Don't Sell Out, Change

I've seen many posts suggesting that the Democratic Party went down to electoral defeat because no one likes what we have to offer and many posts decrying any suggestion that the Democratic Party become more like the Republicans. Two things are clear from Tuesday's election. (1) We are not going to win presidential elections unless we can offer something different than what we have in the past. (2) We are not going to win presidential elections if we are the party of "me too-ism".

The Democrats, under Franklin Roosevelt, swept to power not because of the Great Depression but because they offered new and innovative ideas for dealing with it. We need to offer new and innovative ideas, not the ones of yesterday. What those might be I don't know but I would hope that some intra-party dialog will produce some good ones.

I do know that the Republican core beliefs of militant nationalism, unworkable laissez-fairer crony capitalism and religious fundamentalism are doomed to failure in the long term. We need to be ready to confront their failures with fresh solutions.

Book, Don't picture an elephant (I think that's the title) and we should agree on language for the issues and start using it.

I was mainly talking complaining about wedge issues, how effective they were, and how people buy into them. In this election they used wedge issues against us and either have convinced us we lost (after stealing the election with fraud), or have created a myth that the public buys into Christian Morals. We came close to agreeing with that one.

Being the general smart-ass I am, I suggested Democrats need a good wedge issue. The one that comes to mind is "outsourcing". I could think of a couple others that press peoples buttons. Yes but the buttons that get pressed are those of the Democratic base. The functionary would not really admit Democrats use wedge issues. We did not agree on that one.

My bottom line was the American Republic has died. We are in the first stages of Fascism, how do you stop that? I always wondered how the good people of Germany got to where they were with Nationalist Fascism? During World War I they were no more blatant Nationalist than the allies (remember the British Empire a sterling bastion of Democracy, or France there is a benevolent bunch). How did that message take root with the German people. Why do people see swaggering weak, sick little men as strong leaders almost demigods. My last line was old George Washington may have been right, we need to still need to be listening to him. We started with a George and now in 2004 we have ended with a George. At that point I realized I had lost the conversation, we talked about the weekend.

Goodbye for now DU, I have lost my faith. If I regain it I will come back.

make sure you carry on the fight. Remember, we only lost by 4 million votes, that is correctable

aren't going to win any elections.

There are many here among us who already believe we've been had.. myself included. Do take the time to watch the 30 minute film... I am sure you will be just a wee bit peeved... I know I am.

www.blackboxvoting.org

it was stolen again. Until we get rid of electronic voting, we will keep losing.

We need opposing views in this country and if the democrats are not going to stand up and be that opposition then I will be looking for another political affiliation.
I fought for the democratic candidates because I believe in what the democrat stands for.
I refer to Gerrison Keillor for the inspiration here:
Democrats distrust privilege and unchecked power
Equality is the bedrock of Democratic beliefes
Democrats are inclusive and integrationist to the core (include all people)
Democrats are city people at heart even if we live in the country
Democrats belive in the individual
Democrats are union guys (and that is where we got beat, when Reagan busted the unions in the 80's)
A Democrat begins with sympathy for the helpless, especially the children and the elderly
Democrats are diehard teachers
Democrats are realist
Values of Democrats are rooted in courtesy and kindness

I will give a bet that anyone who read this will agree with some if not all of those values. Do you want to become a republican and not care anymore about your fellow man?
The democrats simply need to become better salesmen than KKKarl Rove. He suprised us by getting out an getting the conservative churches in the rural areas to preach and vote for the asshole we now have in the white house.
Don't give up your values, sell them!

I would recomend that everyone read "Homegrown Democrat" it would be good therapy right now.

We need to stand strong for what we believe in.

We were set up to lose by the media.

Howard Dean terrified the power structure. He had to be marginalized and the media was happy to help.

It's primarily the voting machines. Lakoff is also right on, but we shouldn't say we were wrong when it was stolen. Fix the real problem or we will never win.