If the Dem Leadership doesn't care, why should I?

[Jack The Tab]

I think to most of us here, its pretty obvious that this Bush victory is pretty much due to voter fraud. The saddest thing to me is that we will never NEVER win another election as long as these machines are un-auditable and do not provide a paper reciept.

So what is astonishing to me is why our Democratic leadership so silent on this? Where are our leaders? Do they not care that it is their political future on the line? Our party is truly at stake here, because if they continue stealing elections, our voice will be silenced.

Where is our leadership? I think if I don't hear some serious challenges soon from the higher ups in our party, I will not be participating in our party anymore.

[DrShrinker]

1. Same here.

I just got off the phone with people from the DNC in Washington, Ohio, and Cuyahoga County. All they spout is the same old rhetoric THAT LOST US THE LAST ELECTION.

Maybe the repubs are paying them more money than they are getting from the Dem party?

I came up with a new marketing scheme that encompasses ALL our Dem politicians. They'll probably ignore it and complain how Rove whipped their rears again.

[movonne]

2. Well we better care....our leadership will not be hurt the way we

are going to be...Just read the LBN unions going under, bringing in guest workers from Mexico..Jerry Fartwell going to make this an evangelical country, etc..

[Carolinian]

3. Because WE - the American people - have to demand

that our votes be counted. WE have to push for election reform. The leaders will support us when the time is right.

[Beacho]

4. The Song I'm gonna be singing for the next four years

electing county election officials and secretaries of state are more important than the senate and house races.

The ground war is where the groundwork for winning takes place.

If we don't get back the election PROCESS, then all else is an exercise in futulity.

y'all will get tired of me singin' it, but that's my tune.

[DrShrinker]

6. Correct, but it is a double whammy.

You need to get people in the local offices with a GOOD valid message to the people, then work your way from there.

We have too much pandering to fringe groups and the message is getting twisted by the Repubs into a new meaning.

Start with a message everybody can agree upon, then go from there.

[City Lights]

17. Please keep signing.

I'm singing the same tune, so it's already a duet. :-) Pretty soon it will be a chorus. ;-)

[SPDBoston]

5. First time poster

Thanks for allowing me on here.

It's great to see such a passionate group of people. I understand your pain. I worked for the Kerry campaign, and spent the last six months in Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio.

I also know that John Kerry lost the election and it wasn't stolen. The Bush camp did a better job of getting the "Fundies" and Catholic vote in Ohio.

I'm not telling you to stop your fight. I too am concerned that all voting machines need audit trails in time for the 2008 election.

You might hear from me again if I think it's hurting the party when it comes to the next election. We need to be focused on getting control of the House and Senate back. This CAN happen if Bush continues to raise the deficit and the problems in Iraq remain.

Last Tuesday I thought my next job was in the White House. Now I'm focused getting into grad school and a job. Life does suck sometimes.

[DrShrinker]

8. Manure.

I hate to say it, but you are waiting for Bush to screw-up instead of taking action to win it back. That is backwards thinking in my book.

Considering how bad he has messed-up so far, what makes you think anybody will be paying attention in 4 years? They won't. Most people can't even remember what happened just a few months ago.

CHANGE THE MESSAGE already. Give the people something they want to hear instead of whining about Bush's obvious screw-ups.

[m berst]

9. not about Kerry

Welcome to DU.

The question of the integrity of the election process is not about who won, nor is it about anybody's pain.

I am sorry that you lost your chance for a job in the White House.

As one young person and first time voter said to me this morning -

It is the government's job to be so transparent and trustworthy that the people are able to plainly verify the legitimacy of the election themselves.

It is not necessary for the people to be able to prove that the election was illegitimate. It is our responsibility to attempt to uncover irregularities and stand up for one another, but ultimately, even if we cannot prove that this election was a fraud, the appearance of impropriety is just cause enough for the people to declare the election a hoax.

The burden of proof is on the government of each respective state to prove it does indeed have the consent of the governed, for without proof of such consent, the government itself has no legitimacy. This is why paper ballots were invented in the first place. Votes were once held by voice, but the accuracy of those votes was frequently in doubt, so they invented paper ballots so that there would be proof of the actual tally.

It's each state's government's job to prove the election is legitimate. We do not need proof that it was a hoax. We demand proof that is was not a hoax- that is our perogative as citizens.

[alfredo]

10. Welcome

Gore hurt his future political career with his fight. Kerry is smart to let others carry the fight forward.

Locally our group, KerryWinsKentucky was disappointed, but we built an organization, and a huge database of supporters. We won most local races, but lost the big one. We didn't expect to win Kentucky, but wanted to flex our muscles. We did.

[SlingBlade]

7. Progressives will take their lumps

Might as well call this party what it really is.

Apologist and lap dogs for the right.
It;s time to start thinking seriously about the long term future of this Nation and begin building a real opposition party that responds to the will of the people.

Perhaps at best we will then back a candidate that WILL actually wait until ALL the votes are counted before quitting.
And perhaps then we will experience a candidate that does not ask us to accept the evil shit that is going down so that we can unite and come together as a fascist state.


Imagine

[Ann Arbor Dem]

11. I'm not happy with the "leadership" of the party either.

But we need to shake the party up, get rid of those at the top, and take our party back. I'm not going to give up on the Democratic Party because there are less-than-mediocre people in charge. Someone brought up Ron Brown the other day. I miss him, and I hope that we can find a new chair who will come close to filling his shoes.

Terry McAuliffe and his minions have to go!

[DrShrinker]

12. agreed.

Use them as a "behind the line" power people.

We are becoming the "bankrupt on ideas" party that does nothing but bash bush (rightfully so, but that didn't translate into votes) and complain about the repubs.

[emulatorloo]

13. BECAUSE IT IS MY VOTE, NOT THE DNC's or the GOP's

This is our fight. . .

[IdaBriggs]

18. Here, here! nt

[JHB]

14. Because they have cushy unaccountable political jobs and you don't.

The problems in the system will never weigh as heavily on them as it will on people who NEED the system.

So that's why you should care even if the "leadership" doesn't.

[info being]

15. You should care about supporting another Party

We want democracy and we want representation. Niether of the major parties seem willing to give us either.

[leftofthedial]

16. because they are part of the ruling elite

and will come out fine no matter what

we, on the other hand, are fucked if we let democracy get away from us.

It's OUR country and OUR process, not theirs.