What is required for the Democratic Party to once again win big at the

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

national level as well as be a champion of progressive values?

[Crazy Guggenheim]

1. All of the above.

[Carolab]

2. Fix the election system. It's rigged. n/t

[Minstrel Boy]

4. Like Carolab said.

And fast, or it's Jeb in '08.

[Zan_of_Texas]

7. Yep. What Carolab and Minstrel Boy said.

Fergit the campaign financing, the baby kissing, the conventions, the ads, the block walking, the bumper stickers, the voting records, the speeches, the debates.

Make elections transparent to human beings at every moment of every election.

<> Ban early voting. It removes the actual ballots from the view of the public and into the purview of a select few officials or technicians. Which creates potential for fraud or flaws. (Hey, in my town, we vote for several weeks. Election officials were TAKING MACHINES HOME WITH THEM between voting days. How would you like it if you went to your bank, put money in, and got a flag waving at you that said "THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEPOSIT," no paper confirmation, and knew that your and your neighbors' uncounted money would be going home with the teller that night, for safe keeping.)

<> Ban electronic voting and tabulating. Ban proprietary software in elections.

<> Elections should be on a national holiday. There should be one day to vote, twelve or more consecutive hours, in precincts that are not overly large, with ballots that are on paper. Paper ballots are cheap, and lines would move quickly because people would not be waiting for machines.

<> Each precinct should have wheelchair ramps and other physical accessibility, and at least one voting device (doesn't have to be an electronic machine) that enables voting by the visually disabled.

<> Every adult citizen who is not currently in jail should have the right to vote.

<> All polls should be observed by media, multi-partisan observers, and video cameras. Votes should be counted at the precincts, by human beings, in front of cameras and observers. Nobody leaves until everybody agrees on the totals.

<> Signed totals should be posted at the precincts and signed copies sent on to central locations.

Canada and much of Europe vote using paper ballots. It doesn't take terribly long to count -- a few hours -- and one might compare their leadership and policies with the US' for verification that it works better.

[johnaries]

10. I gotta agree - fix the elections.

And I don't mean "fix" the elections... they've ALREADY been "fixed". So maybe I mean "un-fix" them.

[TahitiNut]

3. Other ...

... it's gonna get LOTS worse before it gets better. Lots. :shrug:

[LSK]

5. we need a lying machine like they have in Rush

The whole Durbin episode is what the whole problem is in a nutshell. Rush and dickheads like him, totally misrepresent his statements, and the American people dont bother to actually look up what he really said, and the so called MSM doesnt bother either.

Its disgusting how much Rush gets to lie and distort the facts. He must be stopped, or we need a LOUD voice to play their game against them.

And that voice must be able to make things simple. Rush and them spin complex things, leave out facts and make things simple.

TRUTH: Durbin reads a description from a FBI agent of horrors at Gitmo and says if he wasnt told any different, youd think he was describing horrors of Nazi Germany. Kinda hard to say that in less than 5 words.

RUSH SPIN: Durbin says troops are nazis.

See how they spin and distort things and put them simply??

[yurbud]

17. You don't have to lie though, just say things simply and forcefully

[mcctatas]

6. An act of God...

He needs to let the Bushies know that heaven is not a red state...(and if it is, I'll gladly go elsewhere):crazy:

[RoyGBiv]

8. Ideas ...

It's not the candidates, per se, and all your choices are really about candidates, or voting issues.

A viable opposition party must oppose, clearly, concisely, and firmly. But, it's not enough to say black to their white or up to their down. You must have a coherent idea, a plan, something that speaks to the interests of millions of people in a way that you capture them completely. Republicans have been building toward this for decades, all while the Democrats slept on their laurels and failed to counter these ideas with which the Republicans infused their party.

We can focus on the lies and the media and voting issues all we want, and I agree that these are important and must be addressed immediately. However, if we don't have a complete plan to present to the American public when and if we do come to grips with these other issues, it'll be pointless.

[FrenchieCat]

9. It's getting damn close to me saying

Plan A ain't working and we need Plan B- a Fucking Revolution. Nothing else seem to be working.

I'll give it another 6 months....and then I'm game on Plan B!

[yurbud]

18. 2006 election should be deadline for Democrats to get shit together

If they fuck up again then, it doesn't matter what we say here, the currently apathetic will be out in the streets.

[blm]

11. Expose the GOP control over broadcast media and 80% of the voting machines

.

[high density]

12. Stop taking money from and working for the corporations

We need a political party that's going to stand up consistently with the workforce of this country.

[darkism]

13. Get rid of the machines.

[ConsAreLiars]

14. Tell the truth? Oh, that's not an option, I see.

Too bad. I think it would have helped.

[oscar111]

15. AAR: 64 stations and growing: how 2 help

how to help

urge local unions to buy a station for AAR in your town.. like IBEW local did in alaska {search to find the DU thread detailing that about june 15 O5}

include it in your Will

badger aflcio and DNC to give it grants for getting on new area stations . Without a voice, both groups will die. They dont seem to realize that.

take out tiny one line ads in weekly papers your area, giving freq or,if not on air, give url for online listenihng

get a free YahooGroups forum so those in your ttown who want a station, can discuss it and get to know each other, poss meet too.

flyers with url and freq and these tips also.. i mean the tips i just listed.

visit the forums dealing with AAR, but avoid the time wasting older forum which actually puts known freepers as mods, "because owner likes to see debate". Freeper posts start big time waste, replying to nonsense posts.

It is the forum with a subforum favoring right-wing Libertarianism. Wish i could recall the forum name.

[ConsAreLiars]

19. AAR and many progressives on the radio and in communities and the net

tell the truth. The Democratic Party leadership shroud try it, for a change. I think it would work for them (and us) if they gave it a good shot.

[yurbud]

16. consistent unapologetic progessive message & actions

and give up on trying to be the other corporate white meat.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

20. How about go back to verifiable paper ballots?