Just what is "fringe" about:

[SoCalDem]

decent schools
fair pay for a day's work
expecting to collect social security after a lifetime's work
breathing clean air
drinking clean water
eating toxin-free food
not wanting young lives snuffed out in a bogus war
the expectation of having a job
being able to afford college
seeing a doctor if you are sick
being able to buy medicine in addition to food
preferring that more colleges be built instead of more prisons
letting a woman and her doctor decide what is best for her and her reproduction
respecting the different lifestyles of different people, and not discriminating against them
expecting religion to be a "church/temple/mosque" issue, not a governmental one
expecting your savings/investments to be safe from greedy executive's grasp
having the respect/admiration of the world nations,instead of their hatred
wanting to see trees and animals in their natural habitat, not just in a book
being able to seek legal recourse, if you are harmed


and so many more...

Is it really a "fringe position" to expect to have these things?? If we are to believe that we are the "best and richest" country in the world, why must we still be fighting for basic ideals such as these?? Why must we fight the same battle for these things, over and over, and yet never really "get" them??

What is wrong with this picture???:(

[mmm]

1. Great question...

good summary.

[prolesunited]

2. If that's the fringe

I'm happy and proud to count myself among them.

Very well stated! :toast:

I think part of it comes down to controlling the rhetoric and the debate. When people use such terms as "fringe" and "liberal" in a derogatory fashion, we need to call them on it and have them define what it means.

[LWolf]

3. Just because someone tries to tack a label on us,

doesn't mean it will stick. That's up to us. And those items in your list....they aren't for the fringe. They are for all, and I'd be shocked to find a non-ceo who would say they didn't want those things for our country. The funny thing is, I have republican friends who talk about wanting many of those things. They would be horrified if I pointed out whose platform supports those things.

So...how do we bring about the awareness that those are NOT fringe issues?

[Generic Other]

4. In order to afford every one of these things you and I want to see

some fatcat will have to take a silver spoonful of sugar out of his mouth, and these gluttons would rather destroy rooting like hogs than changing their behavior. And quite frankly, I'm ready to let them. I suspect, the children of the poor could scrape a better living scrounging in the smoking ruins of our monuments and mansions. It's too bad it has to come to that.

It's class war whether anyone wants to say so or not.

[whoYaCallinAlib]

5. "Fringe" is a stupid term refering to the left-most wing of the party.

It is usually associated with pacifism, tax increases, and narrow issues near and dear to special interests. At least that's my take and it is only an opinion. No more, no less. As a moderate centrist, I agree with virtually every mainstream DNC position concerning healthcare, education, choice, and social security. I veer to the right wing of the democratic party on taxes and national defense. My view of the "lefties" (no disrespect intended whatsoever)is that they differ with me on taxes, national defense and a lot of special interest issues like gay rights, gun control, and the environment. But, the democratic party is the "big tent" party and we mods love and need our lefties plus a bunch of swingers to take back our WH and Congress. We respect our differences and rejoice in our shared goals.