How We Got Here, and What Liberals Could Do Now

[FrenchieCat]

So what are liberals to do? How can we channel anger and frustration to protest the Tea Party hijacking of Congress? Personally, I’m not totally sure, but first, liberals need to realize that the original Tea Party master plan did not include protesting the Republican Party. In addition, the powers responsible for media coverage decisions already supported Republican policies, so the coverage that the Tea Party received, although unprecedented, had been deemed a worthwhile cause by the corporate media.

Unfortunately, I do not believe that the same holds true for liberal causes, unless their protest movement is also aimed at President Obama. You see, the media would support, as they did with the Tea Party, any entity (especially if it were liberal) protesting President Obama. In fact, rest assured that this is the only way that a liberal protest group might gain recognition and be provided wall-to-wall coverage. This conclusion sounds rather cynical, but it is still true. If liberals choose to activate protests aimed directly at Barack Obama, and are more than willing to lose the upcoming 2012 elections badly, this is how they could cultivate the same kind of notoriety that the Tea Party was given by the media, as long as liberals don’t mind riding out the long-term result of solid Republican majority rule for the next 10 years minimum.

The other rational alternative is to activate against the Republican Congress and the corporate media, and do as Wisconsin liberals showed us is possible in the last year; that organized, loud and steadfast protests ending in the voting booth is the only way to go, even as the national media would certainly turn the other cheek. We don’t need to support one person in particular, like Pres. Obama. Instead, we need to protest what Tea Party members support, but we first need to understand clearly that if we choose this more difficult route (with the expectation of receiving no corporate media support), then our efforts as activists can only succeed if we wage a patient battle that is extended, unwavering, unified, and in it for the long haul.

More....
http://www.democratsforprogress.com/2011/08/08/how-we-got-here-and-where-to-go-now/

Lead Story in Time Magazine ---> http://www.time.com/time/magazine/current

[CTyankee]

1. A good argument, but can we DO it?

[FrenchieCat]

2. We better do it......

Otherwise, why are we here? :shrug:

[CTyankee]

3. A really good question. I didn't vote for my reps in D.C. to do nothing.

I don't think everybody who voted for Obama (including me) voted for nothing either.

I really think it is up to the Republicans in the room to come up with the "adult" version of the solution. I'm waiting...

[FrenchieCat]

4. Waiting has gotten us nowhere up to this point,

ever since the Tea Party was created.....

I think protesting the Tea Party and showing up in numbers consistently
could get us something......at least allow the country a visual of how
miniscule the Tea Party is, and yet how much impact they seem to have had
on policy decisions.

[CTyankee]

5. I'll go, happily! We need an organizing force tho!

Most people are too poor and stressed out to press for change...

[FrenchieCat]

11. I think the opposite....folks are so poor and so stressed,

they will do what is required to press for change.

[Mimosa]

13. Organisers needed, then

I'm too poor to even travel, these days. It wasn't always so.

[FrenchieCat]

20. I'm sorry to hear this.......but yes, I agree that life ain't easy......

[Mimosa]

12. A positive direction, FrenchieCat

My only concern would be whether protesting them dignifies them with status.

[FrenchieCat]

14. They have status via their 80 voter members in the house......

as wells as the rest of the Republicans that appear to go along
to get along. I think that's a pretty large fish.

[Mimosa]

21. There is an 'official Tea Party' membership?

Frenchie, I respect your time too much to ask. Anybody, please tell me. Is there a real Tea Party membership roster?

Where can we access a list of such IDIOTS?

[FrenchieCat]

25. here!

The caucus chairman is Michele Bachmann of Minnesota.
The committee are all Republicans.<15>

Sandy Adams, Florida
Robert Aderholt, Alabama
Todd Akin, Missouri
Rodney Alexander, Louisiana
Michele Bachmann, Minnesota, Chairman
Roscoe Bartlett, Maryland
Joe Barton, Texas
Gus Bilirakis, Florida
Rob Bishop, Utah
Diane Black, Tennessee
Michael C. Burgess, Texas
Paul Broun, Georgia
Dan Burton, Indiana
John Carter, Texas
Bill Cassidy, Louisiana
Howard Coble, North Carolina
Mike Coffman, Colorado
Chip Cravaack, Minnesota
Ander Crenshaw, Florida
John Culberson, Texas
Jeff Duncan, South Carolina
Blake Farenthold, Texas
Stephen Fincher, Tennessee
John Fleming, Louisiana
Trent Franks, Arizona
Phil Gingrey, Georgia
Louie Gohmert, Texas
Vicky Hartzler, Missouri
Wally Herger, California
Tim Huelskamp, Kansas
Lynn Jenkins, Kansas
Steve King, Iowa
Doug Lamborn, Colorado
Jeff Landry, Louisiana
Blaine Luetkemeyer, Missouri
Kenny Marchant, Texas
Tom McClintock, California
David McKinley, West Virginia
Gary Miller, California
Mick Mulvaney, South Carolina
Randy Neugebauer, Texas
Rich Nugent, Florida
Steve Pearce, New Mexico
Mike Pence, Indiana
Ted Poe, Texas
Tom Price, Georgia
Denny Rehberg, Montana
Phil Roe, Tennessee
Dennis Ross, Florida
Ed Royce, California
Steve Scalise, Louisiana
Tim Scott, South Carolina
Pete Sessions, Texas
Adrian Smith, Nebraska
Lamar Smith, Texas
Cliff Stearns, Florida
Tim Walberg, Michigan
Joe Walsh, Illinois
Allen West, Florida
Lynn Westmoreland, Georgia
Joe Wilson, South Carolina
Members of Senate CaucusJim DeMint (South Carolina)<5>
Mike Lee (Utah)<5>
Jerry Moran (Kansas)
Rand Paul (Kentucky)<5>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_Caucus

[Mimosa]

27. Thank you. I would contribute whatever i could to defeat them.

We need a PAC to defeat them!

[FrenchieCat]

28. We need our asses out in the streets too!

They have unlimited funding, so although Money is great,
we need bodies too!

[Mimosa]

29. Agree.

I marched against Vietnam, for feminism and gay rights. I would march for progressive causes again, Frenchie. The most important od which is saving our Democracy.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BklnDem75]

8. Zero facts to support your claim

and a dig at supporters. Nice!

[FrenchieCat]

9. Well, we know why you are here......

But that's not what this op is about...

It is an op for those who want to do something to help directly
based on the political climate, and in a long run.....


Those who want to argue about who is a victim and who isn't, will continue ....

[Bluenorthwest]

7. Is is, and always has been, about policies not persons

It is not about 'protesting the President or Congress' it is about standing against policy you do not like and for that which you do like.
And this simplistic view of what most people like to call 'the media' is not going to help anyone. Time to think about the facts of life, and mass communications in politics is here to stay. Like air. Polluted air calls for clean air, not no air. So media skills will always be important. Always. Skills.
Part of skill is to understand the nature of your tools and of your opposition. It is time to put away this absurd meme that 'TV news' or even 'cable news' is synonymous to 'the media'. Those are segments, small segments of the larger media. So say again and again that 'the media' is controlled by others and will never do what 'we' want serves the other side, and it is patently untrue. The importance of the actual state of things can be seen in even this OP. So many Democrats like to wail that 'the Media is Republican and blah, blah, blah'. Oddly, these are often the same people who get chapped hides when other liberals make proper use of the media and prevail, 'why to they interrupt, why must they dress like that, why is she on the capitol steps' and so forth.
It is a misuse of the language to keep saying 'the Media Is___' when in fact it is a part of a segment of the media whole that you speak of. Even within the 'TV News Media' there are several people and places that are not GOP megaphones.
But The Media is far more than The News on TV. Step outside the commentary shows and 'cable news' which is watched, by the way, by almost no one, and you find, as we all know, that the paradigm shifts, and suddenly, Republicans have no context, no skills, no contacts, no footing. While a couple hundred thousand old farts are watching FoxNews, millions of people are not, and are in fact watching and listing to cultural and artistic output, entertainment, pop, hip hop, films, comedy and in all of those forms, and all of the rest, we the liberals, hold all power. All power. And that is all, also the media. THE MEDIA. Most of it is stuff that Republicans have no idea how to make, how to use, how to inspire. The got Dennis Miller. Vs Stewart, Colbert, Sykes, Maher, Rock. And so it goes. Oh, they got FoxNews! But they can not make a documentary to save their lives. They can not make a box office hit that teaches their point of view.
I am sick of this concept that Cable News IS the media. It is not even a success.
And the only people who need to hide behind 'the Media' are those who do not know how to use it.

[FrenchieCat]

10. 95% of media is owned by 5 entities, period.....

So the "small" slices are owned by same.

If on a Sunday evening, Joe Blow wants to find out what is going on,
he turns on the news; CNN or Fox, period. That is just a fact.

[Bluenorthwest]

16. That is not 'just a fact' Look up their viewer numbers.

CNN and FoxNews audience combined, in their best hour, are not even the top of cable TV. That is the fact. When most people want the news, they go to a network. Period. A few, mostly partisan and interested, go to cable outlets which cater to them. Take a look at the numbers.
But my larger point is that the media is a large world, 'tv news' is a small part of it, and there is no question that liberals excel in many areas of media where conservatives fail consistently. This is a huge advantage. It is always better to work one's advantages than to worry about the opponent's advantages. Ours are myriad. Diverse, and far more powerful than talking head news. This is a good thing. Focus on what can work. The Media, in the person of Tina Fey, came forward and made shreds of Palin in ways no news show could do. She is Main Stream, Network stuff. And personally, I'm really glad she saw Russia from her house, because it helped. It helped in part because the GOP has no answer for that sort of thing-talent and such.
I'll point out that the repeal battle for DADT did not suffer for coverage. I'll also point out that some who complain about 'the media never covering us' also complained about many of the methods used to get that coverage. A silly irony that should be dropped in favor of taking notes from those who get the press.
Obama 08 had a great media thing going on. Lots of notes to be taken from those events in the campaign and from the people, that is 'old media and new'. Remember Obama Girl? Yeah. People changing their middle names to Husein? That was great. Media. Covered. All of it. There was something to cover that was not pulse free and tepid, there were the People.
You do taxes for a living. All of my career has been in mass media, go learn all about TV ratings, and cable ratings, and get the big perspective. Their media platform is not as deep as you think, and ours is far better than you imagine. It starts with the fact that 'cable news' does not equal 'the Media'. It equals cable news. Therein lies much wisdom. But first practice you scales, learn all about those ratings.
I'm not kidding, nor am I being snarky. You have certain chops that should be backed up by a more complex, full and nuanced understanding of the media as a whole and in parts. You should never be happy with catch phrases and surface knowledge. You could learn how to play the machine, but you have to first look at it, address it, practice your scales and master it. You could be of more use to more people with a deeper understanding of our advantages and disadvantages in mass communications modalities. You may not see it this way, but the fact that I am talking about this at all, even trying is a compliment. I'm not saying you are wrong, I'm saying you could be more right, more specifically correct, and in that way, find things, as the OP asked, to do about all this compost and rot.

[FrenchieCat]

19. I've written much about our corporate owned media.......

And I didn't say that Cable news equals the entire media.......

But I do believe that most of the media is quite fucked up....
and has been for a very long time....
at least the part that calls itself the news department.

I remember their coverage of the Iraq War protests (teeny-tiny).
I remember the Bush suck ups and the Kerry attacks.
I don't have to cite stats....cause I remember well what I witnessed.

[Jakes Progress]

17. Too simplistic and too much "common" wisdom.

It is more complicated.

[Number23]

15. Wow! Is that Time cover for real??

:wow: I sure as hell hope that it is.

[FrenchieCat]

18. It is real......

Guess even Time Magazine realizes who the real fucks up are....
it's not like we haven't been witnessing the entire thing
for the last couple of months at least!

[Number23]

26. I know. That's why I'm blown away!

Guess even Time Magazine realizes who the real fucks up are....

Genuinely surprised that they decided to finger the real culprits.

[FrenchieCat]

30. Well, anyone remotely looking can figure it out......

Hell, the Tea Part was cheering the Downgrade! :eyes:

Video here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x740761

[Mimosa]

23. Bachmann looks like that most of the time. Look up 'mian xiang'.

An Asian acquaintance (who used to be a DUer) told me about an ancient Chinese face reading discipline called "Mian Xiang". He had noticed I was interested in physiognomy.

People's faces (especially without plastic surgery) don't lie.

[hulka38]

22. Liberals need to organize to

make centrist politicians fear and respect them. It shouldn't take long to send a clear message to the Party to never take liberals for granted again. Liberals need to take the Democratic Party back by embracing sound policies that are popular while vigorously criticizing conservative policies and ideologies (from either party) that have damaged the country. Liberals need to remind the American people what it means to be a Democrat again and stop the apologies for all the good that Democratic policies have done.

[stklurker]

31. Public

Here is the thing to me. The tea party was able to pick 2 things, Cut spending and no new taxes, and focus all their attention on those. They came up with numbers, slogans, etc and were able to beat that drum and really get the attention of the R party. They let the rest of the ' God and Guns' go to the back burner for the most part and focus on those 2 main things. We have to do the same... We have to come up with one or 2 main things ( jobs bill?) and have a story ( the American public needs it spelled out for them) and all get behind those and focus. Either way, we need rallying points. Blaming the republicans is ok as an attention getter, but we have to have something out there to point them at as a solid alternative legislation.

[FrenchieCat]

32. I do agree.......

But I do think we have rallying points...it's just that some are too busy pointing fingers at the this President, rather than getting busy with Rallying points. That's a big problem, IMO.

[Armstead]

34. How about holding off on deficit reduction and use new stimulus and public jobs program?

Oh wait. We can't do that anymore after the Big Deficit Reduction Bargain that President Obama negotiated with the Republicans.

Okay how about More Free Trade? That'll create some jobs real fast, and it's bipartisan.


Some of us have reasons for pointing fingers at what we believe is a President who is not helping matters.

[FrenchieCat]

35. he couldn't do new stimilus or public jobs BEFORE the debt ceiling negotiations.....

so yeah.....he still can't get it done, in particular if he has to rely on congressional votes,
which he does.

In fact, Obama was barely able to get new stimulus and public jobs even before January of this
year. If you recall, it took wrangling to get 60 votes from congress for the first stimulus...and Republicans have been for cutting government jobs forever....so to believe that this is Obama's doing primarily, and therefore you finger is stuck in his face is a ridiculous political strategy
which will not provide you with what you are demanding.

If Republicans are willing to let the government default, what makes you think they would
somehow give Obama what he wants? Their entire raison d'etre since
the beginning has been to stop Obama in his tracks, trash the economy and blame him, and make him
a one termer. If you think you are helping matters, you are...but you are helping them only... by providing them with cover as you shout in the President's face, while they continue doing what they do. If you think that your approach is helping us or those who need the help the most, you aren't....
no matter how noble you believe yourself to be.

[Armstead]

36. We're pounding away on a discussion board Frenchie

That's what you do on a discussion board -- Discuss. Exchange views. Debate. Disagree. Look for common agreement. Look for strategies. (Which you did in the OP and is a good thing. But I disagree with the thrust of it.)

Neither you or I are helping or hurting the Republicans chances by discussing this stuff. Just participating in the overall dialogue.

2)I'm sorry but if President Obama had clearly supported the basic principle of Keynesian economics instead of waffling on the original stimulus (We really don't want to do this, but it is a necessary evil because of this crisis and I promise not to do it again) and if he had kept pushing for what most mainstream and liberal economists believe, I would not be "pointing any fingers." I would be in full support of his efforts, even if he did turn out to be ultimately unsuccessful because of Congress (which was not inevitable).

You've got to stop taking the personal aspect of this so personally. For many of us this is much bigger than President Obama. To the extent that his words and actions are in line with what we (I) believe in, he gets support. To the extent that he ignores, avoids or denigrates those principles, he will be criticized for it. That's politics and policy.

[FrenchieCat]

37. I don't agree.....see, I do think that collectively you and other like minded folks

are helping Republicans by always pointing your finger in one direction, which is never in theirs.

You are free to believe what you want about the power of the Internet,
and so will I. I believe that the overall sentiments and attitudes and how
they relate to getting out the vote is certainly impacted by each one of us
and what is said on the Internet to quite a bigger degree than you are willing
to acknowledge. I believe that if we see many threads here at DU and on other
progressive sites with the refrain ..."I won't donate, and I won't work for him,
and I Might vote for him, but I'm not sure"....that does affect how others feel about it all.
You may state that you post to express yourself, but you also post to communicate to whomever might read what you write....and therefore, there is a purpose for why you bother posting
beyond simple "discussion" on a daily basis, since a lot of the responses you get are one-line
hits on the President, without much discussion at all!

And I agree that supporting this President has much more to do with how it will impact us
than about this president in particular. I'm here to protect my interest, which is not to see
Republicans gain seats all of congress and the WH, because of how it would affect my life and the lives of others, period.

You can keep gripping about this President all the way till election day if you must, in order to "express" yourself...but don't think you are helping us while you are doing it, no matter how noble you believe your views to be.

[Armstead]

38. Well I "point my fingers" at Republicans too. So that's a bogus claim.

Secondly, if you really believe that what happens on discussion boards helps to shape the outcome of the elections, then you might try to do your part to encourage unity by not always whining and insulting the very people who are on your basic side, but have problems with Obama. That is divisive.

If you believe it is important for everyone to be pulling the same direction, then tell us why you think we are wrong, without personal insults and without alienating generalizations.....Even if you get pissed, it wouldn't hurt to count to ten before typing, and withold the urge to say things like "those of you who want to tear down our president at any cost."

[janet118]

24. Here's the thing . . .

We could rally around a jobs program if someone (for instance, President Obama) would introduce one. He has the bully pulpit to get it out there but he is not using it. A bus trip? Seriously, that comes AFTER you have something tangible to get people excited about. I voted for Obama and will do so again (because of the Supreme Court if nothing else), but I feel like he is not listening to me or the other people I know who are really hanging on by a thread out here. This bi-partisan crap has got to stop. All the programs (health care, stimulus, financial reform) that were passed in a neutered form by Republicans (even before the Tea Party) and their friends in the Democratic Party are not getting to the real problem - jobs that pay a living wage.

Let's hear about a strong, bold jobs program - not a bunch of nebulous platitudes about America - and we will be there for a president who is there for us. Otherwise, we will remain disorganized and leaderless. More importantly, I fear Obama may be in trouble with the economy in the tank if he refuses to get out in front of the unemployment situation.

It's the jobs, stupid. Let the Republicans try to talk about their spending cuts when there are jobs on the table. It will pull the curtain back on their lies and show the middleclass who is really on their side.

[hulka38]

33. You hope for a big jobs program

but Obama's been beating the conservative drum for reduced government spending as a key to economic recovery. There's no way he will introduce a large stimulus spending bill focused on jobs now.

[JNinWB]

39. Obama "introducing" a Jobs Bill isn't the problem

Getting the R House to take it seriously is.

[hulka38]

40. The R's never have and never will take that seriously.

The problem is the leader of the Ds, our President, is rhetorically backing them up by saying that America needs to get its fiscal house in order, be responsible and cut spending in order to help the economy. That's the wrong approach politically and more importantly, it's the wrong approach to helping the economy. The American people know that creating jobs is what's needed now and they've had no help from the Ds in coming to that conclusion. Take advantage of that. Brow beat the R's. Intimidate them. Make them wish they never took you on on this issue. Make the American people understand you're on their side. Make the R's pay a costly political price for their obstruction and ignorance of history. And above all, if you're the leader of the Ds, don't give credence to the false conservative idea that cutting off government spending is the ticket out of financial situations like the one we're now in.

[killbotfactory]

44. The reason Obama talk about the fiscal responsibility is because we need it

Average voters respond well to the idea that the US spends money unwisely and cannot continue on that path. More so now that they saw the government funnel billions into reckless criminal banks in order to keep the economy from completely self-destructing. The problem is they don't connect that idea to the effects of republican policies over the past decade. It's not going to create jobs, and it's not an immediate concern compared to jobs, but it's still real.

If you ignore the issue you let the right wing frame it. And they will frame it like they always have: Cut anything and everything that doesn't benefit corporate. That's not something voters are in favor of, but if the idea of fiscal responsibility resonates with them, that will be a mark in the GOPs favor come election day.

Or you can do it the way Obama has: End the wars, reform government programs to be more efficient, and raise taxes on the wealthy. All of these the public is in favor of, and the only reason he hasn't gotten the last item yet has been due to republicans using every legislative trick within their power to prevent him from doing so, unless it also comes at the expense of the non-rich and unemployed. Obama has never championed the idea that cutting government spending will create jobs, not given credence to it. In face, Obama has taken the issue and turned it against them, showing them to be a bunch incompetent grandstanders on the subject, bordering on the insane. Since left-wingers are very aware of this fact, they give no credit to Obama for exposing them as such in the way he has, instead he's blamed for co-opting right wing causes. Now if we focus our rage at the right wing for deliberately taking the defecit issue hostage, being wreckless and stupid about it, deliberately harming the economy for political gain, instead of bashing Obama for not letting them force the country into default and "calling their bluff" because he can do some risky, constitutionally questionable action and possibly avert disaster, we might win back congress and continue honest attempts to fix the economy and push the country left.

[hulka38]

48. "Or you can do it the way Obama has: End the wars,

reform government programs to be more efficient, and raise taxes on the wealthy." - Did you have any hesitation when you wrote that?

[killbotfactory]

49. You lack reading comprehension, this is the path he is advocating.

Sorry If I don't repeat the bullshit about Obama being a warmongering rich loving weakling idiot who wants to rape the poor out of all their money for the fun of it. I don't like to help the GOP moles subvert the left with that bullshit.

He has drawn down the war in Iraq. Afghanistan surged but will be ending in the near future. The ending of these wars is being accounted for in future budgets. Healthcare Reform included many items that increased efficiency in the system, so much so that reversing it, as only Republicans and "Progressives" advocate, would contribute significantly to the deficit.

Obama has repeatedly tried to remove the tax cuts for the rich, only to be blocked by republicans. As of this last debt ceiling deal, they are set to expire at the end of 2012.

I guess you think the GOP "gut social programs and give the proceeds to the rich" approach is better.

[hulka38]

50. It's a funny series of posts because at first you say,

"Or you can do it the way Obama has: End the wars, reform government programs to be more efficient, and raise taxes on the wealthy." - Here, you are clearly stating that Obama has done the three things you list after the colon. Then you backtrack from that saying, "this is the path he is advocating" and, amazingly, in the same sentence you try to cover it up by accusing me of lacking reading comprehension. And finally, you rationalize why he hasn't done the things that you listed originally.

[janet118]

41. Introduce it anyway . . .

a program people can visualize - one with real jobs and real training in real places. Then take your campaign bus to those places and use the bully pulpit to unveil a realistic, creative jobs program. The people may just believe you mean it, that you hear them and funding will come.

If the DLC Dems and the Republicans complain, they are going to be the downers - the ones against jobs. If Obama admires Reagan so friggin' much why doesn't he get the dream thing going and stop being so passive and "cool." How can his base get excited if he won't? How can they support him, if they don't know what he supports anymore?

Obama and those who make excuses for why he can't do anything are going down the path to defeat in 2012.

[hulka38]

47. I would love for that to happen

but he won't do it. He's been repeating the conservative mantra for months that spending needs to be cut for the economy to recover.

[killbotfactory]

42. Why the hell does this have zero recs?

Wise political advice - instant unrec.

Some people are determined to make the left an insignificant political force..

[FrenchieCat]

43. Because of the problem mentioned in the OP.......

That while we fight each other almost for the political fun of it, we'll earn what we end up with.

[janet118]

45. I rec'cd it . . . and I imagine lots of other people here did . . .

so there must be some busy unrec'cers.

[mochajava666]

46. -1

[FrenchieCat]

51. and a great big 00 for you!

represents the substance of what you offer; absolutely big null set.

[blkmusclmachine]

52. TIME is a RW rag:

Spare me their phoney theatrics.

"That dog won't hunt."