Reply #7: I really do think we often choose a label that has "Good PR" ...

[TahitiNut]

... but doesn't necessarily reflect our core attitudes. As well, we all have some tendency to "go with the flow" and adopt some birds-of-a-feather attitudes without in-depth personal consideration.

Over my adult life. I've changed my attitudes on a number of issues from what I 'inherited' .... going from pro-death penalty to adamantly anti-death penalty, for example. I think it can't do a person anything but good to think and rethink such perspectives.

I'm strongly inclined to believe DU really isn't a "radical fringe" in terms of our values. We're human beings, first, last, and always. We're diverse - in age, gender, religion, race, and everything else. The major difference between DUers and others is the interest and energy invested in learning and becoming informed. It's NOT that we're smarter. It's that we're interested and motivated.

Indeed, we're aware that we invest the time and interest in such things. That's WHY we habitually dig in our heels ... particularly when we've heard the same ol' arguments before and found them sadly wanting.

So ... I think this is good news. It should also alert us to the strong probability that those we elect are so often unaligned with us, their 'base.' It's no wonder we're often disappointed in the people we elect ... and no wonder that we almost NEVER find the Congressional Black Caucus or the Congressional Progressive Caucus wanting. There ARE people fighting the 'good fight' ... but it's pretty clear that we're far more tolerant of those who'd accommodate the far right than ANYONE on the far right is of accommodating us - the majority. I think it's time we stopped being so accommodating .. it amounts to selling out. There can be no compromise with the uncompromising. The majority liberals surrendering 90% and the minority far right surrendering 10% is not compromise. It's a perversion of "give and take"... where we give and they take. That must stop. No better time to stop it than now.