Our present democrats need to learn from the past democrats

[FreedomAngel82]

If you visit archive.org you can type in "democrats" you can find old speeches from FDR for example and from that time frame of the convention and campaigning video's. It's pretty neat watching (one video I've got so far has some sound missing in bits and pieces) and it inspires you to fight (well me personally). I think a lot of our current democrats could learn a lot from the past democrats like FDR for example. They need to learn how to use their resources and to be loud and embrace being angry. When a democrat is angry he/she does the best and passionate job. They also need to learn from Charles Sumner. I'm right now reading a book about a slave man named Fredrick Douglass and his struggles as a civil rights advocate and a senator named Charles Sumner is mentioned. He was a liberal republican (like Lincoln) and he never backed down from a fight. He tried to abolish slavery in the country and worked hard to get free public school for black people. He was once beaten horribly to where he couldn't go to the senate for three years! Even though he was horribly beaten he still got up off his butt and worked for what he could. Lincoln even highly praised him. You can see his bio at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sumner#Service_in_the_Senate

So definitely sometime go to archive.org and try to watch some of these old video's. They're so inspiring.

[Selatius]

1. The current Democrats are doing what they have been doing

The problem is the corporate news media. Anytime even a small number of Democrats play ball with Republicans and vote with them (like on that damnable "bankruptcy reform" law) because they've been bribed with special interest money, they hurt everybody in the party as a result, and the corporate news media complicates the problem.

The fact of the matter is that there should've been far stronger anti-trust laws passed to prevent this kind of consolidation of the news media, a vital organ of dispersing information to society.

[FreedomAngel82]

2. Well one problem is

sometimes democrats will make a comment and backtrack like Reid did once. I can't remember what about now but he said something and he very quickly backtracked. My motto is "mean what you say and say what you mean." I know there are so many good democrats who are trying and using the resources they can but there has to be something they can learn from past democrats.

[Selatius]

3. What, are you talking about him saying we should "accept" REAL ID?

I don't know if that's a backtrack, but I disagree with him vehemently as a result on just that one issue.

Regardless, backtracking is common with a large number of politicians regardless of political affiliation because the frank truth is a political party exists to hold power, and more than a small number of politicians see that as conflicting with the notion of standing up for principles and not budging. It was one reason folks like George Washington were weary of political parties in the first place.

With respect to FDR, I think it was a fatal mistake for the party to simply leave his proposition of the 2nd Bill of Rights, an economic bill of rights, to the scrapbin of history. They say it's too much socialism, and it most definitely is if you are a big business lobbyist on Capitol Hill.

[FreedomAngel82]

4. It was on lobbying reform

I do remember that much.

[Selatius]

6. Lobbying reform is a failure of both parties.

You'd think that in the 40 years Democrats held power in Congress until it was lost in 1994 that there would've been a concerted, successful campaign to institute something such as a taxpayer subsidized election system with a ban on special interest money.

Money speaks loudly, and if a candidate won office with a significant proportion of his money coming from lobbyists working for special interest groups, he would be hard pressed to change the status quo, especially if they have money to burn on a smear campaign if he crosses them or even money to burn supporting the person's opponent in the election.

[liveoaktx]

5. I think it's a mistake to say "Democrats" instead of "Some Democrats"

or "These particular Democrats". You know I have a huge clip library of Democrats who DO speak up, who are passionate, well-spoken .... etc, but they don't go every Sunday like Idiot Biden does to talk shows and their speeches are not ever shown on corporate media.

My on-the-fly list of people who regularly speak up and make me proud
Feinstein
Capps
Woolsey
DeFazio
McGovern
Conyers
Eshoo
Aw,geez, I just got started and I realize I have way too many to list.

Anyway, I think you should be specific, as in Joe Biden has a lot to learn from Democrats of the past, and I'll agree with you there. But not on Democrats in general.

[FreedomAngel82]

7. Well true

Biden and Lieberman need to get in a room and watch these clips. ;)