Democrats In Disarray

[papau]

ABCNote read this and concluded that it said that there are more than twice as many conservatives as liberals in the US ????


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/26/AR2005092601462.html

Democrats In Disarray

By E. J. Dionne Jr.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005; Page A23

Democrats and liberals are ecstatic that President Bush has finally faced his moment of accountability. The travails of Hurricane Katrina followed a bad summer for the president and have called into question his leadership style, competence and intense partisanship.

But Democrats are less ecstatic about . . . Democrats. Over the past several weeks, it was impossible not to run into Bush critics who would shake their heads and complain: "Yes, but where are the Democrats? Who are our leaders? What do they have to say?"

<snip>
Criticisms of the Democrats are usually personalized: This or that leader is said to be inadequate, or the party as a whole is said to lack "guts," "gumption" and "clarity." Defenses of the party are also personalized: No party can expect to be led by figures from its congressional minority, and the 2008 presidential election is too far away to produce clear alternative leaders.

But the party's problems are structural and can be explained by three numbers: 21, 34 and 45. According to the network exit polls, 21 percent of the voters who cast ballots in 2004 called themselves liberal, 34 percent said they were conservative and 45 percent called themselves moderate.

Those numbers mean that liberal-leaning Democrats are far more dependent than conservatively inclined Republicans on alliances with the political center. Democrats second-guess themselves because they have to.<snip>

[buff2]

1. What a crock of shit

E. J. Dionne should STFU already. Bastard.

[electropop]

2. That was then (Nov 2004)

This is now. I think conservatives are jumping ship - I saw at least 2 who advertised themselves as ex-Republicans at the rally. People are beginning to realize that it's safe to call yourself a liberal, now that Bush has seriously tarnished conservatism. I saw one heckuva lot of proud and loud liberals on Saturday.

Dionne is trying to push our wimpy "leaders" into the arms of the DLC/RNC. Nonsense. The reason many are afraid to call themselves liberal is that top Dems are afraid to call themselves that. Time to stand tall and remind people that liberalism has given America everything good, and conservatism has given us everything bad.

That will help liberals come out of the closet across this land, although many are not waiting any more.

[rocktivity]

3. BORG JOURNALISM ALERT (Resistance to the GOP is futile...)

:puffpiece:
rocknation

[bee]

4. more...

The flow of negative news about the administration will do much of the Democrats' work for them. Solving the party's larger intellectual and tactical contradictions will take more time. that means its leaders will have to brace themselves for more criticisms from their impatient, not-quite-so-loyal loyalists.

wtf...

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Clue for you, bee: DU is rife with circular firing squads.

[LiberalVoice]

5. Cant argue with the title.

If you want to know what I think Democrats are more to blame for what is happening in the US then Repugs. I've heard it said a thousand times and each time it pisses me off a lil more. "Backbone". This is why we have no power. This is why Bush is in office. This is why he hasn't been impeached. This is why the religious right has gained such a foothold in our society.

Because the pieces of shit(Democrats) WE have voted into office have so little backbone and care so little about the people they represent that after Bush was found negligent on 9/11, and on the war in Iraq, and on the reckless spending, and in the wake of Katrina, that he is still allowed to wage his partisan war on this country.

Democrats deserve this punishment. Because we allowed these terrorists to rape our government and let their corporate interests suck the life out of this country.

[HereSince1628]

6. In a politically polarized society, why think about the center?

Nothing seems more obvious than the political divide of this country.
I am pretty sure the old idea of the population distributed as a bell shape curve along the spectrum of liberal left to conservative right no longer is true.

There once (within my lifetime) was a tradition in the US of the moderate center being where the votes were. But I think the distribution has changed and it isn't just a stretching out of the tails of the curve.

I know the DLC would like us to believe there is a vast moderate center waiting to be tapped for votes. I know that people relying on their traditional understanding carry forward the belief in the goodness of being a moderate independent minded voter in the center. But is it a myth or a reality?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. Because the polarization has created a vacuum in the center, that's why.

Even Cargo Cult Republicans yearn for the center. People hate the polarization. Especially after a couple of natural disasters makes party politics look childish.

[HereSince1628]

9. Perhaps, a nostalgia for what once was I understand, but

I'm not sure about the pressure gradient.

[MrBenchley]

10. Well, this sums up our left wing...

Faced with a poll that says 21% are left and 45% are moderate....our left wing counsels the party to ignore moderates...

[LiberalPartisan]

11. Quite true

A third party could sweep in and stake a claim to the center, appealing to moderate and traditional conservative republicans and moderate to conservative dems, which together probably comprise 60% of the registered voters, and win easily.

[wakfs]

12. I agree with this

If you figure off the top of your head that approximately 30% of the voters will always vote GOP, and 30% will always vote Democratic, then we have approximately 40% of all voters without party affiliation. These are the so-called swing voters and I am convinced they share the same basic philosophy - socially liberal and economically conservative. Most people couldn't care less about gay marriage or abortion or even intelligent design until it affects them personally. They are concerned with health care and energy prices and the generic fear of terrorism.

A viable third party could capture these largely disaffected voters quite easily.

But if we wait long enough, perhaps the right-wing fundies will start their own party and help us that way.