Politics sucks sometimes. (maybe most of the time)

but what are you going to do? An open Democratic society even one that is somewhat controlled by an oligarchy is better than the alternative many of our human brothers and sisters are enduring. We may bitterly disagree with what Bush has wrought, but we can do something about it.

No matter what people on the fringes want, the world demands a level of equilibrium. THings will swing back in a more progressive direction. Hell. Even Hillary is a more progressive direction than Herr Bush if for no other reason than she and her possee won't have CHeney's hand up their ass directing their every move. THey don't have all the insider connections to big defense contractors and oil business like the multiple levels of Bush family.

I have believed the Bush's and Clintons to be a little too chummy, but I have no qualms with the idea that Hillary will not actually be as centrist as her rhetoric right now were she to win the nomination or the presidency.

I'm just saying....my wife and I contributed hundreds of dollars to Edwards but I believe we are going to be sorely disappointed in the result of his contest. So we need to retrench. Part of our coping strategy is to not base our entire happiness on the outcome of something we have so little control over. We will try to speak our mind. We will try to exert our will and persuade others. Most of all, we will vote.

But, we've just got to identify those particular issues that are non negotiable to us and stand up for them. If enough people do that about their specific issues that are hot button, the congress will get a steady stream of information regarding what is and isnt' important to people. If enough scream loud enough, they are forced to listen as is the case with the aborted attempt at privatizing health care.

I see the crap that passes for compromise in Washington, and it is sometimes depressing. BUt I would much rather be in a country where we have a voice at all and where nothing except we ourselves stops us from marching in the streets to protest or to go meet our congress person and tell them what we think or go to Washington and speak about our concerns and interests to people who will listen.

What does all this mean? It means cynicism is the surest way to our downfall. As long as some of us are still idealistic enough to care and to try, they won't have won. The people who have most of the money and most of the power and who want to keep it from us will not win as long as we are in the struggle and enough others can be motivated to join in.

NEVER GIVE UP, PEOPLE! NEVER GIVE UP!

too bad. I was afraid it had gotten this bad.

"THey don't have all the insider connections to big defense contractors
and oil business like the multiple levels of Bush family."

Ya wanna bet? HRC IS the DLC which = CORPORATE!!!

it may involve pharma, financials, large service and manufacturing and retail...but not the others I just mentioned. My point is even Hillary would be able to exert some positive change from what we've had to put up with and roll back some of the garbage put upon us without upsetting her larger donors.

You silly person!! Of course corporate = BIG BUSINESS!!!!

"My point is even Hillary would be able to exert some positive change"

Really?

Then how come she's buddy-buddy with Rupert Murdoch and she KEEPS VOTING FOR WAR???

Who the FUCK do you think PROFITS from WAR?? BIG CORPORATIONS!!!!!!

The DLC IS ONLY ABOUT CORPORATIONS AND HRC IS THE DLC!!!!!!!!!

WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

is your profanity laced screed really the type of post that's going to sway me? You look like you're ready to jump off a bridge.

like the Apple corporation that makes my Ipod and computer that I love so, like EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES. To connect to DU, this year I have paid around $2000 to corporations for my computer Internet, etc. and given about $70 to dems, and I am not uncommon. For a candidate to win at this point in history THEY MUST BE SOMEWHAT CORPORATE! YOU WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!!

and it has infected BOTH parties

a bunch of Republicans seeing the light and joining the liberal cause with the end result that it weakens the cause? What?

This is exactly right, stay positive and focused on what matters to you, and then bring it to the table and apply influence on whatever candidate we get. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT CORPORATIONS AND LOBBYISTS DO, and they do it because its effective, period. We are in the situation we are in, where candidates literally have to pander to corporate influence of face defeat because we don't do things that are effective. If Hillary has a $10,000,000 check from a corporation on one hand, and 100,000 whiners bitching at her on the other hand, which one is actually empowering her to beat Bush? The corporation, of course. And that's why she must ignore the 100,000 whiners and take the check. Now if the whiners we're actually effective, meaning that their support for her empowered her to the extent she could beat bush, then she would happily side with them. Hillary is winning BECAUSE she is corporate, she's not winning AND being corporate.
So the answer is to do whatever we can actually empower our candidates, and stop bitching. If a lasting powerful social movement were to build around kucinich for example, and really get to the point where it exerts influence in all kinds of ways, the guy could be in the white house. But until that point he won't be, so yes, lets get to work!