As we find ourselves the minority party in the US House, what ought our over strategy be?

[Stinky The Clown]

Do you think we should play nice? Should we seek the compromise so many people with microphones seem to be telling everyone was the take from the last election?

Or should we go left and stand proud for what we stand for? Do disagree without being disagreeable or do we disagree hard? Do we obstruct? Do we put our leadership out there hammering away with a left wing message at every opportunity?

What do you think?

[Motown_Johnny]

1. we oppose everything the (R)s propose

to help give cover for the Senate not passing it

[jpak]

2. Bash Dems harder, stay at home and vote third party

all the cool things

[Stinky The Clown]

9. That was a stupid thing to say. Why did you say that?

Is that what YOU want to happen?

[jpak]

10. No - I'm just sick of seeing that kind of shit posted on DU day after day

and people defending it

yup

[Stinky The Clown]

12. DU is a *discussion* board.

What about the OP was counter to DU's purpose?

That was a serious question and I hope you'll share your answer.

If, on the other hand, your reply was related to your sensibilities . . . .

[jpak]

16. Bashing Dems, staying at home and voting third party are just fucking stupid

and will accomplish nothing

except to elect republicans

those are my sensibilities

yup

[Stinky The Clown]

18. No disagreement. Why did YOU bring that up in my thread as your first reaction?

You seem to be going in circles and seem to be avoiding my question.

[jpak]

19. Your question was about strategy and my answer was

bashing Dems, staying at home and voting third party was a fucking stupid strategy.

...and if Dems are going to develop a rational strategy regain a majority in the House and Senate, then they should stop acting like fucking fools.

yup

[Stinky The Clown]

21. My question was specifically about our strategy in the US House

Your reply was far broader and seemed designed to it at what YOU see as people who YOU think hate Obama.

At least that's how I interpreted it. Am I wrong? Cuz for sure your initial reply never went *near* the question in the OP.

[jpak]

22. You were wrong

yup

[Stinky The Clown]

23. Okay, sure.

[scarletwoman]

25. I think you need this picture instead:

[scarletwoman]

24. "yup" yourself. Asking about the best strategy for *elected* Dem House members has nothing to do

with "bashing", OR voting -- third party or not.

It's a question about the reality on the ground in the House of Representatives, where Dems will no longer be the majority.

[Stinky The Clown]

29. The nature of that reply implies the motivation, which overshadows benefit for protection

Not your reply. The one about which you commented.

[peace frog]

3. Never give up, never surrender

[Proud Liberal Dem]

7. LOL

Love that movie! :hi:

[OHdem10]

4. First stand Tall and Proud. When it is a matter of principle,

if we have to fight just as hard as the other side.
Our beliefs are just as good as the Republicans,
I would say real Liberals have the better case.
Even Bill O'Reily has said the Liberal argument
is the better argument--too bad they will not
even make the argument much less fight for it.
When an Independent who leans Right makes that
judgement, it says something.

[Selatius]

5. We should try to run better candidates in tough districts.

If a liberal cannot win in a certain district that leans too red, we should run something at least left wing, such as an economic populist. Economic populists were once quite popular in the rural areas of the country. They championed farm programs, attacked unfair business practices and monopolies, and made the rich pay for the welfare of the poor. Maybe they wouldn't be socially liberal, but they could at least be left wing on social programs and economic policy. It's why people in Louisiana still remember Huey Long, despite voting for that prick David Vitter.

The New Deal Coalition was unified on economic policy back in the day, but there were divisions there, real ones, that always threatened to collapse the coalition, such as certain members' position on race equality in America, yet the Coalition lasted as long as it did because not only did it provide measurable results to its constituents as far as standard of living goes, it also ushered in an era of unprecedented economic growth that lasted until the 1970s because of those policies. Incidentally, the Coalition shattered apart by the 1970s, and the policies that girded the economy up until that time fell under attack. By 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected.

If you want to lose quickly in red areas of the country, keep running Democrats who act like Republicans, and pretty soon the voters in these districts will go back to voting for Republicans because they don't know the difference between the two anymore because these right wing Democrats will surely block or sink progressive legislation when it comes time to stand up and be counted for or against a certain bill.

[OHdem10]

8. I hope the Blue Dogs got the Message. If you want the Democratic

Base to come out and vote for you in these so called tough
districts--it is not smart to insult them by acting like
a Republican and Diss Obama and Pelosi. There wereBlue
Dogs who according to the Republicans who should have
one. The outside groups did not target them. Conference
on C-Span. They were surprised their "friends" lost.
Blue dogs who vote with the Republican Party.

[Telly Savalas]

11. Is the left getting the message?

If you don't like Blue Dogs, then you need to field candidates that can beat them in primaries and the general elections.

Bitching and moaning about Blue Dogs isn't going to get them to change their behavior. Social change is a DIY process.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. So Blue Dog Dems are not part of "The Left?"

I always kinda thought Dem = Left, repub = Right.

Is there a third way that is either not Dem or antiDem?

[bluestate10]

33. YES!

I am a moderate democrat. I value wise fiscal policy. I am not a misty eyed person that feel everyone will respond to be given a helping hand and become contributing members of society. But as a democrat, one of my base principles is that government must at least make a well throughout attempt to help the unfortunate. Help should be temporary and come with checks and balances, but it should be help no the less.

As a moderate democrat, I am insulted that you think that I am not a vital part of the party. I am hurting because of Tuesday, every candidate that I contributed money to lost, except one. I contributed a huge amount. I want you to understand there is a third way, and solid democratic moderates must be a part of that way. Because we and solid, loyal democrats, we are ones that have no other place to go. If you insist that a progressive approach is the only way for democrats to come back, I say you are practicing self deception. I am ok with letting people like Ben Nelson go down to defeat, once he is gone, we would have a chance of getting a solid, moderate democrat elected Senator from Nebraska. But don't dismiss moderate like me, because after all, it was moderates like me who stood tall against the republican wave and kept Massachusetts deep blue on Tuesday. Believe me, that was not easy.

My suggestion on policy by democrats is that we fight for tax cuts. BUT. We fight for tax breaks that deliver tax equity to states. If we win that battle, blue states like California, New York and Illinois wipe out their budget deficits within two years and begin to run big surpluses that they can partially use to fund local business development and local social programs. The state tax equity effort will force republicans into a position where they have to fight AGAINST tax cuts. The reason being that every single red state pays far less in taxes than they get back, the most egregious examples are New Mexico and Mississippi, that get two times back more than they pay.

[Stinky The Clown]

17. While my OP was about "now" as opposed to "future," you're absolutely right about the types of . . .

. . . . candidates we might be wise to run in the former blue dog districts. I agree with you that we *can* win there and we can win with actual Democrats. They won't be far lefties, but they will be inclined to uphold our basic principles and not be obstructionists. On some selected votes, I am sure we can allow them to vote "their conscience" to show the people back home they represent them.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

6. Any efforts made by President Obama and the Democrats in Congress to "work with the Republicans"

need to be reciprocal and equivalent to the efforts of Republicans to work with them IMHO, which probably should be focused on finding areas of agreement on economic issues with moderate/non-teabagger Republicans (if there are any left). If Republicans decide to try to ram through an extremist teabagger agenda, try to repeal good defensible stuff already in place, and/or attempt to bring Obama down through a series of frivolous *investigations*, then our leadership definitely needs to stand up to them and obstruct using every means possible (and tell people that the Republicans are not doing what they were supposedly elected to do and tell them what the we think needs to be done).

One thing that I believe needs to be done, at least for the long-term is to develop a perpetual progressive "campaign" infrastructure that keeps our people on our side active and engaged in the political process on-year and off-year. One of the things that the Republicans are good at that we need to consider emulating IMHO is that they remain active and engaged in the political process at all time- in constant "campaign" mode. Whether they win or lose elections (but especially when they lose), they continuously maintain and/or increase their political activism. We never see them stop fighting for what they want even when they have the WH, Congress, and a working *majority* on SCOTUS and we shouldn't rest on our laurels either whenever we gain power.

[Stinky The Clown]

20. Your second paragraph could be an OP on its own merits

The fact is, the repubs *are* better than we are at messaging.

There we are, making intellectual arguments with nuance. There they are, with bumper sticker slogans that work.

That's overly simplistic, to be sure, but it sorta sums it up.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

27. Thanks!

I might do an OP about it sometime soon. :hi:

[Lil Missy]

13. We should support what Pelosi decides. n/t

[bemildred]

15. Embrace the progressive base.

Go back to the 50 state strategy, run from the left like in 2006 and 2008.

[TheKentuckian]

26. Mission #1 is to eradicate those who agree with Republicans economically

and to absolutely hobble any Republican legislative efforts that are based on their failed economic ideology.

If you believe in trickle down, free trade, are anti-regulation, and funneling resources to the wealthy we don't need you in a single district across the nation.

How we are supposed to fix the vexing problems using the same underlying ideology that created them is beyond me.

No more mealy mouthed, weak kneed, compromising behavior. There is no reward in it.

[datasuspect]

28. business as usual:

eat awesome free food, cash lobbyist checks, lift our legs from the snivelling fetal position when the repubs start kicking. you know, routine.

[bluestate10]

30. Senators and Congress People left are blue staters.

I vote for starting with state federal tax equity. Blue states have long supported red states economies. Our leaders must have the courage to stop that insanity. If republicans want tax cuts, our side must propose that tax cuts happen so that no state but California get back less than $0.90 per dollar paid in taxes. The change will put billions into the budgets of states like California, Illinois, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio. Senators like Ben Nelson will be sacrificed, but democrats can't count on him in a fight anyway, so why save him. State tax equity will place the burden of supporting their economies squarely on red staters. Blue staters will ultimately get REAL tax cuts after their rainy day funds are filled to brimming and their social services have been funded properly. Red staters will pay more REAL taxes and realize the insanity of their voting patterns at the same time.

Mr. President. It is time for you to buck up and bring a fight to republicans. The Senate and Congress is largely a blue state collection. Even North Carolina will benefit massively and likely become more blue. If you do not get tough, expect to loose in 2012 and take key blue states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Washington with you. To hell with Nebraska and Ben Nelson, we will get democrats there once voters in that state realize how bad they screw themselves with their votes.

[polichick]

31. We clearly and boldly stand up for progressive policies...

...with no double-talk - and using ALL the tools in the toolbox. Otherwise we'll lose even bigger in 2012.

[Rex]

32. Well since we still own the Senate and WH, I would say tell the Rs

to shove their filibusters up their asses! I say we don't give them ONE DAM THING! We push through progressive legislation and have the Senate complain about lack of bills being passed by the Scrooge Repukers (as we obstruct everything they do in the House) so they can let more people stave this winter. Gas prices? GOPs fault. Food prices gone up? GOPs fault. Global Warming? GOP. Oil in the Gulf still? Yep, GOP too. As a matter of fact...WHERE ARE THE JOBS MISTER SPEAKER!!?!?!


Hey Boonneeerrrr! They took ma jeeb, fooken get me a new one you limp noodle! Booooooonnneerrr! Fuck them, fuck them often and screw the bastards over every which way since Sunday! Make them suffer for victory and learn to live with defeat, everyday!