Dems will lose the Downing St. Memo -- they're too partisan.

[Pobeka]

The GOP and media will paint this as a desperate partisan attack by the Dem's, and I think the public will once again fall for it.

I've not been too in touch lately, but have the Dems launched a preventive "talking point" that the GOP would be partisan by blocking an investigation?

It seems in this bizarro world, that whoever makes the accusation first wins, so the Dem's could defuse the "partisan" defense by using it first.

--
On edit -- make that *D*owning st. memo.

[ET Awful]

1. Browning St.?

What exactly is the "Browning" St. Memo?

[GOPisEvil]

2. Browning?

Downing. THe British PM's office and residence is #10 Downing St.

[Richardo]

4. Breaking! The Browning Street memo in full!!

http://homezoneschallenge.com/browning_street.htm

Wigan Council

The Browning Street Area of Wigan is predominantly council owned housing, laid out in a grid-iron pattern. The streets are long and straight, which results in some drivers traveling at an inappropriate speed. The area also has a joy-riding problem. There is no recreational areas in the vicinity so children play on the streets, where they are at great risk. The area has a poor appearance and the alleys to the rear are in poor condition without lighting giving cause of concern to residents because of crime, nuisance and joy-riding.

The Browning Street Home Zone proposal aims to redesign the streets with the help of residents on a “street by street” basis, reallocating the road space by traffic calming features, gateways and one-way traffic. The pavements are to be reconstructed so to enhance the appearance of the area and improve the safety of all pedestrians. The carriageway will be over-laid with coloured surfacing to clearly designate the vehicle running areas and parking areas. Alley-ways will be lit and self locking gates installed to help reduce crime and joy-riding. Play areas will be created wherever possible to stimulate play and interaction.

It is hoped that the Home Zone proposal, with the community helping in redesigning the streets, will regain pride for the area.

[tx_dem41]

8. Dang! This is pretty damning stuff!

The Repubs are toast now! ;)

[Pobeka]

11. Google, my nemisis!

And fast googler's too ;-)

[Richardo]

14. ;-)

You're a good sport, Pobeka

[tx_dem41]

31. Just having a little fun with you, Pobeka....

It happens to the best of us .... and me too occasionally. :)

[Kolesar]

12. What did he know, and when did he know about...

...the joy-riding problem?

[Lucille]

3. Browning? nt

nt

[chicagojoe]

5. Gee. Nothing like a defeatist attitude to help the cause.

[Pobeka]

9. I came not only with a problem, but a solution. Not an attitude.

Would you like to contribute some thoughts on the issue?

[chicagojoe]

13. I just did. A defeatist attitude won't help win this one.

Neither will over thinking it. Relentlessly pounding upon it will be the way to go here. Endless LTTEs, calls and e-mails to Sens/Reps, etc. The word of the day on this is RELENTLESS.

[Pobeka]

18. I agree with RELENTLESS. But we need a good media posture.

Even relentless efforts can be ignored if they are perceived to be partisan. The Dems need to paint the GOP with the partisan brush first, I think that's all that is needed here, the foresight to frame the issue in our terms, not wait for the GOP to frame it in there terms.

[chicagojoe]

21. Politics IS partisan. Don't think for a minute that this isn't part

of a political fight.

[Pobeka]

23. You and I know that. The masses don't.

The masses have been taught that a "partisan attack" is either baseless, or violates some rules of political decency.

[Stand and Fight]

6. You totally discredited yourself with that one....

Obviously you've NOT been in touch at all lately. Democrats have not been the ones who really raised this issue -- it's in the news, not on capital hill.

Ha ha ha...

"Browning Street Memo..." By the way, it's also known more appropriately as the Downing Street Minutes. :evilgrin:

[Pobeka]

10. Ted Kennedy. 89 Members of Congress. John Conyers.

The Dems are out there with the message. I'm now concerned they will get painted with the partisan brush and thus the real message will be lost.

[chicagojoe]

15. "We have nothing to fear but fear itself". n/t

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Then The Solution Is To Decontaminate "Partisan"

The dems should say, "Of course, it's partisan. We disagree with the president on many thing, and we're the opposition party. So, we're pointing out that there is damning evidence that the war was planned despite knowing Iraq was not a threat."

Admit to the partisanship and simply explain that it's THE JOB of the opposing party to, oh i don't know, OPPOSE! Take back the terms of the debate, darn it.
The Professor

[Pobeka]

20. Good thought there.

Do you think the term "partisan attack" carries too much historical meaning with the masses for the Dems to overcome it with your strategy?

[ProfessorGAC]

30. Nope

If one goes back into history too far, one finds the people who turned the word partisan into something demonic were doing the same thing in the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's. So, let them try to use the historical baggage.

My point is one of overall strategy. We have to stop the radical right from having control of the terms of the debate. We need to take back the right to define terms and give as well as we get. For instance, i don't think we should use the term Republican or Conservative. We should be strictly referring to them as the RADICAL RIGHT. Let's get that term RADICAL out in the public debate. Let them say they're not radical. Fine. We keep using it anyway. They ARE radical and there's never a reason to apologize for telling the truth.

So, when they say "partisan" we cop to it and simply reframe the point that it's the job of the opposing party to pursue partisan politics when they disagree with policy.

We need to realize that white flag approach has not been working. A new strategy is clearly in order.
The Professor

[KurtNYC]

7. There is no "loss" to be suffered here

The Downing Street Minutes are being talked about. They are not going to push the Jacko trial or assorted missing 20-something white women off the "news" so that shouldn't be the standard by which we judge success.

I love hearing the GOP say that we are partisan -it means we are doing our job.

[acmejack]

16. The repugs will try mightily, but we are going to make this the issue it is

Hell yes I'm partisan! I spend every waking hour exercising said partisanship and agitating others to do likewise. We are not prepared to let the DSM slip below the radar. KurtNYC is exactly correct IMO.

[rooboy]

19. Democrats too partisan? I say "AT LONG LAST!!!!"...

this war won't be won until enough people realise they have a partisan army to join. The Downing St memo is just another battle - who gives a shit if it's won or lost. Bush is going down and the rats who've been nibbling his crotch cheese know it.

[Melodybe]

22. Fun post and all but seriously the defeatist titles are way past old

Why on Earth can't I come here just one day and not have the constant negativity and overall defeatest attitude pounded into my fucking skull?

I work to hard actually fucking helping the party to have to hear this shit.

It's really annoying and while I realise that the original poster is being clever, the fact that negative titles get 10 times the amount of response as positive ones really pisses me off.

Why is DU addicted the pain?

[Pobeka]

24. Please reread the text of my post. I offered a solution as well.

How can we help if we don't discuss possible weaknesses?

Nothing defeatist here.

[Melodybe]

26. I was merely using you as an example

your post is fine, but how we ever suppose to win a thing if all we ever read is Dems lose, dems lose, dems lose. The constant repeating of it is poison.

I like the post, I hate the title. I hate even more though that folks here automatically jump to the first defeatist negative sounding thread and post in droves.

While there is nothing wrong about talking about our weaknesses do we have to broadcast them in our titles, even if they aren't true.

It just makes me mad, that all and I wsih DU would just stop doing it.

[Pobeka]

28. OK. I'm cool with that. n/t

[Patty Diana]

25. The Democrats are covering their asses for voting to let bush to to war

If we all knew Iraq didn't have any WMD's before the war, wouldn't it follow the these democrats also knew!!!!!!!!!! And 99% of them voted to let bush go to war!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where's the OUTRAGE?????

[Pobeka]

27. Hmm. The 89 members of congress who signed the WH letter?

I wonder how they voted on the war? My hunch is they probably voted against.

[Patty Diana]

29. Here the roll vote to let bush go to war___only 23 democrats voted NO

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00237 NAYs ---23
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chafee (R-RI)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Dayton (D-MN)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Graham (D-FL)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wellstone (D-MN)
Wyden (D-OR)