GET ANGRY! GET ACTIVE!

[Indyfan53]

From my alter ego on Twitter @mrprogress89

"Sure, there isn't rascism in the south anymore. It's also safe to buy real estate in Chernobyl.
Screw the #SCOTUS repulicans!"


This is why it is more important than ever to vote. We must do what we can to be able to jump through all of the republican obstacles set up on election days.

Get angry and get active.

Get more people ID's so they aren't halted. Be willing to help people get their ID's if you can, especially the elderly. We must be able to dodge anything the republicans throw at us.

We also need to rally more. I recommended doing it lawfully outside the offices of all republican politicians, especially the ones who associate themselves with the tea party.

Finally, vote in the primaries, and run for office if you are brave enough.

Remember, Democracy begins with you.

Stay alert, stay active.

[JustAnotherGen]

1. It's not the South we need to worry about!

it's Ohio and Pennsylvania and a whole lot of "battle ground states" with Republican Governors.

So everything times a thousand you said with a caveat . . . Make sure PA and Ohio stay blue!

[AlinPA]

12. Exactly. PA is now a teabagger state. 13/18 US House seats are GOP, Governor is a stupid teabagger;

Both the State House and State Senate are GOP slob teabaggers and we have one teabagger US senator.

[JustAnotherGen]

2. Kick

We just got a win in Massachusetts folks!

[Sunlei]

3. Supreme court member stated the current problem in voting rights, "racial gerrymandering"

"racial gerrymandering". Now the R monkey-business has a name.

Many of the most local of map changes, most local of ordnances, zoning, must still be based on economic class and/or race.

Local maps and regulations should be submitted to the SC as unconstitutional, ask to be struck down.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

4. Racism is everywhere in this country! I'm originally from Georgia and the worst incidents

of racism I ever experienced were in New Jersey, Chicago, and Boston.

It is absolutely a fallacy to believe that racism only exists in the American South.

[Indyfan53]

6. I especially fear for Wisconsin.

A state that was once a second home for me may try to reinstate a voter ID bill. What happened to the badger state?

[JustAnotherGen]

7. Thank you, thank you, thank you

I'm from the North East - and people like to conveniently forget the agita, angst, protest against the Urban Suburban program.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

8. Parts of New Jersey are the worst!!!

[JustAnotherGen]

9. South Jersey

The 'Red Zone' now. To some degree - however - I think this is going to be less of an impact here.

We are neither a battle ground nor a swing state.


And guess what? Neither are the majority of states that were given free range to do whatever they want in terms of sending their citizens on a date with Jim Crow.


The real focus has to be on places in PA and OH and such. I can't say it enough. Nobody gives a shit about NJ or MA - they KNOW how it's going to go. Buuut -


This is also a signal (and I'm writing this as a black woman) that I *personally think* the Democratic Party needs to abandon any ideas about a 50 state strategy in 2014 and 2016.

Focus on the white blue collar and former blue collar voter in swing states. Go get them.

They may be the minority man's and woman's salvation. Their only salvation.

This house will NOT be doing ANYTHING to undo it. But for example - I have Leonard Lance in the NJ-7th. What if we replaced him with say - Upendra Chivukula? See - if we focus on getting every single house seat blue in the 'blue states' - we have a shot. But it's going to be a long road.

And it's going to take white blue/former blue collar workers to make it happen. We cannot under any circumstances think for a moment that the black and soon to include hispanic/latino vote is secure.

Especially in places like Ohio and Philly PA.


I'm also going to personally pray for a Republican appointed justice to drop dead - doesn't matter which one - sometime in the next five minutes.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

10. Yep. That's exactly where I experienced it from. However, I could say the same about Northern

Jersey (some parts of wealthy Bergen County, for instance). Philadelphia and Detroit suburbs, too!!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

11. ETA: Your perspective is interesting. I'm torn on the 50 State Strategy. There are some

Southern Democratic political scientists, demographers, and strategists who believe that the demographics in the American South are changing. Georgia, NC, and Texas are examples where Democrats could have the advantage in a few years.

The Republicans may be winning now, but no amount of redistricting can overcome their transition to a minority party in the coming years. It's going to take time and we have patience. And patience is definitely not a liberal virtue.

I've been yelling out my spleen for many years about how important it is for Democrats not to abandon state and local races, no matter what the odds are. No matter how angry or disillusioned they are about Obama or any Democrat, we cannot give up on local and state races. I say this because even when we lose, each time, we strengthen the grassroots Democratic Party apparatus. For example, Obama could've won the state of Georgia had more minorities showed up--and barring voter suppression. It didn't happen in 2008 or 2012, but it could happen in 2020 simply because the Atlanta Metropolitan Area is expanding and becoming more diverse. The bigots are retreating to far out rural counties that we don't need to win anyway. More importantly, Organizing for Action (formerly Organizing for America) has left its ground game apparatus in place after the 2012 election and is trying to strengthen its organizational ties to local and state Democratic Party organizations.

It's going to be interesting to see what happens.

As for the 50 State Strategy, there's a price: On the one hand, we need as many Democrats as possible in order to make a substantive difference, and that's assuming that we'll a Democratic president in 2016. On the other hand, we pay the price because some of those Democrats will come from marginal or competitive districts. They won't (and can't) be as liberal as we would like. People who love Governor Dean for what he did regarding the 50 State Strategy never seem to acknowledge this shortcoming of thhis strategy.

The IMMEDIATE goal is to get more Democrats in local and state offices and at the congressional level. The ULTIMATE goal is to elect as many *progressive* Democrats as possible at ALL levels of government.

It's going to take some time, but I truly believe it can be done.

[we can do it]

5. Been both for a long time now....a break would be nice.