As time is running out our party leaders cannot agree on strategy

[dajoki]

WP
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/01/AR2006030102193.html?nav=rss_politics

Democrats Struggle To Seize Opportunity
Amid GOP Troubles, No Unified Message

By Shailagh Murray and Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, March 7, 2006

News about GOP political corruption, inept hurricane response and chaos in Iraq has lifted Democrats' hopes of winning control of Congress this fall. But seizing the opportunity has not been easy, as they found when they tried to unveil an agenda of their own.

Democratic leaders had set a goal of issuing their legislative manifesto by November 2005 to give voters a full year to digest their proposals. But some Democrats protested that the release date was too early, so they put it off until January. The new date slipped twice again, and now House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) says the document will be unveiled in "a matter of weeks."

Some Democrats fear that the hesitant handling is symbolic of larger problems facing the party in trying to seize control of the House and Senate after more than a decade of almost unbroken minority status. Lawmakers and strategists have complained about erratic or uncertain leadership and repeated delays in resolving important issues.

The conflict goes well beyond Capitol Hill. The failure of congressional leaders to deliver a clear message has left some Democratic governors deeply frustrated and at odds with Washington Democrats over strategy.
Party leaders, for example, have yet to decide whether Democrats should focus on a sharply negative campaign against President Bush and the Republicans, by jumping on debacles such as the administration's handling of the Dubai port deal -- or stress their own priorities and values.

There is no agreement on whether to try to nationalize the congressional campaign with a blueprint or "contract" with voters, as the Republicans did successfully in 1994, or to keep the races more local in tone. And the party is still divided over the war in Iraq: Some Democrats, including Pelosi, call for a phased withdrawal; many others back a longer-term military and economic commitment.

[babylonsister]

1. I'm not happy at what's (NOT) going on. nt

[TayTay]

2. Geez, they could have saved themselves the trouble

and just reprinted the Nagourney article from the NYtimes that ran yesterday.

Democrats in disarray
Democrats have no plan
Democrats have less money than Rethugs.

This is all crap and designed to get the press to dismiss anything the Dems do. Nothing will ever be good enough or show positively in the press for the Dems.

Hey, I wonder how many times this will repeat in the media, we should try and get a running count going. This is about the same story I've seen at least 10 times this year. And it's still early.

[radio4progressives]

5. Iraq, Domestic Spying, Saber Rattling on More Wars....

Everyone is on the same page with the Ports deal it seems.

what about these other urgent issues? I know what the rank and file message is, it's one that I'm in complete solidarity.

But it seems that certain leaders are not in solidarity with the rank and file - that's a fact and we've been talking about this over and over.

so i really wouldn't blame the messenger on this one. I'd pick up the phone and start talking to my Senators again and again and again until they finally get it.

[ProSense]

3. Another day, another Nagourney-style analysis

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2497656&mesg_id=2497656

[BootinUp]

8. I hate that guy.

Nagourney is worse than tweety. WHen's the last time he wrote an article criticle of repukes?

[Boojatta]

4. If there is an agreement on major principles and those principles are

stated very clearly for all voters to hear, then how important is strategy?

Isn't strategy the main concern of those who have no principles?

[dajoki]

7. if elections were won...

on principles alone then we would be in power now.

[BootinUp]

10. how true. n/t

[SteppingRazor]

19. Strategy is the concern of those who want to win n/t

[madfloridian]

6. Here is the basic policy.

Dean repeats this whenever he is on TV. He says they don't want roll out the whole thing too soon, and he emphasizes Gingrich rolled his out near election time in the early nineties. Several of our Democrats have agreed that it will be done later. But here are the basics:

Our message is very clear.

We want honesty and integrity back in our government again.

We want a national security -- a tough, strong national security policy, but one that relies on telling the truth to our citizens, our soldiers and our allies.

We want a health care system that works for everybody, like 36 other countries have.

We want American jobs that will stay in America, using energy independence as a new industry to generate them.

And we want a strong public education system to give us opportunity and optimism back in America.

They are also coming together to accept the Korb Plan on Iraq.

[bvar22]

9. Hey Democrats. Here is a Unified Message for ya!

"1) Iraq is making terrorism worse; it’s a breeding ground. We need to extricate ourselves as soon as possible. We are not helping the Iraqis by staying.

2) Full public financing of campaigns so as to drive the moneylenders from the halls of Washington.

3) Single-payer health insurance."

Read the rest:
http://progressive.org/mag_ivins0306

[msongs]

11. the DINO's may not like that....but I do :-) looky here ->

"This is not a time for a candidate who will offend no one; it is time for a candidate who takes clear stands and kicks ass.

way to go Molly (tho I do not agree with everything in her diatribe)

Msongs
www.msongs.com/democratsmugs.htm

[dajoki]

12. thanks for post

Every Democrat I talk to is appalled at the sheer gutlessness and spinelessness of the Democratic performance. The party is still cringing at the thought of being called, ooh-ooh, “unpatriotic” by a bunch of rightwingers.

Take “unpatriotic” and shove it. How dare they do this to our country? “Unpatriotic”? These people have ruined the American military! Not to mention the economy, the middle class, and our reputation in the world. Everything they touch turns to dirt, including Medicare prescription drugs and hurricane relief.

[AndyTiedye]

13. The Media Always Says The Democrats Have No Message

In 2004, instead of reporting anything of what Kerry actually said,
they'd go on about how he couldn't get his message out (because they wouldn't let it out)
and how he and the Dems didn't have any message anyway.

We all know that Kerry had plenty to say, but hardly anyone got to hear him say it.

[FrenchieCat]

14. Ain't that the truth!

[dajoki]

18. swiftboaters didn't help n/t

[mrgorth]

15. It is bad

The DCCC site used to have 5 principles that the dems stood for or were working towards. They have since been taken down. Probably because they were too "socialist" for some of the southern dems.

[Sensitivity]

16. God help us. We have great leaders, but we won't follow.

[Minnesota Libra]

17. People right here on this board can't agree on one message........

.....:shrug: and we expect anything different from our Democratic leaders?:wtf: We, as the rank and file, have to figure out what we want first before we can tell our party leaders what we want and don't want from them.:think:

[Norquist Nemesis]

20. "Some" Democrats...is that like "Some would say"???

Too bad the reporters :eyes: did not state their sources for this piece. But that might be too confusing with a whole list the the Republican leadership being quoted on a story about Democrats.

[dajoki]

21. something like that n/t

[Sawkrates]

22. Oh crap

Not this again.

Look W wrung Kerry out to dry by accusing him of being a wishy washy waffler who would say anything to get elected (note this is not an invitation to argue about fraud.)

We won't win a majority until the American people (some of whom are just a touch not into politics) know that we stand for something. We need principles. It probably doesn't matter exactly what they are so long as they're reasonably liberal. We need to go out, tell them we stand for SOMETHING, and stand behind that.

[dajoki]

23. "some of whom are just a touch not into politics"...

and many who are completely ignorant.

[Sawkrates]

24. I suffer from a perverse infatuation with understatement (nt)