Eleanor Cliff Gives Rave Review of Yesterday's Dem Action

[EMunster]

Says it's a promising sign for the Democrats:

Sticking Together

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6799311/site/newsweek/

[AlbizuX]

1. very balanced article...great Eleanor!

I love the part how she debunks the "conspiracy theory" label by pointing out that bank ATMS give receipts, so those that accuse Diebold of being suspicious have reasonable demands.

She nailed it with that....

Thanks Eleanor!

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. kick

[musette_sf]

3. Since tonight's McLaughlin night

she'd better be saying some of these things on the show. Will be interesting to hear Big John's take on this too.

[bunkerbuster1]

4. Eleanor, I think you're Swell-enor!

Nice distillation BushCo's promotion of SS "reform"

All the money in the world won’t make palatable a plan that could cut benefits by a third and stack another trillion dollars of debt on tomorrow’s taxpayers.

I think I'm going to steal that, Eleanor.

BTW, it's Clift, not Cliff.

[Peace Patriot]

5. This is the problem, however...

(Conclusion of the article)

"It’s not about the vote total; it’s about laying down some markers. If the new management at CNN is right that the public is tired of "Crossfire"-style combat, then the new Democratic leader, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, is perfectly positioned. "He looks like an accountant who teaches Sunday school, but he is firm in his principles,” says a Clinton adviser. A Mormon convert who opposes abortion rights, Reid is an unlikely champion for the party, but Democrats should get some credit for tolerating a leader who is pro-life. It’s impossible to imagine the Republicans choosing a congressional leader who supports reproductive rights."

The Democrats have to be the middle (or feel they do) because the Republicans are so far right.

Democrats: protect things as they are (or were before BushCons), practice good government, share a bit of the wealth but not too much, take corporate money and do corporate favors to stay in the game and to get increasingly fewer trickle down jobs, but don't let them get too obviously out of line (at home--abroad, anything goes), don't do assassnations abroad but do foster destruction of 3rd world economies then provide "aid," do only little wars to correct bad situations agreed upon by allies (to keep the military industry going), balance the federal budget, throw in some social justice to compensate for inequity in wealth, fund education, etc.

BushCons: Take it all, all for the wealthy. Murder and destroy to enchance wealth. Force women to have babies for slave labor force and cannon fodder. Loot the federal government. Steal old peoples' pensions. Trash social security. Invade countries. Torture prisoners. Break international treaties. Tell the world to fuck off. When the people hate you, steal the election. Use every opportunity to foster militarism, and intolerance, and to stifle debate, punish dissent, starve the schools, enforce one religion, shred the Constitution, require saluting the flag, Etc.

Where is the Left in this picture? Social progress. True "share the wealth." Real democracy. A good life for all. Hard work for world peace. Fair taxation. Fresh, new ideas. Sustainable economy. Protection and fair use of the environment. Humane treatment of prisoners; rehab of prisoners. Strong control over corporate misdeeds and crimes. De-militarization. Putting the common good first. Public participation in government. Innovative education. Generosity. Openness. Opportunity for all.

We're HERE. We just don't get to join the debate.

[GreenPartyVoter]

15. "We're HERE. We just don't get to join the debate."

Yep, though I think everyone feels under-represented. The moderates feel the left is running the show, the left feels left out.

Which is one reason why I think that same day primaries with ranked voting ballots will help people to feel like what they think _matters_.

------------------------------------------------------------
Help save our country one town, county, and state at a time!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm#why

[Rebecca]

6. This is good!

[newyawker99]

9. Hi Rebecca!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Pirate Smile]

7. I hadn't heard this before:

"The business community is preparing to underwrite an advertising campaign on behalf of Bush’s judicial nominees, a step that exposes the lie that these appointments are all about cultural issues. Corporate America has a stake in how the courts turn, and it’s never in favor of the working man and woman."

and more (I had heard this part though not phrased this way)

"Various interest groups that stand to benefit from Social Security privatization are going to fund a campaign run by Karl Rove out of the White House to pass the measure. All the money in the world won’t make palatable a plan that could cut benefits by a third and stack another trillion dollars of debt on tomorrow’s taxpayers. But the Kerry campaign didn’t think Rove could turn a 48-percent president with a losing war and an iffy economy into a decisive winner."

[BR_Parkway]

8. Those are some huge numbers:

The vote challenge this week spoke to their base: two thirds of African-Americans think the election was unfair while only 27 percent of the broader population takes that position.

I don't know where she got those stats from, but if you think about how many people that is, we've got a huge broadbase of support for election reforms.

[merh]

10. I love this - give it a kick

:kick: for all to enjoy!

[BigBearJohn]

11. Thanks for posting this. I loved it!

[Wilms]

12. Eleanor is fiesty. n/t

[Alizaryn]

13. Great article..lots of wisdom in it.

[ClarkUSA]

14. Let's all write and thank her

[e-mail]

[txindy]

16. Very good article. Thanks for posting it

:hi:

[JoMama49]

18. I emailed Ms. Clift and thanked her for this article. At least some

of the mainstream media dont' think of us as crazy lunatic fringe or conspiracy theorists! I also really like her referring to Boxer as breaking up the logjam, because that's just what I think she did. Dems now have the start of something. Barbara's courage will be contagious, and now we'll finally see the Dems standing up to the fascists and calling it like it is. Let's give the Dems some good talking points and sound bites to combat those of the RW!

[spooked911]

17. I've always loved Eleanor

she's definitely one of the better liberal columnists