Anyone remember when the Democrats used to be the people's Party?

[kentuck]

As in, the majority of Congress was Democrats. The Representatives of the people in Congress belonged to the Democratic Party. And that is how it should be in our democracy. Somewhere we decided that it was more important to have a Democratic President than a Democratic Congress. A major blunder by our Party, which continues today, in my opinion.

What good can John Kerry do if he has a Repuclican House and Senate. But most Democrats do not seem to be concerned about that. That are mostly concerned about whether John Kerry can beat George W Bush. Personally, I would take a Democratic Congress over the election of John Kerry any day of the week. Just my opinion.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Are you aware of the efforst to take back the House

and teh Senate?

Thought I should point this out

[kentuck]

3. Oh yes, but....

they do not seem to be at the same level of intensity, in my opinion. There should be more focus on this reactionary Congress than on the presidency, I believe.

[Cocoa]

2. i think the presidency is much more important

the Congress is going to be pretty evenly split, no matter which party is in the majority.

[Warpy]

4. UNIONS!

When unions were strong, they were powerful enough to make sure any Democrat who ran for office paid attention to working people. As the unions were attacked and weakened, the power vacuum allowed the rise of the DLC, a largley southern and conservative organization that promised to counter the Nixonian southern strategy. They also managed to shove working class issues off the table and alienate a large part of what used to be the party base.

DLC inspired campaigns are losers. There should have been a huge Democratic gain in the House and Senate in 2002, but there wasn't. Kerry was going nowhere until he dumped his DLC handlers and hired some of Ted Kennedy's guys and changed the direction of his campaign.

The Democratic Party is now being met with a great deal of suspicion in workaday world, no matter what they say. People would rather take their chances that a GOP tax cut might give them a few extra pennies than vote for a DLC candidate who will just continue the worst of the economic policies without them.

The party's got a lot of fence mending to do if they ever want that huge working class base back. Dumping the DLC would be a good first step.

[mzmolly]

8. Dean used to talk about this too. He said how Unions MADE America great!

I think your right on!

"The Democratic Party is now being met with a great deal of suspicion in workaday world, no matter what they say. People would rather take their chances that a GOP tax cut might give them a few extra pennies than vote for a DLC candidate who will just continue the worst of the economic policies without them.

The party's got a lot of fence mending to do if they ever want that huge working class base back. Dumping the DLC would be a good first step."

I agree. If Unions are not re-inforced/strengthened by our next President (Kerry) we will NOT strenghten the Democratic Party. Dumping the DLC should be the FIRST step.

[goobergunch]

5. I concur

There has been a much better House and Senate effort this year than I was expecting. However, I think we have to run a national campaign with all offices contested. We can't win Congress with only a handful of seats up for grabs.

[bluestateguy]

6. As president Kerry should dissolve the Congress and rule by fiat

Just kidding.

[SoCalDem]

7. When we stick to "crossover" ideas, we are great..

Jobs...Good pay...Unions

Equal rights for all..(without being ultra-specific)

When we allow these main issues to be "jigsaw puzzled" into thousands of pieces, we start to disintegrate..

Gays need/want good jobs
People who "may" want/need an abortion want good jobs
Poor people want good jobs

ALL segments of society need/want equal rights.


Without a good job and equal rights, NONE of the periferal "issues" even matter, but we have allowed the right to "define" us.

We allow devisive wedge issues EVERY election, and our people are too tunnel-visioned to see the big picture like repubes do.


They know which buttons to push, and every two years they push them

gay marriage
guns
God
abortion
school prayer
vouchers
and a few others...

and like good little doggies, we bite...and then peel off into fringe groups and turn on each other..:(

Without good jobs and equality, we are just all republicans..poor ones

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

9. well, the Peoples Party did merge w. the Democrats.

..but that was around a hundred years ago.

I honestly think the GOP has really become a "popular", as in "of the peopl", party with the bringing on board of the Christian conservatives. Don't understimate the resonance of the "values" politics as a way for the GOP to develope a strong right-populist wing.