Why is our Democratic leadership so spineless?

[edsmeal]

It seems to me like the Republicans are more powerful when in the minority, and when they are in the majority, even if they don't have the Senate, than the Democrats are.

I was amazed at how much Bush was able to get through even after losing the popular vote.

I really believe that had Al Gore been decleared the "winner" in 2000 the way Bush was that the Republicans would have kept him from taking office. THey would have mounted all kinds of challenges keeping the electors from being certifified. As Democrats other than a couple of members of the Congressional black caucus, we just tolled over and let Bush take office. All it would have took to create an obstacle to Bush taking office is if ONE member of the U.S. Senate had stood up and challenged the result. We just tolled over.

Does anyone think the GOP Senators would not have stood up to keep GOre from taking office that day?

THis is the case with most issues. Of course the big reason is that Republicans are willing to walk in lockstep with each other. Democrats always have these conservative Dems from Republican areas who are afraid to go against thier districts.

I will always be a Democrat but I am tired of our whimpy leadership.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[Exilednight]

2. The head of the Democratic party sets the tone.

Obama talked a tough game, but sadly is was nothing more than talk.

[Name removed]

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[TexasProgresive]

3. The elected Dems suffer from "Orthostatic intolerance"

The ones who don't like Grayson; well we let them get voted out. It takes a strong progressive GOTV to keep a vocal progressive in office.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=222x99419

[krawhitham]

4. Because they can not rely on their base to support them

look at this place, we eat our own all the time. No wonder they are skittish

[barbiegeek]

5. YOU ARE RIGHT!! +1000000000000000

[jonnyblitz]

14. HE IS WRONG! -1000000000000000

[barbiegeek]

15. Have you read the Dem & Obama bashing on here & his OP?

[treestar]

8. AMen! In fact they get a lot of crap from their base

Ridiculous name calling, calling them cowards, constant complaints and nothing done is ever good enough!

[jonnyblitz]

13. the spinelessness came BEFORE the lack of support and

besides, we are constantly told that those of us who criticize him are NOT his base and that his poll numbers are always high for those who support him. :shrug:

[QC]

6. There's a lot more money in it.

Just try to run a campaign without corporate bribes donations.

[treestar]

7. They are not spineless

They are herding cats.

Republicans are more homogenous.

Bush had 911 to use.

Simple as that.

I'm sick of our leaders being called cowards. What does bravery have to do with any of it? They have to work on some consensus. They don't get lockstep support that mindless Republicans give their leaders.

[TheKentuckian]

9. They aren't spineless, they are collaborators and principle executors of the corporate rule agenda

Republicans campaign for it and Democrats put it into action while pretending to work for the people.

Republicans subvert mostly through abuse, misuse, or ignoring the bureaucracy and the Democrats get or roll over to allow subversion through legislation.

[bigwillq]

11. Hello.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[jeanpalmer]

12. Because they don't believe in anything

except their own reelection. Plus they bought into Reagan's line of bullshit, and still believe it. They haven't caught on yet. Obama is the prime example, still studying up on Reagan. He obviously doesn't understand, is two decades behind the times.

[craigmatic]

16. They aren't spineless they're owned by the same corporations as the repubs.

That's why they supported liberal positions when they knew they had no chance of winning yet when they could win they sat on their hands.

[Name removed]

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[ShadowLiberal]

18. Because democrats don't have one issue fanatics in their coalition to push them around

I think part of the problem is who our party's supporter's are. Lets face it, the GOP has far more radical extremists who basically view one set of issues as a religious war against the other side where any compromise is treason. I mean off the top of my head, here's all the types of single issue GOP voters.

-Antiabortion zealots
-Antigay & Antiabortion religious right zealots
-Antitax zealots
-Pro-Gun zealots
-National Security/pro-war zealots
-Anti-immigrant zealots

Now name one issue voters democrats have on their side.

Pro-Abortion supporters? There's some, but there's a lot more republican antiabortion zealots.

Gay rights? I'm sure a lot of gays are democrats from how the GOP villainizes them, but anti-gay bigots are more accepted by the GOP then gay rights supporters are in the democratic party (otherwise a lot more democrats would openly support gay marriage).

Ever hear a 'raise my taxes' one issue voter? I sure haven't, you only hear idiots in the media talk about cutting government spending, not too much about people supporting higher taxes, let alone basing their vote entirely on wanting higher taxes.

There's a lot of people against guns, but even big prominent supporters of more restrictions/regulation on guns admit there's no voters who vote are anti-gun and base their votes just on guns, it's only the other side that does.

While there's lots of national security/pro-war zealot voters, there's not as many people on the other side who base their votes entirely on protecting the civil rights government/right wingers want to take away in the name of national security. And while there may have been a lot more anti-war voters at one point, in 2006, from the Iraq War, you don't hear about them anymore, because that's just not an issue a lot of people base their votes on today.

Immigration is probably the only single issue voter type that we may outnumber the GOP on, simply because of Hispanics & other immigrants persecuted by the GOP vote against them in retaliation. But at the same time, the GOP wins out short term on immigration because a majority of voters, while not voting solely on immigration, side with them on this issue.

[flpoljunkie]

19. Karen Finney noted Friday that the R's are understanding what's it like to have a 'big tent' party

with the machinations of the 'Tea Party.'

[MisterP]

20. they're more than willing to stand up

to the majority when it comes to tax breaks for the rich, war, healthcare rather than selling us out to mandated insurance, kowtowing to the demented and cartel-friendly NRA, letting DOJ and Wall Street crooks walk, supporting tyrants over mass movements...