Democrats must grab hold of a message and let `er rip.

Maybe it`s time for us to ignore things like Ann Coulter`s venomous lips or bumperstickers with that big "W" and concentrate instead on the creation of an all-out message machine. If we somehow joined forces with like-minded thinkers, there`s a chance we`d succeed in weakening the extremely powerful and consistently disciplined Republican spin machine. A quick scan of yesterday`s terrorism alerts and the matching attacks on "weak" Democrats should tell us all we need to know about Republican Party discipline and their system for delivering The Message.

Republicans have created a system by which reality isn`t even an issue. It no longer matters. In fact, they can take what we see with our own lying eyes, call it by a different name, and convince about half the country to nod in agreement: robust economy, keeping us safer, coalition of the willing. The spin is so effective that ordinary Americans willingly relinquish their rights in the name of freedom....a quick and easy transformation that has DANGER written all over it.

Many Democrats have grown accustomed to our message being delivered by some amiable leader who still believes in the myth of bipartisanship. "I thank the gentleman from Ohio" may be used out of respect for tradition, but we`re talking secret torture camps and hundreds of signing statements here. Oversight is a false promise used to deflate a call for truth, but it`s forgotten as soon as the heat is off and attention is creatively detoured elsewhere.

We must flood the country with demands for clarification from President Bush. What exactly is "winning" in Iraq? Where is Osama bin Laden? Has credit card debt ever been figured into the rosy economic forecast? How are we paying for the war in Iraq? How many secret torture prisons do we operate? What about the trade deficit? Who hired the mercenaries in Iraq and whose laws must they follow? Why can`t we negotiate for lower prices with drug companies? We should demand answers and refuse to settle for the oversimplified phrases printed on Bush`s blue backdrops.

Average, everyday Democrats must figure out a way to be heard. We can not gamble on the notion that sooner or later someone will emerge from our party headquarters with a winning message. It takes a mere nanosecond for corporate media toadies to alter the day`s discussion and in a flash, Rove can reroute Bush for a "surprise" pit stiop at just the right place. We must find a different route....and fast.

DU is paying little attention to it, and I doubt the dem party will be smart enough to latch onto it and repeat it in a disciplined way.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1877782