Let's get started! We don't have time to waste. A few ideas.

[Onlooker]

We need to challenge those bastards more aggressively.

(1) Rather than constantly defend anti-tax and anti-gay referundums, let's start some our our. Those states that allow voters to pass legislation should introduce ballot initiatives outlawing the use of computer run voting machines, prevent any state money from going to religious groups, establish a state commission to work with the FEC to ensure that church groups do not engage in politics, establish environmental studies that focus on particularly awful industries, outlaw marriage and replace it with civil unions.

(2) Identify a block of nonvoters who are as big as the fundies, and go after that block. I think it's the poor people of our country. We should be able to build a coalition of the poor and middle class, both of whom want health insurance, improved social security, safer streets, more affordable education, and so on.

(3) Isolate the fundies. Set up web sites and het people like Michael Moore to show them for what they are--mostly ignorant neurotics who expect Osama bin Laden to attack a wheat field in Oklahoma. Show them for what they are: racists, sexists, and homophobes. They have a long, dark history that needs to be exposed. Let's make so that if you're a Republican, you're a fundie.

(4) Set up a nonprofit that does proper investigative journalism. It will need lawyers, investigators, and a lot of funding. It amazes me that there will be no investigation of potential voting fraud in Ohio and Florida.

(5) Take up gun control again, but raise the terrifying spectre of terrorists and criminals using guns to wreak havoc in small towns. They're obviously paranoid in the rural villages of the red states. Scare them into favoring background checks and bans on assault weapons.

(6) Post an email in your DU state forum that says, "I'm ready to begin," and see if there are leaders among us in each state."

We can start right away with websites and research into the fundies. We can propose ideas for ballot initiatives and then seek out groups that might help us out. There's a lot we can do, and if we start soon we'll have the advantage over the Republicans they spend the next few months wallowing in their own shit.

[rndmprsn]

1. great ideas...

we need to be more than the party that hates geroge w bush...what can we do to build a bridge to the rural poor, who are our most obvious allies?

ideas please?

[davepc]

2. Instead of winning red states back, you want to go even FURTHER

in alienating them and distancing ourselves from them.

That'll work. Because we did such a good job the last 3 elections, why stop now?

[Onlooker]

3. Sucking up to them didn't work /eom

We need to act on principle, and then convince people that our principles have more in commmon with them then the principles of the Republican party.

[davepc]

4. we didn't "suck up" to them

we IGNORED them and patronized them.

Howard Dean was the ONLY candidate who understood the need to bring these people back into the fold.

He got shouted down and ignored.

We got KILLED in the election. Its not a coincidence.

[Onlooker]

5. That's not true

We backed off gun control, called for a balanced budget, promised to kill kill kill the terrorists; we did that for them. They weren't interested. I wanted Dean to win, if only because he genuinely stuck with Democratic principles. I would have felt felt better if Dean had lost with our integrity intact, then Kerry losing after surrenduring some of our principles. (That said, I was extremely pleased when Kerry expressed support for affirmative action and Roe v. Wade in the debates.)

[hertopos]

6. I see the urgency but right now the focus should be 'e-voting fraud'

Look at the DU blog. The media is trying 'preemptive attack' they are trying to discredit exit poll and left leaning bloggers. Why they know 'e-voting' is the very important issue.

May issues can be adjusted to appeal to more voters, yes. However, no matter how many we actually get, e-voting machine without paper trail can fix such 'reach'. No matter what we do, the fix will be in as more and more precinct will use e-voting machine without paper trail. (By the way, there is a type of e-voting machine with paper trail. That I recommend. I am not against e-voting machine. I am against any voting system you cannot audit.)

Another big issue is Democrats have given up so many state and local congressional race without a fight. In order to counter Christian Coalition, we really have to start from the bottom. This is why it is more important to work at locally first rather than debating Democrat platform as a whole.

Honestly, I am for gay marriage at the same time I can be for school prayer if its nondenominational and don't include the word God. ( or the word God is an option.)

Each issues are less important now. We need to set priorities and goals at each stages very clearly. My background is marketing and Dem are so naive with this particular approach. Karl Rove is not that brilliant as a marketer rather he is doing everything experienced marketer does.

Hertopos