Democratic wimps - LA Daily News editorial

[question everything]

http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20951~1901863,00.html#

Los Angeles Daily News

Party lacks a message -- and guts

The most important issue to emerge from both the Demoratic presidential caucuses in Iowa and this weekend's California State Democratic Convention in San Jose was not who won but what was missing.

(snip)

Somewhere in the need to best the Republicans at any cost, the Democrats have lost their way, forgotten what they stood for other than winning the next election. Even candidates seem a bit fuzzy on what it is, exactly, that the party stands for anymore.

(snip)

Democrats bitterly blame the Green Party for costing them some elections, most notably the 2000 presidential election in which Green Party candidate Ralph Nader took votes away from Al Gore, helping George W. Bush to win the election.

But they really can't blame anyone but themselves for their failure to inspire. The Greens offered people something they weren't getting elsewhere, an unapologetic statement of what they stand for: more environmental controls on businesses and the populace, higher taxes on the wealthy to help the poor.

(snip)

[PATRICK]

1. Kind of bankrupt style of critiquing

That's how the GOP propagandists make a case. Several bad uses of logic and prejudice ere and not worth the effort to refute in detail.

And it is big reach to bring in the Greens on the issue of inspiring the masses or effecting reform, but I suppose this is the article of a Green loyalist.

I am reminded of the Microbiology business journal I saw this morning that said only W had spoken on their issues(as if he knew what he was talking about?) and none of the Dems. Not to mention he is where all the lucre is currently flowing from.

In general this is the incredibly easy dismissive judgment that can be made by anyone who has not listened to or met the candidates, which is used by just about everyone who prefers not to round out their heated monumental viewpoint with facts.

I could do this better if I so chose, by the way.

[Terwilliger]

2. you'll have to do a lot better

the article is right on...Dems can't simply wait for the situation to fit their doctrine and then say they were industrious to reach their golas...they have to make people want to listen to them

They're not doing very well.

[stopbush]

3. The people aren't listening and the Dems aren't doing very well?

Really? Then why are shrub's poll numbers heading south?

And on a personal level, I've never had so many relatives, friends and acquaintances - many of them Repubs - tell me they will vote for anyone but bush. I don't think they mean the Green candidate when they say that.

I've also been doing some telephone work for one of the presidential hopeful campaigns (calling people who are registered Dems), and I've hit a couple of older people who have declared that while their spouse is the D in the house, they are repugs - and they will vote Dem this year. I've not had a single Dem tell me they were going repug. I've not had a single D express a lack of interest in the election.

Don't buy into the media BS.

[question everything]

4. Yes, it is a close call of Bush vs. a generic Democrat

but when the pollsters used real names - I don't recall when one was done - Bush wins.

I hope that the results of Iowa and N.H. will generate interest in showing that a real Democrat can challenge Bush. And then work on the message.