Dem base told: Fear Tea Party

[cal04]

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/117557-dem-base-told-fear-tea-party

(snip)

The passage of landmark bills such as healthcare and financial regulatory reform has not triggered as much grassroots enthusiasm as initially envisioned, Democratic strategists say. And while the right is engaged this cycle, the left is deflated.

“This is a big problem,” said Democratic targeting and turnout guru Hal Malchow.

So Democrats have turned to a strategy that may be their next best bet: demonization of the “insurgent” Tea Party.

“These are not your run-of-the-mill Republicans we’re talking about here,” said one Democratic organizer working in a state with a contested Senate race this fall. “When you actually start telling voters what these candidates are about, it scares the hell out of them.”

In the past several weeks, when Democratic activists cite the ramifications of a “Tea Party Congress,” they say, more volunteers have signed up to knock on doors to preserve a Democratic-led House and Senate.

[quaker bill]

1. There is more than one way to drive turnout

The truth about just who these tea party types are and where they will take us, if allowed, should bring many voters to the polls.

[tsuki]

3. Three weeks ago, I was despairing, but the Republicons voted

Rick Scott as their candidate for governor, and suddenly, there is a lot of interest in November.

[fasttense]

2. Who are these ignorant fools????

"The passage of landmark bills such as health care and financial regulatory reform has not triggered as much grassroots enthusiasm as initially envisioned, Democratic strategists say."

These are some of the most uninformed Democratic strategists on the face of the earth. Did they not even talk to a liberal or progressive when these watered down bills were being argued in congress? Where did they get the idea that since liberals hated it so much before it was passed, they would love it for its novelty after it was passed? Do they really think Democratic voters don't know the difference between real legislation and legislation that so massive and riddled with loop holes it is a CEO's wet dream?

There is very little grass roots enthusiasm because the major legislation that was passed is just so... RepubliCON.

I suspect these Democratic strategists thought all their voters were independent centrist.

[Nite Owl]

4. So true

These are the bills that dems don't like at all and the reason that they are so disenfranchised from The WH and Congress. Not what they were elected to do at all.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. +1

[CoffeeCat]

9. They can't get us to vote for them...

...based on the policies and the legislation they've passed. Everyone knows the healthcare bill
was written by the health-insurance industry, and now it's a mandate to purchase their junk policies
and Obama allowed this bill have no cost controls. So, we will be mandated to purchase insurance and
the health-insurance companies can charge whatever price they want.

Why WOULD we be excited about a healthcare reform bill that keeps the health-insurance companies (and profits)
at the epicenter of our healthcare industry????

They can't get us to vote for what they've done--because much of it wasn't Progressive. Corporations still
run the show.

So, they're using FEAR and GUILT. "You can't let the tea partiers take over!! How selfish are you???"

We've got nothing from an administration that ran on CHANGE, and we're supposed to feel guilty when
we have opinions about being disappointed and bamboozled?

I was very excited about Obama and his administration. I didn't expect overnight change. I didn't expect
a purely Progressive agenda. But I sure as hell didn't expect the status quo.

I didn't expect Robert Gibbs to throw us under the bus.

But I'm not supposed to have an opinion about that, right? I'm just supposed to shut up and vote.

[Qutzupalotl]

5. We tell the truth about them, and they think it's hell.

That is a winning strategy, surprisingly or not.

[CoffeeCat]

7. I am sick and tired of this being about "Democratic voters."

Please. We would have been enthusiastic to vote if Obama had lived up to his campaign promises.

I am deflated because I feel that every politician in this nation is corrupt and beholden
to corporate special interests. Interests that have a death grip on our nation's democracy.

Yes, we know the tea partiers are crazy clowns. Why is all of the responsibility on the citizens
of this country who have been repeatedly let down; while none of the responsibility is on the
politicians and our party leadership who have royally screwed our base?

We're supposed to pull the voting lever, like Pavolvian Dogs, without any incentive? After
we've been given a healthcare bill that was a mandate and a giveaway to corporations--with
no meaningful reform? We're supposed to be guilted into voting after Bush was never held
accountable by this administration, Habeas Corpus was NOT reinstated as Obama promised and
BP was allowed to dump unlimited Corexit into the Gulf without consequences?

The Republican base is whipped up and they're being listened to and catered to. That's why
they're excited.

Who, in this administration has whipped up, listened to or catered to the base of our party?

Gibbs had a few choice words for us. That's for sure. And that's supposed to make me run to the polls?

I'm looking at the facts, and I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter who is elected. Progressive
agendas will not pass if there is a Dem or a Republican in office. We are screwed either way. That's why
I feel, "why bother?". The corporate corruption is so entrenched in our government that it continues
on, as strong as ever, under a Democratic President who has majorities in the House and Senate.

I understand we're being courted now (and guilted) into voting. But you can't blame disenchanted Dems
for wondering if the political process really even matters. I'm an intelligent, thoughtful U.S citizen
who believed in Obama, voted for him and was one of his precinct captains. I was "all in." Don't
insult my intelligent by guilting me because our politicians, once again, have let us down.

If the politicians want us at the polls--do something worthy of our votes.

[MadHound]

8. Fear has become the driving force in electoral politics

The right is told to fear the godless, communist, socialist, left and the left is told to fear the dumb, fascist, religious fundy right. That way, by using fear politics, politicians from both sides can drive voters into their arms without actually having to do anything to earn their salaries, like passing legislation that is good for all the people, not just the select few.