What are we going to do with the Democratic Party? [View All]

First of all, nothing but respect goes out to all the loyal Dems on this board. But if the posts by many DUers are any indication, there is a serious crisis in confidence of the Democratic Party Leadership, which can only be blamed on their own handling of the crimes, corruption, and other assorted atrocities of the Bush White House and Republican Congress.

While Bush's approval ratings continue to reach new lows for his spectacular ineptitude in handling just about everything that crosses his desk (or his lawn chair), the Democrats look poised to pull off another startling election failure in 2006 as the official Party of Nothing.

Emotions run high on this issue and infighting frequently ensues among Liberals about what to do about the Right's assault on our country and the apparent impotence of the only opposition party currently able to check this assault. But this issue begs for serious, calm discussion, or you can expect to see Jeb Bush and Bill Frist running the show for years to come.

The record of the Democratic Party cannot be denied:

1. Jeb Bush, Katherine Harris, and others conspired and stole Florida's electoral votes for Bush in 2000 by disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters through a private contractor and refusing to count or recount all of Florida's votes, most of which were unread by machines in poor, Democratic precincts. This was known, with proof, immediately after the election.
Democratic response: :boring:

2. Bush botched the attack on Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, allowing the bulk of the terrorist organization and its leadership to escape to fight another day, and leaving a substantial number of Taliban unscathed.
Democratic response: :applause: Rah Rah Bush!

3. Bush used 9/11 to manipulate the American public into believing that Saddam was responsible, and pushed for unnecessary war.
Democratic response: :patriot: We hate Saddam too! He sure is bad!

4. Bush lied to the American public and Congress about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and ties to Al Qaeda in order to further frighten and manipulate the public into supporting unnecessary war. There was plenty of evidence before the Downing Street Memo and even long before the war itself that their case was a "pack of lies."
Democratic response: :loveya: Just give us the word, Mr. President, and we'll grant you the authority to invade!

5. Bush passes tax cut after tax cut for the rich and corporations while the real income of middle and lower economic classes falls and jobs are lost.
Democratic response: :think: Hmmm, I sure wouldn't want to be on record opposing a tax cut.

6. The Republicans win two mind-blowing (and logic-defying) upsets in the Georgia and Minnesota Senate races where computer voting machines were used. The race in Minnesota curiously replaced the late outspoken Liberal Paul Wellstone with a Republican. Cause for investigation, or at least questions?
Democratic response: :boring:

7. After jobs continue to be lost and domestic poverty continues to rise since he took office, Bush does absolutely nothing to address America's economy beyond padding the bank accounts of the wealthy elite.
Democratic response: :boring:

8. With the Iraqi threat clearly based on lies and the occupation on "flowers and candy" assumptions, the country falls into insurgency and terror, begins claiming soldiers' lives at an increasing rate, fosters an increase in terrorist activity, and loses coalition members left and right.
Democratic response: :dilemma: Uhhh ... we would have a slightly different way of occupying Iraq ... I guess, and the case for WMD, umm I don't know.

9. Former industry officials within the Bush administration routinely make policy and edit reports to benefit their former employers with everything from weakened media monopoly laws, shredded environmental protections, and government oversight of contractors like Halliburton.
Democratic response: :boring:

10. In a blatant example of the above, an oil industry insider edits a report on global warming to minimize its conclusions and then immediately goes to work for ExxonMobil.
Democratic response: :boring:

11. Bush's prescription drug plan passes after his administration lied to Congress about its cost, strong-armed legislators into passing it - including a probable bribe, and was written essentially by legislators financially beholden to pharmaceutical corporations to facilitate their profits.
Democratic response: :boring:

12. There is serious and seemingly countless examples of election malfeasance in Ohio for the 2004 presidential election - everything from the Deibold CEO pledging to deliver Ohio's votes to Bush, Republican Secretary of State Blackwell refusing to accept voter registrations that are printed on the wrong thickness of paper (later dropped), secret counting of ballots in one county with a false claim of terror threat, fewer machines in poor districts resulting in crippling long lines, etc. etc. etc.
Democratic response: :party: We concede! Congratulations Mr. Bush, President Sir!

13. CAFTA passes. More jobs will be outsourced, middle-class income will fall further, and multinational corporations will get even richer at the working family's expense.
Democratic response: :think: Hmmm, if we play it right, we can oppose CAFTA and pass it at the same time.

14. The Bush administration is discovered to be producing a large amount of fake news releases that are disseminated to news stations across the country as domestic covert propaganda to boost Bush's approval among Americans.
Democratic response: :boring:

15. After four years, Osama Bin Laden is still at large and unmentioned by President Bush.
Democratic response: :boring:

16. With soldier's dying at an increasing frequency in Iraq, Bush goes on yet another vacation, this one for five weeks, leaving an invisible Cheney and Rumsfeld in charge.
Democratic response: :boring:

17. Bush's fifth or sixth rationale for invading Iraq - to spread freedom - is once again rendered obsolete as the Iraqi government establishes an Islamic Theocracy, destroying the many rights of women that had been endeavored and achieved for many years in Iraq, even under the rule of Saddam Hussein.
Democratic response: :boring:

18. Katrina turns the southern Gulf coast into one of the greatest disaster areas this nation has ever seen, and Bush decides to go golfing and pretend to play a guitar.
Democratic response: :boring:

19. Oil prices break record after record, chaining down American industry, bleeding the working class dry, and further lining the pockets of Bush's industry buddies without any action from Bush whatsoever, coupled with the administration's an energy plan written by Enron which will do nothing to reduce our nation's dependence on oil.
Democratic response: :boring:

20. With no help from the mainstream media, a majority of Americans come to realize that the Iraq war was a mistake, will endanger America further from terrorists, and was started on deception. An anti-war campaign by Iraq vet Paul Hackett nearly achieves victory in Ohio's second congressional district, a Bush stronghold, in a special election.
Democratic response: :boring:

So, what are we going to do? Keep voting Democratic and keep being frustrated at the amazing amount of nothing that it gets us? Are we going to start supporting genuine progressives within the party? Writing our representatives every week until we see a semblance of a pulse from the politicians? Or might we do the unthinkable and go Green, and send a message that we will not tolerate their incompetence, cowardice, and vacillating anymore?

What are we going to do?