The next time someone asks, "Where are the Democrats?"

[meow2u3]

I'm gonna scream! :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh:

Haven't we DUers realized that the corporate media have blacked out the Democrats, except to present the false notion that the Dems are either fighting among themselves, are ineffective scaredycats too afraid to stand up to the BFEE, or sellouts?

The answer to "Where are the Democrats?" should be: They're doing their jobs. You just can't tell by watching the cable news stations.

[mattclearing]

1. I don't believe that.

I believe they are hiding out, and have learned that you never interfere with your enemy when he is in the process of destroying himself.

They should stay on the sidelines. The focus is completely on Bush now. He cannot hide, and we should not distract the media from their focus on him.

[lancdem]

3. I agree

If they criticize him, it will be seen as political. They should continue doing what they have - promoting relief efforts (like Dean and others have been doing).

[CWebster]

10. IT IS POLITICAL!

IT IS A POLITICIAN'S JOB to deal with political realities. Jesus fucking christ.

[CWebster]

9. Really

So, how many more people have to die before he has destroyed himself enough? And then will the Democrats win only based on Bush's loss, after he has run this country into the ground and the Democrats barely uttered "boo". Give me a break.

[WildEyedLiberal]

26. Stop, your logic is keeping DU from its regularly scheduled handwringing

We musn't have that. :sarcasm:

[WildEyedLiberal]

27. Oops, meant to reply to main thread

Actually, I ended up replying to some aforementioned handwringing. Hope that won't confuse people too much.

[LittleClarkie]

28. We will now return to our regularly scheduled symposium

on how to blame Democrats regardless of the situation.

How about helping the Democrats get back into power so they actually have the authority to stop the insanity. Hmm. What a concept.

Nah, much more fun to find new and inventive ways to blame them.

This massive fubar belongs to Bush. No one else. My rant cannon is aimed straight at him. No one else.

[displacedtexan]

2. Then it's time they staged some protests.

If they all gathered at the Lincoln Memorial and demanded equal media coverage, things might change.

And as long as we accept hearing virtually nothing from our party leaders, we're to blame, too.

[Township75]

4. What job is that?

You mean to tell me they are out there saying bring our troops home, impeach bush, and letting people know how his cuts are hurting the recovery efforts in LA?

Seriously, WTF are you talking about?

[AValdoux]

5. They should have been

at their desk Monday with solutions waiting for the Republicans to catch up. That is one thing Dem are criticized for, not having solutions but bitching about what is being done. The Republicans could have been caught with their pants down on this one.


AValdoux

[win_in_06]

17. I think they have been caught with their pants down...

...while on vacation, no less.

[marbuc]

6. A few are doing their jobs

like Conyers, Feingold, Wasserman-Schultz etc., and they are not getting the MSM coverage they deserve. The leadership of the party has been remarkably silent, and is not standing up for populist, progressive values.

[saracat]

7. Most of the media have done an incredible job with Katrina.

They have grown a spine and have confronted the administration and are asking the tough questions. Kudos to Jack MCCafferty, Anderson Cooper and Ted Koppel, and believe it or not Shepard Smith of Fox. .The Democrats heven't been visible because except for Clark and Harold Ford,, and a couple of supportive statements from Kerry , Kennedy and Dean, they haven't really done anything. They aren't asking the tough questions. America is starting to hold Bush accountable. Why aren't the Democrats? You can't blame this one on the media. The only visible Dems have been kissing Bush's ass for doing nothing and they have been called on it!

[zann725]

13. "...a couple of supportive statements from Kerrry?"!!!

I've been waiting for days (months) for him to step forward. I can NOT believe he is not outraged by this, and/or doing something...anything?!! No excuses for any of them.

Talk is cheap. Get down there in the Gulf NOW! I saw Harry Connick, Jr. on TV down there today, reporting what was REAllY happening 'on the ground.' If a celebrity can do it...??? Kerry visited all the foreign countries (including dangerous Iraq) to talk to world leaders earlier this year. Why no trip to the Gulf?! Oh, I guess no world leaders are there. Just every day folk he claimed to have "spoken for" during his campaign.

I am NOT Kerry-bashing! I voted for the guy, thought he cared and was a "leader" and "fighter." Where is HE and Durbin and Boxer and all the rest?! ENOUGH with the media "black-out" crap. All other stuff aside, there's always Air America, or Jon Stewart show. I heard many of them on the air during Camp Casey. But now?! NOTHING.
NO EXCUSES!! NONE.

Get out there Dem's...YESTERDAY!!

[CWebster]

8. NO EXCUSES!!! NO APOLOGIES FOR THE DEMOCRATS!!!

If they wanted face time, they could sure enough get it. Joe, brain dead, Biden gets enough of it--except he really has nothing to say from one day to the next.

They are NOT DOING THEIR JOBS and their PR people ARE NOT DOING THEIR JOBS if they can't be heard.

What is worse--a bumbling, imbecile chimp-- national humiliation at the helm--or the limp, lackluster opposition who doesn't stand up to him and barely lifts a finger to defend the Country?

[LittleClarkie]

20. How about NO BULLSHIT

They ARE working. Sorry if you need photo ops from them to believe it, but for one, Boxer is busy trying to find ways to help that circumvent the executive branch.

NO BULLSHIT ACCUSATIONS!!!!

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[paineinthearse]

11. Exactly right.

Yesterday I made a post with concrete examples of four seperate large scale events (where US Reps. McGovern, Kucinich, Frank and Meehan addressed 100-500 people) I had attended, to which the media (Boston Globe and Worcester T&G, both owned by the NYT, had FAILED TO SEND ONE REPORTER OR TO GIVE ONE DROP OF INK IN COVERAGE.

When "search" comes back I will try to locate and cross reference here.

[MrBenchley]

12. Good example here...

Hastert rejects Pelosi's plan on wednesday, then takes credit for it on Thursday...

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/5146.html

Don't forget, Congress is still on hiatus because republican leadership doesn't feel this is as vital a crisis as Terri Schiavo....

[TayTay]

14. The Democrats have been screaming about planning for years

I understand that we all want immiediate action to save precious lives, but don't get unhinged. The Democrats have been screaming about bad planning by the Bush Administration since Bush took office. (And this is dcoumented from top to bottom.)

It was a campaign issue last year, a huge campaign issue. The Democrats railed at Bush because he had failed to come up with workable plans for dealing with evacuations and with disaster preparations and how to protect life and property in a time of crisis. Go look at half the hearings this year in the Senate Commerce Committee. There are meetings of the Disaster Preparedness group, grilling of Homeland Security and so forth. Time after time after time, the Democats nailed the Bushies on being ready. The Democrats have been screaming about this for a long time.

The media didn't care. Obviously, a lot of posters on this group didn't care, didn't notice and would rather assign blame to those who tried to stop this before it happened that assign blame to those who actually fucked up.

Hey, don't believe me, go look it up. Or just continue to blame the Dems because, after all, they don't control a single branch of the government, can't pass any amendments that would have allocated money where it was needed and can't get any competent personnel placed in strategic situations where they could have competently run a decent disaster rescue.

For God sakes, why aren't we screaming about the warnings that we gave? The Democats were right, time after time after time. We tried to warn people. But nobody cared. And that's a fact.

[CWebster]

16. Yes, you are right--they claim they could execute Iraq better

AS IF it was legitimate from the onset. Bad planning according to the Democrats is not sending enough troops.

For what?

[TayTay]

18. What does this have to do with the disaster in New Orleans?

And the proof that the Bush Admin was warned that they were woefully unprepared for a catastrophe?

I guess some people believe that bashing Democrats takes precedence over everything else.

[CWebster]

24. The "planning" was in the event of terrorism

which if you really want to address, you address the underlying grivances--otherwise it is a farce--but of course they can't do that since they are bound by the short hairs to AIPAC which keeps them from truly speaking truth to power about the political dynamics of the ME. Meanwhile, money is drained from infrastructure projects to funnel into this farce of homeland security while barely making a ripple about ongoing environmental degregation that cause these natural disasters.

Last time there was an energy crisis, lower speed limits and smaller cars were encouraged. Excuse me, but did I hear anything from Democratic leaders spearheading any anti-SUV movements? Well, there are those campaign contributions to think about, after all...

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

15. Thank you.

Too many armchair politicians in here who have no fucking clue what it's really like out there.

[LittleClarkie]

19. Here, use this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2054934

Where are the Democrats?! THEY'RE WORKING. SO SORRY. NO TIME FOR PHOTO OPS FOR THOSE WHO NEED A DOG AND PONY SHOW TO BELIEVE SOMETHING IS BEING DONE.

[madrchsod]

21. the only democrat that i have read is clark

i don`t listen to the msm at all. all my info comes from the internet usa and world press and i`ve seen nothing at all. i`m totally disgusted by the democratic party. i`ve been a democrat since the day i was born in 1947 and this is the worse performance by the party since the vietnam war...it is truly sickening

[Dr Fate]

22. Who is denying interviews to Dean, Kerry, Hillary, Obama, etc?

Please give the names of the shows, and the statements from the Democrats in question that they were censored, had their mics cut or denied access in any way.

Hey- I'm not sure DEMs need go at Bush's throat at this moment either-but I have not seen proof that top, "star" democrats are being censored or denied access to those TV interview shows.

[Totally Committed]

25. THIS COULD BE A PROBLEM, TOO.....

This morning, in a Google Alert, there was an article listed about Wes Clark's remarks. Here is the blurb:

In Iowa, Clark declares Bush mishandled storm
DesMoinesRegister.com - Des Moines,IA,USA

... Wesley Clark, traveling in Iowa on Thursday, was sharply critical ... lined up the evacuation assets," Clark continued ... President Bush, who will tour the Gulf Coast ...

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050902/NEWS08/509020383/1001/NEWS

If you click on the link, there is a gaping hole where the article used to be. They haven't even tried to fill it with something else. Looks like they got "the memo" and it was deep-sixed.

Here is Frenchie Cat's post about it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2054962&mesg_id=2055120

Evidently, e-mails to the paper about this have gone unanswered.

TC

[Totally Committed]

29. Update: The article has been restored

In Iowa, Clark declares Bush mishandled storm

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050902/NEWS09/509020383/1056

TC

[FrenchieCat]

30. They fixed it....TC!

See my new thread here....
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2055386

But as much as people complaint and want to hear Dems speak out....somehow when it's Wesley Clark, some people wont ever admit that he's a fucking warrior, and one of the best Dems out there.

It's OK though.....Life ain't always fair! :shrug:

[AX10]

31. Clark is a warrior and we need him.

[eridani]

32. Kucinich is there on topic, right now.

“The President said an hour ago that the Gulf Coast looks like it has been obliterated by a weapon. It has. Indifference is a weapon of mass destruction.

“Our indifferent government is in a crisis of legitimacy. If it continues to ignore its basic responsibility for the health and welfare of the American people, will there ever be enough money to clean up after their indifference?

[formernaderite]

33. One of the black women now in Huston made the point that

the politicians only ever show up when they want their votes....directed at democrats. Believe me...everyones inepititude will be remembered.

[welshTerrier2]

34. it's the media but it's the Democratic Party too ...

i just received the latest DNC fundraising letter ... foreign policy? not even mentioned!!! where are the Democrats ?

about a month ago, i received a "Critical Issues Survey for 2005" from Hillary Clinton ... foreign policy? not even mentioned!!! where are the Democrats ??

75% of Americans want the US out of Iraq in less than a year ... that's not just Democrats but all Americans ... the Democrats, as a Party, have offered no plan ... where are the Democrats ???

there are all sorts of problems with the MSM ... they are corporate controlled ... they are biased ... they don't let views outside the very narrow center on the air ...

but Democrats have failed to get out a cohesive vision, especially to members of their own Party ... do you think the MSM is getting in their way???? instead of receiving emails that develop a Party platform, I get all sorts of emails from various individual Democrats ... that's no way to build a core message ...

so, go ahead and scream ... when a majority of Americans want the war in Iraq ended in less than a year and the Democrats "can't be expected to come up with a plan", blaming the media is just burying your head in the sand ...

[ArkDem]

35. Where are the democrats?

[NuttyFluffers]

36. with blogs, connect TV, 'net telelconferencing, flash, AAR, e-mail,etc...

i have a hard time giving them that excuse -- except for the "let's watch them hang themselves" approach. sure, tv is a huge, powerful medium, but let's not paint ourselves into a helpless corner. there's still stuff they can do.

now if it's just them eating :popcorn: fine, strategy. i'd still have preferred some more comments from the past few months about an assortment of issues. and i'm glad the black caucus has once again represented democrats well, but this show is getting a little old leaving these poor patriots routinely high and dry when it really counts. i expect more -- and there's nothing wrong with that. now is not the time to settle; it means our citizens' own lives.

[Q]

37. The Congressional Black Caucus had the time and motivation...

...to call a PRESS CONFERENCE and demand action from the Bush government. They got plenty of media attention and said what many Democrats were thinking and feeling.

But those who call themselves the 'leaders' of our party were nowhere to be found. They were too busy triangulating, campaigning for 2008 and trying hard not to have an opinion.

Democrats want to see their leadership say something, anything during an emergency. It shows strength and resolve.