Easy things we can do.. (Taking back the terminology)

[SoCalDem]

I recovered my ancient bookmarks... a blast from the past, but more appropriate NOW :)





SoCalDem (20220 posts)
Oct-25-02, 02:29 AM (ET)

Is Democratic Dissent Diluted??


Since we are looking for positive POLITICAL stuff, I took the liberty of resurrecting this one



Is Democratic Dissent Diluted???


Republicans seem to focus (erroneously) on a few key issues that "hit home" with the "average" American..

1..Abortion... who could be against "saving" babies??

2..Taxes..........who "wants" to pay taxes??

3..God............."Godhaters" could NOT be good people, right???

4..Education...Don't all parent want smart kids??

5..Guns...........Gotta have 'em..don't you dare try to take 'em


Those seem to be the underlying issues of all their "policies".. Since they are so polarized around those issues and they are always couched in Black/White..Good/Evil...Right/Wrong, there is little "discussion" about those issues within their own party..

Each one of those issues has been used like a battering ram against the Democratic party for YEARS.. Our party, by virtue of its very diversity, has been unable to turn these issues back on the republicans.. They have, with the help of Brazillions of dollars , a compliant press, and endless hours of "free advertising" via hate radio , been able to capture the hearts and souls of a lot of people who truly feel they are doing the right thing..

Every time I see photos of a protest, I am reminded of our "problem"..

1..World Hunger........................we care about it...they don't
2..African American Rights..........we care about it...they don't
3..Aids.............................we care about it...they don't
4..WTO/IMF..........................we care about it...they don't
5.Environment.......................we care about it...they don't
6..Global warming...................we care about it...they don't
7.Women's rights....................we care about it...they don't
8..Gay rights.......................we care about it...they don't
9..War..............................we HATE it.........they LOVE it..(but most are too 'busy' to actually serve)
10.Minimum wage.....................we care about it...they don't
11.Social Security..................we care about it...they don't
12.Handicapped rights...............we care about it...they mock handicapped people
13..The economy.....................we care about it...they just like to count their $$
14..Corporate fraud.................we care about it..they don't mind a little fraud between consenting crooks

There are so many more signs(issues) that are seen at rallies and protests..Falun Gong..Mumia..Palestinians... the list goes on and on..

The fact that we care about so many things has probably hurt us more than helped us.. Because we are so diverse, there is probably NO way that we could ever coalesce around a few key issues and use them over and over until the public "gets it"..

Our supporters are , for the most part, not the elite moneyed class, so they neither have the time nor money to pour into the issues of the party..

We all know that we have been marginalized by the media over the years, and the words used to describe us have gone unchallenged for decades.....Just a few:

bleedingheart liberal
treehugger
tofu eating liberal
chablis-sipping liberal
environmentalist wacko

These phrases roll off the tongues of "reporters", columnists, and pundits, and we just shrug them off or ignore them.. They are always said with a sense of derision ..

None of the above things are BAD in any sense of the actual words.. It's what they have BECOME that makes them bad news..

Until our "leaders" and spokespeople start standing up for what a liberal REALLY is, we are doomed to remain on the margin.. There are MORE people like us than NOT like us.. We are the left and probably most of the middle, but we are treated like we are some oddity, and are "tolerated", like an addled old aunt in the attic.....

This has GOT TO STOP...

Each one of us has got to start today, this minute , to take back the terminology.. Proud Liberal is what we should all aspire to be..

In light of what is happening in the world around us, the time is NOW.. Their little empire is starting to crack at the edges, and the support of most of the free world is with US..

If we cannot control the press and the airwaves, we can all do our part, even if it's on a small scale..

1..Print out stuff from DU and leave it at the doctor/dentist/car repair offices.. (Not the most radical X-file stuff )

2. V O L U N T E E R to work the polls..help a democratic candidate..(Do what they NEED you to do..most likely you will NOT be asked to be the campaign manager)..

3..Write letters to the editor as often as possible....(Even if they are not printed, it makes YOU feel better)

4..Challenge the incorrect assertions, even if they come from a friend.. Diplomacy usually works best..

5..Remember that children are often getting a skewed view of history at school..Tell them the TRUTH about what's happening..

6..Patronize businesses that are environmentally friendly/Liberal.. Let them KNOW why you are shopping there.. encouragement goes a long way..

7..When a politician does something GOOD, write them and let them know it.. No one wants only bad news..

8..DO YOUR HOMEWORK.. The fact that we are getting "conservative spin" on most news, makes it more important than ever, that we go "outside the box" to find out what is REALLY happening..


There are probably many more things that we all can do, but what we MUST do is GET INVOLVED in every way we can.. Enthusiasm is contagious.. Spread it like the flu ...

[applegrove]

1. Yes - and for god's sake - don't parrot their terminology like "swift-

boating" "use" "talking points" or all the other things they do to deminish governance and power.