Does it seem that a malaise has spread over DU?

If it has, there's good reason for it. The capitulation by the Dem leadership on Iraq was reason enough for us to settle into a good, long funk.

Over the years, I've come to rely o DU as energizing force. It spurs me on, sometimes through anger and sometimes through genuine optimism. Just the fact that there are so many like-minded individuals out there has helped me to look on the bright side.

I'm not feeling that energy anymore. And I think it would be a shame if we let "them" (you can supply your definition of "them") take it away.

I'll end with this: a couple of months ago I was talking on the phone with a very liberal friend. She was down in the dumps and sounded defeated about the political process. I was fairly upbeat. She just kept repeating that * was getting away with everything. I thought that with all the investigations shaping up, we had a good chance of holding him accountable at some point. The difference between our outlooks, I think, was that she doesn't read DU. Yet, looking back, was she right? Perhaps we've just become more realistic.:shrug: I don't know if I can take too much more of this realism, though.:)

and when it becomes apparent that the Iraq occupation will continue for another 30 years and all the death and destruction will be blamed on the new Democratic administration. As will the energy crisis, the deficit, the skyrocketing interest rates, the coming depression and everything else.

Oh, there are those misguided few that think a liberal is anyone left of Attila The Hun, but truth be told when all is said and done there is little difference between the Dems in Washington and the pukes.

John Kerry (post election)
Patrick Leahy
Dennis Kucinich
Bernie Sanders
Barney Frank

There are many, you are just not paying attention.

Please, spare me.

Please, spare me.

BTW did you hear Tim Griffin stepped down?

And, that's probably just the way it works. :shrug:

It's two steps forward and one step back (sometimes two. Or three.) all the way. Rest when you need to, then get up again.

This is what I've learned in 30+ years of political action. Get used to it, folks. :shrug:

one step forward and two steps back. Like right now...

reassuring words we'll read on here, for those with ears to hear, I suspect.

My heart is with the querulous and despondent, as by temperament I get impatient with seeing double-died liars and the lowest criminals being taken on in a measured and incremental way (most of us prefer to watch a Smoking Joe to a Joe Bugner), but I sense that you two know what you're talking about, and have forgotten more about US politics than most of us will learn.

What a very sweet response.:)

Another thing I've learned is that it's difficult to gage accurately the effect one is having, where politics is concerned. Governments move slow, an unfortunate consequence of following democratic principals. There is often a frustrating lag time between today's actions and any recognizable results. But I've learned never to assume I'm not having an effect. I've been surprised too many times.

There is a wonderful story in Paul Loeb's book "Soul of a Citizen" (I think that's the book). Loeb quotes some of the Columbia University students who organized protests against South African Apartheid in the 1980s. At the time, these students where not at all sure their efforts were accomplishing anything. But, as Loeb reveals, the Anti-Apartheid organizers in South Africa were tremendously encouraged and emboldened by knowing they were getting support in far away New York City and other places around the world. Without that support, the people in South Africa might not have had the courage and stamina to see their fight through to victory.

We might not always be appreciated on our doorstep, but half-way across the world we can be a beacon of hope and encouragement.

....every politicians pants pockets and purses at every level of government from federal, state, local and even tribal. The stench is overwhelmingly repulsive and its effects are felt all the way down the political lives of people and into even so called free speech blogs such as DU.

It can be seen as pitiful incomprehensible demoralization and no matter what we try to do about it, it just never goes away and remains sucking the very life essence from us.

and agree with your sentiments. But no matter how much I intellectually agree, my spirit is not bowed. I may just be stupid.:silly: I probably am, but I still think there is reason to hope. I want to go down fighting, at least.

I don't know if there is a way to change this.

I have been reading a book on the French Resistance in Nazi-occupied France during the World War II. They were risked a lot, were imprisoned, tortured, carted off to concentration camps, and murdered. They were betrayed by their own German-puppet goverment and by fellow citizens.

After the war ended Charles de Gaulle came to power in France, a man to the right of many who had risked their lives in the Resistance. So they risked everything for freedom from the Nazis and the Petain-right wing puppet government, and got a far-less-than-ideal replacement but certainly an improvement.

The fact is that the work never ends.

with, of course, some help from the Algerians themselves. And so he was targetted for assassination by The Jackal.

grandson opined on a cable TV documentary, was no mean feat - particularly by someone who'd started from a zero power-base.

To Roosevelt's fury, he insisted on treating with both him and Churchill as an equal partner(!) and managed to finesse them by immediately setting up a post-war national government, when they had planned to install a government of their own choosing.

to get the US out of Berlin so far.

there was a choice with no good outcome. He used to do that every month to the Dems. Thank gosh he has lost so much power it now only occurs rarely.

Being in a funk is okay. We did loose this round afterall. Soon it will be time to dust oneself off and march on. We do have both houses of congress. We can investigate till the cows (troops) come home. Look forward to that at the very least.

...that will get this whole thread locked. Beware!

So I'll look forward to the new experience.

:hi: :hug:

Lot's o'sillies running loose here these days.
You are certainly not one of them S&S
BHN

Likewise, I'm sure!:hi:

trying to beat the depression bug and I need to keep bad news at arms length for a little bit. Plus my meds have me experinecing a severe case of zombieism, minus the desire for human brains, and I can barely think coherently.

:hug:

I don't know if I'm getting better lol. Likely to be a pill junkie of some sort when this is over.

... that presume "it's over" every time there's one election or one exposure of corruption. DU has been overrun with malnourished kids on a sugar high since November, portraying a small step in a very long journey as far more of an accomplishment than warranted.

We've been lurching and sliding to the right for over 25 years and have lost a huge degree of economic equity and civil liberty to the narrow 'interests' of wealth and power. It's going to take far, far more than one election or one prosecution and a few polite and obedient 'protests' that inconvenience nobody but the marchers.

Ever since I joined DU in early 2002, I've been saying "It's gonna get a lot worse before it gets better." Why? Because the "left" is merely being 'tolerated' for the amusement of the oligarchs. It's going to take far more than a band-aid and a little make-up to cure the cancer in our body politic.

I'm scared to say shit here anymore because as soon as I do, I get pounced on. Either that or I get spanked.

I will never disagree with anyone here anymore. If I dont agree 100%, I'll just shut up and move on with no comment. So yes, I agree with you on this one.

As far as I'm concerned, if you can't express disagreement on DU (as long as you follow the board rules), what's the point of DU?

so it is better that I take those views some place else. I will always try to play nice while I am here. Dissention is not always welcomed. I disagreed with the Dem congress after they folded on bush's war a little too much for the comfort level here. ---Off to the Lounge with me.

By censoring yourself all you do is give the other side a better chance to speak unopposed,which will make it even harder to speak up down the line.

See, now you're damned if you don't, too! ;)

Just joshing, of course :)

Is this a sex thread? ;-)

Ughhh....I absolutely HATE mayo. I realize that this is apropos of nothing, but I loathe it so much that when we had TOGOs sandwiches at work for a "celebration" lunch the other day, I couldn't eat anything because they all had MAYO on them. So if DU is becoming a mayonaise board, I'll have to say my good-byes now.

The smashing pumpkins cannot spell.

OH, the humanity! We are screwn!

That was hardly the last vote on Iraq Congress is gonna make this year. We'll get riled up again. The big picture is that the country is on our side and events are moving toward an eventual end of the occupation. Sure, it'll come too late for many. But it will come. And we'll find other fights worth engaging on.
.

And the propensity for expressing oneself in extremes in our culture that is not limited to Democrats.

If we looked at the archives, we could see days when the most important thing was a super bowl ad, or that some mountain climbers got lost and much money was spent rescuing them, or that Anna Nicole died and whether or not that should be discussed. There were times last summer when the Israeli bombing of Lebanon was the focus of the DU world.

I joined DU about the time of the great Jason Leopold/Karl Rove flap. Mr. Fitzgerald was the hero of the hour! Has he even been mentioned recently?

In fact, very recently, Jerry Falwell and whether his grave should be danced upon was the burning issue.

There is always some great drama. This too shall pass.

Not fun. Not fun at all. Things are looking much better lately even with a few setbacks.

I hung out in the elections results forum, hanging onto every sliver of hope that we were still going to win. Remember Truth Is ALL?

I see things as much improved from those dark days. Still a long, long way to go, but at least we're not moving backward anymore.

for those that read the threads there. Unfortunately, no one with any power to change anything did. You may be right that the GD forum was darker than it is now; that's probably why I avoided it like the plague.:)

because it's a metaphor for trying to respond to and deal with this administration. Learning to respond to a new "normal". :)

political websites are the primary battlefields in the Internet theatre because of the goal of organizing/preventing organization of political opposition.

Understand that and NGU.

"Reality vs. perception management: the tinfoil controversy" archived from 1-6-2006
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x71919

Certain members, NO matter what you say, IMMEDIATELY try to bait you-
for simply expressing your opinion or experience in whatever.
Guess I'm going to have to use that ignore feature again after all...
Sigh.

Guess this is a good opportunity to tell those of you
I've known for a long time here on DU-
I'm really glad you're still here.
The water has gotten so muddy here of late- it's always
a relief to come across cool clear water.
BHN

Followed by a rousing rendition of "Tomorrow", or "Tell me lies".

:P

Maybe I'll PM him. LOL.

:hi:

You know, "Malaise in Wonderland"?

Barrump-bump...

to the point where you've convinced yourself you're defeated.

Sounds awfully apathetic.

of the fight

This is our Valley Forge.....we can do it....

but we can take the occasional afternoon nap.

:rofl: - :rofl: - :rofl: - :rofl: - :rofl: - :rofl: - :rofl: - :rofl:

Yesterday was a GREAT DAY for Falwell TO DIE. Or, the Buffalo Jump to Hell.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x899312

TR watched Lincoln's funeral as a boy.

"Buffalo Jump to Hell"

:rofl:

Are you a member of UJ?

Sister Peaceful Powersaw of Longevity

:rofl:

lol

:)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1026084&mesg_id=1026084

http://action.citizen.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=11780&t=CleanUpWashington2col.dwt

http://www.progressivedailybeacon.com/more.php?page=opinion&id=1542

That last one the difference between a progressive and a republican is what we are,I just don't think we can stop being who we are.

one edit one more.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harvey-wasserman/can-blue-grit-win-in-2008_b_48599.html

I kicked your thread. :hi: If there have been more like this on DU, I may have missed them. The positive ones seem to sink like a rock sometimes.

:toast:

Fury, yes, malaise, no.

DU is the vicodin that allows us to escape the pain, but every now and then, the meds wear off..That's where we are now.. and our dental appointment isn't until Jan '09 :(

Somehow I felt better after reading that. Don't ask me why.:)

Investigations take time.

But that will not make me give up on the Democratic party. When I look across the aisle, I do not see any viable or reasonable alternatives to pin my future hopes on.

I am resigned to losing this round only because I maintain my optimism that the Democrats represent this countries best hope of getting out of Iraq.

and then find out she's selling her land in Crawford and that Congress is basically giving all of us and the Constitution the finger by not Impeaching * & Cheney etc., I just feel like what's the fucking point?! :banghead:


But then, I think of Gore and how he hasn't given up and is working so hard for change.

And then I feel a bit better. :D


Then I think of Michael Moore, who is going to discuss his film "Sicko" on Oprah next Tuesday.

And then I feel a whole lot better. :evilgrin:


Like someone said up-thread...3 steps forward and 2 back...which just totally sucks, but even so, I'm not ready to give up yet. O8)

and the rest of the U.S. is content to let the clock on BushCo run out, because they feel powerless to change anything.

Do not click on this link. It's a waste of your time.
It may make you laugh. Just keep crying and moaning.

Are DU readers and participants susceptible to Psychological Operations?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1025175&mesg_id=1025175

DON'T DO IT. Don't go there. :rofl: You might repent.

an ability to step back and look at what is clearly a political & worldwide scene/machine with many moving & unseen parts simply does not exist here on a long term basis; certainly not from day to day, which can often be the case with our opponents,

while remaining important, it is often the case that GD, as a for instance, is only looking at the issues brought forward by one, maybe 2-3 persons and that's it, it will be whatever their concerns, whatever they're looking at that drives the bus whether: Fitzmas, Leopold, Rove's emails, GonzoGate, Cindy, Bush getting shit on by a bird, etc...it fills the flood plain sometimes for days with one topic and a landscape filled from horizon to horizon with argument, derision, and very little worthy concensus...

i think further that folks just get tired, even here, of expecting a vibrancy and too often having it remain undelivered; if it can be said to be a "malaise" as you have mentioned and i do think it possible to consider in those terms; it is a malaise of the beaten, the downtrodden, the abused they/we just get silent as the bully walks/circles outside the house with a tyrant's awful gate; and how do i know that? because i had a husband like that, it is a battered syndrome, one just gets very small, and looks no longer into the eyes of others...which is just the way some would have it,

there are other ways of judging such things, go by the vid forum; there you're able to see what concerns us most though by way of views, and not recommendations per se we being they having "ear phone heads & dirty beds": What's wrong with GHW Bush? - Views: 1567, O'Reilly and McCain fear for the 'white, chrisitan, male power stucture' - Views: 1787, Hardball: Tweety calls Rudy a Liar MiaCulpa - Views: 1448, Were You Born An A-hole - Views: 2469, Nancy Grace Pranked - Views: 2204, etc...

it is possible, however, to go elsewhere and discover what concerns us the very, very least: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2247910

so yeah that's fine, call it a malaise, that is as good a word as any :patriot:

I think my breaking point was when Conda sleezy Rice was served a subpoena and just refused to show up. And nothing fracking happened!!!!!!!

and didn't bode well for the future investigations that we all are looking forward to. The fact that it is rarely mentioned, even here on DU, shows to what extent we are on scandal and outrage overload. :-(

:hi:

We have had this problem since Ronnie Raygun was elected; Al Gore has been describing it recently, I hear. We have been trying to make our dreams into reality rather than realizing we have to make our dreams come true from within reality.

Never surrender. Not now, not then, not never (screw the grammar!) NOT NOT NOT! NEVER.

that is an effect of the actual goal which is to reorient government in the United States to behave as though its members understand that they are our servants and representatives, and reorient the American people to remember and take up their role as owners of the nation. We have the freedom to abandon hope, not that this will happen, but that WE CAN DO THIS, or to continue working towards it.