"Where do we take it from here?"

[kentuck]

..."Rhinestone suits and big shiny cars - I don't think Hank done it this a way.." Waylon Jennings

Where does the Democratic Party go from here? Do we become a Party of taxcuts and trade treaties and investment incentives and smaller government or we do we think bigger?

Do we become a Party for business and Wall Street or do we become a Party for the people and Main Street?

Is it too late to turn back? Have we already made our bed?

Personally, I do not like the direction we are going.

Just my two cents.

[de novo]

1. We have two parties dedicated to big business and war. One is better on social

policies. That is about it.

[RKP5637]

2. Yeah, that's what I think too. Precisely! Agree 10000% n/t

[Ricochet21]

4. You got that right

that's why I'm 100% anti-republican
and 98% anti-democratic

It's just pathetic. And they're doing it right in front of our noses.

[RKP5637]

6. I have a lot of trouble getting very excited about anything the dems do anymore. I think

the opportunities we had were squandered, and I look at the next 2 years as probably an absolute F'en mess.

[kentuck]

7. opportunities squandered?

I think a lot of folks are heartsick with that very thought. It was like our leaders were living in another universe? Perhaps they were?

[RKP5637]

8. I really fear what 2012 might bring. I don't think the job situation is going to

be remarkably improved over the next 2 years. IMO we are in a crisis and what I see is more and more propping up of corporate welfare and trickle down economics that we all know does not work.

I feel like we're still living with Reaganomics. I think we would be better off if Bernanke's $650B he's printing up in the back room was used to give a huge jump start on rebuilding the infrastructure, for one example. I think we are in dire need of public works programs.

I guess what I feel is too much business as usual as the over paid, over bloated, over benefited politicians prance around flapping their gums.

If the job situation has not improved for the majority of Americans by 2012, I'm concerned there will be a R landslide and then this country will be in such a mess the great depression would have looked better to many Americans. I feel like we're riding on a huge bubble that's about to burst. I think our pilings are on quicksand.

[SoCalDem]

3. I think we are cooked

:(

The only people who have power to change things are the ones who got elected doing it the "old way" & the ones who want to change it, ...well they got voted OUT & have NO power..

Until we totally take money OUT of campaigns & go to public financing, we will never get decent politicians, because incumbency/lobbying makes it all but impossible for an "ordinary" person with great ideas, to ever have much success at campaigning for & winning elections.

Fatcats always side with each other..no matter the party.

We are always left pressing our noses to the window & wishing we could "go inside"..

[Cleita]

5. Instant run off voting will bring the Dems back to their

roots once they have to compete with Greens and other Democratic Party offshoots for votes in elections. I too am disillusioned with the DLC take over of our Party.

[RKP5637]

10. IMO the DLC has destroyed the dem party. It's absolutely the wrong strategy. What is

needed now is an FDR/LBJ type strategy. The dems need to strongly differentiate themselves from the Rs. One way to do this is to get back to supporting the needs of the majority of the country. As another poster said and I strongly agree, as long we we have money, zillions of dollars in these campaigns only a fool would think the best will rise to the top. The monied will basically stick together despite which party they belong to... The whole pack in DC is basically an old boys club. And SCOTUS is also part of the problem with the corporate money they allow to flow into this mess. DC has no interest in the needs of the country.

[pgodbold]

9. Hank sure as hell didn't do it this a way! nt