Thirty years of incredible Democratic stupidity

[Cyrano]

More than 30 years ago, the Republicans began building a communications/propaganda machine that would be the envy of every tyrant, living and dead. Today, it’s called the Republican echo chamber.

They created “Think Tanks” such as The Heritage Foundation and The American Enterprise Institute, among others. These “Think Tanks,” are actually propaganda factories that provide endless talking heads for the Sunday Morning “news” shows and the 24/hr sewer (with few exceptions) of cable TV.

When Rush Limbaugh showed up on the scene, they bought up local radio stations to spread his message. And they then began searching the bottoms of dumpsters for others who could spread their gospel of hate. Do you really need the names of those they came up with?

Rupert Murdoch already owned many tabloids, but Fox "News” was his ultimate victory of partisan slime over whatever remnants of respectable journalism still existed.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party spent 30 years ignoring what they considered to be “meaningless crap.” They went on trying to convince the American public that liberalism/progressivism was for those who valued fairness and decency. By the time they noticed they'd been out maneuvered and screwed, they gave up their principles, moved to the “center,” and got mauled anyway.

This is basically how we got here. I doubt if we can turn things around and I'm damned if I have any answers as to what to do about it.

Any suggestions?

[RKP5637]

1. I don't have the answer, but what you said is an accurate assessment IMO. n/t

[blindpig]

2. It's not stupidity

it collusion.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. I agree.

In fact, I was going to post the same comment, except I was going to use the term "complicity."

[lob1]

5. Me too, except I use the words "partners in crime".

[DainBramaged]

4. Suggestions?

Leave the country for France. If Obama is defeated by the likes of Sarah Puke in 2012, I'm gone.

[RKP5637]

9. Exactly! This country would descend into the dark ages. Ths ignorance factor

in this country is growing each day.

[asdjrocky]

6. Sorry, wish I had suggestions.

We now have two parties with the same goal, keeping the ruling elite in power and the bankers in money.

I mean, what do we do? Call a Senator who is bought and paid for by corporations to tell them to say no to corporate rule? Oh wait, I know, we all get together and send 5 or 10 dollars to someone who says he will be different, that will make a change for sure.

The only way this will ever be fixed is if we fix how elections are paid for.

[RKP5637]

10. I would like to see how elections are paid for fixed, but I don't see how this

is going to come about. There is so much money and shenanigans now inbred into the process none is going to want to cut their money supply, and extremely powerful corporate interests are now in the money supply line thanks to SCOTUS.

And then on top of that one has to deal with the ignorance and gullibility of the masses now in this country. They fall for all of the propaganda fed to them. It's a F'en mess all the way around. I thought this was fixed in 2008 and I'm damn disappointed. I'm concerned 2012 on it going to be an incredible mess in this country.

[xchrom]

7. I would say they took the neo-liberal stand.

Much of that looks like progress on the surface
And is in fact the opposite.

It's kinda why you see the divisions here.

[JoseGaspar]

8. The Democratic Party leadership also spent 30 years ignoring...

...voter registration and the mobilizing of the New South. It saw everything in the South that came after Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton as "dangerous" and uncontrollable... just as the urban "political machines" saw poor people.

"Any suggestions?"

Sure... organize the other half (the dormant half) of the Class War. Forget about what can pass Congress, when, and all other such reasonable self-defeating thoughts and build the base in a way that has never been seen.

Forty percent of America is left entirely out of the two party "contest".

Too hard?

Well then, fogeddaaboudit...

[Cyrano]

11. Hi, JoseGaspar.

I can't disagree with what you say. And as is apparent from my original post, I don't have a clue as to how to go about fixing the issues you raise.

Writing to politicians, donating to them, standing on a street corner with a sign, or marching in protest have all proven to be useless symbols of frustration.

As I alluded to in my OP, perhaps we humans need to evolve more before any real change takes place. Then again, there's always the possibility we'll destroy ourselves and this planet before any further evolution can occur.

Sorry to sound so negative. Maybe I'm just in a state of depression. Or perhaps I've seen the future and have just totally given up. Hopefully, it's the former.

[JoseGaspar]

12. Hi Cyrano...

It is hard to be sane and NOT be negative. We are at the end of an era and all that seemed solid is melting into the air. On the other hand, I don't think that the issues are ones of evolution or biology. They are fundamentally political issues.... too long deferred. We must mobilize a fightback, and forget what we thought we knew in the process.

I was recently in Europe and their fightback has begun... mainly because they have no choice. American provincialism notwithstanding, they are victims of largely the very same things - from political parties that claim one thing and do another, to prosperity which taught different lessons than those currently being learned, to echo chamber media which repeats the same old slogans regardless of their divergence from reality. And yet, a very real fightback has begun, by people who are no better equipped to undertake it than here. There is no European magic, but there is a common cause.

We have to shake off the dust and learn how to fight all over again. We have to march and sing and organize and sit-down and get arrested and think the unthinkable... because the alternative is nonexistent.