"The Democrat's only hope is to understand that their real enemy is not the Republican party,

[MadHound]

But their own imaginations."

This quote came at the end of scathing, accurate and constructive critique of Democratic leaders and Democratic politics that I heard yesterday on the program "This America Life" with Ira Glass.

What the point of this piece is is the same point many of us have been trying to make for a long while around here, that there is, for a political team that was so sharp in '08, an incredible laxness in '10, and moreover the Democratic party seems unwilling or unable to fight. One of the guests, Paul Begala, makes this point rather well. It is a piece telling the party what they can do, what they should do. Let's hope the party listens.

The name of the piece is "This party sucks!" You can download a podcast or listen streaming. The first forty minutes explores the roots and implosion of a Tea Party group, amusing in and of itself. But it is the last twenty minutes of the show which are where the best thoughts are. Enjoy.

<http://www.thisamericanlife.org/>

[stray cat]

1. especially since the GOP is about to become a hell of alot larger obstacle!

Numbers and votes also matter - Kucinich hasn't been able to change the politics

[Demoiselle]

2. Yeah, I heard it too. An excellent essay.

It was deeply critical, and pretty damn accurate, and the most amazing thing to me was that it sounded like a lament from inside the party...from Democratic partisans. And because it sounded so sad about the party's troubles, I was surprised that NPR, in its good grey "non-partisan" blandness, ran it at all. It was sort of: "But we're the GOOD guys! How could this happen?!!"

I just cackled like the evil Democratic witch that I am over the implosion of the Teabagger group. None of them were exactly sharp tacks.

[MadHound]

3. This is much of the same discontent I've heard here and elsewhere

The Dems simply aren't willing to stand up and fight. Obama and the Dems want to be bipartisan, at a time when they control things. People elected them to DC to get things done, not to be bipartisan or some such sop.