should we follow Tip O'Neill's advice in the sense

[AlanCranston]

that all politics is local? Politics has, for the most part, been based off the lowest levels of office such as Judgeships, local attorneys or tax assessors, and state assemblyman or senators. You also had a lot of party diversity between the states. Its almost like a brand of food or soda where it tastes different in a different area (like how Mexican coke tastes different). A democrat coming from Oklahoma had a different set of values or ethos than a democrat from Manhattan. Even within the states you had a sort of subgroup. In California, the Central Valley democrats were and still are, different from democrats in the rest of the state (think Condit, Costa, Cardoza etc).

What I'm starting to sense is that the past three elections have sort of been the beginning of a parliamentary voting system. A lot of the seats we lost this year were in areas where a lot of the local officeholders were democrats, but a lot of the people voting apparently had rapidly deteriorating eyesight as they thought the ballot said Barack Obama or Nancy Pelosi on it instead of Chet Edwards or Allen Boyd.

[WhiteTara]

1. Yes, Tip is ever so correct.

All politics are local and they trickle up. Don't stop working for your local candidates or become one yourself.
Nameste

[tabbycat31]

2. This is why I don't hate Blue Dogs like most of this board does

I worked for a Blue Dog last year who barely won re-election (648 votes). This was 700 miles away from home and in a much more conservative area than I was used to (being from the northeast).

That race gave me a newfound respect for Blue Dogs. Anthony Weiner (before the sex scandal), Dennis Kucinich, Alan Grayson, etc would not have a snowball's chance in that district.

I would rather have someone who votes with the party 75-85% of the time than 0% of the time.

[AlanCranston]

3. who did you work for?

one of the NC Democrats?

[tabbycat31]

4. a Democrat in KY

[mmonk]

5. It will have to be. We have no choice.

We lost the legislature in North Carolina for the first time since reconstruction. And now the damage is coming at us so fast, we can hardly react to it all.