Much of the media accounts of the Democratic effort in the 2004 presidential elections seemed to hail it as one of the most organized and unified ever, the reality on the ground was much different, according to some of my friends who volunteered in Colorado and Florida. On Election Day the Democratic efforts were chaotic and haphazard, volunteers having to jury-rig get-out-the-vote efforts and other structural needs; nothing was in place.

Meanwhile the Republicans used the organizational backbone of conservative and church-based groups to get their message out not only on election day but throughout the year. We need a similar apparatus. I agree with Howard Dean that we need such an infrastructure in place, but there’s not enough money for the DNC to do it all. We need to coordinate with groups such as Move On, Daily Kos and Democracy for America, and make sure that it relates to real-world effort, not just some meeting of minds in cyberspace.

Perhaps Republicans need support groups more because their world view is archaic and often at odds with reality, an extra-special need for their message to be reinforced. But that shouldn’t preclude Democrats from trying to create a similar structure. Not a group bound by religion or cult-like groupthink, but a social construct that takes the place of what clubs and religions used to do; allow people to feel a welcome part of a group, provide support, to reaffirm moral values, to allow one to think of issues larger than in one’s own life.

I keep up with the news and blogs, but I often feel that with some of the Democratic gatherings I’ve attended that there is a clubbishness and sense of middle-class privilege. The tendency I’ve seen is that they’re smart, mostly college-educated, question everything and are critical thinkers, but they lack the empathy or compassion to really relate to anyone outside their own sphere. Despite their progressive political leanings, they can be as uncomfortable around people outside their own group as those from the other party.

We need to be better at this, stop demonizing people from the red states (partly a class issue at work here, I think) and do the hard, uncomfortable work of translating our wonderful cyberspace meeting places into real ones in our communities.

Democratic chairman Howard Dean mischaracterized his party’s platform on gay rights in an interview courting evangelicals, then set the record straight Thursday when an advocacy group called him on it.

Dean told Christian Broadcasting Network News that the 2004 Democratic platform declares “marriage is between a man and a woman” _ just one of the points he made in reaching out to religious conservatives who are largely hostile to the party.

But the platform does not define marriage that way, and his remarks prompted the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force to return a $5,000 donation from the Democratic National Committee.

Dean later acknowledged his misstatement, but the group sent back the money anyway. “We need for Governor Dean to demonstrate real leadership on our issues,” executive director Matt Foreman said in an interview, “not to equivocate depending on the audience.” (http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/05/11/D8HHP2K00.html)

has to stop.

Find someone you know who doesn’t vote or hasn’t voted recently, possibly an 18 year old new voter, ask them if they will vote in November, and then support them in that decision.

Don’t tell them how to vote –just ask them to vote. If they ask you, certainly you are then in a position to say your bit, but don’t push anything except the fact that they need to vote.

I think it’s insane to keep chasing independents and “swing voters.” The best resource for progressives, I believe, is the non-voter.

Democrats need reach out and say “We are here to work with you, all of you, even the poor, tired, weak, not to mention the huddled masses in new orleans…” and fricking mean it. And they can’t move off of their core values: but they will be much better of if they are willing to respect and not belittle the other side’s core values (as long as they are honest and ligitimate concerns).

Lets move forward in this nation or in 20 years we will still be having this discussion.

Without it, what exactly are the Dems offering TO DO with their shiny new non-veto-proof majority ?!?

Gee, perhaps they’ll pass a law criminalizing signing statements — which the chuckling bushkid will instantly negate with a signing statement?

That’s the reality folks.

No “investigation” is needed. In fact the suggestion itself is a veiled call to inaction.

What part of “We don’t need no stinking badges (warrants)!” do people not understand ?!?

How is TERRORZING the American People with a bomb threat of “Mushroom Clouds … in 45 minutes” not an impeachable offense? Even if they hadn’t done it to commit war crimes in our name?

Really, it’s long past “get off the pot” time.

Save Feingold and Conyers, THE LOT OF THEM are complicit with ongoing criminality and treason.

Yes, really.

And so are each and every one of us, if we’re not screaming our heads off about it.

Yes, screaming. “Violence” really is the answer.

Stop listening to the Beltway BS from the DC/Euphemedia Analstocracy. Calling for impeachment is not bad strategy. It will not energize a backlash. It will not “be like the Clinton impeachment” (it will be the opposite).

And it can’t wait. Calling for it now makes it non-partisan — and more likely to succeed. In fact, if we got the message to Repubs that “It’s Pres. Hastert now or Pres. Pelosi later,” we’d likely see the back of bush/cheney before the midterms.

(Again. Yes, really.)

But the bottom line is that strategy, fallout, and likelihood of success CANNOT be part of the equation. It is simply a moral imperative. Something that we all know must be done.
Principles we’re not willing to stand on are just bromides.

There really is no other moral or patriotic option.

–

–Break up the Media Monopoly corporations and greatly INCREASE AND STRENGTHEN public ownership of Media outlets of ALL kinds;
Establish additional PUBLIC networks on TV, Radio and Internet.

–Strengthen national whistleblower protection laws, bigtime.

–Build more prisons to house Republican political crooks and gangsters after their convictions.