Word.
Posted by idiosynchronic at February 16, 2006 06:18 AMYep, what idiosynchronic said.
Posted by phidipides at February 16, 2006 06:27 AMI'm always amazed at how people who are liberal and progressive are painted as wild-eyed crazy-ass MFs by the conservatives, especially trolls. I got a hate e-mail from a guy recently, and wrote back to him. The hate was so shallow. I explained to the guy that I spoke English and have live in the U.S. all my life, so I had no intention of moving to Iran with Michael Moore. The guy emailed back with something very weak, about speaking badly about the President. Once the demonization is demolished, a lot of that hate just fizzles.
As far as the Demos recent failures, ah... I need more coffee right now, but then the shoulder goes back to the wheel.
Posted by Bob in Pacifica at February 16, 2006 06:29 AMI hate to paraphrase Ole TriggerDick but "you work with the dem politicians you have. Oh no, that was Rummy. Oh well, those idiots all sound alike.
Posted by Sharon at February 16, 2006 06:32 AMI don't know where to go or what to do, but I can't vote for people that when push comes to shove, they fall over like puffed wheat. The Dems have had opportunity after opportunity and failed to show any consistent or coherent effort at holding this administration to the law.
We need our own cult figure to fire up the populace, the Dems as is are so boring and blah that when they do get passionate they sound like wild eyed raving lunatics. What am I thinking? That isn't going to be allowed to happen. Those in power never like to give up that power, even if it isn't the top job.
Posted by Debra at February 16, 2006 06:46 AMDemocrats can't afford to be too charismatic or liberal. They might end up like Paul Wellstone, or JFK jr. I don't underestimate the brutality and criminality of the Republican power elite.
Posted by Oaklander at February 16, 2006 06:52 AMI'm a 55+ working woman whose disappointment with the dems is palpable. I have made a pact with myself that I won't vote for a dem just in opposition to a repub. Since I peruse the blogs everyday it's evident that there are smart, powerful and dedicated men and women who could and perhaps should pick up the gauntlet that has been dropped by the Democratic party. Time to put the status quo on notice. You now have to earn my vote and my financial support...
Posted by Cordier at February 16, 2006 06:57 AMDebra,
Not to nitpick, but we need charismatic leaders like John Edwards out front. I really think the 2004 ticket would have been stronger had the names been reversed, but cults lead to bad ends. When you can't loyally question your leaders you can end up like Jim Jones' cult did, even if you start out as "the good guys."
Posted by rlp at February 16, 2006 06:57 AMAfter reading Steves post from yesterday, and reading Digby and Greenwald, I've simply had enough. I can no longer support this party. I'm changing my voter registration today. I don't know exactly what I can do, but maybe I can work within the Republican party to bring some decency and common sense to their message. The issue is, they have a message. I don't like that message, but they at least have a message.
I'm so very tired of supporting a party that defeats itself at every turn. So, goodbye to it.
Posted by phidipides at February 16, 2006 07:04 AMThe sort of complaints I read here today echo the reasons why I abandoned the Democratic Party. In the 26 years that have since passed, the Dems continued their rightward drift, opening the gap between me and them ever wider.
One has to wonder if Clinton, DLC Repub-lite, could have won in 1992 if Poppy hadn't broken his 'no new taxes' pledge. I'm sure that his win (coupled with Perot's tapping into GOP support enough to make the difference) couldn't have come about, and the New World Multinational Corporatist Order would have happened years earlier.
But today, that is no longer an item of consequence. The New World Multinational Corporatist Order bullied its way into power and was allowed to become established by the only entity that had a chance of stopping it - the Democratic Party. As America is now a de facto unitary-party nation, there is no reason for the Democrats to continue to exist, and before too much longer, there may well be a motion from the wrong-wing to make that a legal fact. It happened in Germany once the Nazis took over, and there is no reason that it won't happen here.
As paradox points out, the public mentality against those who 'aren't with us' is in place, and as Bob in Pacifica relates, is willing and ready to act. All that is needed is a call from above for these mindless minions to act in defense of Their Leedur and the purge will commence.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.
- Pastor Martin Niemöller
You speak for a lot of us. Thank you and carry on, but try to get a good night's sleep tonight.
Posted by c kennedy at February 16, 2006 07:28 AMYou have my support. I feel exactly the same way. I have a masters ( i.e. can put 2 + 2 together most days ) and also am a home body. Our Democratic leadership is obtuse, too well fed, and cowardly. Actually, they should be deeply ashamed because they have reaped the benifits of being in Washington ( excitin life...attention etc. ) and now find themselves being called upon to actually fulfill their job description - representing us. And they are just too spoiled, scared, beaten, and compromised to do so.
Posted by at February 16, 2006 07:40 AMYou sound pretty normal. How did you wind up in the kook fringe?
Posted by jj at February 16, 2006 07:53 AMI agree. Somewhere we lost the idea that progressive was taken from the word progress and that is a good thing. Liberal is not a four letter word and I am always amazed at the maner in which people will openly slander Liberal Americans in open public. I once had a man sitting beside me at a bar openly blame Liberals for the problems that we are facing and then turn to me for assuance. I told him that I was one of those "crazy lefty liberals" and that I did indeed vote for Kerry. That seemed to shut him up.
Posted by ChappyDawson at February 16, 2006 07:57 AMi've un-registered from the democratic party because i will no longer vote for these useful idiots. in many respects, we have a party of one, that of patronage. that is why it's particularly aggravating that hackett was "encouraged" to not run for senate. and i would love to see sheehan run against feinstein. i don't care if they would end up losing, at least we'd have candidates we really believe in.
Posted by kebmodee at February 16, 2006 08:01 AMAmen, paradox -- the anger and frustration that fuel your eloquent post are the reason I don't blog; my blood pressure and mental health couldn't take it.
I'm always amazed at how people who are liberal and progressive are painted as wild-eyed crazy-ass MFs by the conservatives
This is the entire problem in a wing-nutshell -- the secret of the GOP's ascendancy is that they have effectively destroyed the value of Brand Democrat. Meanwhile, the Dems cluelessly cower in fear, which further reinforces the GOP narrative. The GOP's "liberal media" smear is the other big part of their success.
Memo to the Democratic Establishment -- this is not rocket science, folks. People want tough leaders, who have the guts to do what needs to be done. In this case, people want Democrats who will call the GOP on their bullshit, and do what it takes to destroy Brand GOP.
That's it, Democrats -- do that, and you will win. Keep on doing the mushy moderate narcolepsy shuffle, and you will keep on losing.
Posted by ck at February 16, 2006 08:02 AMThis is much more than a one election cycle problem.
None of the current crop of Democratic leaders will be in office when the Democrats again have power.
Distasteful as it is you all know this.
I'll go out on a limb and predict right now that a Republican will be the next occupant of the White House.
Posted by snark at February 16, 2006 08:12 AMHoly Fuck.
I am just as frustrated and disgusted and want people to fight and yell from the rooftops the truth. I get overwhelmed. Depressed. Fatigued. I too feel like throwing in the towell.
However, folks, that is not what a Republic is about.
We do not have leaders, we have representatives!
The US is a Representative Democracy.
There are people who are willing to fight. Maybe they don't come from the DNC. Maybe they are not currently holding office. Maybe their voices are not as loud (or should I say "not as covered by MSM") but they are out there.
We cannot afford to give up.
We need to organize and unify and take to the streets.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." -Thomas Jefferson
We are now facing tyrants. They are powerful. They have big money and complicit enablers in the Congress. They do not have us.
I cannot wait for some elected official to save me from the tyranny of Bu$hCo and his minions. I cannot be saved by reading or blogging.
Education is imperative if I am to know the truth and know what I am fighting for. But I must fight. I cannot wait for someone else to do it for me.
This fight will not be won by typing. We can only win it when we gather in mass and take to the streets. This is the only way that our representatives will understand what it is that we want. If we are going to just wait until they come and read the blogs then we are extremely delusional.
There are hundreds upon hundreds of Progressive groups. There are so many causes and messages that this is why we seem to have no "cohesive" message. It is simple for the simple minded - "cut taxes and kill terrists". Simple message with no meat. We are not simple minded.
I watch the Dems speak on the SPAN. They seem more Republican than the so-called Repukes in office. The Dems are concerned about balancing the budget, the absurd National debt, the trade deficit.
"Republican" does not mean anything anymore. Those who do not educate themselves think that they are voting for Republicans because that is what it says on the ticket, but that is not who these people are.
So, we continue to educate and then we take it to the streets. This is the only way that things can be changed.
Yes, there is no sound-bite for the Dems. Because the list of shit that is completely fucked up is so enormous that it cannot be covered in a soundbite.
Giving in to despair is not an option. I don't have any extra money to throw at a candidate. But I have a voice. I have a voice and I have feet and I can walk and gather and scream loudly.
We cannot be afraid of another Revolution; we were told that it might be necessary.
Posted by Anjha at February 16, 2006 08:31 AMI'll go out on a limb and predict right now that a Republican will be the next occupant of the White House.
Posted by snark at February 16, 2006 08:12 AM
Do you call that "going out on a limb"? As long as the Move On group and Soros are the mouthpieces of the Democratic party, that "limb" you are going out on is a huge tree!!
Posted by jj at February 16, 2006 08:34 AMjj is a troll----ignore it
Posted by at February 16, 2006 09:27 AMYeah, republican does mean something. It means "I'm a dunce" and "my antics make lots of money for comedians." LOL!
Posted by Ga6thDem at February 16, 2006 09:57 AMParadox, you have lots of company in your anguish. I feel completely frustrated several times a day.
My plan for dealing: ignore the national party and its campaign committees. I will search out those candidates that are worthy of support and give them what I can. No money for the compromizers and equivacators and enablers of the Repub. totalitarian mentality and right-wing policies.
I've found a way to sleep long and well, and I hope you do so too. We need to stay alert and refreshed for a very long hard battle ahead.
Posted by JimPortlandOR at February 16, 2006 10:06 AMNerveless appeasers. They won't stand up against warrantless taps, because they're afraid it will make them look weak?!? Cowards. I'm so frustrated with the Dems. Fucking cowards. It's like having a choice in 2008 between Pol Pot and Neville Chamberlain.
Posted by Raenelle at February 16, 2006 10:06 AMI'm always amazed at how people who are liberal and progressive are painted as wild-eyed crazy-ass MFs by the conservatives
The sad truth is that when one is a Fascist, everyone to their left is a Communist.
Posted by Thumb at February 16, 2006 11:41 AMPlease ignore thumb.
Posted by smooth at February 16, 2006 02:48 PMYou are like so many of us. Like MOST of us, probably. We don't want huge changes to the way our government is supposed to be run. We want changes to the way it's being run NOW!
We don't want everyone to be gay, we just want gay people to be respected as people. Most of us don't want to smoke pot all day, we just don't want our political leaders to act like they do.
We don't want Intelligent Design to be the primary public school curriculum, but we do want those who have narrow minds to open themselves up to the realization that science really has been responsible for many great advancements.
We certainly do not think national security is unnecessarily restrictive if it really keeps us safe, as long as the steps the administration takes aren't simply put in place to impinge on our privacy and civil rights. We just want our leaders to follow common sense and to act like real leaders. Why does that seem like too much to ask?
Scrolled through comments. Huge amount of frustration released here. But I will lay out a bet that the frustration is surpassed by the sheer will to fight back. Today we threw up our hands, tomorrow we take up the sword again and again and again and then our children will take up the sword. We only have to combat $1.6 billion in advertising for Bush, hey, piece of cake for you guys.
Posted by mainsailset at February 16, 2006 06:08 PMPlease ignore thumb.
Huh?
Posted by Thumb at February 16, 2006 07:31 PM"Those who do not educate themselves think that they are voting for Republicans because that is what it says on the ticket, but that is not who these people are."
Anjha, that may be the best comment I have read in a long time, and oh so true.
Huh?
Don't worry. I found what you said to be astute. I think you were misinterpreted.
Posted by phidipides at February 16, 2006 08:24 PMI think you hit right on the issue. Pay not attetion to the man behind the courtaine, for those political consultants are the first line of defense of interest that when reveled appears to be paid by Pacs such as the Israel Political Action Committe and their allieds.
So it comes as not surprise that senator like Libermann, Feinstein, Lantos, Boxer to name a few are peons of interests they trying to pass as progresives, in the fight for or again the administration. Thanks to the Libermanns, Lantos and others shills the Democratic party has become what it is now, a party of pussycats, paralysed by their political correctness not to offend the conservatives-read religious, pious middle America particularly when it comes to Israel.
Why? because, from Born Again, to evangelicals, to Christian fundamentalist "Our Leader" represent the best of it. You are for or against. It is a moral issue.
That is it what the political consultants are selling. Just follow Rove's lead. Do you really want to bring scandals? Really? Have you think that your constituence is 78% a combination of -name religious denominations here-
A couple of year ago, write for American audiences, here is this interesting article http://tinyurl.com/expy9 Go figure out!
Long before Iraq come into the scene, main stream we have been sold and dupe into a religious war by proxy. Intelligent European expatriats have been selling intellectual sneak oil to gullible and naïve Americans preparing the field for a "Clash of Civilizations", with the Neoconservative doctrine.
But does your regular Joe Miller time type of gay wachting Monday night footbal care? The only thing he is lent to care and believe by a fith column embedded within the jouralists and TV networks is the sound bites of ralentless demonizations of a historical religious problem in the Middle East deguise under the name of democracy. So that non brides run away can distract our attention from the Enrons or the lost of the dollar values or working class wages while we are at war in behalf of Israel. Look it is the civilization that is at stake! So that the same senators we elect, turn their coats behind doors is not a surprise, to the contrary it is the rule. Senators teint with AIPAC money are suspicious.
Posted by Censor at February 19, 2006 11:32 AM