No messiah is coming to save us, we are on our own out here.

[Philosoraptor]

No repub or Democratic messiah is coming to save us from the evil maniacs, so let's stop acting like it. Our millionaire elected officials we stupidly call 'leaders' see us as increasingly irrelevant, and we shouldn't get our hopes up expecting them to come swooping in like Superman or Jesus or Moses to rescue us.

They work for us. We pay them way too fucking much for the shitty jobs they do, and it's time we gave them notice, serve we the people, or get the fuck out of our way. If you are just going to ignore us, then we will have you all tossed out.

We can fix America. We, the people, but first we have to stop believing the fantasy that voting for a multi millionaire will save the nation, or stop the madness before world war three kicks off. Screw the senators and congresspersons, they are out of touch with us.

It's really up to us and we'd better face up to it.

[Philosoraptor]

1. Praying for a hero.

[tom_paine]

2. The only ones we had were murdered by the Bushies

Kennedy
Kennedy
King, Jr.
Boggs
Wellstone

I know I am missing more.

If another rises up, he/she will be murdered, too, if he/she has any remote success or deisre to prosecute the many high crimes and misdemeanors over the last 50 years comitted by the Loyal Bushies.

[Philosoraptor]

3. That's why it's up to US, not a single person.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Been saying this for years`

and we are at that magical moment when third parites are a real possibility

No, they will not take over the WH... I am not that delusional, but granger v 2.0 will not be shocking in the very least

Now the qusetion is... how do you get one that is functional off the ground in less than two years and qualify in fifty states?

Yep, they have made it very hard, both sides that is, for third parties to emerge

[Philosoraptor]

5. My optimism and my patience are gone.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Whwen it comes to the Dems you are right

that is why we will see a third party....

this is not based on gut feelings, but on US History... we are at one of them magical moments

[John Q. Citizen]

9. And like always in past American history, it will be fruitless. I would prefer

a voter boycott, something new instead of a pointless effort to run a 3rd party candidate in a two party system.

If a progressive third party emerges and runs, the Repos will take the seat. If we boycott the federal election en mass, we could at least attract Repose and Independents to the effort as well as progressives. Then who ever wins will be illegitimate from the start.

We need to pursue some new ideas and strategies instead of attempting to redo failed strategies from the past.

Or how about a campaign to switch voter registration from Dem to independant and from Repo to independent after the primaries?

Imagine if both parties saw a 15 to 20% drop in registration? Maybe that would shake them up a bit.

I don't know, I just know that you can't put a square peg into a round hole, and that 3rd parties don't work in a two party system. As much as I wish they could.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Yep that is why we got Social Security

and other labor protections, first advocated by the Grangers.

Okie dokie

[John Q. Citizen]

15. It was actually first enacted in Montana. Home of the Wobblies. And it was

finlly enacted in Congress to stave off the Communist "theat."

Still, 3rd parties have always failed as they are structurally prohibited by our two party system.

Social Security was a small price to pay by the oligarchs, and a small victory to win when compared to a real and lasting progressive movement.

Maybe we will get CAFE standards for our 3rd party effort this time around, and we can declare victory and go home....

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. I think we will get somethign much uglier personally

but that is a whole different story

The fact is that these third parties play a role in history... and they are about to again

[Usrename]

16. I dunno,

Lincoln was sworn in only 6 years after a new party was formed.

The message or the cause came first, then the organizing principles, then a leader stepped forward.

That seems to be the way any real change happens.

I do like the idea of trying to get independents to register with a new party, though. A whole boatload of Dems and Repugs are just fed up to the limit with the status quo.

A pox on both their houses.

[wiggs]

6. Agree. nt

[Gregorian]

7. And it has always been this way.

Just the definition of Democracy. But the reality is that we number in the millions. Our actions have big consequences. We've consumed our way into a difficult corner. But it is also true that our elected officials can direct us. The only power they have is in our following them. But we've also become good followers, thanks to tv. You are right. But I'm saying that there should be great optimism in the thought that between us and good leadership we could find the right path again.

[Az]

10. So many people waiting for the pendulum to swing back

Trouble is the pendulum doesn't swing back on its own. We The People have to rise up grab the damn thing and drag it back on our own. This is the way its always been.

[iamthebandfanman]

11. indeed

and it goes soo soo much deeper than alot of people realise (minus some of the DU crowd).
we've been screwed for decades honestly.
everythings a sham.
the second corporate interests became..well.. of interest... and the lobbyist flocked to washington.....it was all over.

when money became more important than anything. when greed and want overcame need and helping.

it was long ago established by society that we must worship the dollar, the gold, the money.

bow down or parish is the option they give us.

[earth mom]

12. K & R.

:kick:

[tavalon]

14. How do we get millions of cats herded?

That's the thing I'm stuck on and one of the reasons I am hoping for Gore to run, not because he is a messiah but because the cats would walk a straight line with him in the front. That would be a hell of a trick and we the people would then be able to move mountains and change the world.

[undergroundpanther]

18. Open a can of tuna?

Joking here..but to tell the truth I do not know.People can unite against torture but if pacifists take control then the fight is over,if reactionaries take control it's over.The thing that makes it hard is the S/M mentality has seeped into so many peoples worldveiws it has rendered too many people incapable of thinking outside rules,obedience,selfish interests, dogmas ,beliefs and authorities.

[undergroundpanther]

17. And so many in denial,still

Will we have enough numbers? After all the bushies got lots of torture and technology ,and a bunch of rabid true believers and psychopathic thugs waiting for the word to hunt down, capture beat rape ,kill.. people like us.

[Philosoraptor]

20. What's weird is we outnumber our 'enemy' 1000 to one.

Our enemy is domestic, our enemy is in the white house, and there are millions of millions of us versus a few thousand of them.

[Philosoraptor]

21. ........................