I want to gauge DU interest in a Democratic coalition.

[ulysses]

Poll question: I want to gauge DU interest in a Democratic coalition.

Understand that by "coalition" I mean that no one gets everything that they want, but no one gets screwed either.

I voted Yes to coalition - I'm a liberal/progressive

[ulysses]

1. yes from a centrist

Thank you.

[ulysses]

2. maybe DU conservatives have me on ignore?

:shrug:

[acmavm]

3. I say yes to a colalition, but you left out moderates. They are not the

same thing as conservatives.

[ulysses]

4. I considered moderates "centrists" for this poll.

In our current politics, they're the same, seems to me.

[Guaranteed]

5. If it means no whoring, and dropping the crazy rhetoric that won't play

in the media, yes, I'm all for it, and we should have been finding that middle ground and our PRINCIPLES long, long ago.

[ldf]

6. i can't vote

i know that the art of politics is compromise, but our so-called democratic leaders seemed to have put issues on the table "for discussion" that are NOT up for discussion.

period.

if they do, they do it without me.

it's not like they have a proven track record of back to back winning elections, or anything.

so we compromise to the point that we become republican?

sorry, that's one party i don't want to attend.

and for the record, i am not a single issue voter. but i do have it narrowed down to about three.

since i'm getting older, my flexibility has dropped. lack of yoga, i suppose.

[ulysses]

7. lack of yoga.

:D

[Guaranteed]

8. No, we have to identify the issues that are not to be compromised

on, which seem to be the majority of them at the moment, due to the positions that the Bush Administration takes on them.

They make very "liberal" use of wedge issues, for distraction, so that they can pass their pillaging legislation.

[H2O Man]

9. Yes to coalition.

I respectfully do not think any of the choices listed fits. I believe that we need the revolutionary changes defined by Martin Luther King, Jr in his "A Time to Break Silence (Beyond Vietnam)" speech, on April 4, 1967. I am interesting in a coalition with anyone who believes in working toward that goal.

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. Can you define the terms of the coalition? I am all for working with

anyone center on over to the left, and even right depending on the issue at hand.

[ulysses]

11. no. I've tried and have come to the conclusion

that it's a bad idea for me to attempt it at any rate. I'll leave that to those who don't have my history of liberal/conservative combat on DU. :)

[stillcool]

12. all i want is for...

elected officials to speak the truth.

[ulysses]

15. a fair request...n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

13. I give up - coalition with whom?

Why not define what you mean? The Democratic Party is already a coalition: corporate K street whores on one side and the rest of us on the other. Who else did you envision joining our dysfunctional family?

[ulysses]

14. my apologies.

I meant a coalition of liberals/progressives, centrists/moderates and conservatives.

[Mairead]

35. I think that's Warren's point: the Dem label already includes all those

So whom would you add, and what would you hope to gain that you can't get now with that mix?

[DanCa]

16. where would an angry neutreal be? but count me in?

[paulk]

17. the Democratic Party already is a coalition

isn't it?

[ulysses]

19. is it?

[paulk]

20. let me rephrase that, then

The Democratic Party already is a coalition, IMO.

Apparently you think it isn't.

Or else you wouldn't be doing this poll.

I reject your poll's premise.

[ulysses]

21. you are correct.

I believe that the current Democratic party is a broken coalition, broken when the conservative wing followed Ronald Reagan in 1985.

[Guaranteed]

25. I think YOU are correct.

I think there are pretty distinct factions within the Democratic Party, and these lines need to be healed.

When the whores realize that they're doing nothing but making us LOSE, the healing will begin.

[proud patriot]

18. Yes , I'm liberal

[Warren Stupidity]

22. OK so I voted no.

I want the corporate whore k street republocrats out of the party and back over with their sponsors on the other side of the aisle. They have done nothing but dilute and divert and destroy. if it means losing elections: well we've done that on a national basis since '94, at least let's lose with a party that stands for something, that has a clear and unambiguous agenda, that is a distinct alternative to the arrogant incompetent kleptocracy that is running our republic into the ground.

[Guaranteed]

24. It's disappointing that "coalition" has come to mean "capitulation"

to corporate whoredom.

What if the OP meant a finding of common ground, between the Dennis Kucinichs and the Joe Bidens?

[Warren Stupidity]

32. I honestly don't know what that means.

At this point in time my world view has swung back to a more radical, if more mature, analysis than I had in the 60's and 70's.

In the 80's and 90's I was all for compromise and coalition, but it seems that this has led us to a fascist theocracy, to a ruling party that is ruining us, and to an opposition party whose leaders seem more interested in keeping their big houses, expensive cars, and trophy wives: i.e. they are bought and paid for by the same corporations that are backing the fascist cabal, more interested in the perks than they are in actually wresting control from their supposed adversaries.

Here is the thing: my worst fear is that as the voting population slowly becomes aware that the clowns in the Fascist Cabal are incompetent buffoons, and vote against them in such vast numbers that even the cheating will not help, we will get the other side of the stacked card deck from the Kleptocracy to replace the Cabal. In other words we are being setup for the tweedle-dum half of the tweedle-dee tweedle-dum shell game the Kleptocracy is running on us. The shit is hitting the fan. The game they have played since 9-11 has pretty much run its course. If the Democratic Party actually stood for something different we could see real meaningful political change in this country, we might even see the Greening of America that so many of us boomers thought would be our legacy to the community.

Dare we dream the impossible?

[Hippo_Tron]

23. Hell no! That would make too much sense

[Pushed To The Left]

26. I believe that banding together against a common adversary

is the best way to take that adversary out of power! We need to defeat the right wing. I always support the most progressive candidate with a chance of winning during general elections. As far as progressive vs. conservative vs. moderate Democratic candidates, that debate can be handled during primaries. What do Joe Lieberman and Dennis Kucinich have in common? I would have gladly voted for either of them had they been the Democratic nominee!

[applegrove]

27. It used to be called "our big tent". That is the only way we have

ever won the House, Senate or the WH.

[tnlefty]

28. I'm demoralized at the moment. Didn't vote, and please allow me

to explain.

Senate race in TN: I've made some phone calls during the past 3 days and I'm agitated to say the least. One 70 something who has been active in my local party for decades and who is active with the party in Nashville, who usually is a "vote for the party no matter what" isn't even sure if he's going to vote in this race. He doesn't like some of the positions of Ford, Jr. and was looking to Kurita as an alternative after hearing her in late April. He's disgusted with both of them on their positions on restricting a woman's right to chose her destiny, gay rights, (thought Kurita was worse than Ford). He's pissed at Ford for sucking up to Bush** on Iraq, although he did sign Conyer's petition, the bankruptcy bill, and voting rights. "Why as a lifelong Democrat would I even consider voting for someone who states that he loves George Bush?"

Someone else (Ph.D. and late 50's) who volunteered to work on Kurita's campaign, told me that neither one is worth the gunpowder it would take to blow them to hell. After talking with her for a while I learned that she had accompanied a group of people to Nashville to an event for Kurita, and that when it got to the nitty-gritty of asking questions she has the same opinion (along with a bus-load full of Democrats) that the above-mentioned person has. I think that they attended the same event after I made a few more phone calls.

When older die-hard Democrats are stating that they're sick of giving their money and their votes to repub-lite dems, I don't think it's a good sign.

Perhaps I'll find something to get excited, or at least a little more optimistic about tomorrow, but just DAMN IT!!!

[Mairead]

36. " I don't think it's a good sign."

"When older die-hard Democrats are stating that they're sick of giving their money and their votes to repub-lite dems, I don't think it's a good sign."

So what would be a good sign? To me it sounds as though they're waking up and acting in their interests. What does it sound like to you?

[tnlefty]

40. It sounds like they're fed up, and I shudder to think about this

senate race at times. I've said for a while that if a democrat would run honestly in this state and fight back against the rightwing bullshit, they would probably do well. A weak democrat who plays too close to the repubs, and who won't fight back loudly against the rwing noise machine is going to get into trouble. Then when the dem is defeated all you hear is the standard bullshit that a 'democrat can't get elected in the south'.

Frustrating to say the least.

[NoPasaran]

29. I'm for coalition, but I don't know if I'm a liberal or a centrist

Sometimes I feel like a nut, sometimes I don't, if you know what I mean.

[ulysses]

30. take a wild guess.

:shrug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

33. Here's one way to find out what you are

http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/libvsconserv.htm#compass

[NoPasaran]

34. It turns out

I'm pretty much where the Dalai Lama would be if he ate cheeseburgers.

[Lilith Velkor]

38. I'm a couple spaces to your left

:hi:

No cheese on my burgers. :P

[GreenPartyVoter]

39. Hehehe. That's a funny way of looking at it. *g*

[Robertwf]

31. poll

I can very clearly being told that being a liberal was being wishy washy because they (liberals) didnt have the balls to be redical... I am not so sure the person that told me that was wrong

[meganmonkey]

37. My being here is my commitment to a coalition

I come from a far-left place, voting for Democrats is new to me.

And honestly, given the general feel of this board, I think a lot of people are compromising by voting for certain Dems but choosing to do it for the good of all (we hope). There are many worthy dems out there, but some..well...you know...This is a pretty left-leaning place compared to most dems in office.