Have democrats largely given up on protecting a woman's right to choose?

[Savannahmann]

118. First, I don't agree with the ideas of the people I mention.

I want that perfectly clear. I don't agree with them, I believe in my heart, and have said so up thread, that a womans right is hers, not mine.

I am merely highlighting what we are up against, so we can figure out how to talk to them, and hear their arguments, and then have a discussion. We can't convince them by shouting. They can't convince us by shouting. Right now, that is all we are doing, shouting at each other instead of talking to one another.

I don't know what argument will work with those who are not part of the ten percent or so that place church first in their lives. I don't know what argument will work, but I recognize that the status quo isn't working. I am not suggesting we take a womans right to choose away, not by any stretch of the imagination. I am just saying that we aren't convincing those voters we need to vote for us.

What argument will work is a question we can all consider. We have some very smart people here, and those smart people should be able to come up with an argument to educate, as well as inform, those people we need to vote for us. Because right now, we aren't reaching them, and our Blue Dogs are left with two bad choices. Support the party and lose the very next election. Vote against the party, and win the election, but be derided by the rest of us for their choice. If they lose the election, then the Republicans win, and we all lose along with that Blue Dog. But having a Democrat we can't count on with this issue isn't much of a win.

I'm not saying I know what the argument is to convince the majority, I'm saying that we need a better plan than shouting. Because we're not winning the argument with that plan.

That's all I'm saying. We need to figure out how to talk to them, and actually have a discussion. Because we can convince more people with a rational discussion than with anything else. I say that because I believe that the majority of voters are rational, and if you can stimulate their minds, we can get their votes. Without their votes, we are going to lose the argument anyway. So we might as well talk, and listen, and discuss.