Democrats Urged to Abandon Election Myths

[papau]

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEMOCRATS_WARNING?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-10-06-11-04-56

Democrats Urged to Abandon Election Myths

By WILL LESTER
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- To regain political power Democrats must abandon favorite election myths, adopt a strong position on national defense and pick candidates who connect with average voters, two (Democratic) political analysts from the party said Thursday.

<snip>The said the current "myths" are:

-The belief Democrats can win if they just do a great job of mobilizing their base. Republicans have improved at mobilizing their own base, so Democrats need to do more than that.

-The theory demographic changes over time will make Democrats a majority, a questionable concept with the Hispanic vote increasingly up for grabs.

-The belief Democrats can succeed politically if they simply learn to talk more effectively about their positions.

-The strategy of avoiding cultural issues, playing down national security and changing the subject to domestic issues. National security is too dominant a concern now.
<snip>

Democrats must choose to appeal to a broader majority that includes many moderates, said Galston, a political scientist at the University of Maryland.

The Democrats also must develop a coherent foreign policy because "we just don't have one," said Kamarck, a political scientist at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Third Way: http://www.third-way.com

[Teaser]

1. Most of those points are complete bullshit

And I'm particularly tired of the "up for grabs Latino" canard. That assumption was based on some faulty exit polling that has long since been debunked on multiple fronts. Yet the big lie rolls on...

[rfranklin]

4. If we embraced the racist white vote, we would be...

sitting pretty.

[EFerrari]

2. That's right.

Everything but looking at elections fraud.

What pure bull. What about this myth: Democrats lost two federal elections to George Wackjob Bush.

[Botany]

3. popular among poli science flunkies .....

"the miracle of the exurbs." and they just got their base out
better . Bullshit! bush won because he cheated.

[papau]

6. Now that was a solid response - I thought I would get some blood flowing

with this posting!

:toast:

:-)

[EFerrari]

9. Sneaker.

:)

[garybeck]

5. that is 100% B.S.

First of all the biggest myth is that Bush won the election. The biggest myth is that we live in a democracy. When our votes are counted in secret by private companies, it doesn't matter what the Democrats try to do, they will lose.

They are right in saying they need to change focus, but it's not to say the dems need to reach out to the middle more (PULEEEZE, don't make me puke). Nor does it mean we need to get a foreign policy. The dems have a foreign policy. It's called "not starting unecessary wars."

To tell you the truth that article sounds like it was written by Karl Rove himself.

The strength of the democratic party is NOT in the middle. It is in the anti-war, peace loving folks who are fed up with this lying cheating killing administration. if the dems want to take a new direction, then they should GET FIRED UP. GET MAD. START POINTING THE FINGER AT BUSH. BE CRITICAL. don't wimp out and reach out to the middle. that is disgusting.

[whatever4]

15. "To tell you the truth that article sounds like it was written by Karl Ro"

I agree with what you said, and just about everyone else too. That bit about Karl, yeah, I agree especially with that.

Today is a heavy spin day, isn't it? REally dizzy.

[mattclearing]

7. Political Scientists Urged to Abandon Election Myths:

Namely that we have them.

[Botany]

12. Sorry

I have family that is a nationally know political scientist and he delivered
a paper on why the exit polls were wrong ......

all he will say that some republicans did stupid things but not enough to effect the
election.

some are swimming in Egyptian rivers and refuse to look @ the stone facts
* the #s do not add up.
* every state that had a paper trail the exit polls matched the vote
* exit polls were spot on in senate, governors, and issue races
* over 100,000 people voted for a liberal pro choice hispanic as
senator in Colorado but then turned around a voted for bush as president
* in 7 counties in Indiana if you voted a straight party (dem only) you
vote @ that top of the ticket was switched to a 3rd party candidate
* for the first time in american history massive numbers of voters
voted against their own economic interests
* 19,000 votes being loaded after the machines were turned off and
exactly @ the same ratio as the previous vote in Miami county Ohio
was just one of those things.
and so on

[mattclearing]

14. Yeah, I don't need to be convinced.

It's still hard to for me to believe, though. Like we're living in fantasyland.

It's too depressing for words.

[katsy]

8. yada yada yada

If these guys were serious and not just out for their 5 minutes of media fame, they'd take their advice directly to the party leaders and discuss it with them. But no, they go public with their own stupid PERCEPTIONS of Democratic party weaknesses.

Maybe I'm wrong here... but really, just once I'd like to have a political analyst say something nice in public and take his advice straight to the party instead of putting it out there in the limelight.

As for developing a coherent foreign policy... Kamarck can go phuck himself. Does he think *'s policy is coherent?

[ken_g]

10. Another BS line -

-The belief Democrats can succeed politically if they simply learn to talk more effectively about their positions."

How in God's name can this be a myth?

[dbonds]

11. I thought that meant that democrats win if we give up the myth that * won.

[shance]

13. How to be a Republican and look like a Democrat.

How to have no conviction, kill innocent people, talk out of both sides of your mouth, deny the truth and call it "freedom", and shop at Banana Republic and Neiman Marcus at the same time.

In short, how to SELL OUT and sell your soul in five easy steps.

[EC]

16. There is no way anyone will make me believe that the

majority isn't Progressive...these are DLC talking points...

There are more non-voters and greens that will go Democratic if the Dems started acting like Dems and not Repuke lite...


The biggest excuse for not voting or voting 3rd party I heard, when I canvassed was that they are both the same, these are the people that are not moderates - they want a truly LEFT candidate...one that will give us universal insurance (and not just for kids), will do something about the real economy and not just the stock market...will create jobs and alternative energy solutions....is for the working man and woman....doesn't try to take away freedom..

They DON'T want anymore of this bullshit Repuke shit....


THE SOONER THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY LEADERS FIGURE THIS OUT, THE BETTER CHANCE THEY'LL HAVE...

[David Van Os]

17. Irrelevant BS.