When a republican wins in 2012, the gang will be all back together. Don't worry.

[Safetykitten]

There are some that are leaving here, and there is the much of the sorrow when they do. "Not many left." is the main thing. I suppose it is the people of the not many left that have left and are leaving, as compared to doughnuts. There was a group I guess that were a core that people felt comfortable with bashing the Bush.

Well, it will all be good again soon. The far left and the stagnant middle will meet again and join hands for the next two republican administrations coming to us soon. We will talk about the good times and the bad, but be united in our disapproval of the new republican retread that will be taking us back to the stone age. Oh yes, there will be the finger pointing, the swell speeches recaps, and the monday morning quarterbacking. The how could this have happened crowd will butt heads with the how it happened gang, but all will be forgiven as we unite again in our common stupid, moronic, they were dead in 2008, irrelevant, nobody is THAT stupid, people that just whipped our ass.

So it's all good. We will have the "not many left" back. Oh the fun we will have.

[MineralMan]

1. I have to unrec this.

I will not accept that Republican will win. That goes against every atom of my being and I'll be working my ass off to prevent that. I am hopeful that enough will join in that fight to make sure such a thing does not occur.

[Safetykitten]

4. Well, its kinda out of our hand now. It really is what Obama can accomplish in one year...

and frankly it does not look good. The numbers, people not polls, with no jobs, part-time instead of full time and underemployed will make the case.

[MineralMan]

10. I disagree, respectfully.

And there it is.

[Safetykitten]

11. Ok.

[kentuck]

2. Too bad we did not have the leaders that could unite our Party...

Don't you think?

[Safetykitten]

7. I'll say.

[Exultant Democracy]

3. At this point in the 2010 elections the tea party was basically unheard of.

If we want a big win in 2012 there is one tried and true method in the modern media environment. We need our own tea party that will be so far left that the right will laugh and so pissed that the politicians on the left will be scared to step out of line. Democratic turnout would sky rocket as we finally brought the naderites and greens back into the party with a who slew of other members of the disaffected left.

[Safetykitten]

5. Ah, the tea pissists and their rise. How could we have stopped it or slowed it?

Oh, wait...our leaders could of said some things.

No, that would be too much. The silence of our Democratic leaders was deafening. As it is now, from the people that count.

[vi5]

6. Speaking only for myself.....

Honestly, I'm done. I'm not uniting with anyone other than people who agree that our entire political system is broken and that while Republicans were no doubt the drivers when the bus drove off the cliff the fact is that the Democrats were by and large paying for the gas and providing directions.

I don't say this as some naive teenager or even a twenty something new to the process. I've been a core, solid, across the board, party line, straight ticket voting, primary supporting, money donating, Democratic cheerleader and foot soldier for just about 25 years now since I've been able to vote.

No more. I'm done with it. I'll still vote for Democrats when I have to, but the support, the money, the defending them in arguments against people who don't pay enough attention and are disgusted by "both sides"....all of that is done.

The Democrats have decided which side they are on and as a party on the whole they have filled the slightly right of center gap that was left vacant when the Republican party decided to go off the rails into full right wingdom. They could have fought the good fight, but they didn't. They could have made the case for progressive values and the sucess of progressive liberal systems and policies. But they didn't. They decided to split the difference and vie for the affections of people who will never vote for them. They prioritized cable news talking heads like the Morning Joe crew saying nice things about them above what is in the best interests of the country.

So while I agree that yes we're in for 2 more Republican administrations, I'm not uniting with the people who cheerled and enabled this to happen by saying we had no choice. Who let this happen by scare tactics. Who put party above principle.

[Safetykitten]

8. Nice post. Great points.

[Bluebear]

20. Well said

[sabrina 1]

21. Good post, too bad the Party Leadership is in denial about the real

reasons for the loss of the 2010 election. Had they addressed the causes, we might not have to worry about the next one. But they didn't, just 'blamed the voters' and took zero responsibility themselves.

I agree with you, 'party above people' is a failed tactic, at least for the people.

[tblue]

9. How to Win in 2012 in TWO Easy Steps

1) Vow and repeat often your commitment to protect Social Security and Medicare, in contrast to Republicans

2) Keep your promise.

[vi5]

12. True....bt not going to happen.

I'm still not understanding why it's so hard for the president to say "I will veto any bill with cuts to or increases in age requirements to Social Security and Medicare. Period." or for Senate Dems to say "I will fillibuster any bill with cuts to or increases in age requirements to Social Security and Medicare.'

I've honestly never seen a bigger bunch of cowards, with their finger so high in the wind to make sure they don't do anything without fully knowing where the political winds are blowing so that they don't have to take anything even slightly close to a risk.

[bbgrunt]

13. exactly. well said.

[salin]

14. +1

[ldf]

16. except it is obvious which way the political winds are blowing

on SS and medicare.

every poll shows overwhelming support for both programs.

so why is it even a consideration?

we have cowards for democratic leaders, who refuse to even attempt to define the discussion, and have knowingly decided that they will not stand for the basic tenets of the democratic party. they are are too busy throwing labor under the bus, putting a woman's choice on the table by refusing to fight, kowtowing to religious bigots, enabling the wholesale dumbing down of the american citizenry, and showing they are wrapped even tighter in the american flag than the repukes.

the rightwing rich have put their money where their mouth is and dominate the airwaves, dishing out distortions and outright lies, as the truth. the leftwing rich have done nothing. there is no leftwing powerhouse news source. msnbc is, relatively, a joke, and current is still an unborn fetus (for which the rightwing would be ecstatic on hearing of THAT particular abortion).

yet it is all OUR fault for not continuing to blindly give money, give support, get out the vote, and obediently file into the voting booth and vote for pathetic, political hacks who can not disavow us fast enough.

either way, the political system has morphed to the point that the minority party (but, strangely ONLY when the republicans are minorities) can always call the shots and thwart anything the majority party wants to do.

ah, gee. i am so conflicted. do i vote for the republican agenda, or do i vote for the republican agenda?

[tblue]

18. "Cowards" is right.

or "Corruption." Maybe both, ldf. Sad, huh?

[vi5]

19. Because it's not just cowardice....

It's cowardice, but they are not afraid of what the people think they are afraid of what the DC beltway insiders think.

I'm more fully convinced than ever that Obama is more concerned about what David Brooks says about him, or David Gregory or Luke Russert or Joe Scarborough or Mark Halpern than he is anyone else. Same goes for Reid and pretty much every Dem who gets their mugs on the Sunday talk shows.

They have been caught for so long with their heads so far up the asses of the beltway media class that they couldn't find their way out with a GPS.

[Claudia Jones]

26. you speak the truth

The Democrats fear their rich patrons more than they fear the people.

[Claudia Jones]

25. worse than that

If the politicians did in fact have their fingers in the wind things would be much better. They are refusing to fight for things their corporate masters oppose even when 70-80% of the public is behind them.

They don't have their fingers in the wind. They have their hands in the cookie jar.

[robdogbucky]

15. Again, two old sayings that used to be true need to be revived

You have to spend money to make money


You are only as good as your word

[rhett o rick]

32. Wrongo bongo

Obama has the perfect plan. Gain votes from the right by bashing the left. If right of center like Obama, it will squeeze out any moderate Repub. leaving only the easily defeatable wackos. Why do you think he appointed Jeff Immelt? To get votes from the conservatives.

[CakeGrrl]

17. And when President Obama is re-elected in 2012, what will YOU say or do?

[sabrina 1]

22. He most likely will be. And we'll be saying the same things.

I know I haven't changed, nor has the OP apparently or anyone else I know on the core principles that attracted them to the Democratic Party in the first place. But now that the party has shifted more and more to the right, people are not going to be very enthusiastic about working the way they did in 2008. A vote is one thing, but campaigning and donations will have to go to real Progressive Democrats this time.

All over the country people are waking up to the fact that neither party represents their interests. So it's a matter of trying to plug the dam while we figure out how to fix the problem.

[JoePhilly]

30. Thanks God.

[JournalistKev87]

23. OP, way to give up (why I'm unrecing)

I'm not an Obama cheerleader but conceding to the other side is just pathetic. This is not a time to be apathetic, unless you want what remaining rights we have be taken from us. I'm mad as hell that Obama is a sellout president but I don't want some bat shit crazy Christian tea party nutbag as President. What if Jeb Bush runs? Oh, I bet your opinion would change on this matter very quickly if he ran.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

24. If (not when) a Republican wins in 2012 there will be more and more wars

there will be wars without an end under the GOP. At least Obama is winding things down on the war front (albeit slowly)

[rbnyc]

27. A couple things...

...first, no we won't. We will be arguing about the primaries, and whether to nominate someone who has the best record and values match or someone we perceive to be the most electable.

Next, I think there have been a lot of conversations about this characterization of those who are critical of this administration as "far left." I think, when we continue to characterize people who support what used to be basic tenants of our party as far left, we help move the center to the right. I think this has been talked about nearly to death, but I guess still not enough.

At the same time, your basic thrust is totally valid. It's way easier to unite people against something than for something. I suggest, as I infer you mean to suggest, that we should start now.

[StarsInHerHair]

28. happy to unrec

[JoePhilly]

29. If Obama loses in 2012, I won't return here.

We will all be ass deep in trying to keep the GOP from killing us all.

There will be no time for DU.

[Amonester]

31. I think the President will win, but my crystal ball is outdated sometimes.

The 'list' of the 'will not VOTE for him' is updated each time, though, just in case...

[joshcryer]

33. Hmm, I'm not so sure of that.

From my experience those who bash Obama are more likely tombstoned while those who actually leave under their own power are typically pro-Obama.