The elections are about four months away. What should Democrats campaign on:

including a GOP supported constitutional referendum that would freeze property taxes to such low levels that public schools, public libraries, public transportation, and anything with "public" in it will be left to wither on the vine for lack of funds.

Low unemployment, ending the wars, holding the bush administration accountable, closing Gotmo, repealing DADT....


I guess health care and the trusty 'we're not repukes'.

Do you think these will be effective against the Republicans?

Voters like results more than anything else.

As long as unemployment is high, the wars escalate and promises are unfulfilled, people will see the Dems as ineffective.

So you think the Democrats should campaign on things that will make them appear ineffective?

Still, they could campaign on withdrawing troops from Iraq.

We have two months to get 42,000 out of Iraq. We'll see if we have that to run on.

I know it is hard to recognize for many. But that is what they need to say where Democrats live. If they think they can get elected with Republican votes, they can feel free to oppose those things, and get those votes instead. Because they'd not get mine.
I think part of the point of that post is that we need to run on what we are doing, and what we will get done, not on a bunch of half baked already finished business that really did not impress the heck out of the voters. Even if those things had been wildly popular, running on your laurels rather than your vision is a huge error unless the majority of the voters are very content with the state of things.

So you think running on promises is the way to go? For example, the promise to hold Bush accountable? You think Americans would believe them? Would you?

The Dems screwed the pooch. They didn't get done what they should have to sail to electoral victories. They don't have much to run on, that is my point.

What do the Republicans have to run on? Is it more than the Dems?

It is still well remembered how horrible the repukes are.

We will come out ok this fall. But, if there are not clear and real results by 2012 (especially on jobs), we'll be in trouble.

of the Tea Party candidates. They can say that they are not Dems and they are not the old guard Repubs either.

They wed themselves to wackos and will never be anything more than spoilers in a few races.

That's what they'll run on. They're going to say: "look how much stuff sucks right now. We're in debt up to our eyeballs, states are going bankrupt, unemployment continues to rise, the Gulf of Mexico is fouled, blah blah blah. And it's the Democrats' fault. Pick us. We're the cure somehow. We have no plan, but we're not them". It tends to work.

They tried to run on repealing health care. That's not working out so well. They thought they could run against the stimulus, except they're using it to campaign on.

The Republicans will no doubt grasp for straws, but most Americans blame Bush and still blame them for the economic crisis.

and how much of it is wishful thinking on our part. At least as far as the latter is concerned. I think as far as HC was concerned, they probably thought that it was going to have some negative consequences by now that they could harp on. Maybe if things don't turn around by 2012, they can make that argument stick better. As far as blaming Bush, if the Democratic leadership doesn't realize soon that that sentiment has an expiration date, it may not bode well in the near future. You could say and perhaps prove that a previous President screwed the country for 100 generations, but on the other hand, you're telling them in the campaign that you're the man or woman to fix it. And eventually, you're going to have to look like you're doing something. You can't just say "vote for me out of spite: I can't fix the problem but at least I'm not the other guys". Won't work long.

if the Democratic leadership doesn't realize soon that that sentiment has an expiration date, it may not bode well in the near future."

That's likely true, but I doubt that it will expire by the election. Most people acknowledged it would take years, but it's hard to be patient when things are improving at a slow pace.

And on top of that, our own recovery can be altered by the success or failure of those of other countries.

Not that Republicans care.

on. Instead all we have is a watered down health care bill that won't show results for several years.

Voters have to see results to stick with the Dems.

how is it helpful to list what we can't run on?

The Dems have little to run on. I still think they will maintain majorities in both houses, but they can't exactly point to the unemployment rate as a reason to support them.

Voters make decisions based on results. Most people remember how bad it was under bush. But, this is the last election that will carry that effect. Dems are going to have produce clear and observable results to hold majorities in 2012.

Scary does not even begin to describe the current Republican Party.. They have spent the last 16 years purging their party of RINOS and anyone capable of looking at things beyond a partisan point of view, and put in place, people who literally border on fascist.

As opposed to a national referendum where ideology barks the loudest.

A vote for a Republican is a vote for obstruction.

run on honesty...

as in we're in a lot of shit but at least we're not the GObP

The main thing on people's minds are JOBS!!! What they want to hear is what the Democrats are going to do to create jobs. The rest is way down the line.

;-)

graphic?

:eyes:

The Dems can't hire them. And we can't run on "low unemployment" because it isn't low. But we can run on Republicans blocking benefits for all those unemployed people.

job creation.

Focus on creating jobs, and even better, DO something about it before the election, and the Dems will win.

:rofl:

THAT will get the centrists to admire our fortitude and the Repugs who hate us to vote for us! THAT will fill the "little people" who canvass streets and phone bank filled with high morale and get up and go!

:rofl:

Sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from screaming.

:rofl:

Remember when Democrats played up the Roadblock Republicans?

Despite the naysayers, that strategy took out Coleman, Dole and Sununu.

:rofl:

Is the best argument that they have left.

Feingold is one of the biggest in the Senate.