Malloy: if you're a dem. and you run as bush lite you're going to lose

[Selwynn]

The actual quote was, "if your a democrat and you run as bush lite your going to be defeated."

I've felt this way in my heart, but I don't know if that's right or not. is DLC the way to win, or is a reborn return to traditional liberalism something the country is ready for or will soon be ready for with the current direction of things?

I'm setting aside of the moment what I think is "right." I'm just wondering if the idea that being a light dlc democrat is really the way to win, or if the fact that we think that's how we win is what is going to cause us to lose...

[Inland]

1. What's Bush Lite? Half the dumb, all the smirk?

[avail]

17. ha ha ha

ha ha ha ha ha...moron. this is funny, moron
moron, ha ha

[fearnobush]

2. If Paul Wellstone was not assassinated, he would be 15Pt's a head

of CHimpy now.

[Selwynn]

3. I strongly tihink this is true. But its all emotion, I don't have the ..

...reasoning to back up that feeling....


...yet.

[seabeyond]

4. i dont know, gore and clinton won n/t

[Selwynn]

15. Even in a fair and legal election,

gore didn't win decisively, his campaign as lack luster and I don't care how much we want to rally around our own guys there was no mandate in that election of 2000.

Clinton had the help of Perot splitting up the right vote and had a ridiculously poor opponent for his second term. In addition to that, its not clear that people didn't vote for Clinton because they just liked Clinton - its not clear that he couldn't have masterfully crafted a message of strong liberalism, the great communicator and personality that he was, and win decisively.

[AntiCoup2K4]

5. 1994, 2000, 2002.... the DLC has a stellar track record so far

They're doing exactly what they intended to do in the first place. Destroy the Democratic party from within.

If Kerry loses they will deserve the blame, as they chose the candidate and the platform.

If Kerry wins, they will try to take credit and claim that ALL future candidates have to run to the right of Reagan.

Either way, most of us lose.

The day after the election, we start dismantling the DLC, one way or the other, by any means neccessary. Or we will NEVER get back to the true center, let alone Liberalism in this country.

[LoZoccolo]

7. 2000? Gore won. n/t

[LoZoccolo]

8. Also, 1994 was the result of liberal platforms like...

...the health care plan and the assault weapons ban.

[LoZoccolo]

14. I should amend that.

Also, the "Contract with America", which was designed to draw in Perot voters.

[blm]

18. Wrong. Al From never liked Kerry because he was the furthest left of the

DLC roster. In fact, Howard Dean was always well to the right of the DLC roster when he was governor. Lefties like Kerry provided balance to the rightward tilters.

Al From only gave in to supporting Kerry when he had no choice.

[LoZoccolo]

6. He also said that the Bush* crime family engineered 9/11.

Do you remember Mondale? Dukakis?

The DLC candidates, on the other hand, won.

[Rose Siding]

9. Has a familiar ring to it...

Can't quite place it.

[punpirate]

10. Malloy is echoing Truman's observation....

Despite his faults, Truman was an astute observer of politics, having experienced them from the local level on up, and it was he that said that if the voter has "a choice between a Republican and a Democrat who talks like a Republican, they'll choose the real thing every time."

[zulchzulu]

11. Defining "Bush Lite" is a speculative game of Naderoid Parlor Talk

This whole BS meme of calling someone "Bush Lite" (especially when it comes to trying to pin the moniker on Kerry) is usually the result of NOT DOING YOUR HOMEWORK and thinking we can give you an A for pompous platitudes.

We have Kerry (decent Progressive with a little Moderate on the side) against Bush (flip-flopping Theocrat with a major problem with speaking the American English language and a lot of lie-driven dry drunk bullshit on the side).

Bush-lite? WTF is that?

It's nutrition vs. poison. Is there a middle ground? NO!

[Selwynn]

16. How exactly is Kerry a decent progressive?

If you have a real answer, then just answer, and spare me all the condescending bullshit. I'm willing to take a good answer and accept it.

PS - I'm voting for Kerry, that's not even in question. But I reserve the right to think critically and ask critical questions whether you like it or not.

[Guaranteed]

12. Let's put it this way:

Don't validate the ridiculous excuse for policy that the Bush administration promotes by trying to meet them halfway. You will look weak, and you will lose.

[Armstead]

13. Bush Lite misses the boat IMO

Aside from being wrong from a philosophical standpoint, being a centrist is strategically dumb, in my opinion.

The people in the center are going to either think Bush and the GOP is okay if they are conservatively oriented. They're a lost cause, and they should not be pandered to.

But if the Democrats presented a clearly liberal and progressive alternative, and sell it well, it gives people in the center something different than the GOP.

It doesn't have to be Dennis Kucinich, but more along the lines of he, Paul Wellstoine, Russ Feingold, Dick Durbin and other clearly liberal and progressive Dems.

[blm]

19. Kerry's lifetime voting record was 3 points away from Wellstone's.

His record was the closest to Wellstone's of all the primary candidates, including Kucinich.