Three things the Dems could do better.....

[HardWorkingDem]

Of Du'ers out there.....what are three things the Dems could do better? You can list more, but if you had to name three things at the top, what would they be?

Here are mine:

1. Learn how to get our message out better and telegraph we are as tough as the Rethugs when it comes to our beliefs.

2. Learn better Party discipline.

3. Follow Howard Dean and his philosophies better.

[Vektor]

1. Be more aggressive.

It's long overdue.

[hollowdweller]

2. Pick 5 or 6 issues that resonate with the middle class and push them hard.

[saracat]

3. Nope to three. I like Howard but

Howard is a moderate and is extending his hand to the Bush lites. I think we have to draw a real distinction between ourselves and the GOP, particularly on choice. We should just be pro choice period. We should draw similar lines on other issues as well. People need a choice.They will respect our taking a stand.

[napi21]

5. You have the right to your own opinion, but neither party can win

with their base alone! Howard understands that, and we should too. I agree we should be firm and resolute, but it's unrealistic to think we can say things like if you're not pro choice, we don't care who you vote for. When Howard says every woman should make a choice about her medical care, along with her Dr, her family, and her religious leader, and keep the gov't out of it, I think that's the position we should take. He talked about speaking to a woman at one of his many speeches in "Red Country". and she said she totally disagreed with him on the pro choice issue, but when prompted farther, she admitted she didn't think SHE had the right to condem a neighbor down the street for believing different.

A little understanding doesn't diminish our position, but it opens the door to others to join us.

[Q]

6. It's not necessarily true that 'neither party can win with just their...

...base alone'. I believe that a good portion of the Democratic base simply stopped voting since the party began it's movement to the Right in the 80s and 90s. Our party abandoned one group and principle after another...Unions, Blacks and Women's rights to name just a few.

It's to the benefit of those trying to move our party to the right to spread propaganda that we can't win without wooing some of the Right's base. This allows them to take up a more conservative agenda that pleases their corporate sponsors while taking the base for granted.

The obvious alternative is to make a strong case for liberal and progressive principles and values in order to appeal to the disenfranchised and Democrats that have given up on expecting any kind of real representation.

The Democratic party has a VAST base of voters they could bring back to the voting booth by simply acting like Democrats again.

[napi21]

7. There's no way I know of to know which one of us is right here.

I actually think there's a much sadder thing going on here in the US. Sure there are strong supporters in both parties, but there are way too many people who simply vote for the candidate they like better. It doesn't have much to do with positions, or beliefs, or party. They vote for stupid reasons, like personality, looks, charisma, or they just like him better than the other guy!

I think this started back in the Kennedy/Nixon campaign and the first campaign literally run on TV. It's gotten worse ever since.

Think about what you heard in 2004. He looks Presidential, he's the guy I'd rather have a beer with, I'd rather have him for a neighbor, which candidate would stop and help you if you were in an accident????

Of course it's all BS, but that's how campaigns are run now. Although it's sad to say, I often think we sepnd way too much time worrying about policies and positions, and the Pubs spend their time marketing their product!!!

[saracat]

13. Waste time worrying about policies? Are you kidding?

It seems we have to worry about the policies of our own party otherwise they will cease to represent us! Look how many of our "own" voted for the Fing Bankruptsy Bill. I can never have any respect for Reid ever again due to that vote. There is NO explanation that would ever be acceptable. If we market a 'Looks " candidate, and there is nothing wrong with marketing that way, we better be damn sure what he represents and what he will do!
I think opening the door to these people is a mistake. Pro lifers will not vote for us anyway as they consider us murders. Doesn't anyone get that? I wouldn't vote for a murderer either! The point is, there is no way to brige the gap.And I am NOT going to give up any of my rights to get their votes. And I will never contribute to any campaign of a pro life Dem. What good good he possibly do us. We might as well vote Republican.

[napi21]

14. You're right with most of that, but wrong on the pro-lifers.

You are falling into the Republican trap with that one! They say we are all pro-abortion! That's not true! I personaly would NEVER have an abortion, because I do believe it's murder, but I believe it is a decision that the Government has absolutely no business getting involved in! There are many people who vote Dem because they stand for equal rights, and caring for everyone, even though they disagree on the abortion issue.

My very close froend is a Minister, and he disagrees with the Dems on the abortion issue too, and so does his wife, but they also said it's stupid to be a single issue voter! A real thinking person will never agree with anyone on EVERY ISSUE! They have looked at candidates on both sides and are more closely aligned with the Dems.

All I'm trying to explain to you is that we don't have to give up any of our rights or positions on issues we believe in, but it's wrong to push people away just because they don't agree with you on every issue, or even those YOU consider to be most important. I believe you can still agree on the majority of things, disagree on some, and still be welcome in the Dem Party.

Of course our candidate has tu support our Democratic principles, but believe me, talk to any good marketer. If they're really good, they can convince an eskimo that he really needs ics cream! That's what I meant when I said the Dems spend too much time on issues and mon enough on marketing their product. Not that the issues don't matter, but that there are a whole lot of voters out there that don't vote on issues, but on the product they were sold. Sad, but true.

[saracat]

18. When the issue is MY civil rights it isn't negotiable.

If that makes me a single issue voter , so be it. For the record, I might not have an abortion either but I have no respect for anyone who would inhibit MY right to control MY body. And what ever party they may be in, I will campaign against them. That is my line in the sand. These are MY rights to health care and reproductive freedom. Slavery isn't an option.If this is going to be the Party position, I will no longer be welcome. As a life long Dem, and a Party officer, that is difficult for me to accept but it may be what is facing me. I feel that strongly about this issue. Women's Rights are a pivotal issue for me. I have always been a feminist and proud of it. And I will not prostitute my beliefs for the fu-ing fundie vote.
And if you are correct, these people are already voting for us even though we disagree on abortion, so why do we have to do anything different to please them???? And BTW, I feel I am "Pro_Abortion" and proudly so in the event of a rape , to save the life of the mother , when an unplanned pregenancy would effect the familiy livlihood or in the event of a defective fetus.I support total abortion rights. I do not believe their is such a thing as a "frivolous" abortion. If it is important enough for the mother to have it done that is reason enough. That is the true meaning of choice.

[barb162]

15. Yes there are a lot of people who don't really follow politics

and they will vote on looks, personality, etc. Sad but true and it has gotten a lot worse. Part of what I call the dumbing down of America.

[Q]

24. Well...we DO know that millions of Americans don't vote...

...and it's a pretty good bet that many of them are or could be Democrats.

The Democratic party USED TO BE known as the party of the worker, civil/equal rights and 'choice' for women (to once again name a few). But the 'new' leadership of the party has systematically stopped representing these groups/principles and now simply takes their votes for granted while pushing more conservative, corporate-friendly policies.

Instead of supporting unions...they support the corporation with 'supply-side' economics. (The Reagan/Clinton New Democrats still promote 'trickle-down'). This leaves workers to vote for Republicans, find a third party or not vote at all.

There is a reason that millions of voting age Americans don't vote. One theory is that the two-party system is turning into a one-party state where both parties are PERCEIVED as working for the same corporate masters.

[Pinko]

19. Dean is in no way a Republite moderate

His public statements tells us that he's much more progressive (especially on social issues) than many people here seem to believe. Personally, I like him. He's got more guts than the entire DLC, though that isn't saying much.

[shraby]

4. Take an extremely strong stand against

touch screen voting.

[Guaranteed]

8. Holy shit.

You've got it. DOWN.

That's IT, and that's all. :)

Rec'd.

[Selatius]

9. Stand up for the workers and ordinary folks of America

You think Joe American down at the steel mill supported NAFTA or free trade policies that remade his region of the country into the "rust belt" and left him without a stable job to support his family and kids?

Bernie Sanders, for instance, is doing a better job of standing up for people than most Democrats have to date, and he isn't even a Democrat.

Party discipline my ass, it's principles, not discipline the fucking party needs. It is principles that serve as the ultimate bullwhip of the soul.

[Guaranteed]

10. Principles are #1. nt

[losdiablosgato]

20. Exactly, standing up for the working man is what made this party

In the past 10 or so years it seems to me we have abandoned them. SO they went to the rethugs on values. If we want to win elections and be able to change things we need the middle class on board.

[Yupster]

11. Have a positive understandable message

Americans !! If you put us in charge of the congress, we promise that we will try our best to make ther following change that will benefit you.

Then repeat 1,000 times.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Fight for real election reform

http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm

[howmad1]

16. Get rid of........

DINO's
Blue Dog Democrats
The DLC
Etc. :9

[V. Kid]

17. Well, not quite get rid of.

But I'd say there's sort of somthing too this. Look at what happened to the Republicans after they decided to go hard-right in 1964, sure they lost that election...but the penglum has swung in their favour ever since and the hard-right in the Republican party has become mainstream within that party, and mainstream in the sense that they're able to win elections from that position. As such progressive Democrats need to marginalize those groups you speak of. And Republican succeses haven't been limited to them just winning office, but with regards to hard-right Republicans getting their agenda inacted...which is the entire point of politics.

[mmonk]

21. Tell the truth

and not hide behind being worried of what the extreme right will call you or say about you or the republican lites in the democratic party.

[ontobush]

22. Hello fellow UD posters!

This has been on my mind for a long time and I'm looking forward to getting a few threads in because I have what I think is a good post that I don't think has been covered here. Well, since before the election last year when John Kerry let the smear campaign of him basically go unchecked and debunked. Kudos to you HWD for bring this to the attention to everyone.

1. DEBUNK LIES AGGRESSIVELY. We do not fight back hard enough(although I think we are getting better) in trying to dispel the lies about John Kerry and Democrats as a whole done by the GOP and others in last years campaign.

2. ORGANIZE AND FOLLOW THROUGH. If you start a cause for the Democratic party, make sure you have it planned out well and, by all means, follow through with it. Don't be discouraged. Persistence pays off! I know that many liberals do not like to 'mix it up' with their opponents but the CONservatives know this and attack it regularly with jabs like "Liberals are too weak on defense." Those of us that like head on confrontation with the plastic 'value party' of the cons need committment from our brothers and sisters. STICK WITH WHAT YOU START!

3. VOTE! I honestly believe that we could have still won the presidential election last year if we had just got our people out to vote. The election was still close even though we had the GOP and their illegal vote blocking. We need to work harder on getting the vote out for next years mid terms.

[ontobush]

23. ooops "fellow *DU posters"

[MadHound]

25. The Dems can do just one thing, and all the rest will follow

That one action is to stop taking corporate cash. You get them to stop taking corporate cash, then they start paying attention to their real constituents, the voters. The pay attention to the voters, then they start moving back to the left, start growing a spine, and they start winning again. Until they take this one simple action, they will continue to wallow in the pit of the two party/same corporate master system of government. And we the people will continue to lose.

[theboss]

26. We could start winning elections better

I'd like that.