How to light the fire under our elected officials.

[FormerRepublican]

Everyone is disgusted with our elected officials in Washington, and how they simply refuse to stand up to Bush Inc. I have an idea of what we can do and I'm interested in what you think.

We can coerce them into taking action by refusing to contribute money or work on any campaigns of an elected official who refuses to oppose objectionable Bush actions. If they refuse, find out who's running against them in the party (or encourage someone to run against them) and support them instead. No money, no support for traitors. Scorched Earth. If they get all their campaign contributions from corporations, we can organize a boycott of said corporations (who are basically providing funding for treason). Worst offenders, no sales. More than that, we can make these traitors social pariahs - if you commit treason, no one will speak to you or associate with you.

And we need to be much more vocal with the 'pukes who think they can get away with treason and murder.

If we make it stick, we can push them into doing what they ALREADY should be doing. We need to make it clear that there will be HEFTY consequences from the public if they continue their madness. We need to seriously turn up the pressure on them.

I don't know about you, but the absolute REFUSAL of Bush and Congress to listen to the American people absolutely infuriates me! It's like a cattle prod to turn me activist. There must be SOME way to reign in their abuses of power.

Would anyone out there be willing to work with me to organize something along these lines?

[jillan]

1. You've got a point there.

I contribute monthly to the DNC...maybe I can start there, and tell them I am going to stop unless they take some serious steps against this administration.

They are getting everything handed to them on a silver platter, one scandal after another. If the situation was reversed, the repugs would be having the time of their life at our expense.

[longship]

2. This is a rather good idea.

How does one put it into action? I have no idea how to approach this. Maybe some ramblings will help you focus the idea.

I'd say you've got things very well lined up. We need the blessing of a activist organizations to put this in action. I suggest that a letter writing campaign be put together outlining the particulars of the strategy. These should go to prominent liberal friends, like Conyers, Jackson-Lee, Boxer, etc. The goal is to get some support and some suggestions of direction.

A new organization may be needed to take this from conception to reality. I know that these things are a dime a dozen these days, but with such a narrow focus, it may be beneficial.

The benefits of your plan is that it is simple. Anybody can follow the strategy. If such a strategy were to get significant penetration into the body politic, it could prove to be quite successful.

Keep us all posted.

[zalinda]

3. Maybe a better idea.................

contribute to those who make a strong statement. For example: if a politician calls Bush a liar.........give money, right after the statement. Maybe if they see that they get money after they show a back bone, they will get the idea.....just like Pavlov's dog.

zalinda

[FormerRepublican]

5. The thing I'm concerned with...

...is if those who roll-over to treason get any kind of support, they'll just continue down that path and encourage others to do the same. We need to FIGHT that, and the only way I know to truly get the message across is cut off all their money and all their support. We don't need people in office who are acting against the interests of both the United States and our people.

What I would agree with, though, is having ADDED contributions to those who do stand up in addition to what they're already getting, and in addition to some plan to cut off the support for those who are acting against us.

[fighttheevilempire]

4. This is why Hackett was so widely funded.

People who have never even set foot inside Ohio supported Hackett because he stood up and called the pResident the SOB he really is.

[wli]

6. scorched earth is exactly what we need

If we can get majorities in both houses again we need to do considerably more than funding that also is best described as "scorched earth."

[calimary]

8. I'll drink to that!

Scorched earth policy against the republi-CONS.

EXCELLENT. I hope everyone has the resolve - because it is an uphill fight. For now. But those poll numbers are our best allies. Even the most strident bush whore on Capitol Hill can read the polls, and has to face the rising tide. Just watch 'em start squirming. Cindy Sheehan has started something powerful. It's up to us to keep it going.

I remember just after the last election debacle, a woman from the DNC called me. We got into an argument about why I flat-out refused to donate another dime until A) the Dems started fighting back for REAL, and standing up to the schmuck-in-chief, and B) Howard Dean was made DNC chair. She tried every which-a-way to argue me around that - saying that this is why it was so important to show the DNC that it had support and that my donation would speak loudly and send them a message. I shouted her down again and again, saying the way the Dems "fought" in the last election was frickin' DISGRACEFUL and that I already had given to the Kerry campaign until it hurt and I did NOT feel as though I'd gotten my money's worth, and that I didn't see the Dems doing anything differently, or learning squat from their piss-poor campaign. She finally gave up, since I made it clear, repeatedly and relentlessly that I was not going to cough up a single penny. And she finally admitted, in a low voice - "this isn't the first time I've heard this." And I jumped straight in with "look, I'm not mad at YOU personally, but you've GOT to get the message to these people. NOT ANOTHER NICKEL until they start growing some frickin' BACKBONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm a DEMOCRAT, DAMMIT. A PROUD LIBERAL DEMOCRAT!!!! That does NOT mean I'm a republi-CON-Lite.

I swear, sometimes you've gotta hit 'em over the head with the proverbial 2x4.

[wli]

9. I'm talking about throwing the entire Republican Party in jail

And jailing the AEI, PNAC, CFR, Heritage Foundation, Michael Ledeen, Richard Mellon Scaife, MSM execs, American Turkish Council, oil company execs, and others similarly. And a gigantic investigation that makes the Church Committee look like a tenth page story about rescuing a cat from a tree in a high school newspaper.

When I say "scorched earth" I think I have something quite a bit more serious in mind than unapologetic rhetoric.

[texpatriot2004]

7. kick n/t