Dems are playing by the rules and the thugs are mauling us.

[Cyrano]

Read this Buzzflash editorial:

http://www.buzzflash.com/editorial/05/06/edi05051.html

There really is a fundamental difference between Democrats and Republicans. For the most part, we believe in the rule of law and they don't.

That's a very broad statement and of course it doesn't apply to every Dem and every Repug. However, our belief in playing by the rules has, not only harmed the country, it's destroyed our freedom of the press, our rights to privacy, and so much more that is granted to us by the Bill of Rights.

Basically, we're being destroyed on a daily basis and we're still clinging to the rules. What do we do about it? If I had the answer, I'd wish for a magic wand to wave and make it happen.

In short, we have to all wake up and find a way to fight these despicable thugs before they totally destroy whatever is left of our freedoms, our democracy and our country.

[still_one]

1. here is one way to start

democrats should come right out and say that * LIED about the Iraq war

why are they so afraid to use the L word?

[indepat]

2. Dems will continue to get mauled until they are willing to be as nasty

as the opposition, use every despicable trick in their book.

[Southsideirish]

8. Every time I say that here I get criticized by what I call the "goo goo"

(good government) types. They don't want to "stoop to the freeps level" or "if I have to go that low I don't want to participate" or words to that effect.
Folks, we have to be in total agreement (yes, to walk in the hated "lockstep")and smash 'em hard all day everyday.

[indepat]

11. This is not a political skirmish: it is total warfare which will decide if

this Republic survives or some other odious form of government takes it place: we all know what type of government it would be.

[expatriot]

3. There are so many ideological underpinnings to why this is so....

For one, we liberals value the relativism.... that the truth is nothing ever fully obtained but rather that is sought out by the free flowing discussion and debate of ideas. We are the granny who will always give the big bad wolf the benefit of the doubt and let him in. We value dissent, we value intellectual curiousity and freedom, we tolerate deviation from the norm in the cultural and societal world. Such things also are very easily turned against us in a populist battlefield. We are, for the most part, multi-culturalist (even if you may not call yourself one) and this in turn can be used against us because the conservatives, the right are so good at playing to old culture wars, of xenophobia and superstititons. I think, in some regards, we must admit our ideological "handicaps" that are placed upon us in the nasty field of populist politics and knowing full well that our enemy will exploit these natural "handicaps," we must find messages and means to preempt them from doing so and in turn learn how to exploit their very real weaknesses and attack those without mercy (we know what they are, their popular support comes from these myths of no substance) rather than try to mimic them.

[go west young man]

4. They should be fighting instead of trying to be the nice guy in...

every debate. I think every Democrat needs to carry a copy of the Constitution around with them. They should wave it in the faces of the Republicans (ala Robert Byrd) and call them out on BS instead of trying to be polite and winning over soccer moms. Gerge Galloway showed everyone how to do it a few weeks ago and it was nice to watch a Republican Liar squirming in his chair for a change. There was also a good exchange on a talk show the other day where G.Gordon Liddy got his ass handed to him. I can't remember the show but I saw the clip at Crook and Liars or Dem Bloggers. Great stuff. Thats what we need. Intelligent verbal warfare.

[Al-CIAda]

5. This is why the Dems are complete FAILURES as opposition.

If you can't call a mass murdering treasonous criminal at the least a 'liar', you're fucking pathetic.

[patcox2]

6. What are you suggesting? That we kill enough to regain the majority?

nt

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

7. In an uneven fight to stay alive one must be willing to kick in the balls.

I'm with you ALL THE WAY. We have to start fighting dirty.

JB

[jokerman93]

9. Maybe there's more than meets the eye

Maybe there's more than meets the eye to the apparent spinelessness of Dem leaders. I'm becoming convinced that we have a defacto one party system now. Nobody wants to rock the boat too much because they all have a lot to lose.

What do they have to lose? One can only guess.

I could also easily imagine a scenario in which Karl Rove has spent a number of years and plenty of tax dollars to build damning files on principle Dems in congress and the senate. It's not hard to believe that most politicians have a thing or two to hide, given the extreme unreality of the public image they're required to maintain in our current superficial, hyper-hypocritical media culture.

So I think there's a chance we could attribute the gelding of the Democratic leadership to...

Threats and bribes. Threats and bribes. Threats and bribes.

Oh, did I mention threats and bribes?

:rant:

[Zenlitened]

10. Memo to the spineless: it is NOT rude or impolite or somehow unseemly...

... to stand up and speak the truth.

Once upon a time in America, having the courage to say what needs to be said, to speak your piece in plain language, to refuse to cave in at the first sign of criticism... once upon a time in America, these were qualities we admired in our leaders.