourselves of the plague of Senator Taylor. Shuler is a fake Democrat. I will vote for him because Miller seems like a teabagger type. I'm not surprised many others feel the same way about Shuler.

[Greyhound]

3. "Stuck with a horrific blue dog asshole who most Dems apparently can't stand..."

And "How the hell do we get through to all of these people voting for all of these jackasses... who most Dems apparently can't stand but who keeps getting elected by the conservatives of both parties".

And therein lies the truth of this 'game', for a game it is. There is no real choice, just as there is no real freedom, the game is defined by the predetermined winners, the 'choices' you and all of us are presented with are, in the end, no choice at all. We are the victims, period.

The parasites, that have plagued us since the before the fall of Rome, burrowed into this revolutionary concept called The Untied States of America long ago and have consistently worked to usurp the intention of it since before it was even realized.

Consider that the founding of The U.S.A. was the first time in recorded history that a colony successfully broke away from its parent country to create an independent nation. That its founding principles, equality, liberty, the supremacy of the individual over the state, were anathema to the ruling class that has existed since antiquity and continues to this very day. In short, the American Revolution was the recognition and statement of the fact that they need us to exist, while we do not need them at all.

The final answer is probably something along the lines that there is no solution. Until people realize that no one that meets the approval of their keepers (makes it through to the primaries) is going to do anything for them, nothing will be changed. When thing get so bad that alternatives currently considered 'radical' become viable, there will be real change, but history shows that it is likely to be nothing but another assortment of psychopaths bent on dominating them (anyone for tea?).

[struggle4progress]

4. From the Piedmont, I can only say: two steps forward, one step back

Shuler does make me gag, but Chainsaw Charlie really made me projectile vomit

[xfundy]

5. I did phone bank calls for Harvey Gant against Helms

So I'm showing my age, I guess.

Many calls I made were answered by sweet old ladies saying, "Harvey Gant wants to kill little babies." Which of course was a lie spread by Jesse Helms and Co, using the old "fear and smear" technique the repigs live on.

My advice would be to "cherchez le crenau," and answer their obstinance right up front.

And say HI to Steve Stanley at Biltmore Winery for me. He was such a riot.

And tell me whether they ever prosecuted the camp run by... ah, never mind. If ya know, ya know.

I don't check back on my posts, so DUmail me if you like.

Best.

[Scuba]

6. Vote Dem now...

...then get a real candidate in the primary.