Name One Victory For The Liberals In Last 10 Years

I'm looking for someone to tell me what has gone the way of the Democrats since Clinton was re-elected in 1996. Beginning with his impeachment, what single thing has gone the way of the left?

Don't tell me about the possible gains in November, which will probably not be significant enough. Don't tell me about Libby being indicted, since he's not really had anything happen to him yet. Don't say that King george's poll ratings are low, because that is insignificant, since he doesn't have to run again.

Just tell me something that has made you happy to be a liberal, as if there is an obvious sign the tide has turned in a significant way.

All I see are defeats. All I see are a succession of defeats in the past, and more on the horizon. I don't see any consequences for the actions of our so-called leaders. I see that it's possible to get away with anything if you have power, and that's the important thing.

I don't see any development for the Democrats in 10 years which signals anything positive. We're democrats, and we lose, but at least we're consistent.

Just asking.

Where am I supposed to go? The only alternative is converting to the winning side and losing everything I've believed in.

It's kind of like rooting for a football team that is 0-9, figuring if they can win 7 in a row, they might make the playoffs as a wildcard. You know it's not going to happen, but they're still your team, so you look for any promising sign.

How do you feel when they lose the next 7 games? Oh well, there's always next season. But realistically.

du certainly doesn't need any more defeatists and i don't want to listen to it, personally. so off to the ignore list you go.

*plonk*

Prop 36 in California

Both initiatives were run by grass roots people and drug reformers. The Democrats pretty much stood around picking their noses, but at least weren't actively hostile like the Republicans.

It's only grassroots action that can save the country. Many times Democrats have nearly lost my vote by posing as drug warriors. Nearly... It's the lesser of two evils at the electoral level, but good things can happen when people band together and rise up.

An incumbent Democrat won the primary? How exactly is that a victory? Winning a primary is not a victory, sorry. How could a Democrat lose a Democratic primary?

A Democratic victory in a "red-state"

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It's easier to tell me to die, than give me an example of something positive for the democrats. I just can't see a bright side on anything for the democrats in the last 10 years.

Is there a one-thread limit for people asking for reasons to keep hoping?

Tell the guy he's full of shit if you want, but it's NEVER cool to tell someone to kill themselves.

This guy is in the dumps and you tell him to off himself?

:wtf:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1419039&mesg_id=1419039

What, are you just having a bad day and thought you'd take it out on us here?

The first one was just a pointless downer post.

This one is in the form of a question, and people can put forward good ideas and whatever they feel are our achievements.

Seeing this guy skate just made me realize that things are far, far worse than they even seemed. And they seemed pretty damn shitty to begin with.

I just combine it with everything else. I put the pattern together, and see so few victories. No wait, I see NO few victories. Just letdowns. False hopes. Defeats. Nothing to hang a hat on.

Last week I saw Busby lose a close election, to take the seat of an indicted repub. Sure, a conservative district, but a loss nonetheless.

I keep waiting, and hoping, and praying for something good to go the democrats way. I mean, it has to at some point, right? But it isn't. And it's not a recent occurance. It's 10 years, or longer as someone in this thread said. We're so far down the hole, it's getting hard to even see the light at the top.

So yeah, I'm depressed and repulsed at today, and can't believe....or wait, I can believe.....that this country is headed in one direction, and one direction only. And that ain't where we at DU are looking to go. We're in our own dimension completely.

...but of course that is the case. The corps own the GOP, and the corps own the media, so the media spins everything the GOP's way, and the dems, being almost as compromised by corporate money as the GOP continues to slide further and further right, giving people no reason to vote dem. Is it any wonder why dems like Feingold, Boxer, McKinney and Kucinich have kept their seats, while kiss-ass GOP-lite types like Daschle and Max Cleland get kicked out on their ass?


I have no workable solution, other than starting over from scratch...



But never fear, there will be plenty of true-believer partisan democrats on this thread to tell you why you should continue to invest your time, money and energy in this party, and then the thread will probably be locked.

But the question you ask is a valid one. And we've been losing and sliding backwards for a lot longer than 10 years. All of our "victories" feel more like brief respites in the relentless GOP onslaught against our democracy...

and I havent seen even one good answer. If its such a stupid question, where are all the answers? The OP sounds like he needs a pick-me-up and instead gets torn down even more.
And, btw, if I had a good answer to the question, I would give it. I dont.

I'm not giving up- No way, there's too much at stake!!

I've been a Dem since I could vote, 34 years ago.( voting age was 21 yrs., then)


A- There are a lot more Dems in OC than meets the eye.

B- The Bill Clinton years brought us a budget surplus, jobs and no major wars.
Hell- were there any wars during Clinton's term?- I can't remember any.

So yes, we did accomplish quite a bit.

A place where you can come and talk to open and fair minded progressive liberals.

See above response for validity of that statement.

You're obviously really down, and I don't blame you - I have a lot of days like that myself. Yeah, the chips are down right now. You're right in that they have been this way for quite a while. Our side has not had many victories. But what is the alternative? Join the other team? Give up on what you believe in because the deck has been stacked against you? Everything is cyclical and you have to wait for the next cycle when things look better again.

Remember the Great Depression: that was a long string of shitty years, much worse than this. I imagine that if I'd been around then, I would be feeling much the way I am now (and the way you are). But then finally FDR came along, and things started to turn around. It's hard waiting for that to happen again, but what else are you going to do in the meantime? Really?

Go find something you love to do. Find a new TV series to get absorbed in (I recommend Freaks and Geeks on DVD), take up a new hobby, read some books that have nothing to do with politics. Spend less time on the computer, or at least look up humor sites instead of political forum boards. Finding something fun and enjoyable to distract you doesn't mean you've become a lightweight or apathetic. It just means that there's not a whole lot you can do right now, and knowing that is getting you down. When you're tired of fighting and victory seems impossible, that's a sign that you need a break. Come back and fight again once you've restored your energy and power.

That was HUGE. Even if he grinned like an ass for the mugshot.

Trial is a comin'.

But until he's actually convicted, and serves his time, it's not a done deal. But at least he had to resign from congress. That was something good for the left.

For how long did the Red Sox fought to get the World Series?

I still believe.

What does it have to do with anything?

...since liberals have gained anything.

I am terrified for the Democratic party. I know there are awesome Dems out there, who sporadically stand up for what is right. I appreciate Feingold, Conyers and Murtha more than I can say.

However, we are not unified like the Republicans. A few soundbytes here and there, is not a plan. We need a comprehensive, detailed, clever plan for America--similar to the Republican "Contract With America (except, without the Fascism).

Here we stand, in the middle of the WORST administration this country has EVER seen. Where are the Dems? When Bush spies on Americans, we need to put forth a REAL plan that fights terrorism AND protects privacy. Catapult that plan on every media outlet and stand up for it. FIGHT! I'm so damn sick and tired of the Dems (Reid, Durban, etc) apologizing for speaking their minds to the Republicans!

The Republicans are galvanized with a well-oiled PR machine. We HAVE to have the same. Liberal ideals are what Middle America wants--a clean environment, good schools for our kids, the end of favoritism for corporations and millionaires, freedom, democracy, controlled Federal spending, helping poor and underprivileged children, freedom of speech, affordable health care, national security, etc.

However, liberals aren't seen as "Middle America" anymore; "liberal" is now a dirty word. The Republicans control the messaging with talk radio, Fox News and their PR machine. They've re-defined "liberal." They define EVERYTHING with a massive, efficient marketing tactics. Meanwhile, the Dems practically do and say nothing!

I'm sorry, but we are going down--if we play nice. I loved John Kerry and worked locally with the campaign. However, he set an example--you take the high (silent) road with these souless bastards and you will lose EVERY TIME! We have to be just as aggressive and passionate about our ideals as they are. We can't sit around, hoping that America will see through the thuggery. We need to step into the ring and go to the mattresses for our cause!

I don't see most of the Dem leadership doing this. And frankly, the ones who are stepping into the ring--do it intermittently and seemingly--without a plan for ANYTHING.

Take the war in Iraq. Why hasn't the Dem leadership sat down, crafted a kick-ass, realistic deployment plan and stolen the debate with it? Why aren't we setting the agenda, instead of reacting to the next BushCo rubbish? We need to put them on the defensive! They've lied us into war and the failure is crystal clear. America overwhelmingly is against this war. If the Dems--cohesively came out with an 18-month, comprehensive plan for withdrawal and solutions that will help the Iraqi government function independently---we would have America in our laps!


Watch. It's all ready begun. The Republicans will put forth a plan for Iraq withdrawal that will ride them into the 06 elections. They'll say that we're cut-and-runners (because we've failed to clearly define ourselves and a plan) and they'll position themselves as thoughtful patriots who will get us out of Iraq in a meaningful way that isn't hasty. Again, watch...they'll steal the show. They get to start a lie-based war, murder untold innocents--but they'll look like the heroes for getting us out! They'll be able to claim victory because the Dem leadership sat back, did nothing and allowed them to do this.

I'm not being pessimistic here. I'm seeing the reality and it really makes me sick. As far as I'm concerned, most--but not all--of the Democratic party is as much to blame for the rise of the Fascist BushCo regime as BushCo itself.

None and Nonewhatsofuckingever.

Steven Colbert's roast, we made bush act apologetic about "bring it on", people are removing their W stickers... I have two kittens, umm...

I'd list the Democratic election victories, but upthread you didn't seem interested in that.

Just like my sports life, I'm a cubs fan. And just because they're coming up on 100 straight years with no World Series Championship doesn't mean I'm going to jump boat. It will just make it that much sweeter when it eventually happens... O8)

Yeah....you can relate.

The Democrats are definitely the Cubbies right now. And Bartman has just snatched defeat from the hands of victory in regards to the indictment of rover.

for Fitzmas?

Patient my friend... be very patient... Payback is a bitch.

That's all I'm looking for. I'm tired of waiting for it to happen.

I'm beginning to think that it's never going to happen. I'd like to think this country has a shred of integrity left. Just a shred. That even though these criminals will never admit to doing something wrong, that they suffer somewhat for their evil deeds along the way.

I'm not interested in waiting for their judgement day. I won't be around for that. Will they ever have a judgement day here?

And I sympathize - I feel down and defeated very often myself.

To answer your question, the first thing that popped into my head was saving Social Security. That was something that Democrats actually DID, as opposed to something that was good for us/made us cheer, but we weren't directly responsible for (such as various Republican legal woes). It did help that we had strong public opinion on our side with that, but it was a victory nonetheless.

But the real answer is southen democrats. The only denocrats who have a chance of winning a national elecion. and I voted for JFK in the 2004 primary.

ohio's not fucked with, and john kerry would have been the winner.
it's a myth that we need the red south.
i'm sick to death of southern presidents...southern accents make a person sound like a moran.

thread this afternoon.

I'll repeat what I said on the other thread.

Social Security, Alaskan Wildlife Refuge, Repeal of the Estate Tax. Not bad for a party that hasn't been in power for a decade. Even with the republicans controlling the house, senate and the executive branch for a decade, abortion is still legal, and we haven't banned gay marriage.

Not too shabby. Just imagine what we could do if we were in power again?

Today was a real setback for many. I'm not as upset about turdblossum as I am about Dubya's surprise visit taking the heat off the suicides at Guantanomo.

We can't just roll over. Karma is a bitch. Just be patient and keep trying.

I also think people should try to be more encouraging to dems who are feeling frustrated and defeated right now. It's a hard time..but it will pay off in the end.

We are the best party to represent the majority of americans...it's our job to show them why and I am convinced that eventually they will come to that realization and vote for the party that can most effectively represent their needs.

"Social Security, Alaskan Wildlife Refuge, Repeal of the Estate Tax. Not bad for a party that hasn't been in power for a decade. Even with the republicans controlling the house, senate and the executive branch for a decade, abortion is still legal, and we haven't banned gay marriage."

Every one of those was a 'victory' of democrats STOPPING an unconscionable onslaught by the GOP on democracy, Americans, or the environment.

Do you not find it the least bit disturbing that we have become conditioned to consider occasionally blocking a criminal GOP agenda as a "victory", and to NEVER expect any sort of real PROGRESS?

you take victories where you can find them...and move on to fight another day. How can we possibly expect progress if we don't have a majority in the house or senate? Until we take back either one, all we can do is damage control....which beats the alternative of rolling over and letting our country be FUBAR.

... and what did we get? Welfare deform, NAFTA, media deregulation, UNPAID family leave, and a superficial change in the policy on gays in the military (it was already pretty much "don't ask, don't tell").

Even when we had majorities, we were always on the defenive.

who is not from the south. It is that simple. we won in 1964, 1976, 1992, 1996 and 2000. Every time with a southern democrat. How stupid are we?

Democrat governor, Billy Richardson, pushed to get rid of the horrid sales tax on food. This has been the greatest thing to happen to the poor in New Mexico in a long time.

Bush's poll numbers in the low 30's
Joe Wilson
Ronald Reagan dying, and the apocalpyse date is still TBD

...Barack Obama

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the stolen election in Ohio.

so political in the first place. But I do consider that even within itself to have been the biggest turnaround point for this administrations plummeting support.

the top of the ticket. In 2004 we lost the poular vote by I forget how much with a great New Englander at the top of the ticket. 1964, 1976, 1992, 1996. figure it out.

:shrug:

It has not one iota to do with my post, with all due respect.

Swept the Republicans out of power. Very popular Democrat Governor. Progressive Populist nominated to challenge Conrad Burns this november.

it represents a skewed sample imo, skewed toward, or in fact, in favor of the deeds of dirty republicans and their shitty tricks...that does not by definition mean that they have 'won' anything by in fact selling out their souls; assuming of course that they had any to option in that regard to begin with

Democrats also elected nine new members to the US Senate that year

Maria Cantwell
Tom Carper
Jon Corzine
Hillary Clinton
Mel Carnahan
Mark Dayton
Debbie Stabbenow
Bill Nelson
Ben Nelson

Five of these were Dem pickups, btw.

:thumbsup: :patriot:

His policies and strong economy are the only thing keeping the US afloat right now.

Even though they had their guys in the White House for most of that time, liberals really dominated the political agenda from the 60's to the 90's whether one talks work place safety, labor rights, women's rights, gay rights, the environment or the like. With the advent of the internet, the Repubs got a leg up on spreading propaganda.

There is a big difference between liberals and republicans...politically the main thing is liberals and the Democratic party in particular (which is by no means truly liberal) practice strategy and conservatives wage war. Don't know what to do about that :shrug:

Since then, liberals have pretty much been taking it in the ass. But hey, we're always good for a vote. Right?

and both are still law

Even this will pass.

It's about pushing the envelope and offering a conscience to the world. Liberals make steady gains - such as ending slavery and pushing for civil rights, making the killing of civilians in war something not to be celebrated, getting places like America, China and Iran to talk about human rights, bringing attention to the homeless, disabled and working poor, causing global concern for the environment, making administrations care for veterans after the war, and so on and so forth. There have been so many liberal victories in the past 100 years that we probably should take a little time to to savor the successes we've had. Rove and Leopold are transitory specks in comparison to them.

Everything is not perfect, by a long shot, but that's why we're here. The ruling elites now have to at least consider our agenda, and give it some modicum of respect. We've come a long way.