The Democrats, unlike 1994, already got the wake-up call on mid-term elections

[zulchzulu]

I was watching some Republican strategist discussing 2010 plans with a group of young Republican strategists in DC on CSPAN and there was an interesting admission that the strategist said to his minions.

Unlike 1994, where it was too late for Democrats to fight back against the Gingrich "revolution", the Democrats are already up to the task of fighting back the Republicans in 2010.

We have 11 months to paint the Republicans as not being the answer to getting the economy back in shape. Granted, according to this strategist, the Republicans are going to go after Nancy Pelosi.

You know the drill. Bad photos of her and evil, ominous soundtrack music and Hal Rhiney doing the snarky voiceover. Tagline with some cheesy "patriotic" brass soundtrack and the glow effect across some message saying "Republicans. For America"...

For me, I see painting the Republicans as not only the Party of No, but No Ideas. I'd use the term "Quit" a lot in messaging if only to show Palin at the same time as the word comes up. Granted, she would be the best candidate to run against in 2012, although she doesn't have a chance in hell since she shot back at the McCain/GOP Machine with her whiney diatribes.

That said, we have gotten the wake-up call indeed. Whether you agree with all of Obama's record so far or not, it's indeed a good time to go down to the local Democratic Party office or union hall or grassroots meeting and begin the pushback.

I will.

[DJ13]

1. Just the opposite

Dems who think the HCR mandates wont become an issue in the midterms are fooling themselves.

Then theres the constant sucking up to big money on Wall street by both Congress (HCR, bank bailouts, lack of any reforms on the finance industry that would reduce credit rates), and the WH which really does inflame voters.

Our party leadership has become what we once lambasted the GOP for..... the party of special intersts over the needs of the people.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. +1

[HughMoran]

14. That's a reasonable approach to elections?

Say "we suck" and let the opponents walk all over us?

[GreenPartyVoter]

15. The other approach is to steer the party back to its intended state, I guess.

[HughMoran]

16. 'intended state'

What does that mean - the 'state' that you like?

There is another state known as a State. We have conservative & liberal States. The only way we can change the course of the party is to elect more progressive candidates. Throwing our hands in the air and saying "I give up" is not the strategy that will 'steer the party back the intended state'.

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. I don't recall saying anything about giving up. Where are you getting that from in my posts?

[mkultra]

35. why dont you steer the green party to dominance

instead of trying to steal the democratic party?

[zulchzulu]

10. So just give up, right?

There are plenty of people who will be glad to help the Democratic Party this year. It's better not to have people with your negative attitude anywhere near places where the work needs to be done.

Enjoy sitting on your ass and bitching that nothing is getting done.

[Faryn Balyncd]

13. Absolutely not! The task at hand is that we MUST NOT PASS a no-public-option corp-welfare mandate!

We must fight like hell for middle America and against the obstructionist GOP and Baucus/Lieberman corporatists.

We must make the GOP OWN the fact that they, with their corporate allies defeated GOOD reform.

The alternative of passing BAD "reform" like the Senate bill, and having the Democratic Party OWN the mandate and middle class tax increase will mean disaster at the polls (as well as disaster for America).

[zulchzulu]

18. Now that's more like it

I'd rather someone say they will fight like hell vs. just think that nothing can be done and we need to just let it all go to shit.

We need to rid the Democratic Party of Blue Dogs and get a firm 60+ moderate/progressive majority in the Senate. That and make sure no local races get any GOP candidates winning without some serious smackdown.

[mitchtv]

19. I agree, start by ridding the party of Tim Kaine

and shackle Rahm

[Faryn Balyncd]

12. +2

[butterfly77]

34. I think that the so called Dems...

who say they won't vote for Dems never were anyway. They have never talked about a president like they do this one especially in his first year.


They want him to walk on water because some of them must have believed that he could..Most people aren't one issue voters,but there are sure a lot of low information voters who never have paid attention to what is going on but,now since they have lost jobs,homes,etc.

They now want to get upset with the person who is trying to fix it.

[mkultra]

36. yeah, green and much lefter folks think they can dictate democratic platform

but they aren't members of congress, in the administration, or in the majority in the democratic party. They are powerless and pissed off about it.

[quaker bill]

39. "mandates"

may well be raised as an issue, but since they will not be implemented and passage of the bill an old story, the issue will be meaningful to very few. If the economy recovers and jobs are being produced, the concerns about sucking up to wall street will be restricted to a tiny Palinite fringe and the far corners of the blogoshpere. Your read of the tea leaves is pretty poor.

My prediction, which I am sure you will have issues with, is that virtually none of this stuff will be relevant for the 2010 election. This is why it was done in 2009. Look at what starts being placed on the issues map in March and April 2010, then you will begin to know what the 2010 election will be about. The environment for this election will be constructed between March and the end of August - early September. I am not saying this to be dismissive, I am just saying it because this is the way these things are run.

Lots of people here believed they "knew" what the 2008 election would be about in late 2007 / early 2008. The same with elections in 2004 and 2006. In virtually every case, they were wrong.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

40. You couldn't possibly be more correct.

The health care bill will be a distant memory by November. Heck, most of us have already forgotten SCHIP, and that was pretty huge too.

[leveymg]

2. The GOP did one thing right. They kept their base mobilized. The BlueDog Dems didn't and will pay.

The Senate HCR debacle, and the cave-in to corporate interests, took the spirit out of the activist base of the party. Look at the outcome of the VA Governor's race, and you can foresee the crushing reversal of political fortune in '10.

Don't blame the base. Blame the lame Senate Democratic leadership and the permanent political class of triangulating professionals, money-dispensing lobbyists, and old media pundits pundits who still run things. They're used to losing, and are clawing the earth, trying to pull the party back, back to where they are most comfortable. They'd rather run the minority party than be back-benchers within a Progressive Democratic majority. They are destroying the Democratic Party in order to save it for themselves.

[Arkana]

5. Yeah, but their base is mobilized the wrong way--they hate the GOP

almost as much as they hate Democrats.

[leveymg]

6. Perhaps the best thing would be if the base of both parties agreed to split.

That way, both disaffected populist groups would be able to work for candidates and causes that suit their own agendas, not the corporate center that actually control both parties.

We all just have to agree to do it at the same time.

[mkultra]

37. good luck

if that kind of think worked, the green party or naders party would work.

[Zenlitened]

9. Chilling, if true. And unfortunately, it too often seems...

... there is some ring of truth to it, indeed:

They're used to losing, and are clawing the earth, trying to pull the party back, back to where they are most comfortable. They'd rather run the minority party than be back-benchers within a Progressive Democratic majority.

[RainDog]

29. exactly, leveymg

our political system is sick. really, really sick and the sell out by democrats is shameful. what is there to work for? more feudalism?

[msongs]

3. our congressional candidate dem came within 1% of knocking off the repub last year. a rematch is

upcoming in November, but without the pull of the presidential election not sure if turnout will help us.

Too bad the health care corporate welfare giveaway bill will not produce many results until years after enacted, if it is enacted.

Msongs

[mitchtv]

20. CD 45 was promised help this time

as it went repuke but Obama won the county.We usually are left alone with no party help, we'll see

[CK_John]

4. I doubt we are ready, I see no national effort to recruit candidates or help local party leaders

raise funds or get office equipment etc.

I fear we will lose the House(42 seats) and only hold a 2 seat lead in the Senate.

[zulchzulu]

11. I get emails from the WI Democratic Party, a couple grassroots interests and Russ Feingold

You just gotta poke around....

[IndianaGreen]

7. I won't waste my time trying to elect people that won't support the working class

This means that I will work to GOTV for my congressperson André Carson, but I won't do jackshit (or vote) for the corporate whore Evan Bayh.

[zulchzulu]

22. I'm for helping Bayh to go bye-bye

Is it too late for primary him?

[zulchzulu]

21. I'm convinced the Teabaggers will help hurt the GOP more than they can control

Aside from the fact that the Teabaggers are nuts and plan on primary challenges to their own GOP, I think they will help hurt the already unpopular GOP image.

It's our duty to expose the Teabaggers as nutjob, extremist, racist, Birther conspiracy theorists that are an embarrassment to the GOP brass. The GOP leadership want to shut them up but Fox News is willing to have them on their anti-Obama shows. The RNC has to play along or get even more exposure by Fox News filling their airwaves with unbridled asshattery.

I could see many Democratic ads exposing the GOP as a bunch of extreme zealots. The Teabaggers' negative message will be the GOP's Achilles Heel.

[RainDog]

23. those who support the health care bill, by all means, volunteer

because I will not be among those who work for democrats since they don't work for me.

that's the way it goes.

[zulchzulu]

25. Is that the only issue you care about? Even in local races?

If so, play stay at home. We got this.

[RainDog]

26. no it's not the only issue

wall street
unemployment
heath care
afghanistan
fisa
sucking up to the religious right
insulting progressives
refusing to pressure bush and cheney
continuing to and further justifying torture

but lots and lots of purty words.

so, yeah, I hope you got this. because the democratic party didn't.

[zulchzulu]

30. Well...

...all those are on my list too, but there isn't really much of a realistic choice at least on the national level. I'll vote for a Green if they are legit, but we all know that nothing is perfect.

I'm doing grassroots stuff for Russ Feingold (my Senator) proudly since he's pretty much where I stand politically... plus he's a freakin' nice guy.

But on a national level, anything I can do to smashmouth the GOP is a nice hobby of mine.

[RainDog]

32. If Feingold were my senator, I'd work for him too.

since my senator is a dino with lots of money and big pharma behind him, the only races I care about are local... where we have had green reps, too.

there is only one republican in office in my city.

my city is considered a "showcase" of the state but no one seems to equate the sort of population that elects democrats who are actual democrats with quality of life, I guess. I'm not from this state originally, so my town is my home. If my town wasn't liberal, most people who live here wouldn't. I know that sounds strange to say, but, honestly, the liberals are what make this town a destination.

my state went for dems for the first time in an election since LBJ, with Obama. but he does not have the support of many democrats I know, anymore, because he has governed like a DLC (word deleted.)

Honestly, it's amazing that he could win a state and then alienate those who voted for him immediately afterward.

but Wall Street and the insurance cos are more important than voters, it seems. where I live liberals vote green, not just dem, and they really don't care what anyone says as an insult on DU (not talking about you) so the democrats do not have a lock on liberal votes here. If they want to win this state again, they'd better start walking the walk and not just talking the talk.

[Hekate]

24. Yep. It's time to get moving-- & show some unity and loyalty, because failure is not an option. .

Happy new year, ZZ.

Hekate

[mstinamotorcity]

27. Mid Term Elections

are generally down across the nation in most counties except where there are close races that make or break the political incumbent.When our President was elected to office i was glad that i worked hard to make sure that my friends and family around the country participated in the election process.Now that its time to get started with mid term elections i plan on working harder than ever so that the progressive democratic agenda can take shape. There are a lot of people who want to bail out of this up coming cycle,not me.Because i know that one voice sounds like a whisper but many voices sound like thunder especially when they are singing the same song.There are a lot of people who expected our President to make laws become reality overnight,when it took better part of thirty years to get in this mess.A lot of people think this recession started with Dubya/Shooter,nope,they just were the thieving icing on the cake.I know that it takes those of us with a calm sense of reasoning to not run our other party members away.And some of the younger ones who lack patience it is up to us to show them how to put that patience into strategy.Don't give up on the fight we have just started. This in my opinion will be fun.We know who is bought and paid for by corporate,we know who the birthers are,we know who the you lie is,we know who the blue dogs are and we know that there is going to be some leaking going on.Is that drunk Bacus still explaining his then girlfriend.We are going to have a good time.2010 a sweeping win!!!

[davidpdx]

28. Also keep in mind media and how we communicate has changed since then

In 1994, the internet was still fairly small, many people didn't have cell phones, we only had a one cable news network and on and on. So you are hearing a lot more chatter about strategy out in the open then maybe 16 years ago.

Also, generally the party of a sitting President always loses seats (with a few exceptions). I think no matter what, we are going to lose seats in both chambers. The question is how many? If we can limit the damage, it won't be too bad. If it's another 1994, we are in deep trouble.

[ProgressOnTheMove]

31. Definitely, we have to be ahead of the curve with these folks at all times.

[LaPera]

33. Let's hope the Dems continue to donate & work all year on getting people to the polls & stopping

the theft of district elections from electronic voting machines....in many states (especially the south) where the machines & theft will play a BIG part in the elections in 2010.

[zulchzulu]

38. The Republican "brand" is shit. Cheney, Palin, Party of No, Teabaggers...

All we need to do is attack their brand with boatloads of ads.

They represent SHIT.

Negative solutions, whining poor sports, idiots and conspiracy theorists and fatcat war profiteers... it's no wonder that barely 20% of people admit they are Republicans.