Something I Disagree With Randi About---That She Keeps Repeating

[journalist3072]

So as I was listening to Randi on the way home today, she was taking a caller to task for saying the Democrats need to get their act together.

Randi said she's sick of people saying the Dems need to get their act together. That the Dems have no power, and it's the Republicans who need to get THEIR act together.

I just disagree with Randi wholeheartedly with this.

Just because the Dems don't have any power (i.e. subpoena power, etc) does not absolve them of certain responsibilities.

For example, I truly believe the Dems need to be putting together their own version of a Contract with American. Something that says to the American people "this is what we'll do if you give us back control of Congress."

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The American people already understand and "get" that George Bush is a bad man. Just look at his approval rating.

But I think they also want to know from the Dems: what do you offer us in return?

[MadMaddie]

1. I agree with you but we need to get away from

"Contract with America" this terminology and anything close to it has negative vibes....

[journalist3072]

4. Here's my humble take on that

Speaking from a policy perspective, the Contract with America was a bad document. The policies it was championing were bad for America.

Strategically however, I think it was brilliant.

Because it allowed the Republicans to get their message out, at a time when they didn't have the White House Rose Garden as their backdrop. They didn't have the automatic bulley pullpit that comes with the Presidency.

And so the Contract With America allowed them to get on message and say 'this is what we'll do for you.'

That has been my problem with the Democrats since January 2001---they have shown they don't know how to be an effective opposition party.

[SharonAnn]

8. It came out so late, it actually had little effect on the election.

There was little time and the GOP wasn't really able to develop a media blitz about it before the election. If you think back, we really heard about it's supposed importance AFTER the election when the GOP spun it to say that was why they'd accomplished such an upset.

Sort of like how they said that religious values voters turned the election tide for the last presidential election. Simply not true.

[MadMaddie]

9. I can agree with that...

One of the things I find frustrating is why hasn't the Dem party gathered together some of the best...not average...but the best marketing and advertising people in our Democratic population and created an effective quick response communication machine....We have the creative people to do it....

but they are stuck in their tired old...lets do what we have been doing for the last 20 years...

Dean is making some changes....and they are good changes..

[Justice Is Comin]

13. Yeah the same

tired old words; change, we can do better. Ughh. And the leaders in both houses couldn't be less invigorating if they were on Valium.

[rooney]

2. impeachment

It is my opinion that the election for the house and senate should be won by them vowing to impeach George and Dick both. Therefore , we would have the 3rd person in line (Hastart?) to be president for two years.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. Should the Deomocrats win control of the House

Nancy Pelosi will become Speaker. Should Bush and Cheney be impeached and convicted, as they should, she will become President of the United States.

[helderheid]

12. Holy CRAP. I got it! I was confused in the other thread but

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

[Alamom]

15. Same here, (confused no more) woooooohooooo, toooooo!

[helderheid]

19. Now THAT is something to celebrate!!!!!! We gotta get around Diebold for

the 1st woman president in 2007!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[newyawker99]

22. Hi rooney!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Zen Democrat]

3. What SHOULD the Democrats offer? A house cleaning.

A house cleaning throughout the government after the 2008 election, especially. Til then, Democrats can only do damage control on Bush.

When the Democrats get back the Congress, they need to sweep it clean and change the permanent rules on such things as ethics, lobbying, fundraising, etc.

Then they should investigate the hell out of how the regime has broken laws and usurped the Constitution.

After 2008, a new Dem Administration has to clean house in the Defense Dept., the State Dept. and ESPECIALLY the Justice Department. All the Washington bureaus need to be cleaned out and the crimes of the past officials prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

[MadMaddie]

11. Not only a house cleaning but cleaning up of every gov

organization that the Repugs have put political cronies in...

The Democrat message should be something like

The Dems will replace political hacks with Professionals (Fema, FCC,FDA,) all organizations.....

[ellenfl]

5. they did . . .

I truly believe the Dems need to be putting together their own version of a Contract with American.

it didn't get any airplay. besides, i believe they may be waiting until they get closer to november so the swift boating of them will be held to a minimum. btw, dems have always had a message. it's about fairness and inclusion. none of that has changed except that lots of people . . . on the right and the left . . . keep saying we don't stand for anything. we do.

ellen fl

[Jigarotta]

6. they could have backed McKinney.

One of the few beacons of free speech in congress allowed and she was ditched.
How shameful. How curious.

Dems offer NOTHING but a spark here and there to keep the fools still trusting. One party system, same corp donaters, same blackmailers.

Repugs: 10 of them beating up on a kid just for fun or his lunch money.
Dems: Witnessing it and not really giving a shit, hey, that's the way the world works. people just don't understand...

[Mandate My Ass]

23. I know

Every time somebody makes a principled stand, the sound of crickets is the only thing that can be heard from the dem leadership.

Stand up with Murtha, Feingold, especially McKinney and Conyers who's digging up juicy stuff.

[NRaleighLiberal]

10. I agree only partially - the Dems have been fighting the media,

as well as being the minority. They've had plenty of clear messages, but the media at large ignores it. (just look at the ratio of right to left on pretty much all talking heads sessions).

[cynatnite]

14. The last thing Dems should do is a 'contract with america'.

:puke:

The repukes did that and it would be copying them. The repukes would say 'the dems are so bad off they're stealing our ideas'.

Besides, I dumped the repuke party over their damn contract idiocy.

[AlCzervik]

16. i don't think the Dem's have to be offering up a whole lot in the mid

terms except to say "the gop is the proven party of corruption" but they will have to offer something concrete in the next presidential election.

[Ksec]

17. I think the plan is to sit back and watch them disintregrate

I dont think this is a good idea, but it is an effective one. All one needs to do is look at the polls and look at how the repukes have quickly become a party in real peril. One with no direction, no unity and no plans to fix those things they brought with them(wars, deficits, outsourcing ,ruined american credibility,etc)

So why mess with success?

[moondust]

18. Silence as strategy.

I believe the main reason Dumya's Social Security Fiasco failed is because the Dems got smart and did not publicly offer a plan of their own that the Pukes could attack and destroy. The Pukes "win" things by destroying their only rival.

[sandnsea]

20. For fucks sake, they HAVE

It's on the DNC site. Tons of Democrats have spoken regarding the Democratic agenda, on both home issues and national security. Randi is exactly right and if you don't know what Democrats plan to do, then you're just not paying attention.

I am with Randi, I am SICK of people bitching about Democrats. The truth of the matter is that too many lefties were on board for some wild revolution and are going to have to settle for the mundane work of talking to their neighbors about education, outsourcing, health care, and the defense budget. Boorrring.

So sad, too bad. If you don't like it, go back to playing Doom.

[Imagevision]

21. Perhaps some Dem Senators need to be replaced, Liebermann for example!