Franken and the DLC have a serious perception deficit

[brindis_desala]

Despite the fact that on almost ALL the major issues:
Tax policy vis a vis the deficit, Single payer health care, Roe v Wade, Social Security, Equal Opportunity, the Environment the public supports the Democratic position yet they harp on moving to the center when the center is off in the Atlantic heading for Bermuda...

Personally I think Kerry made a mistake not campaigning harder in Arkansas and South Carolina but his message was not the problem it was his patrician temperament and overly sophisticated language. It scored points with refined ears but often obscured the message. But Dems will NEVER win a national election if they tolerate having a heavy chunk of their base suppressed and leave the Republicans in charge of the machines. CONCLUSION: If they can't figure that much out they're either corrupt or just plain stupid.

[mzmolly]

1. I opt for stupid.

:hi: Good post.

[NotNInch]

2. Agree on their serious perception deficit, but

moving to center is not the answer and we must stop them . . . They cannot let the government controlled media define our "problems" and our solutions. Its all just propaganda and we won't be manipulated.

There was nothing wrong with Kerry's patrician temperament or his sophisticated language, and he didn't obscure the message, cuz he won every debate and the election. Any true American patriot would be proud to have him as their leader. And he would be our leader if there had been an honest election, without fraud, and they had accurately counted all of the votes. And of course he would have then won by a landslide without the voter suppression.

Please remember that for the evildoers, the ends justify the means and they truly believe in the ends. Their whole program is artificial, a PR campaign, designed to mislead the American public. That is not what Democrats are or should be about so tell the DNC to forget-about-it. We wear the capes. We are about truth, justice, and the American way. All this talk about changing our message, how to appeal to the center, how to appeal to swing-voters . . . Votes at any cost - NOT! That's their game. Win at any cost. We stand on principle cuz it is not a game.

I believe we have 2 major problems, the election process and the total lack of media support. Kerry was able to rise above the media bias but couldn't stop the fraud. Fixing the Election Process must be the first priority.

I read a statement from Howard Dean today and it said it all so well. I will try to find it and post it here.

Sorry bout the rambling but I feel better now . . .

[NotNInch]

4. follow-up on prior message above

Here is the Howard Dean statement I referenced above. (Found it in General Discussion - Politics and that is where it belongs but it bears weight on this discussion.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1485454&mesg_id=1485454

. . . snip . . .

"The Democratic Party needs a vibrant, forward-thinking, long-term presence in every single state and we must be willing to contest every race at every level. We will only win when we show up and fight for the issues important to all of us.

Another integral part of our strategy must be cultivating the party's grassroots. Our long term success depends on all of us taking an active role in our party and in the political process, by volunteering, going door to door and taking the Democratic message into every community, and by organizing at the local level. After all, new ideas and new leaders don't come from consultants; they come from communities.

As important as organization is, it alone can no longer win us elections. Offering a new choice means making Democrats the party of reform—reforming America's financial situation, reforming our electoral process, reforming health care, reforming education and putting morality back in our foreign policy. The Democratic Party will not win elections or build a lasting majority solely by changing its rhetoric, nor will we win by adopting the other side?s positions. We must say what we mean—and mean real change when we say it.

But most of all, together, we have to rebuild the American community. We will never succeed by treating our nation as a collection of separate regions or separate groups. There are no red states or blues states, only American states. And we must talk to the people in all of these states as members of one community.

That word—'values'—has lately become a codeword for appeasement of the right-wing fringe. But when political calculations make us soften our opposition to bigotry, or sign on to policies that add to the burden of ordinary Americans, we have abandoned our true values.

We cannot let that happen. And we cannot just mouth the words. Our party must speak plainly and our agenda must clearly reflect the socially progressive, fiscally responsible values that bring our party—and the vast majority of Americans—together.

. . . snip . . .

[berniew1]

3. I think Franken and many Dem leaders haven't looked at evidence, such as

There was widespread and systematic voter suppression of minority voters, dirty tricks, vote machine fraud, dirty tricks and other vote manipulation in Ohio, New Mexico, and Florida- that was of magnitude enough to call in question who won those states.

http://www.flcv.com/fraudpat.html
http://www.flcv.com/EIRSFla.html
http://northnet.org/minstrel/alpage.htm
http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19
http://www.helpamericarecount.org/NewMexicoData/NewMexicoGeneralElection.pdf
http://www.flcv.com/bernalil.html
etc.

and also similar patterns in other states where the suppression and fraud did not change the election results including vote machine fraud in Calif., Pennsylvania, Washington, Texas, etc.
http://www.flcv.com/orangets.html
http://www.flcv.com/snohomis.html
http://www.flcv.com/mercerco.html
http://www.votersunite.org
etc.

(the voter suppression of minorities in Mercer County is the worst I've ever seen-followup needed)

The unethical and illegal actions were so systematic and widespread that this cannot be allowed to continue uninvestigated and unpunished. There was a huge amount of obvious malfeasance and dirty tricks that should be investigated and dealt with
http://www.flcv.com/dirtytrf.html
http://www.flcv.com/EIRSFla2.html
http://northnet.org/minstrel/alpage.htm
http://www.votersunite.org
http://www.freepress.org departments