I tire of the argument that the left are the ones that do all/the most work for the party.

[LoZoccolo]

Even so, the ones I've met who do the actual work usually understand politics enough to know that it takes more than spending their time butthurt in failtown to get what they want.

Witness: my "what are you doing" threads sink like rocks.

Witness: I've met very few DUers at any real-life thing*, and very few real-lifers go on DU.

*As an exception (and there are exceptions), one activist who I've met here is actually extremely active, more so than I'll ever be, but he's had a few posts where he's challenged conventional DU opinion from his political experience that have been swarmed with ankle-biters who haven't nearly paid their dues as much as he has.

[old mark]

1. The left is being used to make the "real" democratic positions more palatable

to the general public.
Pretty much as usual, really.....we served the same function in the '60's and '70's, at least till the draft was ended and "the PEOPLE" discovered disco.
rec.
mark

[Oregone]

2. booga booga booga

[leftstreet]

3. 'butthurt in failtown'

Nothing to add, just wanted to type that out

[Marr]

4. I'll bet you do. n/t

[Fumesucker]

5. On the internet nobody knows you're a dog..

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. What makes you think that the left does, or should, owe any allegience to "the party"?

[LoZoccolo]

16. If you make it clear year after year that you don't have any, why bother with you?

And then why would you bother with complaining about it?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

19. Obviously, they don't care about the Left. But, they are quick to blame it for their failures.

i.e., you're frequent posts blaming Nader for Gore's failure to win enough votes to be president.

[LoZoccolo]

23. You say they don't care about you. You don't care about them.

And you're on Democratic Underground for what reason?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

25. It beats working for a living.

[DevonRex]

7. The farthest left folks on DU work for third parties. nt

[Lerkfish]

8. flamebait

[Fumesucker]

10. A certain poster has only two modes.. flamebait and rah rah..

Figuring out who I'm talking about is left as an exercise for the reader..

[Fumesucker]

11. Dupe.. Self delete

[upi402]

9. 'panties in a bunch' alert n/t

[walldude]

12. LMFAO.. Dude.. your "what are you doing" threads sink like rocks

because you have positioned yourself as the "opponent". Whether or not you believe the crap you post makes no difference, maybe you don't see it, but I think it's safe to say that a huge portion of DU considers you a troll, and when they see your threads they either go in to have a bit of fun at your expense or ignore them completely. And if you don't understand why well take a look at what you just posted.

You managed to insult anyone who does not conform to your idea of what an "activist" should be. You admit you have no idea what people are like in the real world yet you manage to insult them in the same goddamn sentence. Your rampant ego is laughable.

You want to know what I am tired of? Vapid little hacks who have no fucking clue but still try to tell everyone how things should be.

[LoZoccolo]

17. Not really.

I'm usually encouraging people to share what they're doing to let other people know about ways they can participate. If there is one where I posted it solely to confront people, feel free to point it out.

[RaleighNCDUer]

29. ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7878672

[LoZoccolo]

35. I don't think that was the type of thread they were referring to. n/t

[walldude]

43. I did point it out.. this thread is one.

And I'm not going to waste my time searching other threads of yours, you and I both know what's in them.

And if you think the people on DU are the ones who need to learn "ways to participate" then you have spent years here and learned nothing.

[LoZoccolo]

44. Lame. n/t

[Toasterlad]

40. +1

[Sebastian Doyle]

13. I've met very few DUers at any real-life thing*, and very few real-lifers go on DU.

...is a shit statement.

[saracat]

14. Every DUer, except for one, that I have met in real life works their butt off.

Even those I do not agree with. I know I do ,and have for over thirty years. Things are changing though. Many folks I talk to are burnt out and exteremely disappointed with what they have gotten for their years of efforts.

[LoZoccolo]

18. Think about what you just said in the subject. n/t

[saracat]

30. 'Burnt out" ? From working? Most of us are still working for issues

and candidates we believe in. But we are disgusted, tired and burnt out. for many of us cutting back is a million times more than those who accuse us of slacking are doing. I have one friend who has "reduced herself" to only working on her husband's reelection campaign and electing pro-choice Democratic women and training candidates. That is cutting back for her. My husband isn't running this year but we are working on congressional races and a gubernatorial race. We are "cutting back' as well.

[county worker]

15. So far this year I have been to two training sessions for political activism and when I mention DU

no one there has heard of it. These are hard core activists too,

[LoZoccolo]

20. Yep. There's a guy I know in Chicago who's set up a lot of infrastructure for participation...

...including a web site that's basically the go-to to find out what's going on for the Democrats in this area, and regular meetings, a real solid guy, and I don't think he has an account here and rarely gets on.

I don't mean to bash DU, it's a good resource (especially in helping to refocus attention on news stories that get neglected in the mainstream media, or point out substantive editorials), but there are people here who make a sport out of complaining on the Internet, and see it as the only thing they need to do to affect change.

[county worker]

27. I understand and it gets to me. That's why this year I decided to join some activists.

There are a few ideas that if you mention them here you are considered a wing nut. One of them is to take responsibility for your situation. Not that you caused everything that's happened to you or is going to happen to you but that you have played or are going to play a role in it.

The Repubs cannot out vote us if we all vote but it could be like 1994 and I remember the morning after the election well.

The Repubs will come out with something a kin to the contract on America and it will take away votes from us. But we could counter that by getting out the vote now and make sure it is for real.

I realize that a lot of people here are disappointed that the change they voted for hasn't happened. I'm one of them but I know that what we have now is better than having the right in charge again.

"So we all should get off your asses, be positive and go to work for change!" Just think about the civil rights demonstrators especially the sit ins and the bus ins. They faced death for change. We don't have to go that far.

[The Straight Story]

21. We did our job, we got off our butts and elected dems - it is their turn to do their job (nt)

[saracat]

31. True

[Bluebear]

22. Your "what are you doing" threads are arrogant and presumptive.

[LoZoccolo]

24. Which ones? n/t

[Bluebear]

26. Nobody here is accountable to you to tell you what their activities are.

[LoZoccolo]

33. Like where did I do that?

C'mon, you love using my own threads against me. You kick them all the time!

[NashVegas]

28. You Know What? You're Right - Unless You Consider Voting to = Work

[spoony]

32. Your evidence is that no one wants to hang out with you?

I'm afraid that might not have much to do with politics.

[LoZoccolo]

34. ?

[mmonk]

36. I've been working all of the elections this decade from the precinct up.

This will be the first one I'm breaking from but I will still be donating, just not my time (that may change as I want Burr out of office really bad). I'm going to fight some other political battles this year.

[depakid]

37. I tire of loser Republican enablers who blow it for us every single time we work out butts off

They're worse that the Republicans themselves.

[Echo In Light]

38. Bitching about "the left" at DU?

[Toasterlad]

39. I Must Have Missed You At the Equality March In October.

Where on the mall did you end up?

[LaydeeBug]

41. The "what are you doing" threads sink like rocks partially because we no likey the stalkers. nt

[LoZoccolo]

42. I think that's a legitimate concern.

But it's really the first time I've seen anyone post it, and I've been doing them since 2004. Thank you for sharing that though; I should think about that some more.

[Number23]

45. I hope this isn't a callout but JackBeck is one poster here that I would consider a genuine activist

Just about every single one of his posts (that I've seen) is a request or an announcement for work, for activism and for action. He is no joke and is definitely someone I would want fighting on my side. There is no question he is about the business of getting sh*t done and isn't about the whining or the whiners.