Merlot Democrats--what are we, in 8th grade now?

[smoogatz]

Dean says "The Republicans are corrupt and lied us into a war which they're not competent to conduct."

The Republican response: "Yeah, but you guys drink merlot." Nothing like failing to address the critique. What stupid a bunch of pricks they are.

[afdip]

1. it's disingenuous of you

to expect more from the repukes than sophomoric name-calling. know them for who they are, nothing more.

[MrModerate]

2. Yeah, but this "Merlot Democrats" stuff is . . .

a public relations nightmare.

'Licans don't need to address the substance when they can win on style. God knows the last few elections have proven that!

Let's stop shooting off our toes (how many does Dean have left?) with dumb shit that alienates dems from people we need to win.

[Coastie for Truth]

4. I may be a Merlot Democrat

, but I still drink Iron City, and have an Arsenal Kolbassi with Heinz Mustard, and look for "Chipped Chopped" and "Jumbo" -- and I have even been known to go to the Renzie Park Legion Hall and the and good old (but now gone) Ritters Diner and Chiodo's and Lasek's.

[MrModerate]

7. You appear to be suffering from an excess of . . .

Prandial and gustatory eclecticism.

[Coastie for Truth]

18. No-

I grew up in the "Steel Valley" (Monongahela Valley south of Pittsburgh) - and worked in "The Mill" and my Dad was a "Union Lawyer."

[MrModerate]

21. I don't doubt it for a moment . . .

But that's NOT the image the foamers & droolers are going to push using the phrase "Merlot Democrat."

Just sayin'.

[HootieMcBoob]

30. I grew up in western PA

Always loved chipped chopped ham from Isalys! Hey by the way..."kennywood's open"!

[Coastie for Truth]

37. I watched the region die

Only time I ever voted for a Repug was when I voted against Pete Flaherty and for Skybus. Not too long after that (8 years) was "Three Mile Island" -- and I knew the handwriting was on the wall for the "Circle W Ranch." Then, when Edgar Thompson Works closed ....

I knew I'd be following the Panthers and the Tartans and the Dukes and the Pirates and the Steelers and the Penguins "long distance" and looking for theme bars that served Iron and Kolbassi (There are two Pittsburgh "Theme Bars" in San Francisco and one in Mountain View).

[Union Thug]

3. Well, it is a shift from limousine-liberal, so

I guess that kind of name calling really isn't sticking..

Funny stuff. If my protest of the war makes me a 'merlot democrat', they've set pretty low bar for those they consider 'elite'. I would encourage them to stop by my rotting old house for a look at how we elite merlot drinkers live.

What a crock.

[MADem]

6. Yeah, and how many of those Merlot drinking Dems get their beverage

out of a box with a tap on it???

Trying to make Democrats as a group a bunch of elitists is just not gonna work. Let them try, they'll just knock themselves out.

[wryter2000]

10. A friend of mine says

If a democrat has a flush toilet, they'll call him an elitist.

[MADem]

32. Heh, heh!!

The elite sure meet to eat in my house, then!!!!

[greekspeak]

5. I like merlot...I buy a bottle of it quite often for about 6 bucks

Wow...what a snob I am...a whole 6 bucks for a bottle of wine. Damn before you know it I am going to be a limosine librul. They probably think it sounds real real French or something so they attack dems for drinking it. I swear you cannot make shit like this up. :eyes:

[MrModerate]

11. They don't have to make it up . . .

If it works.

Just look at the word "liberal." Aside from any political meaning, consider the antonym: illiberal, as in mean, mingy, repressed, etc., etc.

And somehow, they've turned liberal into an insult, at least for a lot of their base.

[Coastie for Truth]

20. Not sure which way it cuts

But they have also turned "Faith" and "God fearing" and "Biblical" into insults.

[wryter2000]

14. $5/bottle

Safeway and Albertsons have had great deals on wine lately -- several kinds down to $5/bottle. Most of it is merlot, and it's worth drinking. I'm opening a bottle tonight to go with my pasta with Italian sausage and homegrown tomatoes. Total cost of dinner, about $3.25. I'm such an elitist.

[MADem]

34. Hell, you can get a box of the stuff for somewhere between

eleven and sixteen bucks, depending on the state--five whole liters!!! As good as anything that comes out of a family vineyard in bella Italia!

[wryter2000]

40. I haven't tried wine in a box since it came out

Awful stuff. There's no reason it would have to be bad, so maybe it's gotten better.

I usually get things from CA or Australia for $5. They're usually things that cost $8 - $9 but are on sale. Plus, there's a 10% discount for half a case or a case. The last time I had a $1 off coupon on one of the Autralian wines. I made off like a bandit!

Beverages and More is just finishing a buy-one-get-the-second-for-$.05 sale. For some reason, they don't give a case discount, though.

[alfredo]

42. Aussie wine is good and cheap. I have a bottle of good Aussie

Merlot in the kitchen. $8.95 of my elitist dollars. I could get it cheaper at Shopper's Village, but it's a longer drive.

[MADem]

43. Wine in a box

...is quite popular amongst the city dwellers in Europe. You can buy it in any Standa con Supermercato in Italy, in Tesco's in the UK, at any major Royal "A-hole" Ahold chain...

The most common size is the Parmelat Milk litre size. It is convenient if you are walking to the store, walking home, walking up three to five stories with all your groceries...and it tastes every bit as good as the crap with the cork floating in it. And when you are done, you fold up the box, and toss it.

I got over my wine snobbery real quick when living abroad, living next to folks who grew their own grapes and made their own (very good)vino. If it was a bit too tart, toss in a peach. A bit too strong, cut it with some soft white. Like it? Here, let me fill up a plastic water bottle with some for ya!

I also used to go to the winesellers with my jugs, and they would fill them straight out of the barrel and cap it with a bottle cap. No fancy corks, and when the bottle was done, you brought it back for a refill.

With them, it was all about the taste, not the provenance. And it was some good wine, no preservatives, either!

[wryter2000]

8. Hey

I'm a cabernet democrat. (Okay, I like merlot, too.)

[DesertRat]

9. I'm a proud Merlot drinking Democrat

[tularetom]

12. Here's why its a problem

The dumbasses sitting in their trailers drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon will get pissed because the dems are portrayed as the haves. Now we know nothing could be further from the truth but the repubs have been very good at drumming that concept into their little pointy heads. The response needs to be to portray the corporate repubs as the elite and most dems as the screwees. I'm not sayin its easy - its had a long time to sink in.

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. Poor and working class voters went overwhelmingly for Kerry

It's the $50,000-$80,000 crowd that votes Republican with a chip on its shoulder, not the working class.

[MindPilot]

24. Are you trying to tell me I'm not working class?

I'm lucky enough to be in that income range, and I work damn long and hard for it, thank you very much.

[alcibiades_mystery]

36. Don't be ridiculous

You know damn well what working class means.

That you work hard for your $70,000 a year (I'm assuming that you fall within the range I listed) is beyond doubt.

However, what you say has some truth to it, in that the category of the "working class" is no longer viable. But let's just pretend that we're still using the conventional reference, huh?

[SlavesandBulldozers]

45. yes, working class has lost its meaning

excellent point.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

44. hey i like Pabst and Merlot

i'm liberal like that, bitches.

[alcibiades_mystery]

13. No self-respecting elitist drinks fucking Merlot anymore

Haven't these idiots seen Sideways?

:evilgrin:

[Cassandra]

22. Sideways just premiered on HBO

I hate merlot. I prefer riesling.

[MadisonProgressive]

39. Oh yes! Must have the Pinot...

[alcibiades_mystery]

41. Ayup

;-)

[Mist]

15. Just turn it around on 'em and ask what's wrong with supporting

the California wine industry? Buy American! (Atleast wine can't be outsourced!)

[IndianaGreen]

27. Support the workers in the wine industry

The people that pick the grapes!

[mcctatas]

17. They're just jealous...

repukes have to publicly avoid anything even remotely sophisticated in favor of bad hair cuts and revival meetings. If I were their "base", I'd be pissed that they think they're a bunch of dumbed down, bible quoting snake handlers with a combined IQ of 12....of course when you throw freepers into the mix, they blow the IQ curve.:rofl:

[jimshoes]

19. I'm an

MD 20-20 Democrat and a Lambrusco Democrat. But I like Molson XXX best of all.

[NYC Liberal]

23. Unfortunately, the phrase was invented by...a DEMOCRAT

See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/17/AR2005101700682.html?nav=rss_politics

[Catrina]

26. I was just going to say that!

Dean was asked why he used it this morning, and he said something like 'that's not what I said' and changed the subject. I thought it sounded ridiculous and couldn't believe that Democrats were using such a stupid term for themselves.

Sometimes I think these political parties need to hire grown ups to run their campaigns. Most people, most ordinary, honest decent Americans are really turned off by this kind of nonsense. It's insulting, like 'show and tell' for the kiddies or something. We want straight talk, that's all, and have no need to have anyone creating phony, distracting images for us.

If that's a campaign slogan the Dems are planning on using to compete with 'soccer moms' or something (another phrase I hate) I give up. Dean looked embarrassed, and I couldn't tell if he had used it or not. He certainly didn't want to deal with it.

[IndianaGreen]

28. One of the DNC's elves

who came up with this brilliant Merlot idea after consuming too much of this wine.

[AntiCoup2K4]

25. Proud Snow Cap Ale drinking Democrat here!

But I drink Merlot once in a while too.

And the Merlot drinking Doctor speaks for me!

[Lexingtonian]

29. So that's what was wrong with me....

I prefer Chablis. Damn it, if I'd only known.

[IndianaGreen]

31. What about millions of Boone's Farm wine drinkers?

More people drink white wine than they drink reds.

I am glad the DNC is hard at work winning our hearts and minds.

[nookiemonster]

38. Mmmmm. Brown bag optional.

In your face, you culturally deficient right wing bastards. :rofl:

Ice cold, baby!

[FightinNewDem]

33. Miller Democrats

The "Merlot Democrat" is a symptom of a very real ailment.

Last night, I attended a fundraising dinner for the Portsmouth (NH) Democratic Committee. Portsmouth is the home of a naval submarine yard that recently avoided getting the base-closing axe. Two union leaders who played a critical role in saving the yard were being honored as part of last night's event.

At one point, someone asked all of the shipyard workers in the room to stand up and be recognized. The only two people to stand up were the two gentlemen who were the guests of honor.

If you had asked people with graduate degrees in literature to stand, you would have had at least twice as many folks stand up.

Now, there is nothing wrong with drinking merlot or driving a Volvo. There's nothing wrong with subscribing to the Utne Reader or listening to "Fresh Air". The problem arises when that becomes the party's center of gravity. When the party inner circle is dominated by upscale people with upscale values, upscale tastes and upscale priorities, it becomes very easy to become detached from the day-to-day concerns of many rank-and-file Democrats, Independents and soft Republicans.

We need people who listen to Howard Stern as well as people who listen to Terri Gross. We need people who go to see Brooks & Dunn or Reba McIntire as well as people who go to see Ani DiFranco or Dar Williams. We need people who are more emotionally invested in the Arkansas Razorbacks than the Harvard Crimson.

Move over, Merlot Democrats.

Make room for the Miller Democrats.

[Brundle_Fly]

35. I like merlot

I went to college

I read "books"

I work 6 days a week

I have religion in my life, and I don't throw it down others throats

I help those less fortunate

[SlavesandBulldozers]

46. well, well, well - Looks like we got ahselves a "reada"

You should hear that skit from Bill Hicks in a Waffle-house. Hilarious.

[NuttyFluffers]

47. Why, but of course! It goes so well with my fancy pants.

:D

perhaps some of you have seen them? :evilgrin: