I have a sincere question for all of you

there seems to be a great divide here at DU as to if the Dems are leading and opposition party or not. I have been thinking about this alot today and many other days because I am one of those who think the Dems have not led even a little as an opposition. I hear over and over they have to pick their battle, they're biding their time etc etc but I feel like I'm still waiting and will be waiting still when Meirs is confirmed. I saw a trailer for a movie about women miners and one of the characters said win or lose you have to stand up - that hit me like a brick. Win or lose the Dems have to stand up. So here is my question - since the freak in chief has been in office what as a group have the Dems fought for? I have a small list but I would like to hear from you guys.

And please lets not debate people's idea. I don't want to turn this into a big fight I just really would like to know if I'm missing something.

Keeping Social Security Intact

You got it right.

When you/we are out-of-power one has to compromise.

DUers heads are exploding as we sit here!!

mine as well be - he "compromised" as well. That's cause for the death penalty around here.

you can't run on empty compromises.

...just how much fun it is to NOT participate in threads like this.

:popcorn:

died in a plane crash three years ago, about one mile from where that film you saw last week took place.

I have been waiting too. What's to lose, Dems? Speak out! Compromise is getting us nowhere. We are Waaaaaaaaaaaaay past that, IMHO.

Its just that the Rethugs have successfully cut their balls off. Theyre denutted .

Delay and company had it all worked out. They got their majority and put the Dems under their thumb. The Dems are now shellshocked and afraid to rock the boat or risk being called a "liberal" and villified beyond description by the Foxes and the Rashs.

We need to bring back our good Liberal name and stop allowing them to frame what it means.

when the conversation permits, that I would never, and will never want to be called or known as a "conservative". Yes I'm in
Canada..but I still say, "I'm Liberal" all the way.
I tell people that, IMO, being conservative means:
1. Shoving your ideas down people's throats (and not getting impeached for it :rofl: )
2. Loving war.
3. Loving death.
4. Being hypocritical.
5. Having sex with corporations while screwing the public.
6. Loving money.
7. Wishing the poor away.
8....and the list can go on.

I have said all these things to people whenever there's an opening in the conversation...and usually there's an opening :)

During the US elections, a young girl, (at a hockey game..eh)..asked me the difference between Republican and Democratic...well..they couldn't shut me up..and one of the parents on our sons team was a "big whig" with the Liberal Party...*awww that was fun*

My Observations, The Chimp hey just too damn good at hanging himself.
If the theory is give them enough rope to hang themselves I think the Democrats elected representatives just cant keep up with the sheer volume of rope chimp boy is throwing out. I means take your pick, even poor JC having hard time concentrating. I do see however movements on all fronts. Is election fraud dead ? No its not. Is DSM dead? No its not. I think investigation needs time but there seem to be no end to chimp blunders. Talk about Emperor Nero gee.

because if it is we're screwed forever!

The world know a con job when we see one Al Gore 2000 now that a winner. Still shock on chimp being re elected. Do you really believe that Americans are really that stupid?

In chimp own words " You fool me once you cant fool me again"
Well he learn he dont need another Al Gore fubar. No sireee he didnt depend on the intelligent of the Americans people to win.

And Miers will be confirmed and we'll be told 'well thank goodness it wasn't another Scalia.'

There's not much left to fight for anymore and quite frankly I'm sick of being told the lie that the country has moved to the right and Dems are only hurting our chances in future elections if they buck any of the Bush cabal demands. Meanwhile, they've given away everything that made America great and have gotten nothing in return; the utter contempt from the RW has not abated with the Dems unstinting cooperation. It's not a compromise if you give everything away without a fight or slim hope of quid pro quo.

I think our names say it all. LOL.

They get bills passed with bipartisan support favorable to them; e.g. reduced personal taxes, estate taxes, dividend taxes, corporate taxes.

At the same time they finance special interest groups from both sides of issues that bitterly divide voters; e.g. same sex marriage, abortion, prayer in schools, right to keep and bear arms.

The end result is an inexorable weakening of government of the people, by the people, for the people; while strengthening government of the corporation, by the corporation, for the corporation.

Guess who controls every multinational corporation in these dis-United States?

cause where I come from, if majority wins, and the other side has more votes than you, they win and you lose. So if you "stand up and fight, win or lose" every time, then you lose. Every time. Now maybe you get a warm feeling when you "stand up and lose" but other than that I just don't get how that accomplishes anything. Personally I applaud the minority for using what procedural and political power they do have (including compromising and picking their battles) to keep even more of the radical right's agenda from being shoved through, because at the end of the day, standing up notwithstanding, 232 is still more than 203 and 55 is still more than 45. Work to gain a democratic majority, don't bash those who are there dealing with reality as the minority party right now.

if majority wins, and the other side has more votes than you, they win and you lose. So if you "stand up and fight, win or lose" every time, then you lose. Every time. Now maybe you get a warm feeling when you "stand up and lose" but other than that I just don't get how that accomplishes anything...don't bash those who are there dealing with reality as the minority party right now.

The RW never let up their bellyaching for a minute during Clinton's 8 years in office. Not a freakin' nanosecond. Yet here they are with the WH, Senate and House all under their control. They didn't do it procedurally, they change any procedures that prevent them from getting everything they want, even if they previously put those same procedures in place to block Democratic gains. They won everything by sheer, shameless, eye-scratching, arm-twisting force and unstinting howling and fingerpointing even when there was nothing amiss to point at.

AS I said earlier, it's not a compromise if you give everything and get nothing in return.

9/11 took care of the rest. this happens every so many decades in this culture, we swing left then right then left again. right now we are on the high right. dems certainly had their part in it

i am listening to the bidens and kerrys and clintons (at times, lol) and boxers, feingold (some) waxmans and waters and and and .....

look back the last 8 months and listen to all these people have been saying. they have been talking and opposing. no they cant vote down things when majority is repugs all the way. but they are standing up. and you know, they have been pretty effective for different reasons.

i just do not understand the people saying that the dems are not opposing. i get emails from them all the time. read on the board. see it on cspan. do you not know because they arent on msm. get with media on that. find out why they have storylined our party and our people have to be only what they say our people are.

I call for sweeping Congress clean, so I have to agree with you.

I went to junior college with a man that eventually was a single parent with one 16 year-old kid. A friend let him use his new truck on the condition he not let his confused son drive it. So when his son did use it and turned it upside down, I asked him if when he was sitting there held upside down by the seat belt if the first thing out of his son's mouth was "Oh, shit." It is just the logical thing to say and he actually said it to the guy that was upside down with him.

My feeling is that the condition of the country calls for everyone to say "The country has gone to hell." I am saying that they all should be saying that so that when nobody says it, we should all know where we stand. The times call for action like a single soldier charging a machine gun nests and we cannot even get one "The country has gone to hell."

When I used to write about cannabis policy/attitude I said that we have a real problem because when considering the harms of the injustice of cannabis prohibition, you would have to consider assaulting such an indefensible position. I said a true Congressman would at least shed his clothes and run around the Capitol shouting "They are lying to you. They are lying to you."

There is plenty to be said and plenty that could be done and we get nothing. It is like we are supposed to take national politics as entertainment and ignore the fact that it is the nations business we are talking about. It leads to the DU statement that the Repigs are the Harlem Globetrotters and the Dems are the Washington Generals.

Well, I am not entertained by the criminal activity of our somewhat elected Congressman or the fascist puppet. I want someone to let loose with the allegations. I want someone to Paul Revere "They are lying to us. The country has gone to hell."

And it's the capitulation that's making us scream and gag and tear at our hair.

I understand the math. But when it's clear the Repiglicans will win anyway, where's the percentage in going along to get along?

The Democratic woman who beat Phil Crane for that seat in Illinois almost single-handedly made CAFTA happen.

Bob Byrd voted for Johnny Robs, the bankruptcy bill, etc. Joe Biden voted the CitiBank line, too.

A whole gaggle of Congressional dems voted to close the courthouse door to people injured by huge corporations via the class action "reform."

And, of course, who went along to get along on the Iraq War resolution? Kerry. Edwards. Hillary. And the "we had bad info" excuse just doesn't play anymore. They were afraid. Pure and simple.

It's not the compromise. It's the capitulation by cowardice. And it's sickening.

Theyre doing what we want. If theyre failing its because we failed. If theyre neutered its because we allowed it to happen. We are the bosses and they work for us. If something aint getting done maybe we should look at ourselves and what we can do better, because they are us.

All those flames aimed at those who supposedly "rock the boat" ain't right. It's time to stand up and have a pair!