A message for Terry McAulliffe....

[democrank]

Mr. McAulliffe,

I wasn`t sure I would stay in the Democratic Party long enough to witness the end of your tenure, but Dean Fever got the best of me and I decided to hang on. There`s a little glimmer of hope given the impending coup. It might be pink slip time for those glitsy consultants with their fingers in the wind.

I`ve been a Democrat almost as long as you`ve been alive, and take it from me....the last few years have seen a giant nosedive into a giant hole. Bad enough that we lost elections. Worse that we lost our way. No focus group needed for that conclusion.

Which consultants suggested we not talk about poverty? Or homelessness? Or prison overcrowding? Or the Pentagon`s blackout of returning caskets? Which idiot suggested that we get behind the AWOL president and help him lie his way into an invasion? Who was it that was so scared of Karl Rove that Democrats marched out like little robots eager to include God in every red, white and blue sentence? How could you sit back in silence when the DLC sent out that memo trashing anti-war Democrats? Why no attention to so many core Democratic issues? If you folks couldn`t raise holy hell after our jobs disappeared and turned up in India, what good are you? Wait....I almost forgot. You were the Go-Along-To-Get-Along-Gang thanks to a consultant`s inside scoop....Pssst. Just say you want to kill terrorists and you always go to church. We`ll win.

If the "Democratic Insiders" had spent less time in their limos and more time at bus stops, they might have been introduced to a reality that differed from White House talking points. You would have understood how callous it was to beg for donations while emulating Republicans. From now on, winning is secondary. Number one is voting my conscience. There is nothing honorable about dead silence when thousands of people are being blown to bits. Time to give the party back to the people who will teach you the difference between spin and spine.

[codegreen]

1. absolutely awesome letter.

[JoMama49]

2. Wow, great letter -- my sentiments exactly!

[coloradodem2005]

3. Ain't that the truth.

Well. We can close the book on McAulliffe. Thank God.

[ChiciB1]

4. Loved The Post...

Hit The Nail On The HEAD!! I want my, I want my, I want my.... Party BACK!!!

[montieg]

5. Maybe us old farts

who know what it means to be a Democrat have finally begun to see the pendulum swing back.

[A Simple Game]

7. I sure hope so.

You would think that with * screwing almost everyone without at least a seven figure income, things would start going our way. But I thought that in 2002 and 2004.

Oh well, heres to hope.

[Mend]

6. You speak for me, too......eom

[Donailin]

8. man, that's a great letter, add my name to it! n/t

[PassingFair]

9. Oh HELL yes!

I'm printing this one out. Thank you for a beautiful letter. Now can you cc: Most of our senators?

[autorank]

10. "less time in their limos and more time at bus stops"

This sums it all up. How would they know what's going on? Maybe they should have spent some time in voting lines. Can you imagine the impact of having McAulliffe show up in Ohio at voting lines with cameras blazing. A note of outrage and standing with the troops would have done wonders for our base and for the nation. I guess there was a shortage of limos in Ohio on election day.

[DFLforever]

11. That's a great letter

that goes to the heart of our party's problems.

[RealDems]

12. Wish I'd written that...

because you just said everything I've been thinking better than I ever have.

[despairing optimist]

13. This is the best of DU. Congrats on a great letter.

My hat is off to you. I loved "spin vs. spine." That sums it up nicely.

[madfloridian]

14. That DLC memo you mention, May 2003, was a turning point for our party.

I truly believe it was one of the reasons that the Dean campaign attracted so many on the Sleepless Summer tour. It was a very ugly memo.

Be my guest.
http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=251690&kaid=127&subid=900056

[ticapnews]

15. Nominated for the home page.

I sent Terry a piece of my mind after the election, too, but I wasn't as polite ;)

This marks the end of a very bad period for the Democrats, but also the dawn of a much brighter day for the party, and for America.

[Piperay]

16. GREAT

really on point! :thumbsup:

[Skidmore]

17. Well said, crank.

You are so spot on. However, it needs to be copied to every Dem legislator in DC and in state government who are lazy enough to rely on the DNC as a polical consultant group.

[dbt]

18. Kicking the thread because

I can't find McAuliffe's ass at the moment.

:evilgrin:
dbt

[wheresthemind]

19. He is leaving... Why berate him?

After all I am sure nothing he did was well intentioned... and he must love the fact that he lost all those elections... after all we all know he hates to see Democrats elected...

Give the man a break, he worked his ass off and failed, at the very least he deserves a pat on the back not a stab.

[democrank]

20. Thanks for the suggestion, Wheresthemind, but....

after careful consideration, I decided McAulliffe doesn`t deserve a break. If he was simply one of those Democratic Party consultants who foolishly competed for audience applause on CNN`s Crossfire set, I`d let it go. His role was bigger than that and he should be held responsible.

When national Democratic leaders ignore just about everything this party has always stood for and instead vie for the top position in a Republican cloning contest, it`s time to speak up.

We`ve spent years answering Republican charges and allowing them to erroneously define who we are. Instead of acting like real Democrats, our leaders spent their time proving they were mini Republicans. In the meantime, we lost a lot of support.

A cursory check of Democratic Party history will reveal a long-standing commitment to those with no voice. These are the very people we left beside the road as we marched toward collusion with corporate interests. Our party shouldn`t be about millionaire image makers, it should be about the people. We`ve lost our way and McAulliffe was one who helped that happen.

[Toots]

21. Great letter

One thing though McAulliffe was placed there for his money raising talents and in that he did great, probably the best ever. It is just a shame the money was wasted in the way it was. I'm sure they all enjoyed Lobster and Steak on our dollars though.

[PassingFair]

22. Kick,

because this truly is a great letter.