Last edited Tue Mar 4, 2014, 07:14 PM - Edit history (1)

... or no difference between the parties. The parties (and the two politiicans) are clearly different. They're just not different enough.

Sure, one party foments hate to incite their base while the other advocates for equal rights. But both party's leaderships are beholden to Wall Street, the Koch brothers and other big, big, big monied interests when it comes to economic issues. As a result, not only do we have an uneven economic playing field, we don't have either party fighting to level it.

Sure, there are some progressive Democrats like Warren and Brown, but for every Grijalva there's a blue dog and five "corpo-dems".

The People can and will take back the Democratic Party through grass-roots action, but it won't happen yet. But the pain that will cause that awakening is intensifying rapidly, and the moment is coming.

The two party system is a failure.

or even if that's the best way to take back the country - but I agree, it's not time yet; the people aren't ready.

Another illustration of failed proof-reading of one's own work.

Of are because of small touch screen keyboard and autocorrect doesn't catch it.

Last edited Tue Mar 4, 2014, 11:42 PM - Edit history (2)

Today's Democratic Party seems to think the "big tent" ideal obtains when they want money, votes, and campaign work from the left, but when it comes to policy ideas, suddenly that big tent is the size of a cocktail napkin.

My answer to this question? - Pacifism (left) vs Aggressiveness (right).

There are liberal think tanks, of course, but they're funded by liberal capitalist tycoons.

I draw a distinction between "liberal" and "left."

Americans accept as rote truth that capitalism is the only viable economic option. Inequality is the goal of capitalism.

Starting with Nixon, the Republicans saw their base as useful idiots and cltivated them. Now the inmates are running the assylum.

Since Clinton, the Democrat leadership (Wall Street) has seen its base simply as idiots, and every few years they moon us and scream "who the #%^* else ya gonna vote for, #%^*heads?!" And we dutifully vote for Wall Street.

Clearly, we need to do something to stop this garbage.

From what I see here, this is the same grumbling about "corporatist" influence in the Democratic Party, followed by....nothing. No effort to get people to run for Party positions (FWIW, I started out as a Ward Committeeman in my College days), no effort to find and encourage acceptable candidates, just more grousing. Personally, I'll keep working in the real world to influence the Party and elect the people I think are deserving (although I suspect my candidate choices may not match yours).

I think we've been able to do our part. But we need help in other states, not a celebration of the carnage and a renewed commitment to create more.

The end of Neoliberalism is happening. As Democrats are replaced, they're replaced by folks to their left. Social Security cuts and the TPP have been stopped, and Larry "Toonces" Summers was rejected prevented from taking another crack at fleecing the 99%. A few years ago, Sen. Warren could not have been elected to Congress let alone have become the intellectual and moral leader of our party's rank and file.

The Banker Party will go away, in favor of people that are trustworthy and have our best interests in mind. The only question is whether those people will wrest the Democratic Party from the bankers, or whether they'll need a new brand.

as long as $$$$ continues to dominate campaigns and races...

would get yanked out from underneath them.

but 2 people up thread have referred to the "Democrat" Party. It is the Democratic Party! Stop using Republican propaganda words.

an ignorance of the history of using Democrat verses Democratic. Any self respecting Democrat would NEVER use the wrong term for their party, especially because that term is used as a toxic and derisive slam by conservatives.

contingent here who either forget, or just don't care that this is still, when all is said & done, a partisan site.

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A slip of sorts.

We don't them "Republics," though maybe we should.

Winner.

-Laelth

they just prefer being out of power and being victims. Look at the excuses. Money, the other Democrats, all make it useless.

instead come to a forum for democrats and then act shocked and angry at people who support the democratic party.

it's just too funny .

to affect the work of the House an the Senate without a D in front of their name (or for that matter, with a D) I might take this premise a little more seriously. How can the Left affect a true liberal agenda and be "stronger without the Democrats" if they have no ability to legislate, no role in government? What we should do his, is work on electing more liberal Democrats so they have sufficient numbers to control the agenda.

It's the same narrative that the Tea Party apparatchiks bleat to the useful idiots in their rank & file. But they don't use it to run down the GOP - they use it to push the GOP to the fascist end of the political spectrum & move it the right. That's the only purpose of such rhetoric!

the New Deal was pulled from Populist Party planks.

I honestly don't know how we can influence the democratic party to move left, since losing votes doesn't seem to matter to the power brokers. Losing money - that's all that seems to matter. It's hard not to feel hopeless.