How long are we going to put up with wussy dem pols?

[LTRS]

I'm just wondering, because these fools can't decide if they are anti-war, pro-war, anti-Roberts, pro-Roberts; and they haven't done a thing to capitalize on DSM, other lies about the war and WMD, Plamegate, gas prices, Tom Delay and other ethically challenged rethugs, the deficit, huge subsidies to oil companies already making a record profit, etc, etc, etc.

Are they lazy, or cowardly, or political inept, or all of the above? When the DNC calls me for money I say "not until democrats get off their butts and actually oppose this administration and the republican party!!"

We (the grassroots) can bitch and moan about republicans all we want, but good old Howie can't do it on his own -- if our own politicians won't go on a permanent and relentless defensive attack, we are lost.

The grassroots put Dean in so we DO have the power. And we need to aggresively let our dem representatives know that we will not support them unless they speak up and go on the attack. Just as the republican party has no real power without the support of big corporations and the Christian right zealots, the dem party has no real power without us if we act collectively.

It's damn well time we stopped focusing on dicussions about the evils of the rethugs among ourselves (we are preaching to the choir about that -- it gets us nowhere) and DEMAND that our reps stand up, speak out, and let voters know just how corrupt the rethugs are.

Hold their feet to the fire. It's way PAST TIME to do that.

[LittleClarkie]

1. Specify please

Which "they"? Who are "they"?

Hard to take specific action against a vague "they".

[LTRS]

2. Every single elected dem in congress!

Specific enough?

[LittleClarkie]

3. So this is just an anti-Democratic Party rant in general?

Sorry, I rather like at least one of my Senators. Mitts off, if you would.

[LTRS]

5. You like a govt where EVERY branch is controlled by rethugs?

You don't think that just might have something to do with how pathetic our pols are? We have to stop whining about how bad rethugs are and get the nerve up to do something about it. The first step is admitting that our party is the problem and holding their feet to the fire to actually oppose what is going on in this country.

If you're a dem pol and you want money from me, support from me, work from me, then you have to do the following:

1. Get on message -- and that message is that the republican party and its president are corrupt, have bad values, and are incompetent -- not in those words of course, but that should be the message.

2. March lockstep goddammit! Do it now. If you want to respect other ideas within the party you can do that AFTER we win some elections and become the majority.

3. Present a plan to the American people and make it easy to understand. None of this blithering nuanced qualified "I don't know if I am for the war or against it" crap we keep seeing.

4. Attack, attack, attack the opposition EVERY SINGLE DAY. For gawd's sake, if the blogs can do it, why can't our pols? There is material out there every day. Use it.

[MaineDem]

8. We need to replace the Republicans not berate our Dems

Most of them are working as hard as they can but run up against the GOP wall. Our Dem Congresspeople can't even get hearings held or bills introduced.

Rather than replace the Dems we do have lets work like hell to replace the Republicans with Democratic legislators. We need the majority and we're not going to get it dumping on the good guys we do have.

[LTRS]

10. If we had "good guys" -- meaning ones willing to fight

... we wouldn't be in this position. The problem is that we have crappy dem pols who basically had their spines removed long ago.

People don't vote for spineless pols, which is why we keep losing, despite what a poor job the rethugs are doing.

If you want them to win then you had better start demanding that they show some spine.

[MaineDem]

11. Those who are elected HAVE won

I know there are some who seem to be fighting against us but most of them are doing the best they can with a GOP controlled House and Senate. We need to win that majority back and THEN set out to work our agenda. We need those in there now plus a few more and we need to make sure the '06 election gives us that majority. We all need to work together..existing members of Congress, state parties, and the grassroots.

And, yes, there certainly are some "good guys".

[LTRS]

13. I have to politely ask, where have you been?

We have been losing seats pretty much steadily since 1994. When do we begin to get a grip on why that is happening?

[babylonsister]

4. Boxer's working it; go here and sign:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2034548

[LTRS]

6. Boxer needs to quit preaching to the converted

.... and get these dems in line. We can sign petitions until the cows come home, and you can say rah, rah, Boxer, here's another donation. But it isn't going to amount to a hill of beans until OUR POLITICIANS stand up and speak out collectively. Every day, day after day after day.

[BlueJac]

7. Hold them all responsible

If your senator or Representative don't vote in congress to support the people that put them in office revolt, vote them out the next time they run for reelection. It is time we find the candidates that will stand up for the liberal agenda and not some wishy washy demo-rep mix that cannot find the footing or their stance. We want be with clear cut convictions on what they stand for, not cowards that wait and see how the wind is blowing.

:puffpiece:

[LTRS]

9. Exactly, and we have only ourselves to blame if we don't

I love DU but I get so tired of coming on here to see a big bitch session about rethugs. What a waste of time at this point. If we want to change things we absolutely MUST start holding the dem party pols feet to the fire.

If we don't do that then we ought to quit bitching about rethugs, because it then becomes our own fault that they are in power instead of dems.

[sendero]

12. I agree with you...

... and just like I can "support" the troops without supporting the war, I can "support" the party without respecting the majority of our congress members, whose performance is lacking in every single respect.

You beg for years and nothing changes. A concrete example of what you are talking about appears in Ohio and they still don't get it.

At some point you start wondering just exactly what the nature of the problem is. That's where I am right now.

[unlawflcombatnt]

14. Party Unity and Polling

Maybe we should do some polling to determine what issues most rank-and-file Democrats are united on. Obviously there are some issues where much disagreement exists within the Democratic Party. We should determine which ones we agree on the most, and stress those. Those we disagree on, we should not emphasize.

A long, complicated, multi-issue party statement is not only unnecessary, it's counterproductive. Bush was elected with a message that was so simple as to be a non-message.

For example, an overwhelming majority of Democrats oppose unrestricted free trade and outsourcing. Let's unite around that.

I think an overwhelming majority favor rolling back tax cuts on the top 2%. Let's unite around that.

Most of us oppose Social Security privatization. Let's unite around that.

I think most of us oppose the large quantity of money that goes into Corporate Welfare. Let's unite around that.

I think most of us agree that we should support unions and workers' rights to collectively bargain. Let's unite around that.

Let's poll to find other issues of potential agreement.

On such issues as Iraq, illegal immigration, abortion, gay marriage, environmental protection, and affirmative action, we may or may not have a general consensus. Then we can determine which issues to emphasize, and which issues to de-emphasize.

We definitely need to unite. But first we need to determine which issues we can actually unite around.

unlawflcombatnt

[LTRS]

18. No, let's unite around demanding they get off their butts

... grow a spine, and act like an actual opposition party. That really is the simple answer to the problem.

[ClassWarrior]

15. So support the Dems by being more like Republicons??

:silly:

Dontcha just love a thread that says we need "to quit bitching about rethugs" and we need to "march in lockstep" in order to improve the Democratic Party?

I'll bet they're having a real hoot about this one over at Freeperville.

NGU.

[LTRS]

19. Newsflash - that's how you win in politics

If you remember correctly, dems were a majority in congress until that DLC loving, triangulating Clinton took over the party. Do you think FDR, Truman, JFK or LBJ would have put up with these wussies in their party? Never.

[ClassWarrior]

20. By not worrying about the opposition and fighting amongst yourself?

:rofl:

NGU.

[LTRS]

22. Doesn't it take two parties to have a fight?

Hell, they won't fight for themselves -- how are they going to have a fight with their base? It's not about fighting. They work for US. It's about saying get off your dead butt and fight for ME! Or I ain't rehiring you come election time.

It's really pretty simple. We are getting nothing from our politicians because we expect nothing. High time we started expecting something and making sure they get it.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

16. Reality Check -- Most Dems in power do not give a shit about

us - Progressives, Left Wing. They know, in absence of a viable third party candidate, we would rather die than vote Republican. So, in the end, we will hold our noses and vote Democratic.

This became crystal clear to me when they did not support us when we screamed and kicked and moaned in lament about our stolen election. Then came the Condi nomination of the biggest lying criminal of all, in my opinion, the Bankruptcy overhaul to hurt those who meet misfortune, the Gonzales nomination of a torturer, the DSM silence. And now, they won't even support a demand to enter into Phase 2 of what the administration did with the faulty intelligence.

The writing is on the wall. Most democrats are looking to form a coaltion of the moderate right and the moderate left. They are giving up the ends. We will meet the same fate as the far right.

The sad truth, IMHO, is that we, as progressives, have no representation, besides a handful who can not sway a majority of our own party. Our only hope is that when the Democrats take over the majority, it will be better than (not our perfect platform) those in there now.

[LTRS]

17. They cannot win without us

... anymore than Bush daddy could win when his base didn't show up. If we don't donate, don't canvass, don't volunteer they lose and we need to make it perfectly clear we are willing to do what it takes to help them grow a spine.

By holding our noses and voting for them anyway we are as guilty as they are. What we need is some tough love.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

21. touche -- good points