Here's what we do.

[Pab Sungenis]

We've watched our party leaders knuckle under and capitulate this week. We can't let this stand.

Here's how we take our party and our nation back.

(1) VOTE DEMOCRATIC ON NOVEMBER 7, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR STANCE.

If we let the Republicans maintain control, we can only expect things to get worse. I don't care that Bob Menendez, Sherrod Brown, or any other Democrat voted to legalize torture -- at least not for now. I don't care that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid abandoned those of us who want to see Bush and Cheney held accountable for their crimes -- for now. WE NEED THEM IN OFFICE BECAUSE OTHERWISE THE REPUBLICANS KEEP CONTROL.

(2) WHEN WE GET CONTROL, HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.

Support Jack Murtha after November 7th...not for Majority Leader, but for Speaker. Contact your Democratic congresscritter, especially if they're newly elected, and get them to put Fightin' Jack in the Speaker's chair. Take Pelosi "off the table." Do the same thing in the Senate; get your Democratic Senator to support Russ Feingold for Majority Leader, and take Harry Reid off the table.

Then convince Murtha and Feingold to keep the Pro-War, Pro-Torture Democrats out of positions of power and influence. Start building organizations in their states and districts, and oppose them in the next primary. Lamont proved you can do it, and we need to do it more often.

(3) TAKE BACK THE PARTY AT THE ROOTS.

At the grassroots, on the local and county level. Every committee seat in the party is up for election some time between January 2007 and June 2008. Find out if your local committee elections are at next year's primary, or the following. If it's next year, find out what you need to do to get your name on the ballot. I got elected to the County Committee in 2002 with one vote: my own on a write-in line. Every two years since then I've only needed two signatures on my petition to keep my name on the ballot. Odds are you won't need many Democratic friends to get your name on the ballot, and won't need many votes to win a seat on the Committee, where you can start pushing for change.

I WANT TO SEE EVERY PERSON HERE ON DU, OR AT LEAST ONE PERSON FROM EACH DISTRICT, RUN FOR THE DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE AT THE NEXT ELECTION. With enough DU reformers, we can really change the party from the ground up, and prevent travesties like this week.

There. That's what we do. I know we're all angry, frustrated, and sick tonight. But let's channel that anger and get something done.

[Greeby]

1. Ummm, Paul Wellstone is dead

Though that said, he'd still do a better job than Reid :evilgrin:

[Pab Sungenis]

4. Shoot. Corrected.

I meant Russ Feingold. I was just SO angry when I typed that message.

I wish we had Paul right now.

[Redstone]

2. Your idea is a helluva lot better than the one I posted.

And it might work.

Redstone

[PoiBoy]

3. I agree... excellent post..

and a very realistic and workable strategy...

thank you..!!

:hi:

[JeffR]

5. Agreed on all 3 points

But I'm still angry. And I won't forget this day.

[Pab Sungenis]

6. Don't forget.

But remember the first rule of warfare. Don't die for your cause, make the other son of a bitch die for his.

First we retake power. Then we retake our party.

[JeffR]

7. Agree on this 4th point, too

but retaking the party has just become a priority almost as urgent as retaking power.

[Pab Sungenis]

13. I agree.

But our chance to retake our party comes after our chance to retake Congress. We have to organize and mobilize for both now, but we need to vote for Democrats -- ALL Democrats -- in November.

[JeffR]

15. And I shall

but minus - to paraphrase a well-known song - another little piece of my heart. This time it's really a big piece. The elected Democrats don't have much more heart to break right here...

[Solon]

8. Your number 2 is incomplete...

Ask the ICC open up investigations of ALL Congress people who voted YES on this damned bill. Democratic Congress is to make NO moves to hinder said investigation, hopefully, by the end of it, most, if not all, of those who voted Yes on this criminal legislation are sitting in jail for 20+ years.

[emcguffie]

19. The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States.

The only way it could have would be for the UN Security Council to refer the "situation" to the Court. Since the US is a P5 member of the Council and has a veto, forget about it. The US can veto any suggestion that the ICC investigate anything having to do with the USA. At any time.

Or-- there may be some fairly complicated scenario that I don't recall, but since Iraq isn't a party either, it doesn't count. I don't know about Afghanistan. Unless.....

Unless Mr. Bolton were to fall asleep and miss a meeting of the Security Council. This has happened once -- only once, and never with the USA. I forget which veto-holding country missed a meeting,it was either China or the USSR, and it wasn't because they fell asleep, it was deliberate, but it was a very dumb thing for them to do.

[BeFree]

9. That's it, indeed

Murtha as Speaker of the House will get them into shape.

And each of us needs to be involved in the local politics. I am and I'm making headway. Heck, it's even fun!

We will take back this party and remake it into a real power that will change the face of America. We have to. Get to work, yall!

[rhiannon55]

10. Thank you for reminding me that it can be done!

I have been so depressed, but all is not lost.

I have work to do. All right, then. Onward! :patriot:

[hootinholler]

11. Much better than my ideas

Which all leaned towards a pyrotechnical solutions.

-Hoot

[glitch]

12. First we get the fascists, then we get the collaborators.

One step at a time, not so much patience as steadfast determination.

[grasswire]

14. as I posted on another thread...

...the organization that is organizing the general strike and walkout for October is actively discouraging Democrats from voting. I'm pretty angry about this betrayal by leftists -- we saw how well that kind of urging has played out today, in Congress.

The lower right section of the page at the following URL is the call for not voting. http://www.worldcantwait.net/

[LaPera]

16. I'm all for it...

Assuming Diebold won't come into play....They are going to use every and all avenues, stealing is something they own and will use.

though it will never stop me from voting, supporting, working, nor donating...

NEVER too early (or late) to start and to continue grassroots organizing, Truly, it's the only way.

[pecwae]

17. Proactive!

This is what I was hoping DU'ers would do. There've been so many 'doom and gloom posts', 'why bother posts'. 'they'll just cheat' posts that this post is a breath of fresh air!

Perhaps this and all other proactive threads could get the actions combined and posted in the Activists HQ. Along with the 'to do' list a 'how to' would be extremely helpful for those of us who are fairly new to political action. I've been around a long time and have been interested in the world around me, but never made the time to become truly active politically. Now, I not only have the time, but the need is urgent and America can't wait any longer for change.

[emcguffie]

18. What makes you think our fearless leaders will ever stand up to them?

Why do you think Pelosi would ever change her mind?

It seems to me, from this most astonishing event -- certainly the most astonishing event of my life -- that the Republicans have some kind of control over them. I do not know what it is, but it is strong. It has to be something they use to blackmail them with.

I don't see any reason why they will suddenly rise up and become the tigers you expect them to be. Oh, I know. You think we'll get a majority and then they'll be able to do what they want?

Why did they have to give Bush what he wants now, when most Americans cannot abide what Bush is doing? Why?

Americans do not want what happened to happen. They do not think it is right. Americans believe in freedom. They think this is going way too far. Why on earth did even the Republicans go with it? Your average run-of-the-mill Republican will be most horrified when he understands what has been done, and plenty of them see it for what it is already. To say that they wanted to look strong on terrorism is total B S. No way protecting our basic most essential freedom is less important than fighting terrorism. Isn't that WHY we are supposedly fighting terrorism? Come on.

They have some kind of clout that we do not understand. Whatever that thing is isn't going to disappear even if we did get a majority. Whatever power they have, they would still have it. Because it isn't anything reasonable. It can't be. It's something unspeakable. It has to be. Because there just isn'tany explanation for why our representatives would go against all our wishes, not just Democratic wishes, but against Republican wishes, and Conservative wishes, and Libertarian wishes. Nobody in this country thinks giving up habeas corpus is a good idea. Who wants that? Excuse me, but that's absolute BS in your face. And if you accept that argument, you're being led by the nose.

Come on, people, think. Who have they satisfied? Most Americans? Really? Do you really believe that? Take a poll. What's that woman's name, the ex-wife of the Navy Captain? Kay Grimes, I think.

I know, I know, tin hat. This will be erased. I just can't imagine why anyone in their right mind would do it, because it can't be because of public pressure. That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard.


edited for spelling, and something that got deleted -- that good old Windows delete where the cursor was when you weren't looking thing