Are DUers just not up for the fight with the Republicans now? Are YOU kidding me?

[coti]

The tax cuts issue has been sitting there, waiting to be taken up in the exact manner that Pelosi and Reid are now doing it.

And I'm seeing DUers unenthused and pulling back. WTF is going on here?


You wanted the issue we could beat the Republicans on. We just forced them to vote AGAINST middle-class tax cuts, and we're going to bludgeon them with it in 2012.

But now people don't want to talk about it? In my other thread, people are all hesitant and acting afraid.

What the hell is wrong with Democrats?

This IS the opportunity.


Pelosi and Reid are PUTTING THEIR FAITH IN YOU and making risky moves because they KNOW it's the way to win. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY as a Democrat to get the word out that the Republicans are voting against middle-class tax cuts.

[villager]

1. Wonder why they didn't do it *before* the election?

:shrug:

[coti]

2. Yeah, but they're doing it now. And now people are just all finished??

If Dems want the slightest chance of winning in 2012, this is the issue to do it with.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Good tactic, wrong strategu

They should have done this on...October.

[villager]

4. If it's such an election-winner, you wonder why they waited...

n/t

[coti]

6. According to some reports, they waited because of blue dogs in the House.

Apparently, they needed to lose their jobs first.



But why is this an issue?

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Perhaps I am confused but this IS the lame duck

Also Americans have very short term memories...they won't remember in two years.

Why I said good tactic, really bad strategy.

[coti]

5. As I noted above, what does that have to do with anything?

Yeah, they should have done it BEFORE the election, but why does that make it less of a thing to do now?

[villager]

9. sort of speaks to its efficacy as an election strategy, as per your OP

yes?

[coti]

12. No, the idea is that it wouldn't have passed the House due to the weak-kneed, fearful Dems.

Though it WAS still the proper election strategy.

[veganlush]

7. it feels more like they are making

a half-hearted attempt to appease the base that has been screaming about this. In order to work, it had to be done correctly. It wasn't coordinated with the WH, because they immediately came out and dissed it! I hope I'm wrong about it, but when you play game of chicken, success requires that the opponent believes that you are steadfast, that you won't blink. The fact that they had to wait so long, until everyone in the base was beside themselves with anger, and then to have the White House push it aside instead of lauding it, it just doesn't feel like it was done right. Again, I hope like hell i'm wrong. I think that they should now allow all of the cuts to expire and force the repugs to pass cuts for the middle class in january with the executive threatening veto if cuts for the rich are included, period. This alternative only if they can't get it done now, which they have already signaled that they won't try. They only have maybe 58 senate votes, and they aren't even gonna try to embarrass, push, publicize, cajole, etc..The President, instead of dissing their attempt, should have marched down to the senate (metaphorically at least) and started twisting arms, naming names, etc...

[coti]

8. I think the Dem ARE playing the game of chicken. Yeah, we've got folks like Matthews poo-pooing

the whole thing and "reassuring" everyone that it's just "theater," but I actually see THAT as the countermessage from the Republicans.


Oh, yeah, they voted against middle-class tax cuts, but it didn't MEAN anything because it was just a show.


You're giving them the easy way out.

[msongs]

10. the president prefers we be bipartisan and he's the boss....of something lol nt

[veganlush]

11. the other failure here

is that nobody believes the repugnants have voted against tax cuts. everybody knows they are holding out for the cuts for the rich. because of our miserable message failure, most people paying half attention believe the repugnant meme that the hikes on the rich will hurt small business. We failed to get the truth out, the fact that these cuts are the status quo, the existing rates are, and by virtue of that alone can be shown to have failed to create jobs. Or the fact that many repugnants have said, on the record and on video, that the stimulus bill, which included THE LARGEST TAX CUTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY, created ZERO jobs! they said so many times, many different republicans, that the largest tax cut in history creating zero jobs! The biggest tragedy of this administration isn't that they didn't get things done, they did. The tragedy is that they were arrogant in thinking that the public at large would know it even though the MSM wasn't telling them. If this had been a do-nothing administration and congress losing wouldn't be so tragic. The fact that they were so productive and threw it all away, that's the painful part.

[coti]

14. That's EXACTLY why I'm pushing this so hard. The Republicans actually voted AGAINST middle-class

tax cuts.

It illustrates- if we get the message out- that the Republicans aren't for a good economy, for allowing regular folks to keep their money and spend it how they want.

All the Republicans give a shit about is giving tax cuts to people who are rich enough that they don't even need it. That's the point, that's the message, and that's why Pelosi and Reid did this.

[veganlush]

17. you couldn't have read my post.

[coti]

18. I certainly did. This is about getting the message out. Which is what my OPs are about.

It's up to US.

[Capn Sunshine]

15. Coti-they're NOT HERE

Read these inane posts. The Dems have left the building. I'll bet there isn't one person posting at DU who has even heard of their local Democratic Clubs, or is aware of the ground up nature of how these clubs serve the party. Couldn't leave the keyboard for any real-time interaction and messaging, not when there are anti-Obama threads to rec.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Mine meets once a month up the road

Usually after the Greens. They rent the same place.

Of course you would not know that from your perch.

It's a community center you know, a star bucks on the corner, used to be a coffee grind. Then there is the local trader joes and ralphs, oh and parking is always a pain..

[veganlush]

19. you couldn't have read my post either.

I've been screaming this stuff from the rooftops, i have my reps on speed dial, call 'em almost daily. Some of us have been sounding the alarm for a long time and people just want to talk about TSA and dancing with the stars. Now it's pretty late in the game but it won't stop my angry phone calls. I have two dem senators though, so i'm preaching to the choir. (they aren't blue dogs) anyway, can't you see how some of us feel that this is too little, too late? where have YOU been? They blew the election because they didn't even try to get their message out. Why didn't they do this when it mattered, before the election? This is a half assed effort to appease the base a little but it will fail at that too. Doesn't stop me from being active, but it sure frustrates me

[veganlush]

20. so that fact that

"they're NOT HERE" whose fault is that? Do you think everyone just got bored and wandered off? No, we got screwed over and over by our weak-in-the-knees Democratic politicians and we are frustrated to no end. I'm not rich but i gave money to three house members and the OFA during the campaign. My daughter and i canvassed the projects in a GOTV effort and I'm on the phone with my reps and some who aren't my reps everyday. We've seen one cave after another and now that we;velost everything, they're doing a little theater and they don't even have the WH behind them! This is beyond frustrating.