DU had it right all along.

[msmcghee]

As Thomas Frank said in the NYT today, the problem is the same one that many here at DU have recognized all along - the DLC sees their mission as becoming Bush-lite.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/opinion/05frank.html

I agree, of course. His article reminded me of a time several years back when I travelled around the country peddling my company's industrial control computers. I remember one day when I went into the office of the plant engineer in some big plant back in the rust belt. This guy was sales-averse and ready to resist whatever pitch I had. I don't know why he even gave me an appointment, but his first words were that he really wasn't interested in seeing my "better" product, so I shouldn't even bother showing it to him.

Probably because I'm not really a salesperson anyway, rather than try to change his mind with some clever comeback - I apologized sincerely and said I was sorry to waste his time. I handed him a card in case he ever changed his mind. Before I reached the door, he said, "Now, wait a minute. I didn't mean to be so inconsiderate. I am at least interested in a quick overview of what your product does that the others don't. I mean that's my job to know those things."

Needless to say, he ended up buying several systems over the next couple of years.

Like that engineer, America is weary of the testosterone fueled sales pitch and just wants to get on with life.

Fine, I say. Let's do what we should have done 40 years ago - stop selling and start marketing.

The pukes will fail miserably to govern with the values they own - as is already obvious. Why should we become more like them as a response. Only people who care more about winning than doing the right thing would do that. And that's why we get no respect. It's not because they don't like our real values. It's because we don't believe in them enough to stand up for them and defend them.

Instead, we should hold true to our values and work to integrate them into a coherent, easily articulated, easily understood package that includes equality, diversity, education and universal health care - fairly sharing of the risks and benfits and the costs of running our nation. It's what we've always been for.

We should even re-name ourselves. Something like the "American Democratic Values" party, the "ADV". And then we should stick to those values, unapologetically. We need to talk about them every time we get a chance.

People buy things for emotional - not logical reasons. Policies are logical - values are emotional. Forty years ago the pukes figured that out and created a marketing program that made people feel good about them - and bad about us.

We need to market the good feelings that come with embracing our (already proven better) values - not sell our policies.

We should tell the Republicans, and their followers, that after they get through screwing our nation, we'll be here to try to bail them out and correct the course, as we have in the past - the only question is how much damage they are going to do before they've had enough. (I believe this should be the core mesasage every time an ADV congressman or senator takes the floor - whatever the issue.)

This is a democracy. If the voters allow them to do it, they can tear us apart with wedge issues, disasterous economic policy and hubristic militarism. As usual, we're here if and when they decide they've had enough.

In the meantime, we'll do what we can to prevent them from doing more damage by opposing and obstructing bad legislation and judicial appointments as best we can.

We can also organize on the local level. I'm proud to say my county here in Washington State (Jefferson County) made a clean sweep of all local offices and kicked several scum-pukes out on their butts. You can do that too.

We own the real American values. We must defend them.

If more Americans prefer the Republican koolaid, they won't be able to say we didn't offer them a better alternative.

[JohnnyCougar]

1. What difference does it make when the simply steal elections?

[glitch]

2. Thanks! You don't argue course change when you've already hit the iceberg,

the ship has split in two and there aren't anywhere near enough lifeboats.
Although I do agree with the article, and we can apply it once we clean up the election process.

[msmcghee]

3. How do we clean up the process, when . .

. . they run the state election offices and the federal appeals judges and SCOTUS.

We can try but they have the advantage, I believe.

[glitch]

9. All the judges aren't corrupted yet. I think it has to be done quickly

before the right solidifies it's hold even more. But in some state where fraud occurred (even if it wasn't the most egregious case, like OH or FL) the investigation must be made, the fraud must be exposed and the criminals need to be indicted.
Even if the case is appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, victory in criminal cases using laws already on the books, I don't think the USSC can help them.
Once the companies that make the machines are exposed in one place, their will be grounds for lawsuits to have the machines removed everywhere.

Or, we go street level.

[JohnnyCougar]

12. exactly. We have to figure out how to make elections fair first.

We really shouldn't have to reorganize, since we won this one.

[Maat]

4. Couldn't have said it better.

Saved your rant. Hope that's O.K. Along with the words from AU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, I can use them to persuade. The point is that our government needs to be replete with inclusive, democratic values.

[msmcghee]

5. Thanks, LSM n/t

[bullimiami]

6. that is a problem for us democrats to decide in the primaries.

it is not why we got screwed in the election. that was fraud, we won.
we democrats chose kerry . he was far too right enabling for me personally. i wanted dean because he talked straight. but kerry was fine for us to support. he would be a very good president. the democratic majority is increasing and the faith based is getting smaller but more polarized. their tent is shrinking ours is still huge.

we got out and elected kerry but the votes were rigged by rove and bush. maybe the problem with kansas is that while they have morals for abortion and gay marriage they have none when it comes to war, cheating, hate and lies the poor and helpless and sick.
we dont need to pander to those people he is right, but im not sure it would have gotten any more democtatic votes this time. the hatred of bush and horror at his actions polarized us completely. kerry had us 100%. we had his back and we thought he had ours.




once again. john where are you? we need to fight for what is right. it is less important if we win or lose than if we fight for honesty and goodness and america. she needs us. we need you.

[LTRS]

7. Bravo!

You hit the nail on the head!

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

8. Thomas Frank is a damn sharp thinker

I haven't read his book about Kansas, but I read his synopsis of it in Harper's, and as someone who has worked in marketing for almost 30 years, I find his insights and analysis quite compelling. He and George Lakoff are going on my required reading list.

We have a great brand in the Democratic Party. It used to be the choice of the American people. Did the people change, or did the party? I would say both. People who have experienced real hardship have always supported Democrats. As a nation we haven't experienced real hardship for over 60 years. Maybe hardship is what it will take before average Americans understand they are not on a par with the economic elite.

Meanwhile we can move our message back to its historic position of strength, and reach a lot of people who have come to realize they are not the country squires they imagined themselves to be, their pursuit of the good life having ended in bankruptcy and foreclosure.

[PatrickS]

10. I hate "I told you so"...

but here's a link of me telling you the same thing back in January.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=217555

[mazzarro]

11. I have consistently stated that DLC will be the bane of the

democratic party. And Thomas Frank has succinctly expressed my POV.