How far left do we need to go?

[Common Sense Party]

In order to prevent significant Democratic losses in November, in order to make sure President Obama has a second successful term, in order to accomplish all the progressive goals that we fought for back in 2008...

1). What are the THREE top priorities where Congress and the administration need to focus their energy this year?

2). How far to the left should they go? In order to truly help Americans and not be a watered down, feckless version of the GOP, what are the no compromise positions we MUST demand on those three issues?

3). What do we do when our elected officials wimp out, prevaricate, and go spineless on these positions on these top issues?

[Common Sense Party]

1. Okay, unrecced and no answers...

No one wants to focus on strategy and solutions?

[XemaSab]

2. I'll float the top three issues:

Energy independence, universal health care, and the renewed cultivation of a manufacturing base.

I think in order to not be a watered down version of the GOP we need to set goals and timetables, even if they're informal.

I also think all our elected officials need to get on the damn bandwagon or face primary challenges. I think election reform would have to be part of the plan, or else our politicians would still be sucking the teats of their masters.

[xchrom]

3. I don't understand why you sa 'how far left'?

No one is asking for abolition of private property
for fucks sake.

Single payer.
, Medicare for all -- strong public option.

Real regulatory reform of the banksters, and wall street.

Stop throwing bones to those who have it all.

Not very 'left' if you ask me.

[Common Sense Party]

8. The criticism of Obama and the Senate so far is that they have been

far too moderate, too accomodating of the minority Pukes--that they're too far to the right still.

America voted for CHANGE in 2008, and that means moving left on the important issues.

Doesn't it?

[tblue]

4. 1) Financial re-reg, 2) Jobs/Public works 3) Prohibit pre-existing conditions

I've given up on a full blown health care system overhaul. I'll settle for some incremental changes made piecemeal if necessary, so long as they're meaningful.

[Marsala]

25. Prohibiting exclusion of pre-existing conditions alone would trigger a spiral of premium increases

People would go without insurance until they needed it, gaming the system, insurers would raise premiums, and soon nobody would be able to afford anything. The entire system as we know it would collapse.

On the other hand, maybe in order to save health care, we have to destroy it first...?

[tabatha]

5. I think they need to be aware that the media will not

stop with their crappy reporting --- like the Financial Times below(who bought it?) They should ignore it, and pass stuff that people can see with their own eyes and not rely on trash like this:

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama suggested he's open to Congress passing a scaled-back health-care bill, potentially sacrificing much of his signature policy initiative as chaos engulfed Capitol Hill Wednesday.
Associated Press

The president said that he would be open to a scaled-back plan.

Top Democrats said they would press ahead despite growing doubts among rank-and-file members that they can pass a bill they've been laboring over for nearly a year. A host of ideas offered in recent days have lost favor.

One day after losing their filibuster-proof Senate majority in a Massachusetts special election, exhausted Senate Democrats looked downtrodden as they filed into their weekly lunch in a second-floor room at the Capitol. "People are hysterical right now," said one Senate aide.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703405704575015571791474224.html?mod=rss_Today%27s_Most_Popular

[arcadian]

6. Lefter than Karl Marx's left nipple.

[Common Sense Party]

10. Specifically...?

[tango-tee]

35. Don't be so wishy-washy!

:thumbsup:

[Forkboy]

7. I'll give it a go, though I really should call it a night.

Alas, being bipolar means little sleeping. :)

Ok, I can really only speak for myself on these, but here's goes...

1). What are the THREE top priorities where Congress and the administration need to focus their energy this year?

Job creation x3 would be the easy answer, but two more would be equal rights and reining in Wall St excess (good luck on that one). Jobs will be the biggest panacea for the President's and the Dem's woes.

2). How far to the left should they go? In order to truly help Americans and not be a watered down, feckless version of the GOP, what are the no compromise positions we MUST demand on those three issues?

Equal rights is a gimme. It's just the right thing to do for me, end of story. If that's too far left for some we need to do it anyways. I'm a firm believer in the adage "It's better to die on your feet than live on your knees", and we need to get off our knees. Poeple tend to respect decisiveness, even when they don't agree.

On jobs I'm not so sure it's a matter of Left or Right (though supporting Unions is another Left Wing gimme if we want to take it). We need to reconnect with the blue collar workers. To do that we need solid Health Care reform and not Insurance Reform, and those jobs I mentioned.

3). What do we do when our elected officials wimp out, prevaricate, and go spineless on these positions on these top issues?

Primary them and get them out. That's all we can do.

[Common Sense Party]

11. Primary them...does that include the President?

What if he strays further down the path of centrism and incrementalism?

[Forkboy]

12. Yes, though I would certainly prefer that it doesn't come to that.

[KakistocracyHater]

9. past Ike straight to FDR

there is a winning how-to manual, both from fighting McCarthyism in the 1950s & getting the New Deal in the 1930s, just brush the dust off & use the very same slogans & ideas. Resonated then, & in "Campaign Mode".

[stevenleser]

13. See these links

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x137233

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x141563

[TheKentuckian]

14. Well...

1) Real regulation of the financial sector, jobs, renewable energy.

2) As far left as it takes to work for the people. Put people first in policy and let it work its self out along the spectrum.

3) Hardball dirty tactics to instill fear/throw the bums out

[Clio the Leo]

15. Unemployment is the great bipartisan issue....

... but it will be fun watching the Republicans fight it anyway.

[LWolf]

16. Far enough to move the center

back to the center.

Top priorities?

1. End the "war on terror" and pour those resources in to a WPA type program to put the nation back to work.

2. Universal, single-payer, not-for-profit health care.

3. Fire Arne Duncan, get rid of "Race To The Top," put a real educator in as Sec. of Ed., and reverse course away from the current privatization and union-busting destruction of public education to focus on supporting authentic education reform, requested by actual educators.

[krabigirl]

20. +1

[Overseas]

30. +1

[salguine]

17. Don't think about it in terms of where you sit on a graph. "How far left" doesn't

matter.

Create Jobs. Stop Wars. Regulate Wall Street. Help people. Etc.

People need to see THAT, not where your positions fall on a chart.

[harun]

18. Health Care Reform, End Cuban Embargo, Reduce Military Spending

2) In terms of HCR we must demand there to be no mandate with a PO.

3) Run for office our selves next election cycle.

[Common Sense Party]

19. You think ending the Cuban embargo is one of the top 3 priorities

for the nation at this time?

I don't think so.

[harun]

21. You didn't ask about the priorities of the nation.

[Common Sense Party]

22. I thought I had.

[harun]

27. Different questions

The question of "the top priorities of the nation?" is not the same question as "how far left do we need to go to prevent huge dem losses in Congress?".

So far Congress and Obama have done nothing I would consider "left" politically except a bit of the credit card reform bill going in to effect in Feb.

So for me to give a shit in any way about their re-election I need them to show me they are even capable of ANY progress in terms of leftist politics. Ending the Cuban Embargo would take care of that nicely. It would also show the pukes there is a new boss in town and this boss is bringing change. Most pukes still think they run the place.

For the country the top priorities are: Health Care Reform, Jobs and the National Debt. All three of those have impact on the economy and influence each other. For Congress their primary concern is getting re-elected and those three items don't mean that much to them. They have good Health Insurance, they have a good job and decreasing the debt directly hurts their ability to get re-elected because it means they have to sacrifice money they want to spend on programs their constituents want.

Congress's Priorities != Nations Priorities.

[Common Sense Party]

28. You're the first person I've ever seen on DU talk about the national debt.

Other than lip service about cutting Pentagon spending, that is.

I was beginning to think I was the only one who thinks it one of our biggest priorities.

[inthebrain]

23. YOu need the radical left

It takes a Marxist to take on the Radical Right. Centtrists, liberals and moderate conservatives are not cut out for this. You need the right tools for the job and a Marxist is it. At least he understands what these people are doing and knows how to fight it effectivly.

[treestar]

24. They can be "courageous" and demand things that will never pass

Nothing will pass Congress, the media will excoriate Obama, but you will at least admit to his "courage" in sticking by his guns?

He should go so far left as to demand the banks be nationalized, demand single payer and veto anything less. It will not pass. But at least that would be "gutsy" so you will praise him for that.

Swing voters may even think he is nuts and vote for Rs. but that's OK, it's better to have "courage" than be practical or actually try to help anyone.

[TheKentuckian]

26. Well, the beg for crumbs/be a bump on a log plan ain't going that well either

I've never seen such an odd mix of tent folding and passion in one package before.

Playing not to lose ain't gonna cut, its the surest path to losing here. I don't think we could have gained independence from the Brits or defeated the Axis powers with this kind of thinking and risk aversion.

[quantass]

29. Start ACTING Left

They are WAAAAYYYY right

[Dream Detector 2010]

31. All the way baby!

Go go go!

[ibegurpard]

32. enough of this "left" nonsense

we need to push policy that benefits PEOPLE and INDIVIDUALS before it benefits corporate bottom lines.

[winyanstaz]

33. We need to go at least so far left that we will be all the way......

back to at lest the middle of the political spectrum. Right now we are so far right I can almost hear the boots and tanks coming down the street at night.

[Juche]

34. My view

1. Job creation. Standing up to the plutocrats in wall street and the health care industry. Rebuilding the middle class and fighting middle class insecurity.

2. As far as they need to. No compromise positions include making it easier to unionize, changing the tax code to make it more progressive, a meaningful job creation program, breaking up the influence of corporations. It'll never happen, but that is what I think needs to be done. Democrats are too wimpy and corporations have too much power for that to happen overnight.

3. I know we are supposed to be 'democrats first', but on 538 there is a very good chance Reid will lose his seat. Personally I'm all for that. I would rather have a majority minus Reid than a majority with Reid. The reason is that hopefully it'll intimidate other politicians into getting their act together.

So when they wimp out, doing something like calling or writing letters doesn't seem to matter. Primaries from the left is a good idea, but not perfect.

Either way, I do hope Reid loses in 2010. Having 55 senators & Reid is worse than having 54 and no Reid. I'd take 54 with Whitehouse or Sanders as majority leader. I think they pick majority leader by seniority, not competence or talent though. So I have no idea who is next in line. Sadly it might be Conrad or someone like him.