When You Remove the Right, What’s LEFT?

9 Comments

1. 

   rba on August 21, 2005 at 9:25 am

   In general I’ve seen more postive statements, and much better writing here – the free idea zone – than I ever have on their site.  There’s a hole in their head and the rain’s getting in.

   • 

     infidelpig on August 21, 2005 at 9:38 am

     and the problem with the rain is, it’s “acid rain” ; )

     pretty freak’n sad isn’t it…geesh, I need a new peice of dirt to live on.

     • 

       rba on August 21, 2005 at 10:24 am

       Yeah.  If that’s the best they’ve got, we’re in deep shit.

       • 

         infidelpig on August 21, 2005 at 10:58 am

         yeppers, we’re either gonna have to get used to the smell of shit, put on chest waders, or find another place to be…I need a drink, a good cigar, and start throwing darts at the map.

2. 

   ejmw on August 21, 2005 at 2:35 pm

   On the one hand, I’m disappointed in the lack of a coherent message other than “Hey, at least we’re not Republicans!”

   On the other hand, I’m happy to see at least some evidence of the start of an iota of a beginning of an active opposing stance.

   I think that to we who are in the ‘informed’ community, this is disappointing because we’re intimately familiar with the issues and know where the leadership should be standing.

   But we also have to remember that there are a lot of people who just don’t understand (and rightfully so, perhaps) that there is a difference between a Democrat and a Republican.  This front page is effective at showing that there is a difference, even though it totally fails in showing what Democrats do stand for.  

   Other than hating Republicans and thinking they’re a bunch of dummies.

   I’m hoping that the strategy is to draw the line for the political novice between Republicans and Democrats first, and then get into defining the Democratic vision.

   But I’ve been let down before, and won’t be surprised if I am again.

   • 

     rba on August 21, 2005 at 6:45 pm

     I just read Ignatius’ Friday column, and think he nailed it.

     • 

       ejmw on August 21, 2005 at 6:59 pm

       Heh.  This is totally true.

       [Republicans] are better at slash-and-burn campaigning than governing.

       I think he’s right about the new ‘Contract for America’.

       We’ve got a lot of smart people on this site.  If the democratic party isn’t going to write one up, maybe we should.  And then we should start pushing it, hard.

       • 

         rba on August 21, 2005 at 8:47 pm

         Yeah, BooMan came up with a couple of Principles awhile back, but (SHIT!) I can’t remember them.  Foreign policy I think.  We’ve commented before around here, but not actually done it.  Maybe hijack the “West” thread?  Or better to get another button on the top bar?

         Ah, Open Thread time…..

3. 

   tampopo on August 21, 2005 at 11:25 pm

   First, rba, thanks for posting this. I haven’t been to the democratic.org site for a while.

   This is what I got from it:

   1. here are some problems
   2. here are identified sources from the MSM
   3. this is a resource for regular dems to use to inform others on their real world communities
   4. the big dems are informing the dems down the line on what is going on; dems are to pass it on

   An example with one subject from the page, “ENERGY: American Families Struggling with Rising Gas Prices While Oil Companies Post Record Profits”:

   I don’t know about your real world community, but in mine, mention the word “gas” and you get to hear a whole lot of moaning and groaning.

   Have you read anything in your local paper about the profits of the oil companies?

   What would happen if letters to the editor began appearing on a regular basis, especially during Bush’s loooong vacation, about the amount of money being raked in by the oil companies?

   Could we create a groundswell of discontent? How about if the conclusion of such a letter offered no solution, but instead a request that folks contact their Congress people to do something?

   What might happen if someone else wrote about the response or nonresponse they got from their Congress person?

   In other words, a locally coordinated letter writing campaign using the info provided from the dem.org site to direct the concern, worry, fear people have over rising gas prices toward the profits being made by the oil companies and a wondering on what their representatives are going to do about it.

   Unite people first. Gas prices are touching everyone regularly.

   Don’t try to solve it yet. Get it clear on who is benefiting as we all begin to readjust our budgets. Direct the anger toward the oil corps. Focus the questioning toward our Congress. Listen to the responses. (Do you really think this Republican congress is going to do anything to help regular folks?) Question the responses. Look to others for better ideas – Dem candidates.

   Dems become a reasonable, responsible, necessary choice.

   Fantasy? Maybe. Certainly an alternative to depression and dismay.