It's not enough to be morally right, progressives have to gain power

[undeterred]

This is something that they told us at both of the Camp Wellstones that I've been to in the last two years. We need money, organization, and elected officials who consider us to be their base. We need to stop spending so much time arguing with each other and work on gaining the political power that can move this country in the right direction. We have the dual burden of fixing a broken voting system and electing our candidates at the same time. We have so much work to do, but we can do this.

Organize, Organize, Organize!

Contribute!

We can do this. :patriot:

[Heidi]

1. I can't believe

you haven't gotten a reply to this fine post, undeterred. Now you've got one. I'm in full agreement with you. :thumbsup:

:kick:

[WilliamPitt]

2. Shhhhh

with your craziness.

Don't you know I'm too pure to vote for a crappy Democrat in my House district, even if supporting that crappy Democrat means helping Reps like Conyers into positions of power?

I'm way too pure, yo. Way.

[undeterred]

5. ...

How about "I don't like the way my crappy Democratic Senator voted on the Bankruptcy bill, so I'm going to "punish" him by voting for the Green Party candidate" (who has less than $10,000 for the race).

[WilliamPitt]

7. That's totally awesome

A sure plan for success.

Maybe later we can punch each other in the groin, too. Repeatedly.

[The2ndWheel]

3. How much?

How much power will be enough?

[WilliamPitt]

4. 15 seats in the House, seven in the Senate

is enough.

[undeterred]

6. We all have to give everything we've got to take House and Senate

It's NOT going to fall in our laps.

The Republicans may be down, but they still have more money and power than we do, and they are not going to hand this over without a fight.

[USA_1]

8. "It's not enough to be morally right"

Unfortunately, progressives never proclaim themselves to be morally right. Since when do you ever hear them say that their politics correspond with the teachings and practices of biblical doctrine or of principles adhered to by American patriots such as Roosevelt and Lincoln?

You often hear Republicans hypocritically making these claims even though their isn't an iota of truth in them. But they continually call themselves "moral majority" and other such bullshit. And because of it, they come off as some kind of principled do-goodies.


Anyone who has ever read the Bible can readily tell you that progressivism correspond with biblical teaching. That book which is held so dear by the right wingers can be the best weapon for progressives. So why not use it??????? We have discussed this before on this forum but each time that I or anyone else said it, we were ignored. Since progressives fail to proclaim themselves as adhering to such moral principles, and fail to hold Republicans accountable for their failings, this is why they do not have the American majority on their side.

[undeterred]

9. I don' think we proclaim it.

And I do think its true- we are on the morally right side of things, whether we are appealing to the Founding Fathers or the teachings of a religion that believes in a loving Creator.

But that alone is not enough to change society, we also need political power.

[undeterred]

11. And its not enough to be more intelligent than they are

which we are, in many ways. Politically, we haven't been as smart as the right has.

[helderheid]

10. pda

www.pdamerica.org

[undeterred]

14. PDA is great.

[undeterred]

12. Its not enough to take down the Bush administration

As long as the neo-cons have power.

We have to persuade the people.

We have to stop waiting for one great leader to save us.

We have to take back the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Now, in 2006.

Organize, Organize, Organize!

Contribute!

We can do this. :patriot:

[undeterred]

13. Kick!

:patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot:

[question everything]

15. Bob Schieffer on "face the nation" had an excellent commentary

that these day we cannot get Congress to do anything. That to be elected members of Congress have to be beholden to special interests, and to deliver. And the term "compromise" is not part of the deal.

And I was thinking of DU, sorry to say. Yes, we all have heard the god brigade declared that they delivered the votes so now Bush should appoint their candidates to the courts. But there are too many posts here, on DU where it is "my way, or you're out." I don't know who is running against Lieberman in the primary and who will be the Republican candidate, but Lieberman is better than any Republican. Yes, he is pro-choice, for example. And he may support the war in Iraq, but there are many other issues - poverty, health care, schools and retirement and jobs that he is on our side.

So, yes, one can be "pure" - as the members of the god brigade consider themselves, and keep shrinking the party.

A great example is the Republican party in California. It has only one state-wide elected official, and he did not win it by being a hard-core Republican.

They used to have more. They even have a couple of governors. But in every primary they insist on being "pure" and they chafe in the assembly as the perpetual minority group, and except for the fictional and honorable Senator Arnold Vinik on the West Wing (and President-elect? will now later this evening) Republican just write California off.

[undeterred]

16. I would have chosen anyone but Lieberman as an example

But I believe that we need to elect people by fundraising from lots of people in small amounts. Sure its a lot quicker to take the large contributions from corporations, but they aren't voters and its not real democracy.

[question everything]

18. I purposely chose him. Because he turns off so many here

because he certainly not "pure" by standards here in DU. Yet, we need him more than we need his Republican challenger. Same with Hillary Clinton that so many dislike.

I cannot think of a single Democrat who will be approved by everyone. But, as you stated first, and I agree - politics is about compromise and if we reject it, might as well concede the field to the Republicans and go home and lament the once mighty party that imploded from within.

[undeterred]

17. kicking for hope!

Organize, Organize, Organize!

Contribute!

We can do this. :patriot: