Movement growing to dump the DLC -Borg Assimilationist Whiners!

[AntiCoup2K4]

Voting for Kerry in November is one thing. Treating him like the second coming of Christ is entirely another.

[Rowdyboy]

1. Six months before a natuional election is really a bad time to call for

dumping portions of the party. Usually, winners try to increase the number of their supporters, not "cleanse" them...

[Pastiche423]

2. Any time is a good time

to dump the DLC, the right wing of the Democratic Party!

[Gman]

6. The Democratic Party is a political party and as such

is not an ideological society. The party is a loose confederation of a lot of groups with interests that span the political spectrum. There is no room for, nor a desire within the rank and file of the party for ideological purity with a rigid set of litmus tests. If that's what you're looking for in the Democratic Party, it isn't there and never will be. If that's what you want in a political party, you probably need to look somewhere else.

[cosmik debris]

9. I wish I had said that

n/t

[Pastiche423]

13. This has nothing to do w/purity

The DLC has done nothing but turn the party, I joined thirty two years ago, rightward. They are worse than DINOS and are bringing the party down, as well as losing races.

[Gman]

21. The Democratic Party I also joined 32 years ago

is still the same confederation of interests it was 32 years ago only the groups in some cases now go by different names now. There were conservative Democrats back then and there are conservative Democrats now. I remember well the joy within the ranks of the far left at the exodus of conservative Democrats to the GOP. The thinking then, as it is now, is that the Democratic Party could then become a strictly liberal party without the conservatives. It didn't happen then and its not going to happen now or ever as long as there are groups like organized labor, the black caucuses, hispanic caucuses, women's caucuses and GLBT caucuses that form the organized (i.e. GOTV) feet on the ground in campaigns. While money in a campaign is a suitable substitute for not having an organization, you can beat a well financed campaign every time with an effective GOTV campaign. That's why the number of local elected Democrats still far outweighs the number of Republicans nationwide. This is also why GOTV will determine the presidency in November. It will be the above named groups that will provide the feet on the ground and ears on the phones to get this done. The far left liberal just plain don't have the numbers to compete for influence within the party by doing these things. In politics, its all about how many votes you can deliver and the far left doesn't deliver.

But none of this is to say that the above mentioned groups don't share many of the same cares and concerns as the far left because, in general, they do. However, I'm not completely sure the far left shares many of the same issues as top prioriies with the less liberal. Things like affordable health care, a living wage, and even the 40 hour work week and education seem to take a backseat with many far left liberals to things like IWR and whether or not a candidate is in favor of immediate withdrawal from Iraq. While there are less liberal folks like myself that feel strongly about immediate withdrawal from Iraq, a candidate's position on this does not at all take precedence over that candidate's position on health care, the economy and jobs, and education. These are known as "bread and butter" issues and are what win elections and make people's lives better.

You may say these issues didn't play well in 2002. The problem in 2002 was in the delivery of the message, not the message itself. As Bill Clinton said, people would rather have someone strong and wrong than someone right and weak.

The DLC fits nowhere in this grand scheme. The DLC is just there. They provide some money and a lot of ideas. But the real movers and shakers in the party come from the groups mentioned above.

[wyldwolf]

27. The DLC has won three straight presidential races

....and, if polling holds, will win a fourth.

But show me how many races the DLC have lost compared to more liberal democrats since 1988...

...and then give me a fresh excuse for why democrats lost BEFORE the DLC existed.

[wyldwolf]

3. Move to dump the far-left conspiracy mongering losing Whiners!

...better know as the "prooooogreeeeessiiiiives."

Voting for Kerry in November is one thing. Enabling Bush by constantly attacking Kerry is entirely another.

[AntiCoup2K4]

4. I'm not enabling Bush, or any other neocon shitbag,

But I can think of some "Democrats" who are. And I can't name them, but their initials are DLC.

And besides, Trumad already started the "Demand Kerry worship" thread. That's why I did this one.

[wyldwolf]

5. yes you are.

And in true farleft wacko style...

[Exgeneral]

15. isn't that the province of Rush Limbaugh?

name-calling the progressives of your own party is NOT how you win votes.

The progressives are the key to this election, and if you don't see that, YOU are the Bush enabler.

[Rowdyboy]

18. Excuse me, but this thread began by calling moderate Democrats

"assimilationist-Borg whiners" . If you open a conversation by rudely insulting 1/3 of a political party, you might reasonably expect the other side to also respond with name-calling too.

Oh, I'm sorry. We're not allowed to respond. We must now live in fear of wounding the sensibilities of the Nader voters, quivering lest we offend their delicate sensibilities. Slinging shit works both ways.

Pardon me, but, F**K THAT. If you don't care who appoints the next four Supreme Court justices, then nothing you have to say is of interest to me.

[wyldwolf]

25. Who started this thread? Who ALWAYS starts inter-party name calling?

The "proooogreeeeeessssiiiiives."

[Foswia]

7. 1928 - Commies tell the social democrats the same thing, and Hitler rises

[trumad]

8. No Trumad is responding to the dipshit Dump Kerry movement thread!

And the only thing that I'm demanding is that assholes who enable Bush drop dead!

[Exgeneral]

16. please see post # 15

You are the number one perpetrator of this insanity.

[wyldwolf]

26. Please see posts 1, 18, and 25

[R3dD0g]

10. And just where do you get the idea that

a 'movement' is 'growing'?

You provide no links to an article, you cite no polls, hell you don't even link to another post on this very site.

Could the 'movement' be 'growing' only in your mind?

[QC]

24. There's a movement growing in my colon.

It's a lot more real than the one the original poster refers to.

[messiah]

11. Yeah I can actually see it

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[ulysses]

12. how? the DLC isn't exactly dependent on the rank & file.

It can be done (and needs to be done) but they didn't weasel their way into the party leadership overnight and their irrelevance and removal will take time as well.

[mobuto]

31. The DLC is powerful because the DLC contributed the money

Democratic politicians needed to get elected. If Democratic politicians find they can make as much from many small contributions as they made from a few large contributions, they will no longer be beholden to DLC-style interests. Politicians will do what they have to to get elected - that's a fact of life. But when you and your friends contribute, you make them beholden to you instead of that big corporation whose executives are not contributing.

Both the DNC and the Kerry Campaign are experimenting in a big way with small contributions this year. If they make enough that way to put them over the top, politics will be changed forever.

[ACK]

14. You are not happy that is cool. Bush-lite comments some use? Tick me off

Constructive criticism threads I have seen like the teacher focused one up right now. That is great.

That is what is really great about DU.

I just hate when some leftist start to use the same mis-characterizations and smears that the Repukes use.

I just hate it when we start believing the media lies and start asking where Kerry is. Where is he? Campaigning all over the place and speaking out against Bush and not getting any play.

I will speak my mind just like you every chance I get.

Kerry is not the second coming. He is to the right of Kucinch and Nader. This is for sure.

But hell he is to the left of Clinton and Lieberbush and yes even Gore the man who should be President.

_

[CubsFan1982]

17. I don't believe

Kerry's the second coming, but I do believe that we as Democrats, especially this year, have an obligation to get behind our nominee, and not tear him down. Dean was my first choice, but reality eventually has to set in. John Kerry is our nominee, and we have to support him. The point is that if we don't, we get four (or more) years of what we've gotten for the last four years. This really is the last chance. If Bush gets back in, we've crossed the Rubicon, we can look forward to being a sham democracy banana republic like Russia and the PRI-era Mexico. What this Administration has done has convinced me that they are capable of ANYTHING. One more 9/11 on American soil, and we can say hello to martial law, more severe repressions of dissent and free speech.

[Sparkly]

19. Why do so many assume it's more progressive or liberal to bash Kerry

rather than support him???

There are plenty of far-left people who are supporting Kerry. In my view, it's not "progressive" to oppose him, it's just stupid. Just my opinion.

[w4rma]

20. I don't think he's the 2nd coming of Christ, but I do think he'd make a

great president. The Naderites (not saying you are a Naderite) were saying the exact same things about Gore. Now look at Gore. Is there any doubt that he would have made a great president, also?

Have faith that he will be a great president. Hold his feet to the fire, once in office, to help him lead as a great president.

[mitchum]

22. Your problem is that Kerry is not the second coming of Christ...

and you so had your hopes pinned on a new messiah. I mean...I noticed your crucifix...Oops!...uh...avater...

[Zorra]

23. If Kerry loses, and we don't take back the Senate, DLC will stand for

Dead Like Custer

[wyldwolf]

28. and If Kerry wins?

Will you join the DLC? No, you'll just make excuses that somehow it wasn't something the DLC did.

Yeah, that's it. If DLC loses, it's their fault.

If they win, it must be the fault of who they beat.

[mobuto]

30. Who the hell cares?

I don't particularly like the DLC and I don't identify Kerry as a DLC-er, but really, even if you do who cares? Remember why we're running a candidate in the first place - we need to remove George W. Bush, just possibly the worst President in our nation's history, from office. The difference between center-left and liberal-left positions, which certainly deserve to be debated, cannot be debated when the only alternative is between George Bush and John Kerry. We may not agree on what we consider Kerry's location on the political spectrum, but we do agree on Bush's. And that's why its important to be united behind our candidate, perfect or imperfect, because we have that common enemy. George Bush's positions are as clear as the summer sun - and they are clearly contrary to your interests, my interests and the interests of the United States. So lets get that bastard out and then worry about which interest groups exert too much influence in our Party.

[mobuto]

29. WE DON'T HAVE THAT LUXURY

When we win the White House, then you can complain about Kerry's policies shifting to the right and whatnot. But not until then. Because the only priority has to be the defeat of George W. Bush. If Kerry can beat Bush, then he deserves to be treated like the second coming. And we each have it as our responsibility to make that happen.

Stop whining and start doing.