REAL Democrats and REAL Conservatives need to join forces

[helderheid]

I'm thinking about Andrew Sullivan, a true conservative who has seen the light about the neo-cons, and the true Democrats, those who don't know where the backbone is with our party much of the time. We agree that what is happening to our country is appauling - we need to drop the labels and join together.

[MadMaddie]

1. Yes because this is the only way to defeat the Neocons...

We have to work together because the larger the numbers the more opportunities that we have to beat them...

[helderheid]

2. Did you catch Maher Friday? It was terrific.

[MadMaddie]

7. Yes...if I had just tuned in after they were introduced I would

have thought it was a Democratic panel....

It was very interesting....I am glad the true Republicans (The Goldwater) Republicans are finally angry and finally speaking out...

[Joe Chi Minh]

3. I believe FDR was a true conservative as well as a great

Democrat.

To see what happens when the "salt loses its savour", look at Britain. "Beggars on horseback", like Blair and his Cabinet are cut from the same cloth as the radical neocon vandals of the far right. Indeed our far right have often started out as Communists.

Progressive "New Deal" policies are conservative in the best sense: the country is never in better shape. Evolution/development, in place of revolution/regression.

It's no longer just "the economy, stupid" (if it ever was, under wild Bill, post-Gatt); distribution of the country's wealth is at least of equal importance. ONE NATION, which really RESPECTS the flag - without lowering it, to wrap themselves in it - and is prepared, from the richest to the poorest, to fight on the field of battle to protect it, if ever the need should genuinely arise.

The distribution of wealth should be a key talking point on DU, imo - not just when the richest are given obscene tax breaks. All the time. It should be treated as inseparable from the health of the economy in all discussions.

Protectionism, fortunately, still has some meaning for US leaders, however cuynically political the reasons with the right. But with ever-growing outsourcing and (ir)rationalisation - which has been proved to lead to inefficiency, however well it streamlines the "gushing up" of growing revenues to the CEO and directors - you are following us Brits on the path to a bottomless pit of social squalor and national ignominy.

[helderheid]

4. You are so right. We have so many people living in poverty and

47,000,000 without health insurance. That is a disgrace.

[Joe Chi Minh]

9. A country is its people - not a select group, the fauna and

flora or the landscape (unless you are a Darwinian elitist, a naturalist or a geologist).

So their use of the word, "economy" is merely esoteric Beltway parlance for the economy as it affects the wealth of a coterie of what most of the rest of us, in our indigence, consider to be wealthy people. Unfortunately, the journalists of TV and press are, for the most part, themselves, vastly overpaid hirelings, who are more than happy to peddle the concept of the economy as the for their own


The economy for the rest of us, relates to

a) a living wage, nay, a modicum of disposable income; likewise on retirement, though qua pension, presumably more modest.
b) the vicious social affects of outsourcing and putative "rationalisation"
c) the financing of the country's social and material infrastructure through a much more appropriate taxation of wealthy individuals and medium and large corporations.

[Pyrzqxgl]

10. Things were just different in the FDR years

the Communist Party was in it's "Popular Front" years and supported the Democrats generally. The Rupubs were generally isolationists who wanted no truck with Europe or the rest of the world and some of them even buddied with neoNazi groups like the "German-American Bund" and others. It was a different time and some FDR issues probably would ring with todays conservatives and others wouldn't. The issues were so different that to compare them with todays is a disservice to FDR's memory and to history.

[Double T]

5. I am NOT certain the Democrats or the Conservatives have THE SOLUTIONS.....

to the serious problems with our corrupt and incompetent government; that revelation in itself is exasperating. IF the Democrats takeover the Congress and it becomes business as usual in Washington, D.C., THEN what the hell are 'WE' going to do?? It is NOT enough to say throwing the rethugs out of office is going to cure the problem WHEN the ENTIRE SYSTEM of government is ABSOLUTELY BROKEN.

[helderheid]

8. That is what I am saying.

[TankLV]

6. Be very careful...FIRST - define "conservative" - then we can see if we support it...

WE will NOT compromise our noble PRINCIPLES to become repuke lite or to become cowardly, lying, greedy, selfish, hypocritical, homophobic, bigoted, religious thugs, etc.

If these "conservatives" are willing to support our NOBLE PROGRESSIVE ideals like EQUALITY, CHOICE, NON-VIOLENCE, Etc., then, that's OK.

Otherwise...