I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.

Will Rogers

I'm a Democrat because a lot of the time I agree with their policies. When they stray too far from that I give up the nose-holding and look elsewhere to cast my vote.

if you are "casting your vote elsewhere"...

And, as I said before, I'm a registered Democrat who votes for whom I please. I have the archaic notion that my vote belongs to me, not the party.

and your words JUST told us about your actions....didn't they?

"casting your vote elsewhere" were your very words iirc.

How I vote is still my decision. How about you?

Freedom, liberty, responsibility are what good citizenship is all about in the United States of America.

Your vote does belong to you. If you are a registered Democrat and Hillary Clinton is the party's 2016 nominee, your vote does not belong to her -- it is still your vote to do with as your own conscience dictates.

It is odd that so many of the very defensive, Hillaryites here do seem to have this attitude that if you are a DU participant then you are going to have to surrender your vote to Hillary or you are a party and/or DU traitor.

Hillary Clinton is a general election loser ... and I think you can get a sense of why just by reading the hard-edged posts of her more fervent advocates here.

nothing, if that's what you like. I've never worn rose colored glasses and yeah I changed, after over 40 years as a Democrats I'm now unaffiliated and that's about all the change I'm gonna do. There is a vacuum, and we all know what happens to that vacuum that nature abhors.

For me, the problem is that I absolutely will not move to the Right with it. If we change to suit the Party, then, basically, the "Democratic" part is meaningless. I would be cheering for the jersey, and not the team. Won't do that if the team keeps moving to the right.

I would add, it's the Party's job to represent US and to change in response to OUR wishes - not the other way around.

Our future does not look good..consider all the good things that have come about in the nation as a result of Obama struggling against all odds..yet when election time came many Democrats running for office ran from him and most of the base stayed home...I dont see that changing..

We keep thinking that eventually people will catch on to their game ...just as I once though that surely people would sicken at the hate Ann Coultier, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and the rest pedal..but they haven't.

The influence of money is greater than ever...

The problem is we need to purge our ranks of those that have no courage and have the courage to lose elections if that is what it takes to have a party that stands for real change and doesn't run and hide every time someone calls them "left wing extremists."


We need a party will stop accommodating and start fighting and I don't see that happening. Hopefully I'm wrong but a good sign of the future will be the way in which Elizabeth Warren is treated by the party regulars. If they run away from her, then No our future does not look very bright.

I would also add that some 20 years ago a moderate Republican told me that once the people caught on to the extremism that was taking over his party, they would vote them right out of office. Well, 20 years later, that hasn't happened! in fact they are stronger than ever! Do you remember how people right on this very site predicted the demise of the Republican Party four years ago?

I know it's not easy to be the bearer of bad news but if you want honest opinion, there it is.

I was speaking facetiously. I actually believe there are deep-rooted problems within our Party. I think we need a new platform for a new Democratic Party. Most of the problems with the Party can be traced to the worship of money, in my opinion.

Feel free to include this >>>> as it applies ;~)

but that's usually the case in most political parties throughout our history.

The party changed from the Roosevelt Era to the
current 3rd-Way corporate friendly era.

What do you think we should change to?

Should we abandon the policies and practices
that made to Democratic Party great...
unions, Social Safety net, Public institutions etc
and embrace the privatization of everything?
Should we accept that "corporations are people"
Should we accept that full time employment
does not provide is a living wage?

Because that IS what the party is changing into.
So do you think we should just go along with the 3rd-Way?

Younger voters tend to turn out in Presidential elections, but don't turn out in midterm or special elections. Many of the poor find taking the time off form work to vote in midterm or special elections and the amount of time it takes to research candidates and policies in midterm and special elections too much when they have to worry bout feeding families and paying rent.

It is easier to figure who has your interest when a Presidential candidate is there to symbolize that party. That is what happened in 2010 and 2014.

Republicans have some fall off in midterms and special elections, but their older voters and conservatives in general are far more likely to show up and vote when given an opportunity. I think the tendency to vote regularly, even if there is not that big honking symbol at the top of the ticket is one of the personality differences between Conservatives and liberals.

The problem with the youth and poor, who are often synonymous, could be fixed with mail in ballots in all states that give people more time to vote and do not require them to take time off.

So, no, I don't think there is any deep problem with the Democratic party that hasn't been there since Truman.

No need to pander.
Just do what will lead to a healthy, prosperous, and peaceful nation.

Mail in ballots +1,000,000.
A voting holiday, or weekend voting.
Almost anything would be better than a Tuesday in November!

peaceful nation," not even in the Democratic Party.

And with the divided government we have, there is damn little consensus on anything.

Sadly, the founding fathers did not have the infrastructure for mail in ballots and wrote that Tuesday into the Constitution.

The states have the power to go all mail in ballots, as long as the votes are in by that Tuesday. Some have done that.

When we all have enough to eat, a safe place to live,
meaningful employment or careers, an equal voice in society,
and equal Justice under the law, we will be on the way towards
a "healthy, prosperous, and peaceful nation".

Maybe mail in ballots is a winning issue for Democrats?
Does anyone, "average voters", trust or want black box voting?

They think Democrats use them to steal elections. It is the politicians that like them.

My congresswoman, one of the poorest members of Congress who was a former Green Party member, indicated support for many progressive policies such as Universal Health Care has recently voted against wall-street reform & in favor of "Citigroup protection" indicating she is looking for some campaign contributions for 2016 meaning she is now compromised.

This is the change, now can you see the problem. Stretch income graphs and stretch the top one way and the the bottom the other which gives you the picture of where we are heading.

...for the Party to change?

We are a Party of small thinkers.

demise, and deservedly so.

On the other hand, IF there is a resurgence of actual liberal thought and action from the elected officials in the party, there is a chance to save it, and ourselves.

There are millions of us "disenchanted" Democrats out here who do not have a lot of time left.
We do not want to spend it watching "our" party betray us even further.

We are the ones who brought civil rights to the US.
We are the ones who brought protecting the environment from a slogan to a way of life.
We are the ones who stopped a war (well, not really. Dick did what he wanted, when he wanted, but we'll take credit anyway.)
We are the ones who fought for gender equality, though may seem to think that war has been won.

We are the ones who fostered the revolutionary idea that killing and war were not automatically the answer to each and every problem we have.
And we do not want to see everything we have "won" go to shit because our "leaders" are more concerned about their corporate donors than the people who vote them into their offices.

Unhappy.
What was your first clue?

Thank you!! Now lets copy it & send it to every Democrat in Washington.

(I think you need to change your moniker to Good Granny.

busted not only the unions but the Democratic Party. The several unions provided the leadership, organizing skills, Robert's rules of order for meetings, the basic model for getting things done in politics.

They also provided meeting halls, monthly discussion group, affordable social outings, sports leagues, and community.

The net makes an effort but....it just makes the party think "today" is the be all and end all of what the voter will do or be interested in a yr and half from now.

Where do people meet, discuss, socialize and strategize now- at McD's or Starbucks?

There are many issues in which there is a large degree of agreement within the party. There are a few issues where there is more agreement from some in the party with some in the tea party wing of the republican party. But there are also issues in which some in the GOP disagree with the main wing of their party.

I am not sure you can create a political party where there is enough agreement over a wide range of social and economic issues and still represent enough people to compete for power in a 2-party system like the US has.

Which raises the issue of whether it would be emotionally satisfying to belong to a smaller political party but one in which there was agreement over a wide range of social and economic issues. Naturally any political party must have some core beliefs to justify its existence but where do you draw the line between core beliefs and those issues on which some disagreement is 'permissible' in order to build a movement large enough to matter.

the Democratic Party included. In the last 75 years the paradigm has shifted to where the Democrats are RIGHT of the GOP circa 1900's-1960's and the GOP is nearly centrist with Mussolini's Italy. President Obama is is the Right of Teddy R and Eisenhower and that's not good. We need to get back to being centered with FDR or left of FDR.

.... has been bought and paid for by Wall Street.

but there are many people worried the Democratic party is much more likely to slide into the realm of the Republican party than the Republican party is going to once again become something resembling a political party thanks to all the money ow in politics. Even if the Democratic party were perfect, I can't see how the country can function effectively with 50% of Congress totally interested in graft.