2006 is the election we should be working on...now watch this sink like

[rasputin1952]

a stone...:(

:rant:

2006 will set the platform for '08. If we are still the minority in both Houses of Congress, we are in deep shit. Forget, for the time being, '08. GET OUT and start talking to people about how rotten their R Congresscritters are. Know where the Rep's and Sen's are screwing up and talk up those points.

Join your local/state Dem leadership and work WITH them. Forget the petty squabbles about stupid DNC/DLC garbage; if you want to win, you've got to make concessions! Sure, we are divided on certain principles, but we can't work them out when we are the minority party.

Find candidates that are worthy of running in local elections as well, and if you can't find them....run yourself! There are some great minds here on DU, and we should be using them for the betterment of our communities and our nation.

Look, the bottom line is, if we take a shellacking in '06, '08 won't matter any more. So get off your asses and start WORKING to ensure a good honest election that we can win. If we can't beat the current group of R's in the House and Senate, we have no one to blame but ourselves. No Pizza Parties, no beer runs...this is WORK people, and it needs to be done!

:rant: over

[barbaraann]

1. Actually, we need to be working on building a permanent grassroots,

not just an electioneering machine and I'm working on doing just that (building the grassroots).

[kevsand]

7. In some ways, that's probably the toughest thing to do,

but you're absolutely right about the need for it. It's high time we all started acting like citizens...

[barbaraann]

9. Yes, it's incredibly difficult.

And people don't bring in snacks like they do during campaigns. ;-)

[kevsand]

12. LOL!

So true... :rofl:

[napi21]

2. Oh, I agree with you! My BIG problem is living in Georgia!

Check out this map!


This is just District 10, but indicative of the whole State! I checked the voting results for Nov. 2004, and other than Atlanta, there were only 5 Counties in the whole state that voted majority Dem. and they were fairly small ones.

I am VERY depressed by that, because it sure looks to me like a can't win situation! I haven't stopped trying to convince people about how bad things really are, and neither have any of the other Dems I speak to, but these people are brainwashed! No matter what they hear, if it's against a Pub, they just say, "that a lie!"

[blm]

18. What was it like BEFORE Diebold took over the vote count?

.

[win_in_06]

35. You know you've got it rough when Zell Miller is an

example of a Democrat in GA

[MadeinOhio]

43. I have a sick feeling this isn't the whole story.....

The majority of Georgia are not getting heard, aka the independants:

http://www.countthevote.org

Georgia 2002 elections were....."suspicious" with fraud. I have no doubt Diebold destroyed this state, and that perhaps, 25% follow them unquestionably but the rest of the state does not vote for the R's at all.

[KingFlorez]

3. People are more interested in '08

And that's not the most important right now. We need to be working on '06 as hard as we can. It's going to take online activism to win this election, because the Democratic leaders don't always get the job done.

[Imagevision]

33. People are more interested in '08? - only the un-informed!!

[MuseRider]

4. KICK

2006 is critical.

[petgoat]

41. 2006 is Critical

If there's a Demo sweep in 2006 impeachment is possible in 2007.

9/11 is the critical issue in 2006 in my opinion. It will be the
five-year aniversary of all the ignored warnings from 11 foreign
countries and 3 FBI offices. The agencies whose inaction was necessary
to the success of the al Qaeda plot--the Bush administration and the
Pentagon--were those that benefited most from the success of the plot.
Bush's approvals went from 51% to 90%, and the Pentagon got an increased
budget.

[kentuck]

5. The opportunity is there....

If we take advantage of it and put out our message, any message. Silence, in hopes the Repubs will implode, is no strategy at all.

[Jawja]

6. Kick!

I'm tired of the "who is going to run in 2008" threads. 2006 is crucial.

:kick:

[Catchawave]

8. Check out the Edwards website......

http://www.oneamericacommittee.com/minimumwage/

Working on min wage initiatives getting on state ballots, with hopes will draw out the liberal voters in 2006. The USA Today article linked to this site says it could work for the Dems like the Gay Marriage initiatives worked for the Repubs in 2004.

It just might help our Dem candidates afterall :)

[blondeatlast]

10. Every '06 race is CRUCIAL. City, state, school district, they've infected

them all with Heritage Foundations cultists.

I followed another in nominating this. If we don't gain some SIGNIFICANT ground in '06, we're damn close to doomed, I'm afraid.

If we do, it'll make '08 a much easier battle.

Set the stage now.

[peacetalksforall]

11. Here's my contribution....

Don't let uneducated and technological depraved court and state officials - buy Republican made voting machines, software, and technicians.
Don't let Republican corporate so-called networks pay for their own polling exit data, then manipulate it, and call elections results.

2006 or 2008 won't mean anything if Republicans own our votes.

Throw out everything the Republicans have imposed on us through either innocent-trusting or paid-off election officials.

All the talk about candidates is for nothing if we don't own our own votes. Our leaders are doing little about it. The whole country deserves war mongering thieves, liars, killers, and slave makers if we can't vote.

They are out to control us and use us for tax generating money that they can mis-use and steal - and no one cares about the most important weapon we have - a counted vote.

Our leaders are not leading on this issue. It is a subject they don't want to touch which makes it difficult. Of all the things that have been stolen in this country, what could be worse than bodies and votes?

So there is going to be a study by some institutions and the result won't be out for about three years? Which is going to come first.

It's time to say NO to Diebold and Hagel's E S & S and the other Republican controlled voting machine and FOX, CNN, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, CBS, ABC. The cooked the exit polls. They stole from us.

We love thieves and we bow down to them.

It's time to act like a citizen and demand whatever it takes to know that our vote counted.

[Imagevision]

16. 2006: Electronic voting machines again will dictate outcomes

Much more voter manipulation, disenfranchisement, can you imagine in Ohio repugs actually sent out flyers to blacks stating election day would be one day late because of large turnouts expected!!

Repugs have more to lose this time especially with Bush losing support for Iraq, SS. etc.. if there are no paper-trailed machines or go back to casting a paper ballot, they did it to us twice already so they know they can get away with it with just talkshow spin.

Hillary like Kerry has done nothing to simply gurantee the people an honest vote, this is what's its come to.

USA freedom? -- wishful thinking...!

http://downingstreetmemo.com/

[peacetalksforall]

21. I think we can handle the outright deception that involves the filthy

tricks they pulled in many states, especially in Florida and Ohio with the significant contribution of the Governors and Harris and Blackwell and all the assistants.

The most challenging problems for citizens is:

The filthy tricks of the news corporations - we must appeal to the stockholders of those companies and publicity.

The filthy tricks of the Republicans who own the machines - blatantly and disonestly. They are vile hyupocrits and thieves.

I hold the vote to close to my chest.

I detest the crap they are pulling ir Iraq to pretend that we have something to show them about Democracy.

I am really angry today.

[Imagevision]

30. handle the outright deception? - like we did in Ohio?

They got the machines and the software..sorry Dems lose, 51-49 again, but!...it was close - try again! I'll bet that even Blackwell will win for governor is it?

[peacetalksforall]

38. What I mean is that people can mobilize to prevent some or most of the

horrors such as being told that the wrong day for the polls or that voting machines were sitting in warehouses while people were made to stand in line up to nine hours.

What is more difficult is getting election officials to stop buying the Republican machines-software-technicians, throw out the ones they bought, set up a fool proof voting, counting, and compiling system we can trust (by 2006).

It is also more difficult to build our own exit polling structure, conduct our own analysis, ignore their predictions. It is apalling that we gave them license to do this after we knew who they really were.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[knitter4democracy]

29. Amen!!!

Our biggest problem is voting fraud, and it's not hard to explain that to people. Many people don't trust machines deep down, and they'll understand why this is a big issue. It's time to fight!

[Imagevision]

32. my contribution? Conyers got 550,000 signatures and tried to deliver

that personally to Bush...he was stopped at the gate where he ended up handing over the signatures that were for elction reform related and Bush not so much as even replied. The story went dead afterwards.

This administration is beyond just being corrupt, they're dangerous - 3 more years and this country will be in the worst shape it's ever been in -- maybe 6 more months at the rate Bush is going.

[MaineDem]

13. You're absolutely right!

SOme people have no interest in local issues and only get involved in the national races. Sad.

But, the state legislatures are where voting laws are passed. It's vital we get Democratic majorities in many more states.

Most state parties are ramping up for '06 now, with help from the DNC. This upcoming election is too important to NOT make a full court press effort starting now. Contact your state party headquarters or local Democratic organization and jump in.

[LandOLincoln]

14. Sorry, but a lot of us are tired of being lectured on this.

As people have explained (and explained, and explained) most of us ARE involved at the local level--but prefer, when we're reading and posting on an international board such as DU or Kos or whatever, to talk about 2008.

We can walk and chew gum at the same time. Lighten up and quit scolding.

[rasputin1952]

46. No problem, and I know the lecturing goes on...but it IS the reality

of the situation that we can do NOTHING of importance from the minority side of the aisle.

This is the best opportunity to kick some major butt in a long time, and we simply cannot hope for a win in '08 w/o some kind of change in '06...:)

Sometimes, it pays to stick one's neck out and dot the right thing...if for no other reason, it is the right thing to do....:)

[deadparrot]

15. Nope. I agree.

Gotta work on 2006 before 2008.

[Imagevision]

17. Exactly!! 2006 will play heavy on 2008! got to have a paper trail!

http://downingstreetmemo.com/

[Armstead]

19. You're right, but both matter

06 is obviously mportant, but it's harder to discuss on a national message board because it is a large pattern that is the result of a lot of smaller localized races.

[calimary]

20. No, it won't sink. 2006 IS the election we need to work on.

Because we NEED to take back the House of Reps. Once that's done, we can begin IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS. And even if we don't have the Senate, and we don't have the votes to approve articles of IMPEACHMENT from the House, the House move will still stand on the record books (like it did with Clinton - he was impeached in the House but it didn't hold up in the Senate, so the bad guys failed in their efforts to remove him from office), and it will be a permanent bloody nose for bush in the history books. (AND a nice payback for Clinton, too, I might add, although there are BAJILLIONS of reasons to IMPEACH bush and remove him from office, aside from just settling the score over Clinton).

2006 is CRUCIAL. We HAVE TO WIN. We HAVE TO WIN in numbers too big to steal. And we need to start working on that NOW. You think the enemy isn't?

[FrenchieCat]

22. I agree, 2006 is MOST important...

and having an issue and a clear message is the only way we are gonna win back the congress.

Iraq is a mess and is the issue that can be used in 2006 against the Bush enablers.....

So let's craft a message and get it ready for those candidates of ours!

[Mythsaje]

24. I'd say congressional elections

are FAR more important than Presidential elections at this point. We could survive another RW President if we have congress again.

[Mich Otter]

25. How to talk to people.

Here is the way I frame the debate about the Republicans when I talk with people. This is from the "Frame the Debate" forum.

"It's the Republican track record of failures.
It's the Republicans total support for this administrations failures.
It's the the proven record of failures that the Republicans have dumped on America.
It's the deficit and the war that the Republicans have given to America.
It's the lack of good paying jobs in America that the Republicans have proven they cannot improve.
It's the continued trade deficits and job loss overseas that the Republicans have shown clearly they will never make better for Americans.
It's the religious nut cases that the Republicans are committed to instead of you and me.

I can think of many ways to express why the Republicans are wrong for America. I'm sure you can add more ways to say it.
How is it possible that anyone can talk to a Republican, a switch-voting Democrat or an Independent and not get the message across as to why they do not want to vote for Republicans?"

[Mich Otter]

26. The Democrats "Otter" be sending out a monthly newsletter...

to every American household to discuss their ideas.
It makes no sense to wait till weeks before an election to start trying to win over American voters who have been inundated for years by Rush and Fox.
Why spend so many hundreds of millions of dollars in an election campaign and ignore the people the rest of the time?
If I was leading the Democrats, I would put out a monthly newsletter describing the problems, discussing to possible solutions, and explaining why the Democrat's plans are better.
Get America talking about important issues. Make Americans aware of the benefits of voting Democratic.

[Adelante]

27. I'm setting up a series of happy hours

Called "Blue Hours" -- once a month until October 2006. Collecting checks and sending them to a candidate in a close race, a different one each month. I don't live in the US, but expats can do this.

[IndyOp]

28. Diebold, ES&S voting machines NOT legal for 2006!

According to FogerRox (link below):

Accupol and Liberty - these are the only 2 DREs with complete 2002 certification, Avante should be certified by sept.

Any other DRE left over-- cannot be used in a Fed election-

Federal law Trumps state law--- so get ready to sue--

If your state plans to use any other DRE in 2006-- this is the time---- The more DREs we can take off the table-- sort of-- the easier it may be to talk about alternatives--

SO --- decertify a DRE today


Decertify a DRE today.Episode One.
<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x390084>

Decertify a DRE today. Episode Two.
<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=391261&mesg_id=391261>

[Imagevision]

31. If ya'll recall, we didn't even get a straight recount for Ohio because

of Blackwell...!

[LittleClarkie]

34. Hell, even if you don't have a chance of winning, RUN

An uncontested race is a gift to the GOP. An uncontested race is another race they didn't have to spend money on. And if you're running, you have a platform from which to get Dem ideas out. My local party put an article in their newsletter this last month that talked about just this topic and how important it is to make sure the Repubs have to fight for every vote.

I'm with you Raspy. Recommended.

[ray of light]

36. Thank you!

And when thinking about grassroots and local elections, join the Democracy Cell Project to help educate, activate, and EMPOWER! The DCP is working on 06 plans right now. Please join us.

Here's the link: http://www.democracycellproject.net

[Califooyah Operative]

37. 2006 is where our focus ought to be

as well as election reform and iraq. But 2006 is crucial. The dlc conflict plays into it, but later, the dlc will do nothin in 2006, similar to the hackett race, it's on us. They're focus is 2008 and power, our focus needs to be 2006, because if we win, we win big, and it sets momentum for 2008.

[MisterLiberal]

39. Okay cool

We've been compromising with the DLC for a decade.

Now it's THEIR TURN.

[proud patriot]

40. Take back the house in 06 impeach bushco in 07

That's my goal

[rasputin1952]

42. Thank You all, it does a body good to see so many moving towards

BOTH elections and getting involved!!!!!!!:D

Even the naysayers are welcome...I'm often surprised at how often I get ideas from them...:)

Great work ladies and gentlemen...let's kick some ass!!!!!!:woohoo:

[magnolia]

44. I agree with you 100%

2008 is a long way off and a million things can happen. It's ridiculous to spend so much time and energy...and the endless polls...discussing it.

I'm trying to not even pay any attention to the wannabees. They are stupid for trying to campaign already, as if the presidential election were going to be tomorrow, by being pro-war...and Joe Biden considering McCain as running mate. They'll have a lot backtracking to do come 2007.

I do respect Edwards for focussing on poverty. At least he's doing something useful that he isn't going to have to explain or apologize for later.

[rasputin1952]

45. Like you say, a million things can happen before the '08...

election.

There could be more wars, or there could be peace. There could be more scandals, or things could calm down. bush could be impeached, tried and convicted, or nothing could come of it altogether.

What we need, is the ability and the drive to have some input in the future that is being created.

Sitting around and waiting for others to do the work, is a sure way to lose everything we are fighting for. This is work, and hard work at that....we can make it easier by smoothing out some of the wrinkles now. This is my goal and hope.

I am in Nebraska, and NO ONE is talking up bush anymore. If NE is pissed, the rest of the nation must really be seething!!!:D

Let's kick ass and take our nation back!!!!

[paineinthearse]

47. Permission to post this

as a reply to all the 2008 presidential polls.

Thanks for your rant, it is needed.

We need to focus on the Congress. Taking back the House is the only way we have of impeaching Bushco.

[rasputin1952]

48. Go for it...and rant on. We have to get away from the "3 YR"

syndrome, and work on what we can do to take power away from bush and is band of demons. The presiddential election is # years away, the '06 election is 14 MONTHS away! Power can be taken from this goomer in a mere 14 months!

Congress is the best way we can neuter this crap-happy clown. If we have Congress....we can beat this bastard back to Crawford!!!!!:D