DISCUSSION: Is it just me, or are the Dems getting their act together?

[Comicstripper]

I'm not sure if it's http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/041405/gop.html">Harry Reid or http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/story/300674p-257438c.html"> Howard Dean, or maybe both, but the Democrats seem to be getting their act together. They won the Schiavo battle (legally and with respect to public opinion), they're hammering The Hammer... It gives me hope for 2006 and beyond.
That's not to say that the GOP won't fight back, and dirtier than ever. But it almost seems like the Democrats are acting like Democrats again. Am I the only one who sees this? Who is responsible? More importantly, will it last?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
-Sam ("The Comicstripper")

Harry Reid. Kicking ass and taking names?

[Adelante]

1. I feel it, too.

Nobody's shilly-shallying around anymore.

[havocmom]

2. Both Reid & Dean are listening and that is the big difference.

They are paying attention to what voters are saying and the way they are expressing it. The DINOs were too busy kissing junta ass and telling US what we wanted. Nobody was listening to the people.

And these two men are setting an example being followed by others. Work to solve problems not throw stones. THAT is what people really want.

The sick whacko fringe is a vocal bunch, but not that big in number. Too many Dems listened and reacted like that group was a majority. The common sense and common man got lost in the shuffle to appease the squeaking wheels.

Dean and Reid listen and speak to a more accurate American experience.
And they are not bend-over guys. THAT is a major improvement! If our principles mean anything, they are worth standing and fighting for. Too many DEMS forgot that in the rush to not get hurt. I won't vote for nor will I support any junta-enabling -surrender-monkey just because there is a D behind their name! Dean and Reid get the message. They get the message across.

We still gotta make noise so more will get the message, but things do seem to be looking up just a bit.

[FreedomAngel82]

22. I agree

All the Emails, phone calls, fax's etc. are helping and we're showing that we've got their back as well. They should know they're not a lone and we like it when they speak up. One thing I do like about Reid is how he always comes back from things the republicans say. He doesn't let them get away with it. I was VERY disappointed in the bankruptcy bill but everything else I've been fine with. I know he's pro-life but that's fine with me as long as he defends Roe V Wade if that ever comes (which I doubt personally). I'm glad Dean is our chairman because he's been doing an amazing job. I have hope for at least 2008. I'm holding my breath for 2006 though. For all we know the republicans could have some last minute thing up their sleeves. Maybe another Usama video. :shrug:

[Hippo_Tron]

3. I thought that we were getting their act together in 2004

And in a way we were. I think that we're definately better off than we were this time two years ago, but we have a long ways to go

[FreedomAngel82]

23. Very

We're doing very well I think. One thing I've noticed with democrats is democrats work fast. Look at AAR for example and other progressive talk radio hosts. It's growing. If only we had our own cable network.

[Al-CIAda]

4. Is it just me, or are the Dems getting their act together?

Its just you -and the previous two respondants.

Every corpse twitches before rigor mortis sets in.

[kaitykaity]

5. I don't think it's just you.

Harry Reid may talk soft, but he is one tough
hombre. From what I gather, Nevada politics is
brutal, and he thrived there.

Howard Dean is a rock star. An alpha male with
charisma who knows now to use both to get his
message across.

The leadership change in and of itself (from
Daschle, Gephardt, and McAuliffe) is a massively
huge improvement.

[Nevernose]

9. The mob planted a bomb in his car

And he STILL took them on.

You can say a lot about Harry Reid. He's not the most liberal guy in America or even Nevada, and certainly not as liberal as many on DU, including myself, would like him to be (insert comment from TankLV here :D ). He's also not a wimp, despite his soft-spokeness.

[kaitykaity]

14. Damn. I did not know that (about the car bomb).

I had just read some short biographic snippets about
him and is background, the hard way he grew up.

I guess I did figure being from Nevada he'd dealt with
the mob at one time or another.

Makes him the perfect guy to take on the Bush criminals.
:evilgrin:

[FreedomAngel82]

29. Exactly

They're mafia and he knows how to deal with those who are mafia. I love how he is soft spoken but firm and like a grandfather almost. :)

[kaitykaity]

32. Maybe Teddy Roosevelt is his idol, eh?

"Speak softly, carry a big stick."

[FreedomAngel82]

25. With Reid

I remember reading how he has dealt with the Mafia in NV. They threatned him with bombs and he had to duct tape his house and all types of stuff. He also played hardball with LaToya Jackson's husband and nailed him and
he was a boxer in his younger years and before he married his wife he literally fought his father-in-law for her hand in marriage. :crazy:

[vickie]

6. Things definately appear to be better. With all the right wing

whining and squawking -- you'd think we were the running the Congress. The Faux News blather heads are beside themselves - practically apropletic about how Harry Reid is running his caucus -- a true sign of success....

[SouthernDem2004]

7. Huh? Won the Schiavo battle? We voted with the Repubs. Not to mention

the bankruptcy bill. How are we getting our act together?

[stevedeshazer]

8. It's the absence of Tom Daschle

Good guy, good Senator, not a good leader.

Reid is really making a difference.

[judgegina]

10. It's just you.

n/t

[The Blue Knight]

11. No, I agree, the Dems are getting their shit together.

While they might not be as idealogically pure as some want them to be on here, they're definately moving in the right direction. I think we'll gain seats in '06, and retake the Senate.

[ClassWarrior]

12. I've sensed it for awhile now...

...and much of it is due to the proud, noble Progressives of DU. Keep fighting the good fight, my friends.

NGU.

[autorank]

13. Reid calls them out; Dean is being himself (which is just right).

Reid called the RNC out on THE DAY they issued their multi page hit piece on him. He was confident and bitch slapped them and the WH. He called them out when Frist did his zealot thing by saying "God isn't a partisan & The United States isn't a Theocracy." Right after Frist made his stupid statements. His timing is great and he has a WAR ROOM. A friend of mine met him in NV and said he has the charisma of a CPA, which is what we need. We've got a fire breather who does all the right thing and disarms the hard edge with his cool demeanor. I just love the guy and respect his guts and intelligence. This is THE TIME OF HIS LIFE and he knows it.

Dean, well he's just damn smart and very quick. He's the DNC chair and he's supposed to pop off. Perfect role. After his organizational efforts with his campaign and DFA, he's a natural.

I say:

NEW LEADERS FOR A NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

[madfloridian]

15. Dean, Reid, and Pelosi et al talk on the phone a lot.,some notes included.

That makes a huge difference. As Dean said, they are not all talking on the same page yet, but they are working on it. Here are a few comments from a recent group appearance in Seattle. Notes from someone there:

HD – "I think we ought to have more message discipline. I admire the business model of the Republicans, but the reason we can’t use it exactly is because we’re not Republicans. You know, Democrats are very bright and they're very independent minded. Especially the guts, the activist guts of the party, many of whom are in this room...... Democrats are different than Republicans. We are not automatons and zealots that take orders from the one on high and whether that’s the President or someone other one like Jerry Falwell. We’re independent minded, thinking people. So, what I’m going to try to do is fashion the national message from the bottom up by getting people to buy into the message because they are going to help create it.

And then, there’s going to be room, there’s going to be debate and dissent as we move forward. The key is to have the major spokesmen of the party all be on the same page. This is not going to be easy, as somebody asked me upstairs, and I said that I might get 75% of the time that the democrats would be on the same page."END SNIP

[hedda_foil]

20. Remember a couple of months ago ...

When Dean first took over Reid and Pelosi were very insistent upon controlling the message themselves and TPTB were screaming that Dean had better stick to fundraising and stay out of policy. Reading mf's post makes me think that Howard's won another round. And you're damn right the Dem message seems much more focused and together.

[madfloridian]

24. Yes, he did win some rounds.

They may not have wanted him to be chair, but they have a grudging admiration.

[FreedomAngel82]

30. I agree

That's true too. We need to have clear messages and talking points as well. I like their little slogans they've been using lately. Like "fix it don't nix it" with SS. ;) Clever and you can remember it. Hehe.

[OzarkDem]

21. Hope they do better than this

They need to get over the silly idea that having discipline as a party is the same as being rigid. It isn't. It just means you're being very effective and very efficient at what you're doing.

I don't like the idea of a message coming "from the bottom up". Most of us may have good ideas and messages for the party, but we're not professionals at turning those ideas into long term media strategies and communication strategies. There's nothing I hate more than a campaign that tells me to come up with my own talking points. You end up with a million variations of a message and no one listening. The averge person making up their mind about who to support doesn't have a lot of time to listen to endless chatter about the issues.

Dems need to get off their lazy arses and start putting some effort into their party, their message and the future. I see a glimmer of hope on the horizon, but if these notes are any indication - we still have a very long way to go.

[madfloridian]

26. I think it is hopeless for our party.

I come to this site and it is Clark loving central and Dean bashing central.

So be it.

I won't even say that Dean is traveling almost every day...heading to Naples tomorrow to Deep red country. You would not listen, nor would you care.

Ok.

[flpoljunkie]

37. What on Dubya's agenda have they stopped? Nada. Zip. Nothing.

Harry Reid voted for the one-sided bankruptcy bill. Standing up for working Americans was a major opportunity for the Democrats to distinguish themselves from Republicans, yet they chose not to do so.

This speak volumes for me, and I am not encouraged. Next up, Dubya's energy bill and medical malpractice "reform" after having passed already class action lawsuit "reform", bankruptcy "reform" and drilling in ANWR.

The Democrats are, so far, holding the line of Social Security "reform"-yet, we hear this weekend that the Dems feels they must change their strategy so that voters do not view them negatively on solving Social Security.

What are they smoking? The Democrats need to stand for something and stand up for something. So far, again I am not impressed.

Dean's promising to go after Republicans regarding Terry Schiavo is bad strategy. It's the economy and economic justice, stupid!

[BlueIris]

16. Not just you. I'm disgusted by the "'softening' the abortion rhetoric"

misogyny, but am willing to go with it for now...despite my revulsion...UNTIL THOSE GODDAMN NEOCONS ARE SITTING IN THE HAGUE. Ahem. It's been a bad day, kids. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Yes, even I am willing to continue with the current strategies while Bush and Co. fuck themselves over. I feel like the Dems are doing all they can.

[oneold1-4u]

17. The one chosen to lead

Being born "different" I am not heterosexual. That said, it is more important to me and most people of diversity to have strength and unity with a trustworthy leadership, than battle with even our own party members, who still don't have the understanding of second class citizenship! I would rather not see another logging truck for the rest of my life but, the battle for the environment can wait too, for greater intelligence and understanding. I would like to see the end of, income tax, stupid use taxes on everything but TP, seat belt laws for adults, daylight savings, etc. but those will take care of themselves in time.
We will not easily find another Jefferson or one with the intelligence and insight of Ben Franklin. We could sure use someone of that mindset though and not just a pretender for political or monetary gain.

[Lexingtonian]

18. bit by bit

There are a bunch of House Reps and Governors that need some spanking, if not paddling, but things are looking up. We'll be removing some electronic ankle bracelets in a while if things last.

[hector459]

19. It's you. Rethugs are just self-destructing. Dems doing very little.

But there is a ray of hope.

[lemonlime]

27. Let's keep doing what we are doing

New here, but we need to keep it up. Keep the heat on. One of these days the American public will see the shining light of truth!

[Comicstripper]

35. Welcome to DU! n/t

[More Than A Feeling]

28. Two optimistic threads in one day!

am I on the wrong website? seriously though, I think this is a long overdue ray of sunshine amid the gloom and doom that is often served up in this country and this website. We all need to keep finding reasons to hope, because hope is what sustains human will. As Victor Frankl noted in his book Man's Search for Meaning, the prisoners who were most likely to survive the concentration camps were the ones who had reasons to live, those who lost their reason, lost their will, and faded away.

[CalebHayes]

31. I think we could be doing better but yeah, we are headed in the ...

right direction.

[Blue Topaz]

33. I'm with you

I'm feeling hopeful too. I had reservations about Reid, but have been quite pleased with him. He is very softspoken and folksy looking, but has said some serious shit recently. He blasted Greenspan as "one of the most political hacks we have here in Washington" and aligned Frist and Republicans with theocracy. That's good stuff!

[radfringe]

34. too early to tell

there is some hope -- whether or not it gains momentum is another question

we've been down this road before - only to see Dems cave in and swap their balls for a rubber stamp

the big difference between now and then is bush*'s numbers - more than a couple of Repugs are nervous about that and what it could mean for their re(S)election in 2006 midterms

repugs are also over-reaching, they have unwrapped themselves from the flag and taken up bible-waving in hopes of further consolidating the fanactical fundies. In doing so, the repugs are styling themselves as the christian version of the Taliban.

The more spit-spraying swill the repugs spout - the more radical they appear. My general feeling is this is going to back-fire big time.

[New Dealer]

36. In my opinion, it's not so much the Democrats

The Republicans are inviting even more criticism through Terri Schiavo, Tom Delay, the Nuclear Option, etc. If we Democrats stay on the offensive we'll gain seats in 2006 and hopefully take the white house in 2008.

[Larkspur]

38. It's a combo of Repukes hitting bumps in the road and Dems holding firm

against Bush's Social Security Privatization scam. Harry Reid did a good job enforcing Dem discipline on this issue. He needs to work on enforcing Dem discipline on other issues that hurt average Americans.

Polls are on the Dem's side regarding SS, and Bush's poll numbers are diving due to his obstinence on SS Piratization plan and Iraq.

The Schiavo case got moderate Americans to see the real ugly soul of the Repuke Party, and that frightened or angered some of those moderates.

But Dems do need to agree on a Vision and promote it relentlessly.

When Dean took over the DNC, most of us knew that he had a mountain to climb regarding rebuilding the Dem Party from the grassroots up, so I don't pin all blame on Dean. Reid and Pelosi are the Dem leaders on the Hill. They're the ones who told Dean to no set policy, so they'd better get their act together or Dean will be forced to fill in the vaccum they are creating in regards to Vision and policy.

[flpoljunkie]

39. I expect more from our party than stopping Social Security privatization.

Dubya's agenda is clicking right along in Congress--

class action lawsuit "reform"...check
drilling in ANWR...check
bankruptcy "reform"...check
end of the dreaded "death tax"...check (passed in House, expected to pass in Senate)

next up...

Dubya's energy bill
medical malpractice "reform"

What are the Democrats saving themselves for?!?

[Larkspur]

40. The problem with the Hill Dems is EGO!!!!

Unlike Howard Dean, who knows when to bite his tongue and eat crow for the good of the Party, the Hill Dems are strutting and prancing like roosters in an empty hen house. They all want to say that they are such strong leaders, etc, that they fail to unite behind common Democratic principles and stand up for ordinary Americans. It's actually amazing that they united behind Social Security at all.

[flpoljunkie]

42. Ego or they have, too, have sold their souls to same GOP special interests

like the banks and credit card companies.

[LynneSin]

41. I am so glad that Tom Daschle was defeated...

...although not personally I wish it was by another democrat.

Harry Reid has been the best thing for the Democratic Senators since sliced bread. He has the balls that Tom Daschle refused to ever use. And personally, I thought having a pro-life senator as minority leader would have been a mistake; however, I stand corrected.

Reid Rocks!!!

[ArkDem]

43. 2008 will be a LANDSLIDE!!!!