"What's yer Goddam problem, Jackpine?"

[Jackpine Radical]

For all of you who've been asking yourselves (or me) that question for the past 8.5 years I've been around here, I wish to announce that I've finally figured out what that problem is.

It's simple.

I believe in a healthy 2-party system.

Democrats & Greens.

[Dinger]

1. Guess I Got The Same Problem

Who knew?

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Well, I'd be willing to make it 3 and include the socialists. :^D

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Hell, I'd be willing to throw either of the first two overboard for a viable Socialist Party.

:party: :party: :party:

[StarfarerBill]

10. Nah: Greens for environmental justice, Socialists for social justice.

A healthy, two-party system. :)

[YOY]

4. I'd personally prefer a parlimentary system.

Call me a madman. I just like the idea of multiple parties and coalitions...you'd find a whole lot of folks voting when they have their concerns noted...including the true right crazies granted.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. I mostly agree ...... I just want to see an actual LIBERAL party

The old fashioned kind.

[anonymous171]

6. Holy shit me too! nt

[bridgit]

7. I like green

[MNDemNY]

8. Too bad all we have is:

Democratic Corporatist, and Republican Corporatist.

[KG]

9. +infinity

:thumbsup:

[DKRC]

20. and beyond!

Couldn't resist.

[gratuitous]

11. Dang, I woulda bet money that wasn't it

Good thing I didn't find any takers. :P

[scarletwoman]

12. Wait a minute. You mean it's NOT Restless Leg Syndrome?

Chronic Dry Eye?

Overactive Bladder?

Acid Reflux?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome?

Erectile Dysfunction?

You do realize, poor dear, that there's no pill for your problem. I know, because I have the same problem. :cry:

:loveya:
sw

[Desertrose]

15. Me too, sw, same problem.

( Heh heh. Everytime I hear the term "Restless Leg Syndrome" I always think of what Jon Stewart calls it..."jimmy legs")



:loveya:
DR

[redwitch]

16. My friend calls it that too.

Where did that come from? Jimmy legs. It's actually awful, I get it sometimes.

I just googled "Jimmy Legs" and the term came from a Seinfeld episode.

[JuniperLea]

19. That's where I heard it...

Seinfeld... but my grandpa used to tell us kids to sit still... and when we didn't, he'd ask what was the matter, did we have Jimmy legs... said it was a term used to describe the fast-moving and seemingly uncontrollable movements of a flapper's legs while dancing.

[Jackpine Radical]

18. SW, DR--Hey, it's Old Home Week around here.

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya:
to both.

[scarletwoman]

28. More like Old Home Half Hour...

I only disengaged my Cloaking Device long enough to post one comment on your thread. I'm glad you saw it. :*

Back to lurking...

:loveya:
sw

[scarletwoman]

30. No easy road...

"Jimmy Legs" or not.

I've lost all faith in our sorry excuse for a political system. All I want now is to quietly live out what remains of my time on earth surviving as best I can with my family held close.

Always a joy to see you pop up here, DR.

:loveya:
sw

[bobbolink]

24. Surely, now that we have a label for it, there is a clinic to go to?

I'm too tired for the revolution it would take..

:hi:

[scarletwoman]

29. If not a clinic, maybe a new "Reality" show?

:hi:

[spanone]

13. hehehehe

[Desertrose]

14. I don't consider this a "problem".....

not at all...except we don't have it.

:hi::loveya:
DR

[zbdent]

17. problem is ...

The Repukes have pretty much been dealt deathblows before ...

Hoover's Depression ...

Nixon's involvement in Watergate ...

Of course, they've come back from the dead more than Freddy Krueger ... but since the 90s, they've had the "liberal media" there with the ambulance and the miracle worker surgeons ...

[boston bean]

21. It's against the rules on DU to call out other posters by name

even if it is yourself you are calling out.

It is also against the rules to remind members of the rules.

;-)

[miyazaki]

22. What kind of Greens? Maybe the kind i'm smokin' right now. n/t

[Ignis]

23. "Where do ya think ya are, YURP?"

I'd love a system where I'm to the right of anyone, for a change. :thumbsup:

[omega minimo]

25. The next "party" movement will be women and people of color tired of being thrown under the bus.

Mark my words. Ain't no teagagger BS.

[Jackpine Radical]

26. If I go in drag,

will they let me in?

[omega minimo]

27. They will lead, all people concerned about peace and social justice will be welcome

and glad they have a place to go. :thumbsup:

[Jackpine Radical]

31. I keep thinking that the anthem for my revolution is

"Bread and Roses."


As we go marching, marching

In the beauty of the day

A million darkened kitchens

A thousand mill lofts grey

Are touched with all the radiance

That a sudden sun discloses

For the people hear us singing

Bread and roses, bread and roses



As we go marching, marching

We battle too for men

For they are women¡¯s children

And we mother them again

Our lives shall not be sweetened

From birth until life closes

Hearts starve as well as bodies

Give us bread, but give us roses



As we go marching, marching

We bring the greater days

For the rising of the women

Means the rising of the race

No more the drudge and idler

Ten that toil where one reposes

But the sharing of life¡¯s glories

Bread and roses, bread and roses



Words by James Oppenheim (1912), music by John Denver

[omega minimo]

42. There it is

:toast:

[WeDidIt]

32. Help the Democrats DESTROY the Republicans

and I guarantee you will get your wish.

Make the Republicans become a modern day Federalist Party and the Democrats will split in two, with what;s left of the Republicans begrudgingly joining the Nelson faction while the Greens are assimilated into the Franken faction.

And just as was the case between the Jacksonians and the Adams factions, two new parties will emerge. My guess would be the "Democrat" label would go with the more conservative party, but I would join with whatever party ended up as the liberal party.

[Jackpine Radical]

33. Make it happen,and I will be with you.

[WeDidIt]

34. We're on the cusp of it happening already

IF the Democrats make gains, even small gains, in 2010, the GOP could die within four years.

Two cycles, dude. Two cycles where the Dems don't los=e a net seat in Congress or the Senate, and retain the white house, and the teabaggers will fucking define the bastards for all time.

After that, they will die as a party and the Democrats will be a permanent majority.

And just like the Democratic-Republicans of the early 19th century, they will split in two in a schism of epic proportions.

If you read history, the populist faction won out for decades and a more liberal Republican party ended up coming to power with the election of Lincoln.

I'm with you. YES WE CAN kill the Republicans and split the Dems!

[Cerridwen]

36. Exactly how much of a majority do we need?

I am dead serious. How much of a majority do we need to get democratic policies in place?

Is that majority comprised of big "D"s after their name or is there something else required of that majority?

[WeDidIt]

37. You're exactly 1.5 generations away

Yes, thirty years. And that's thirty years of fighting hard.

First, you need to extend the lead in the Senate in 2010 to 62 plus at least hold steady in the House (gains would be better).

Then you need to extend that Senate lead to 65 seats in 2012, and that's a much tougher order. Plus, you;ll have to add seats in the House yet again, while holding theWhite House.

Now, what that gets you is a bit more progressive legislation in the interim, but the big buy is to place the entire GOP into the teabagger nutburger classification. The Republicans could never ever survive this and wouls splinter into three or four parties, making the Dems the big deal with no real competition.

That's six years total, and we've got 24 more to go.

From there, the GOP would die as an entity within four years, The minor factions thus produced would assimilate into the Democratic Party over the next six years.

You're still 14 years away from a progressive majority.

Now, as soon as the assimilation begins, the progressives need to start flexing their muscles. After about four years of this, the conservatives in the party will get sick of it and the schism begins.

Ten years left an we're at the critical point.

At this point, the progressives can now start purging the party of the more conservative elements. Force these fuckers out into a second party that will begin taking hold in the omre conservative areas of the ocuntry. It'll be tough, but once it happens you can begin pushing legislation further to the left.

Four years left ot a progressive majority, but we're almost there.

Once a second party is formed, the left must paint this party in terms of the bad old days. Make them look sick and, specifically target members of the majority party demonstrating these tendencies. IT'll force the conservatives to jump ship to the new party and open up taking conservative seats into the majority party.

Finally, after thirty years, you will have 60 progressive Senators or more and a solid progressive majority in the House.

It's hard work, but realistically you are starting with no more than 1/3 of the House and ~30 Senators.

It can, however, be done.

[Cerridwen]

38. Please, look back through US history.

Look back to a time when we had Socialists and Communists and Populists and Progressives and other, "We, the People" type parties here in the US. It's true. We were not always just two parties.

Please look back. How did that play out? Why do you think it will happen any differently this time? Because we're "more informed?" Because we have the internet?

Why does history change at this point? Yeah, I'd love to see that happen. But why now, or in 1.5 generations as you've stated?

Sure, it can be done. It's a generational thing. But what makes *now* different from *then*?

[WeDidIt]

40. You really need to look back

We've always only had two VIABLE parties.

Since inception, that's always been it with an exception during the interim between the Federalists dying and the Democratic-Republicans going through the Democratic vs. Whigs schism.

There have been third parties, yes, bit NONE OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE.

There can be only two, or one with two strong factions. And one with two strong factions will ALWAYS schism into two.

[Cerridwen]

41. Look, dammit look! Why "none of any significance"? Why?

Look. Pay attention.

Read our election laws. Read the history of our election laws. Look.

Dammit. Look!

[WeDidIt]

43. Why none of any significance?

It's simple.

The electoral college guarantees that at the highest level, only two parties will be viable due to the requirement of 50% +1 in the electoral college.

In order for the legislature to function with the executive at the federal level, this further limits the number of parties to two at that level.

From there, it trickles down to the bottom level of partisan politics.

So long as you have the electoral college, there can be only two. Until that single item is removed, you can never change that fact.

[Hugabear]

39. Keep painting Glenn Beck as the face of the GOP

The Tea Baggers love him, but anybody that I know of who has a pair of functioning brain cells can't stand that asshole.

[varelse]

35. I'll take the Greens :)