How do we create change? By we, I mean the entire population

[MineralMan]

of this country, not DU. The answer is simple, but hard to manage.

How we do it is through the normal election process. It's the only thing that works. We can turn out 200,000 people in DC for just about any cause, whether it's a good one or not. That represents .06% of the population. 6/100 of one percent. That's effectively a useless action, as we've seen in the past.

What will bring change is a 60% majority in the next election, in 2012. A 60% majority at every level of government. That's impossible in some areas of the country, but it's just possible in enough of the country to change things completely. A 60% voting majority would give us a completely unstoppable majority in both houses of Congress, and would give us the White house. It would make the state legislatures of a majority of states Democratic as well.

Impossible? I don't think so. Difficult? Absolutely. What could generate that kind of majority in an election? Only one thing: Everyone on the Democratic side of the bell curve of political beliefs would have to agree to work together to convince about 10% of the right side of that same curve to vote with us. That's all. 10%. But, we can't do it if we refuse to work at it.

If we continue to bicker among ourselves over individual issues, instead of focusing on the common ground we all have, such a thing will be impossible. If we take the general core of Democratic beliefs and push for those, and rely on a Democratic supermajority to get all the things that affect primarily a small percentage done, we should be able to pull that 10% over to our side.

Right now, economic issues are central to public political opinion. Economic issues. And yet, we see people voting for politicians who will hurt the very same people with their policies. Why is that? It's because we didn't tell them that clearly enough or often enough. We didn't tell them that Democrats were the ones who were going to fix that stuff. We didn't tell them that the fix has already begun, and that it's coming, if we just stick to our guns. We didn't educate the very people we need to help us get that majority we need.

Part of the reason that happened is that small groups of us were focused on issues that affect us and getting pissed that those issues weren't being dealt with. We forgot that the Republicans will NEVER deal with those issues. We got so angry that many of us stayed away from the polls. We got so angry that we forgot that we needed not only everyone on our general side, but some from the other side as well.

Will we learn from this? I hope so, but I'm not confident of it. We may do just the opposite. We may fragment ourselves even further and let the liars of the right be the ones to influence those voters in the middle we need to make something happen. If we do that in 2012, we may never recover our strength, and that's the goal of the liars of the right. They love it. They want us to fragment.

So, it's up to us, I think. It's up to those of us who have voices, those of us who can put thoughts together and make sense. Will we do it? Well, I'll try as one person. I just hope that enough join in that battle to defeat the right. We'll know in a couple of years.

[Naturyl]

1. Same way it's always been done. Gandhi gave the best summary.

BE the change.

But that's hard, and involves personal sacrifice. Therefore most people find it icky.

For those who don't, a good place to start is withdrawing participation from the screwed-up system to the greatest extent possible. That's called "nonviolent resistance." But it means the possibility (probability, actually) of ramen noodles and macaroni instead of dining out. So we shouldn't hold our breath.

[MineralMan]

3. That worked in India in the middle of the last century.

India is not the United States. It won't work here. Sorry, but it won't work here. Conditions are not similar at all.

[Naturyl]

7. Yeah, definitely won't work. Totally outdated. Crazy, even.

That gets us off the hook and lets us enjoy the SUV guilt-free.

Gandhi was obviously just a man of his time with nothing lasting or universally important to say. We need new solutions in America, like continuing to produce and consume to our hearts' content while waiting for magical elves to fix everything.

Glad we clarified this.

[Klukie]

2. But if we are voting for politicians that are in the pocket of the corporations

(and yes many dems are) how will we create any substantial change? Don't you think we need to fix the financial corruption of the whole election process first in order to have representatives that will fight for our issues?

[MineralMan]

4. Uh, how were you planning to do that? The only way to do that

is through our national government. Right now, there's no chance whatever of that kind of change. It's a nice thought, but irrelevant, since those who must make the change are now profiting from the very thing they're supposed to change.

[Klukie]

8. Yeah..ultimately it will have to be through our national Gov.

but it needs to begin with a movement from the people. I am not quite sure of how that could happen but it is possible. If the nation could focus on one priority such as this...I believe we could effect change.

[sendero]

5. As any therapist will tell you..

.... first you have to really want to change. America doesn't want to change, yet.

Oh there is talk about change, but all that talk is just about going back to where we were, and that is not possible.

Real change only happens when a country, just as a person, hits rock bottom and realizes that it is change or else.

[handmade34]

6. just listening to "Ring of Fire"

with Chris Hedges ("The Death of the Liberal Class") and he maintains that elections are not the answer, but political activism is, i.e. civil disobedience and collective actions

[jwirr]

9. I agree with your post but I think we should add that change can

come from our own individual lifestyle changes & local change. 10 years ago hardly anyone was planting gardens in their backyards. Today I ride the bus around and am amazed at the number of gardens people are planting. That is just one example.

[DearAbby]

10. Cut the wrists of Corporations

they are our jailers, that means sacrifice. Stop purchasing from Corporations were possible. Starve the beast that binds us. Basically a National Strike. SHUT IT DOWN. Government who fears the people will govern for the people, not corporations.

[TheKentuckian]

11. Translation: Let the "sensible centrist" dictate and work to convince

others that dogshit is chocolate ice cream.

[EFerrari]

12. I'll never understand those that dismiss minority issues in the Democratic party

as "bickering" and other derisive descriptions. Especially when it's been shown over and over again that it is our coalition of minorities, our resolve to protect minorities that gets Democrats elected, as we've just seen in California and in Nevada.

When we run away from that ethic, we lose. It's pretty simple.

So those of you who believe you are the "we" that "make sense" might well consider what your condescension is doing to this party, besides losing elections. That "we" of yours is our worst enemy when it seeks to deride minority concerns in service of some epic battle against the right. "We" never win that way. "We" only drive away the very voters that make us us. It only creates bad feeling and disunity.

[stray cat]

13. who decides on the change?

[Klukie]

14. I do