Maybe if I just wait for awhile the mugger will hit himself!!!!

That was the most important point The Daily Show made last night.

This is the strategy of Reid/Pelosi's leadership. This is what we get for our hard work, and votes:

Maybe if I just wait for a bit, this guy mugging me will hit himself.

That's what we're doing. "Maybe if we just let the Republicans destroy the country, we'll get the majority again!"

We are at a crossroads. If the democratic leadership cannot step up to the plate, and get tough, forget about winning back the fedgov.

Do we wait for them to screw up so bad no one has a choice but to vote for us?

Or do we give people a reason to want to vote democratic?

I'm not sure our current leadership is capable of the latter...

Let things get so bad and stay bad just to use them as publicity stunts during elections. There's not much of a priority on either side anymore when it comes to helping Katrina victims but that's all you'll hear about in a few months and in 2008.

Let the Republicans have their way, so everyone can see how bad they are?

But when the damage being done is drastic and quite possibly permanent, we can't afford such a strategy.

asking what party to support is putting the cart before the horse, insofar as the primary question is, what policies and platforms should government implement ? The SECOND question is, what party advocates those most closely and most effectively ?

The squeaking sound heard as the GOP at the Federal level crows "50% of Americans support us" identifies their problem: they do not understand that in the Republic they flatulate about, once they have attained office at the Federal level, their obligation is to all the People, not just the ones who let them keep their current job. This goes for the entire executive branch, as well as the legislature.

I don't give a flying fuck for comments that that's naive because this is about politics and self interest. When sophistication or any other antonym for naivete becomes effectively synonymous with personal corruption and a sloppy lazy cynicism, then those who flatulate to that effect, even if only by excusing the manifest corruption of others, need to be silenced in the public arena - they are part of the problem.

There are issues confronting this country which more and more of its People, from across the existing political spectrum, are becoming aware of - the worm is turning. The Greedy Old Pigs party persists in its historical behavior of ignoring those concerns in favor of advancing the club of self-interest and "success". The Democratic Party has presented a viable alternative to this degeneracy for the last 100 years. If it continues to do so, we will be pleased to vote for those among our fellow citizens who offer to serve us as our representatives and employees within the halls of government. If it fails to, we will go, and be, elsewhere.

"once they have attained office at the Federal level, their obligation is to all the People, not just the ones who let them keep their current job"

I see no other solution if they don't find some large balls soon.

No place in the world is safe. Might as well fight them where you stand.

Besides, people don't frown on wrinkled old guys sitting nekid in hot springs over there.:silly:

EVERYBODY suffers. It will probably affect all sorts of things which will affect everyone there.

Covert surveillance or no surveillance

not having to worry about being swept off the street and disappeared or worrying

I pick banking failure, I'm sure the USA will bail them out with money borrowed from China.

I was laughing and crying at the same time - it is truer than true.

Thanks for posting

nominated

so as to not get myself in trouble...

As someone who has always been registered independent, I had never voted for a Dem for President until Kerry in 2004. I vote for Carl Levin every time his term is up, and I have voted for other Dems in other offices, but not consistently.

I think I represent a lot of independents in saying that the support we showed in 2004 and beyond may be coming to an end. Some of us supported Kerry out of frustration, the ABB thing. Others of us really began to believe, based mostly on the grassroots activists, that the Dems may actually represent us (I fall into this category). But unless the Dems in Congress change their ways soon, they will lose a lot of votes that they had in 2004.

Disclaimer: I want to make it clear that I know what the purpose of DU is, and I am not questioning that. I have never and will never come here advocating that people shouldn't vote Dem (although, like others, I do express frustration with particular individuals). I really hope that this post isn't taken as anything other than what it is. My goal in saying all this is simply to let you all know respectfully what the independent community is thinking these days.

Peace!

ALERT! ALERT!

:evilgrin:

I saw I had gotten 4 replies in about 7 minutes and I was a-skeered! :scared:

I figured everyone would know where I'm coming from, but ya never know!
:)

for that point of view. I think it would be silly for registered dems to attack you for giving your respectful opinion, and I hope that doesn't happen. I didn't see this post as advocating voting against Dems at all.

Then they don't deserve your vote anyway...

weight would take a minute of reflection to see if they(DEMS) are helping or not helping matters.

I also think the indies are key to all elections.

Thanks for posting.

:evilfrown:

From one lifelong Independent to another. I share your eloquently stated views.

The Democratic Party would be very foolish to take the Left votes for granted in 2008.
Many feel abandoned after they sacrificed their principles to vote for a Pro-War, Anti-Labor Democratic Platform in 2004 (ABB).
It would appear by their actions (or lack of) in DC that the Democratic Party is planning another ABB strategy.


http://alternet.org/story/29788/
"It doesn't get covered by the corporate media (imagine that), but mainstream polls consistently find that big majorities of Americans are not meek centrists, but overt, tub-thumping, FDR progressives who are seeking far more populist gumption and governmental action than any Democratic congressional leader or presidential contender has dared to imagine. In recent polls by the Pew Research Group, the Opinion Research Corporation, the Wall Street Journal, and CBS News, the American majority has made clear how it feels. Look at how the majority feels about some of the issues that you'd think would be gospel to a real Democratic party:

1. 65 percent say the government should guarantee health insurance for everyone -- even if it means raising taxes.

2. 86 percent favor raising the minimum wage (including 79 percent of selfdescribed "social conservatives").

3. 60 percent favor repealing either all of Bush's tax cuts or at least those cuts that went to the rich.

4. 66 percent would reduce the deficit not by cutting domestic spending but by reducing Pentagon spending or raising taxes.

5. 77 percent believe the country should do "whatever it takes" to protect the environment.

6. 87 percent think big oil corporations are gouging consumers, and 80 percent (including 76 percent of Republicans) would support a windfall profits tax on the oil giants if the revenues went for more research on alternative fuels.

7. 69 percent agree that corporate offshoring of jobs is bad for the U.S. economy (78 percent of "disaffected" voters think this), and only 22% believe offshoring is good because "it keeps costs down."

8. Over 65% of all Americans believe that the Invasion of Iraq was a mistake.


The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.