What are we going to do with the Democratic Party?

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?

means but, we take the nation back one city, county, and state at a time with grassroots election reform. Better elections means better officials. Better officials mean better policies. (See link below)

Valid points, yes, but let's get this disaster settled and then work this out.

Almost all major Democrats have issued a release on the disaster.

What in the fuck does that mean?

Nominated, recommended. It deserves to be.

won't be disapponted.

But, that may be a long time. Excellent analysis.

And work to help progressive candidates defeat the DINOs and Bushco enablers.

It's time to replace the capitulators with candidates who understand the meaning of the word "opposition."

I won't make bones about it - I'm a Democrat only because Republicans are such festering pieces of shit, especially on social issues. But I do not think for a moment that most of "our" leaders actually give a fuck what we think. Your post is something I've wanted to write up for a while, but you did it better than I could have.

I am not a expert in politics but I know what I see. The democratic Party has been hijacked by the far liberal left. though I am sure that some people on this BB fall into this category most are are like most Republicans, very middle of the road but have different approaches to how to solve a problem. I myself would be more like a socially liberal libertarian. when you have people like Ted Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and the list goes on, these people would rather you put your welfare into their hands instead of you taking care of yourself. The Democratic elite pretty much think that the rest of us are just plain stupid and we need to be taken care of. The party needs get back to the center find moral ground and here is a big one find some way to deal with people who believe in god, most Americans are religious to some degree. And one last thing the Democratic party needs to stop above all else putting snotty, elitist, arrogant people on the presidential ticket i.e. John Kerry. But it will most likely happen again i am Sure Sen. Clinton will run and probably get the nomination of the Democratic party, but she will never win due to the same reasons Sen. Kerry didn't win. thats my two cents and I will probably get flamed for this but that is how i feel about it.

...and I've heard your argument before from people like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly, never with any kind of illustration of actual events to back it up. Could you explain how you think the Dems have been taken over by the Far Left? If you could provide examples in policy, it would help.

This entire thread encapsulates the entire problem with the Democratic Underground BB...

This thread starts with a Green rant mischaracterizing the Democratic response to a dozen different issues. The incoherence is astounding (much of it a Green repackaging of GOP attacks against Democratic leaders), but it doesn't keep it from being kicked and nominated by eight different readers.

That invites this response - a more straight up fact free right wing smear: "The Democratic elite pretty much think that the rest of us are just plain stupid and we need to be taken care of". Suuuure they do. Notice that the poster doesn't quote a single example - because he can't.

Strangely, however, posts that would make it onto the DU hate page if emailed to Skinner directly, are happily nominated to top level status in the forums. So much for the D.U. being a refuge from constant attacks against Democrats we see in the mainstream media.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

Some of my characterizations are simplified, but I don't think any are unfair when the history is reviewed. We will always have the John Conyers' and the Henry Waxman's in the party, but I think you would concede that the Democratic Party as a whole is toothless in its opposition to the Right.

This cannot better be illustrated than by the simple fact that even after all of the gross failures and crimes of this administration, there Bush sits, still president, and still with a majority in Congress, setting policy and passing laws.

"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: Rah Rah Bush!

Please, Sir, explain where Democrats - even the D.U.'s hated DLC - went cheering Bush because he let Osama Bin Laden slip away?

You can't. Because absolutely no Democrat did.


That is far more than mere "simplification" or even "distortion". It's blatant lying. There is no record of anyone in the Party lauding Bush over that F-Up. Period.

(I could go on point by point on your other attacks, but I have a day job, so I won't.)

Now you are entitled to your opinion that Democrats are "toothless" (though you don't notice that seemingly "toothless" opposition, despite the overwhelming propaganda coming out of Republican-controlled media monopolies, has helped drive Bush's popularity into the mid-thirties), but you are not entitled to your own facts. And the fact is that Republicans control both branches of Congress, largely thanks to the psychotic so-called "Christian" right in low-population states. So no amount of screaming is going to impeach Bush.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

Of course they weren't praising Bush because he let Osama get away, but they praised him nontheless.







You also blame the Republican Media - I won't dispute that. But it doesn't change the fact that the Democrats aren't even trying.

...is that, if it was in fact due to Democratic effectiveness, you would expect to see approval ratings for Democrats at a high level. Between the 8th and 16th of August, Job ratings for congressional Republicans was, according to the Harris Poll, was at 32% Excellent/Pretty Good, against 64% saying Fair/Poor. However, in that same poll, Democrats were only at 31% Excellent/Pretty Good, as opposed to 65% Fair/Poor.

http://www.pollingreport.com/congjob.htm

The Washinton Post reported on the 31st of August that Bush's approval rating was down to 45%, with 53% disapproval. This same article says that only 37% of Americans approve of the job the Republicans are doing in Congress. But, the article says, "The survey also provided bad news for Democratic leaders, who are judged as offering Bush only tepid opposition. Slightly more than half of those surveyed expressed dissatisfaction with congressional Democrats for not opposing Bush more aggressively." These sentiments were very strong among independent voters - about six out of ten.

EDIT: Oops, link - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/30/AR2005083000302.html

So, while Bush is vulnerable, it is clear that most voters don't think Congressional Democrats are doing enough to take advantage. We need to create an environment where people don't feel like they're choosing between one bad idea or another, and I'm afraid that's becoming the popular perception of the American political process. I think Democrats need to start challenging Bush, and telling people what a Democratic administration would do in his shoes. Only then will people oppose the Republicans AND support the Democrats, because the former alone isn't enough - they'll just stay home.

BULL SHIT

I don't think you have any coherent idea what the far liberal left is. You certainly don't have any idea who runs the Democratic Party for the most part. I don't think you have the slightest clue about the Democratic Party and I doubt you have much of a clue about how our Government works.

That's my two cents about people that rehash 1/2 assed right wing talk radio distortions.

If you'll admit that you don't know, then you can admit that you can find out and become better informed. When you get better informed and have some facts at your disposal instead of recycled third hand opinions; then you can wander back in here and tell Democrats what is wrong with our Party.

:eyes:

and the rest of the intellectual/business elite of the right wing who think that the people are dumb, stupid and need to be lied to? I think it's HILARIOUS when freepers talk about the "left-wing elite," -- they obviously don't know that their own leaders think they're more stupid and worthless than the left-wing "elitists." Even if there are left-wing elitists who think that some people are stupid, at least they want to help them. The right-wing intellectual's position on that is: lie to and manipulate them.

It has been hijacked by corporatist "centrists" like Hillary Clinton Lieberman and Biden. If you're a libertarian, the Democratic party is probably not the right party for you anyway. The Democratic party has had a social conscience since the 1920s.

Snotty, elitist, arrogant people - like the current president, you mean? Behind the fake Texas accent, no one is more snotty, elitist and arrogant than him. Kerry doesn't come close.

I hope Hillary isn't nominated, as she is a Republican in disguise.

I agree the party needs to "find moral ground" - and that means moving to the left and become a real opposition and not just a "kinder, gentler" GOP.

My favorite candidate for 08 would be John Conyers, who will probably be nominated immediately after the first sighting of flying pigs is reported.

I think you can guess where.

tke369's message re-worded (the below is a *parody* for those jumping to reply - read the original msg first...)

I am not a expert in politics but I know what I hear on talk radio and I don't question what I hear because it makes me laugh sometimes (Femi-nazis - tee hee!). I say I'm not "a expert" in politics, but that doesn't stop me from closing my mind to what half of America is saying. Who cares if they have degrees in this stuff? What do they know more than Neil Cavuto? I'd bet Neil Cavuto can buy and sell their asses 5 times over!

All the shows on talk radio and Fox News tell me to believe that the democratic party has been hijacked by the far liberal left. Because I don't read or think for myself I guess it's right. They wouldn't be allowed to say such things on the air if they weren't true, right? I'll assume they're telling me the truth - they do have such authoritative, deep voices, they're rich, they're winners. That's good enough for me! Maybe I'll be rich one day!

I myself would be more like a socially liberal libertarian. That means because I'm too stupid to realize any of the benefits that government has provided me, I don't want to pay any taxes whatsoever. None. The socially liberal part means I want to do drugs and don't care if women have abortions. I really don't care one way or another about that, I just want to do my weed and leave me alone with my X-Box.

As I listen to Rush, he makes fun of people like Ted Kennedy, Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and the list goes on. I think his parodies are funny so they must be true. I don't hear anything on the ultra-liberal-communist media denying what Rush says, so it must all be true.

Rush, and everyone else on my talk radio and Fox news say that these people would rather you put your welfare into their hands instead of you taking care of yourself. I figure if you're unemployed you're lazy. I can get work anytime I want it. Sure, if I lose my current job I'll lose my medical and no other jobs out there offer medical, but I figure I'll get by somehow, I've never had a major illness in my life.

They tell me stuff like the democratic party needs get back to the center, and find moral ground. I'm too stupid to think that things like taking care of the needy has a foundation in morality and I believe that paying lip service to banning abortions is just about the be-all of morality.

(my note: this next line doesn't need parody)

And one last thing the Democratic party needs to stop above all else putting snotty, elitist, arrogant people on the presidential ticket

And if we wait much longer, it'll be spoiled for sure!

Tesha

And, welcome to DU, Ian_rd! :hi:


A few weeks ago someone suggested a massive letter writing campaign to all Dems, but especially the DINOs, letting them know that we will no longer tolerate their traitorous votes on bad legislation. I was the only one who responded. Arghh!

I still think it is a very good idea, along with LTTE in local communities pointing out who these DINOs are & what makes them DINOs. Your list is a perfect starting point for those not sure where to begin.

I will vote for true progessives, be they Dem or Green. Thom Hartmann points out that which ever major party most closely resembles a 3rd party, that party that will be hurt most by the 3rd party. He also states that that is how changes are finally made in the major party -- they either dissipate by losing their members or they realize they are losing their base & finally make changes that represent what the people want.

It's time to send the Dems a loud & clear message: WE WILL NOT SUPPORT REPS WHO ARE BASICALLY REPUBLICAN LITE.

:kick:

You are also not considering who controls the media.

"Or might we do the unthinkable and go Green, and send a message that we will not tolerate their incompetence, cowardice, and vacillating anymore?"

For gawds sakes haven't you learned a !@#$* thing by now?! F**k your message ~ people die when you feel that "sending a message" is a priority.

What people really need to do is stop listening to bullshit like this and focus on - what were going to do with the "REPUBLICAN PARTY!"

What is this "we dont control the media" malarky?

Who is denying the top DEMs interviews?

The media. I've heard much from Dean - Hilary - because I actually listen.

But, since you ask, WTF is stopping Cobb and Nader. Have you heard from them lately?

Actually, we need to give our entire political process an enema. It need one desperately.

I am tired of THEIR "leadership". I am tired of the DLC's "leadership". We need NEW leadership. OUR leadership!

:boring: Right along with them. I don't know what it will take to wake people up.

as corrupt as their side. I think we need a big house cleaning in Congress in 2006. Then maybe we can have our country back.

BTW Great post.

This is a great posting.

the TeeVee? then of course that's what you'll see. you'll see what they want you to see.

not sleeping, just being ignored - except for the paid off DINOs and the ass kissing power grabbers who only root for the winning team. I think, however, they are in the loud minority. Kinda like the RW nuts get 100000000 times the voice they deserve.

I couldn't agree with you more. Dean has been saying all of this for a long time and it's time we got behind him. Maybe those conservative DEMS like Lieberman will finally get it. They are up to their armpits in the corruption and carpetbagging that's been going on.

We need representatives that actually speak for the people, not a bunch of mealy mouthed yes men and women!! who are more interested in getting re-elected than in representing our ideals.

Go for it!!

yea happened a few months ago....

what are you talking about? what are we going to do? hell, i have no idea?

...and look oh so witty doing so, but ultimately do nothing.

You know, exactly what everyone around here is doing right now.

there are many Dems that talk out against the things that you say they sleep on or celebrate. Such a broad generalization based off of the government dominated by Republicans loses credibility.

and working men and women have to stand up to the DLC (Dems who Love Corporations) and start a new party that represent our concerns!

as corporate as the other party.

No, no, no...it is time for party unity!

Vote for the candidates that best represent what you believe in. It's called democracy. For me, I'll be splitting my vote in '06. My rep (D) has been generally good on his votes (with a couple awful exceptions). My senator(D) voted for the war - which means I'll be voting Green.

You that want to change the party - make them chase your votes.

:applause:

They're keeping their powder dry. Yeah, in case some really BIG crises develops. Because illegal foreign wars, trashing of international treaties, growing poverty, unemployment and underemployment and an environmental crisis that's ready to explode is no big deal because Wall Street still averages above 10,000 every day, and their donors are satisfied.
:eyes:

Excellent post.

the House and Senate. They can then start to take up leadership positions and FORM AN OPPOSITION PARTY!!

We've got 76,000 members - there's enough brainpower, money, and will power here to go national.

Because of all of the complaning from those that are dyed-in-the-wool Democrats that this OP is unfair in its characterization, I propose that we add a few more lines that show that the Democrats actualy DO have teeth and can effect change. Here they are:

21. When Bush came out with promises of privatizing social security, he went on tour across the country. A few Democrats erroneously thought it would be a good idea to listen to Bush, but the grassroots people screamed at the tops of their lungs that this was a bad idea and the Dem leadership got... :mad:

And Bush didn't get his social security reform.

22. When Bush wanted to crowd the judiciary with neoconservative religious robots of the worst ideology for America, Democrats saw that the judiciary was going to fall into the 19th Century. They marched in lockstep in opposition to Bush and delayed him during his first term on ten nominations, but let the rest go through.

In the second term, the Democrats were up against the same wall, and fighting :mad: , but then the Dem centrists got together with the centrists of the Repubican Party and made a "deal" that allowed three of the worst judges to go through under the promise that we can stil use the filibuster in the future, but not because of ideology. The rest of the Dems went along, of course.

23. Nothing else, because we didn't WIN anything else.

24. the Bankruptcy Bill.

25. The soft-ball questions at the 9/11 commission

26. The "eating of one's own" with Howard Dean during the primaries.

I'm sorry, but looking at this record and knowing how the votes went on many issues, I seriously don;t care what our Dems say behind the scenes. Show me the votes that prove that our party is united in opposition to Bush. I can only find those votes when it comes to interfering directly with Dem power in Washington. when it cmes to us working shleps, it is "let 'em eat cake".

Sure, there are good Dems, and we know who they are. But the OP is a good generalization as to the action of the Dem party as a whole. I know the leadership and the DLC are mostly responsible for this, but it doesn;t matter who is to blame. The Dems are still toothless, especially considering that Bush's poll numbers are low.

Everyone is waiting for the death blow from the Democrats that will never come.

and requested they pass it on to leadership and all politicians. I reminded them that people vote, not corporations, and they need to return to listening to the people.

make feinstein heel or replace her with someone who will. tired of putting up with this shit.

as for the party itself? outside of dean and the black caucus the whole thing needs a swift kick in the ass already. if not, send 'em back, even if a fascist wins. might as well speed up the republican-designed destruction of the country and lay all the blame at their feet. that way they'll neuter america from being a threat to the world. i'm willing to self-immolate to prevent our greater evil from spreading. no more democrat devil's bargains; that's one facet which brought us to this place. silence=death, so maybe these dems don't really want to try that hard to keep their jobs. oblige them and send them home. dead weight does us no favors.

Is something akin to the New Deal.

A New New Deal perhaps.

People haven't been so ready to embrace progressive, liberal ideals since 1932. So long as the Democratic Party is willing to lay out it's plans in plain English bullet points, they can win a big chunk of votes. And if the Contract with America taught us anything, it's that you don't even have to honor your promises and people will still keep you in power for 16 years.

Basically, you have to lay out the party platform in terms the average American can understand. While Kerry was running on things like repairing strained foriegn relationships, Bush said "Defense and tax cuts" ad nauseum.

Kerry was right and Bush was wrong, but to the man on the street, they understand tax cuts as "More money for me" (even if it's not enough to buy an iPod) but have little understanding as to what it means to be part of an international community. Hell, the average American probably couldn't name two countries that share a border with the United States, much less begin to comprehend the effect that diminishing respect for the United States in the eyes of the world could have in the long run.

And really, all the Democratic Party has to do to win the House in 2006 and the Senate and the White House in 2008 is set out its plans, goals and ideals in a way that people understand.