The Democratic Big Tent has no place for Corporatists or Anti-Choicers

[PHIMG]

These agents have been implanted in our party by anti-Progressive forces to torpedo our agenda from within. Job number one for the party is to clean house and get rid of them.

Rec if you agree!

Or tell me why you disagree.

The real number in the senate is 60 Solid Progressives. DLC Style Democrats and members of "The Family" can go form their own party.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

1. What about Casey Jr. in PA?

He's anti-abortion, but I'd defy you to present any evidence that he was "implanted in our party by anti-Progressive forces." For fuck's sake, he ousted Santorum.

[PHIMG]

3. Primary his ass.

Getting rid of Santorum was a good first step. Casey was picked by the Democratic machine because he could raise money with daddies Rolodex. He beat Santorum by a huge margin. We could have a solid progressive in that state, instead we got Casey - a vote for whatever anti-abortion poison pill the Republicans stick in the Senate bill.

Prohibition of abortion does not reduce abortion it only increases the number of dead women from botched procedures. Safe, rare and legal. If you don't agree with that, then go join an anti-abortion party.

[T Wolf]

16. Exactly. The Dems took a winning situation and turned it into shit with Casey.

He is practically useless. A real liberal could have won the seat from Santorum, but the powers that be were too afraid. Thus, we got Casey who is almost as bad as Spectre.

[Chan790]

45. And we had that liberal ready and rip-roaring...

the powers that be goaded Casey (who was not intending to run; his eye was always on the gubernatorial race...that's the job he wanted.) into the race because they were afraid of Chuck Pennachio because he was an outsider who wasn't going to play by their rules and kiss the right democratic asses.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

52. LOL

Really, you go ahead and try to mount a primary fight against Casey. He's arguably the most popular politician in the state.

[Richardo]

2. Then it's not a Big Tent, is it?

[PHIMG]

4. Just needs to be big enough.

Big enough for the middle class. Leave Goldman Sachs and the Operation Rescue to the Republicans.

[Richardo]

10. Ask the GOP how their ideological pogrom is going.

Great idea.

[PHIMG]

13. Republicans are out of step with the majority, Progressive Democrats are not

America is pro-choice and thinks that capitalism is failing the middle class and big corporations have too much power.

Teabaggers thing Obama was born in Kenya and is the anti-Christ, or Hilter.

Nice try at false equivalency.

[Richardo]

18. Better look at those numbers.

I think you'll find about 20% of Americans identify as liberal.


http://www.gallup.com/poll/123854/conservatives-maintain-edge-top-ideological-group.aspx

[PHIMG]

35. Nice strawman, did I say anything in my post about liberal?

No. Maybe you should check your numbers.

[Richardo]

40. What's your definition of a 'Progressive Democrat' then?

Or is it just an indescribable 'otherness' that automatically conforms to your baseless assertions that these mythic beings - whatever their attributes - are somehow 'in step' with Americans?

BTW: In many circles (in the empirical realm I like to call the 'real world'), 'progressive' is a synonym for 'liberal'.

[T Wolf]

14. Exactly how big does that damn tent have to be? Is there anyone or any position

that should disqualify someone from being welcome in the tent?

Evidently, I can be anti-choice and still be welcome.

I can also be anti-marriage equality and still be allowed in.

I can support the wars against Iraq and Afghanistan and still be a (registration) card-carrying member.

I can support the bankster, corporate and Wall Street bailouts and not be driven out.

I can be pro-death penalty and still be counted among the party faithful.

I can be against any and all restrictions on guns and still be allowed to call myself a Democrat.

I can believe in racial profiling Ayrabs to protect us and not be considered outside the tent.

I can be against animal rights (and vegans and PETA and ALF) and still be welcome at all party functions.

I can support industry and be against the EPA (in its supposed function) and still be okay.

I can be anti-union and pro-management and not be considered a traitor to Democratic principles.

And on and on and on and on...

Tell me. How many of the above positions am I allowed to hold and still be considered a GOOD Democrat?

[JoeyT]

32. You can hold all of those and then some.

Hell we don't even run people out for being screaming good ol' boy racists that hate anyone that isn't white.
Apparently being pro-drug war and pro-prison industry is ok too. We wouldn't want to look soft on crime.
We no longer have to care about any civil liberties at all. (Well, as long as the person that's attacking them has a D on their name.)
We can believe social safety nets are socialism and evil.
We can believe women aren't really people.
Etc etc.

The problem isn't the moderates. Moderates are a good thing. The problem is we have a neo-con wing of our party now. They hold not a single progressive OR moderate view, yet they describe themselves as moderates. (Which I understand is kind of frustrating for actual moderates.) Then when the spineless politicians start triangulating, they triangulate from the neo-cons on our side to the completely insane people on the Republican side. So we end up with policies that cost a fortune, don't help anyone, and further try to concentrate wealth. But as long as a D wins, it's rah rah go team!

[WeDidIt]

5. The GOP had no place for pro-healthcare pro-=choicers

and they are the minority party now.

You like having zero power. Gives more punch to whining over what's happening when your party is out of power.

:eyes:

[PHIMG]

7. What good is power when you have traitors who stop you from using it?

Traitors like Liberman and Nelson in the Senate who threaten to filibuster over any sort of Public option. It's like the Democratic party's 2nd bigest accomplishment isn't Medicare, publicly run health insurance program.

Then you have the 50 Democrats in the House who got a poison pill put into the house bill.

Why are these people in the party? Were we so desperate to win under the DLC dark days that we'd let traitors into our party that will stick the shiv into the democratic party platform anytime they can get some headlines out of it?

Fox News Democrats and DLCers have no place in this party. Let them go form a new party with the Teabaggers.

[WeDidIt]

21. You must be new to poltics

This is how it has worked for more than 220 years.

[PHIMG]

36. From someone who wants to primary Kucinich!

Why don't you go be a Republican?

[WeDidIt]

38. The primary is the tool to remove politicians with whom we are in disagreement

I see Kucinich as a fucked up piece of shit for a Democrat and want him to lose his seat to somebody who will be a more reliable Democrat. That's my right as a Democrat. You have no right to question that right.

[frazzled]

6. Jiminy Cricket

This board is getting dumber every day.

[PHIMG]

8. So you leave a dumb comment to celebrate?

Raise to raise the discourse there.

[HamdenRice]

20. Where do they get these people from?

[stray cat]

9. However, the republican party has room and is ready to fix the US!

Come one come all!

[ipaint]

48. That tactic certainly worked well for the DLC. n/t

[PHIMG]

11. The "Unrec this thread" alert has gone out!!!

PR Interns across DC are getting Tweets as we speak.

[Richardo]

12. "I regret that I have but one unrec to give to this thread"

I'm just glad we don't have a daily limit.

[azmouse]

19. We're all paid to unrec these threads.

sheesh... didn't you get the email from your operatives yet? :eyes:

[PHIMG]

23. I could link to articles from special interests describing just such systems

Don't be naive. If you have deep pockets you can influence greatly sites such as these.

There are stupid and or misguided people who do the work for free. You may be one of these, I won't judge.

[azmouse]

24. I don't doubt there are "paid operatives" on message boards

but if you haven't been reading all the lies and smears using that arguement as a jumping off point then you haven't read many threads here.

There are a few DUers posting that shit about everyone who disagrees with their point of view. It is as wrong and as obnoxious as the constant troll name calling, and those that are posting that shit should be warned and then tombstoned if they don't stop.

[PHIMG]

37. Well then you are quite ignorant.

Those of us who have worked in PR know the truth.

I bet you doubt people are paid to write fraudulent letters on faked letterhead to Congress. Except that this just happened, was exposed.

Keep living in fairytale land.

[cynatnite]

15. That's not a big tent at all...

We've got Dems of all stripes in our party and by throwing out this message you're only wanting those who believe like you to be in the party. Sorry, that's smacks too much of a repukish attitude.

[rudy23]

17. Yes. "Moderate" Democrats do not run counter to the most basic tenets of the Democratic Party.

DLC'ers do because they are trying to rationalize a competing set of values. Most of us outside the beltway do not have to make such compromises, so we don't really relate to the DLC brand of Democratic values.

Have you ever met a real life civilian who was adamantly pro-DLC?

[azmouse]

25. Who pays you?

[glitch]

31. I do.

With respect. I am sure I am not alone.

[geek tragedy]

27. the DLC is so overrated as a bogeyman. No one gives a shit about the DLC. nt

[azmouse]

28. The DLC must have run over his dog.

It's all he does here... bitch about the DLC.

I've never heard anyone express any deep, undying love for the DLC so I don't know why he is so obsessed.

[vinylsolution]

22. The Democratic tent is much bigger....

... and friendlier, than the tent on the right.

[geek tragedy]

26. I much preferred having Tom DeLay running the House anyways.

Much better than Nancy Pelosi.

[blindpig]

29. The way things are going...

there hardly seems to be any difference on issues of import.

At least the Republicans are honest about their reactionary program.

[geek tragedy]

30. Just like Bush=Gore.

If your goal is a violent overthrow of the entire system of government, then I would agree with you.

[B Calm]

33. I have a Blue Dog rep and he's anti choice. . . It has also effected

his house vote on our health care!

[LWolf]

34. I agree. nt

[TicketyBoo]

39. Dream on.

The real number in the senate is 60 Solid Progressives.

Dream on. You get rid of Ben Nelson here, you end up with an even more conservative Republican instead of a "DLC-style" Democrat.

I don't like it, but that's the way it is. You're not going to get any better out of Nebraska.

I don't know where you're coming from, but I can tell it ain't from around these parts.

[mmonk]

41. They feel they control the party ever since Clinton. I doubt they will

go and try to form another. They are trying to force us out.

[kctim]

42. I disagree

because job number one for the party should not be to kick the majority out. At least not if they wish to continue to be relevent.

[PHIMG]

43. The majority is corporatists and anti-choicers?

Really? On what planet do you live?

[kctim]

46. Planet Reality

Where progressives do NOT make up the majority of the Dem Party. Where your version of a Big Tent without moderates would look like a college football stadium holding a flag football scrimmage.

The Democratic Party is a big tent BECAUSE it welcomes those with common goals but with differing views, not because we ALL share your personal vision, your agenda. And labeling all who disagree with your personal agenda as "corporatists and anti-choicers" is nothing more than a weak attempt to discount and ignore differing beliefs in order to falsely justify "your agenda" as the prevailing thought shared by all.

But hey, if you really want us moderates out of YOUR party, then keep pushing for us to leave. I mean, it's not like you need our tens of millions of votes come election time or anything, do you.

[PHIMG]

47. Being Anti-Choice is not moderate, sir

Giving corporations more power is not moderate, sir.

Americans think corporations have to much power, do not have the public interest at stake, and don't pay enough in taxes. Americans believe that access to Abortion should be legal.

Go ahead and focus on the stupid labels that people run away from, that's a great way for you to pretend that Americans all think the way YOU DO, or the way you are paid to think.

The truth is that Americans are progressives on the issues. Read this report for proof...

http://www.mediamatters.org/static/pdf/progressive_majority.pdf

[kctim]

50. Wow

a progressive site using POLLING to claim a progressive majority, who would have thunk it. Did you research in order to undersand all that or just read it and agree?

The majority of Americans are pro-choice on abortion, but the majority of Americans do not support no restrictions on it. Do you see the two views there? One conservative (pro-life) and one progressive (abortion at will)? And do you see where we are now, in the middle? The moderate position.
If you can't, try asking yourself why such polls never ask if people believe in abortion on demand for birth control with no questions asked.

Conservatives want to give the corps more power and progressives want to give govt more power. Moderates like a balance in between. One is NOT a corporist because they are fine with corps having more power than YOU personally want them to have and they are not socialists because they are fine with govt having more power than conservatives wish them to have.

I focused on your stupid labels because they are no different than the labels given by the right. Childish and meaningless.

So the "truth" is that Americans are progressives on the issues? Interesting.
Is gay marriage a progressive issue? Yes. So why is it not law? Why do the people keep voting against it?
Is strict gun control a progressive issue? Yes. So why has the 2nd Amendment not been done away with yet? Why are guns not banned?
Is single-payer a progressive issue? Yes. So why is it not law yet? Why are people not willing to pay more taxes for it?

The truth is that the VAST majority of Americans are moderates and you wanting to kick them out of the Democratic Party because they are not as far left as you want them to be on some issues, is an idiotic idea that would absolutely destroy the Democratic Party.

[ProSense]

44. I disagree with anti-choicers, but doesn't this mean Kucinich should have been voted out in 2003?

He's on the right side now.

[saracat]

49. Sadly, the so called "new" Democrats aren't democrats. Roosevelt couldn't run on his Bill of Rights

today.he would be too "liberal". The passage of Stupak proved that we no longer are liberals. I say we should primary all the neocon Democrats.They are a disgrace to all the values that made our party great. They don't even support our party platform, and yet some here defend them.

2008 Dem Platform: "We will never put ideology above women’s health."
"We will never put ideology above women’s health."

"The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right."

http://www.dnc.org/a/party/platform.html

[librechik]

51. yeah, damn it--CHOICE is in the platform!! Why do a**wipes like Reid and Stupak

think they can spit in our faces? I guess they forgot all the battles we fought for women's equality

Maybe it's time to throw a few burning bras over the fence!