Okay, honestly... your opinion.. is the party on the ropes?

[txaslftist]

Or making a major comeback?

Most of you probably know MY opinion, we're making a comeback in a major way. I think the Republican racket machine is running out of ideas and Americans are starting to get a Bush hangover.

I think '06 is going to see the classic re-alignment, regardless of Diebold, where the country moves back toward the center.

What are your thoughts, DUers? Bleak and beyond despair, cautiously optimistic, enthusiastic and ready to rumble (like me)?

Where do you come down?

[bryant69]

1. I agree totally

They are going to run out too far on a limb with this social security phase out, and the American people are going to cut it off.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[DoveTurnedHawk]

2. I Think We're One Good DNC Chair and One Good Prez Candidate

Away from a landslide, both in 2006 and 2008.

DTH

[AlCzervik]

3. i think the public will start seeing the gop

as the party of a failed war and bad economic times, so yes i agree with you.

[roguevalley]

4. No. There is an element of go-along to get-along but the new

renewal of people coming in will make them think twice of business as usual.

[DemBones DemBones]

5. Down for the count. And John Kerry goes to a party at

Arnold Schwarzenegger's house?


:WTF:

[murielm99]

6. The media wants everyone to believe we are on the ropes.

We are not.

[junker]

7. Demos don't matter. Repubs to self destruct, but 2005 will see too

many fiscal problems to care about the party in 'charge'. WHat with the meltdown of the global financial structure in feb, and the destruction of planetary resources by weather/climate/gcscc (global catastrophic sudden climate change)as per Rand Report to DOD of 2002, the issue of political party will matter as much to the former USofA as the white hairs on my dogs left nut.

If you had not read the Rand report to the DOD , then you would not be aware that they forecast over 300 thousand people to drown last year, and over 4 million to be displaced. Actual figures now show over 280 thousand drown and over 38 millions displaced (bangledesh,india in the monsoon season mostly).

for 2005 the figures are expected to jump nearly 5 fold in both categories. Then 2006 it will get real bad. The report questions whether the USofA will survive much beyond 2007 as a 'cohesive political entity'. In point of fact, the conclusions of the report say this year (2005) will see more USofA citizens killed than there will be illegals coming in. This due to weather. Which is just starting.

Wait til the storm seasons start.

AND this is the 6th year that food harvests fall below what we need and the 5 year of tapping global stored grains.

AND this is the 4th year post-Peak Oil and the year in which the oil industry (as we used to know it) collapses.
AND the first year of widespread energy shortages starting in mid summer.

So, given that food is going, oil is going, weather is coming, people are drowning, do you really think that most sheeple will give a rats ass about the democratic party?

Chill out, and toke'm if you got'em. Now is the time to take it easy. Calm before the storm.

[wallybarron]

12. We'll see

Going to the County Dem "brainstorming" session tonight. During the campaign local Dems didn't want to work with MoveOn or ACT. Wouldn't let people have signs because they (exec comm) paid for them. BTW, what's up with local Dems paying for signs? The other side gives them away by the dozen. Not like Kerry was short on money. Back to the subject not many dems here support gay rights or abortion rights. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised.

[Al-CIAda]

20. If you had not read the Rand report to the DOD

"If you had not read the Rand report to the DOD"

Might you have a link?
I searched but did not find.

[bobweaver]

8. Dems must increase their numbers - become larger than the Rs

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

9. Nice to see a hopeful point of view...

As a Kerry supporter and an alienated moderate Republican, the Democrats are the only hope for the sane members of the Republican party. The Rapturists have taken the Republican party so far to the right that I don't even recognize it anymore. Sometimes I see Dems fighting on DU over the direction of your party and a real sense of hopelessness voiced. I looked up stats on the breakdown of the Senate and House mix historically and you Dems are in no way 'down and out'. During President Hoover's first term (Republican) the 71st Congress had 56 Rep, 39 Dems, 1 Other in the Senate, 267 Rep, 167 Dems and 1 other in the House.....We all know what happened during Hoover's Presidency. Keep your chins up.

[SmartBomb]

10. The party may not be done

but depending on what they do next, I may be done with it.

[Cyrano]

11. Well, remember that it's always darkest just before it goes pitch black

<that was sarcasm>

However, there will never be a comeback until we can get a fair voting system that gets rid of Diebold machines, requires paper trails and outlaws all the dirty tricks used by Rethugs to suppress minority votes.

I'm one of the tin foil hat people who believes that Kerry probably won the election. And who knows how many other house and senate seats were stolen by these same techniques.

[katinmn]

13. If a new progressive voice is allowed in the party, it will soar

I think we will soon see who is running the show. If there isn't some major shift in leadership, the activist base will leave.

[recovering democrat]

14. Comeback probably

Don't think we are on the ropes, so I guess that means a comeback. Actually, I think the Republicans will self-destruct, leaving a big open opportunity for the Democrats to recover.

Republicans have spent so many years whining about being the "underdogs" and not having the power and authority that now that they have it, particularly for Bush, they have nobody to blame but themselves for the problems they have created and still plan to create.

Democrats still have to decide to stand for something, instead of being anti-Republican, or even "repub-lite".

[stevedeshazer]

15. I don't share the optimism

Read the comments in this thread:

we're making a comeback in a major way

the country moves back toward the center

the American people are going to cut it off

i think the public will start seeing the gop as the party of a failed war and bad economic times

Repubs to self destruct

Calm before the storm

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Respectfully, folks, I've been hearing that since 1981.

I've seen no evidence that all of a sudden, we're poised for a comeback. Look, they own all three branches of the federal government, 95% of the media, most of the state legislatures and governorships, the churches, and most corporations.

I'm not trying to pee in your Wheaties here, but the Republican racket machine doesn't need new ideas at this point. Why? Because, IT'S WORKING.

That said, I'm not giving up. But I'm growing weary.

[mattclearing]

16. I have a bad, bad feeling that they will do whatever it takes to sew it up

War upon war...Does anyone really think we will get a fair shot in '06 or '08?

I'm all for fighting the good fight, but I just don't see how we win if we continue treating them like anything but the lunatics they are.

As long as our people continue accepting their premises and treating their policies like anything but the sick joke they are, we will continue to lose, and deservedly so.

[stray cat]

17. Potential for major comeback

Maybe the next few years will even help the American populace to wake up. However, they need us to help add some extra pressure on politicians and the media.

[TahitiNut]

18. I see no slowing of the march deeper into fascism and an oiligarchy.

If anything, I see an acceleration. Just what's the point of a political party gaining if the principles and values of a democratically just and egalitarian nation are jettisoned?

[apple_ridge]

19. Unless BBV is totally outlawed, there is no chance of a

comeback. It's that simple.

[confusionisnext]

21. We won in the last election

... in state legislatures.

In 2004, dems controlled 3618 state legislative seats, pugs 3684.
For 2005, dems control 3660, pugs 3656.

This was a big overlooked fact from the last election, IMHO.

[twenty2strings]

22. hell no!

We just need to stop being so damn nice.

[bobweaver]

23. The left is making a comeback, but the Democrats aren't

[Walt Starr]

24. One hair's width away from sliding off into the abyss

I don't hold out much hope for the Democratic Party since the DLC is making a major power grab and has Tim Roemer as the bad guy candidate with Simon Rosenberg to take the god guy slot as well.

The DLC will take total control and drive the party into the ground. I plan on jumping ship just as soon as the DNC chair race is over.

[Sterling]

25. The country is on the ropes.

Because our government is horrible, both parties.

[burn the bush]

26. the party is the wimpy party

there is way too much worrying about doing what is politically correct like the actions of ignoring us that Kerry took so that he could preserve respect from the elite of the country. It's like the dems are saying "do you think it will be ok with the pugs?" The pugs would have jumped on so so so many things that bush has done had it been a dem doing it. The dems just say "well, would it seem too pushy? too barbaric? too questionable?
You need to take every crumb they drop of crap and run with it. Not worry about how it will make you look or how the pugs will spin it. Go and boldly shout fraud, shout stop the war, shout stop the insanity. Expose the pugs to the people for they cannot see past the pug sponsered programming for themselves.

I think a new democratic party is forming now within your own dem party. The ones of us that see what is going on in our world and know that NOW is the time to stand up and stop it, will take the lead. The rest of the dems can tag along or join with the pugs. But the time for worrying about niceties is gone. The party must rise new, strong, angry and ready to eat pug or I think the party will shrivel away.

[txaslftist]

31. Great post bush burner!

You sum up a lot of my thinking nicely.

[DemGirl7]

27. I believe in the Democratic Party ...

that they, some time between now and 2008 will make some kind of a comeback... I'm not so sure how big it's going to be, but I'll continue to stand by my party...

[BillZBubb]

28. Unfortunately, I disagree

Too many sheeple, too many wedge issues, too much blind fear, too much corporate media. The Repugs will be able to continue their stranglehold on all branches of government and most states for some time.

Re-alignment will not occur until a Regug induced major disaster affects a majority of Americans. It's possible we'll see a Bush economic collapse before 2008, but I think the shit he's throwing doesn't really hit the fan for about 10 years.

[DireStrike]

29. I imagine this sort of thing happens every so often.

Conservatives are lashing back from being marginalized for so long because their ideas simply aren't functional.

This wave is being helped along by those forces that would use it - the nazi/fascist M.O. is clearly getting a lot of play. They knew this would happen eventually and are trying to use the momentum, and push it along, to bring about their own goals. They've managed to hold the current coalition together as they hold power in it.

I think it remains to be seen whether they can push our country over the edge this time. A lot of eyes are opening up right now, and they barely have half the country. Even that grip is tenuous.

I think it would be subsiding already if not for the efforts of the Nazi/neocon/whatever they are now crowd.

[paulk]

30. the party is not on the ropes

The most interesting fact to come out of the 2004 election cycle is - Democratic Senate candidates received almost three million more votes overall than their Republican rivals, yet the Republicans picked up four seats.

The problem is not our message or our ability to get votes - it's the disproportionate representation our system gives to rural vs urban areas.

The House is a gerrymandered mess, once again, with over 98% of incumbents winning - 95% by 10% or more. We need the judicial system to undo the mess - starting with Texas. If it hadn't been for Delay's shenanigans there, the Republicans would have lost seats in the House.

----------------------------

The brightest light for optimism was provided by my home state, Colorado. We took back BOTH houses of the State Legislature for the first time in more than forty years (plus a Senate and House seat) - because the Republicans here did exactly what Bush and his cronies are going to do - try for too much of an agenda that is outside of the American mainstream. The only reason Bush won was 9/11. False patriotism and war will only work one time - and it barely worked this time around. With maybe a little help, even.

I really think the social security thing is going to bite Bush in the ass. It's pure hubris. And Iraq is not going away any time soon. The economy will continue to stagnate. In four years the name of Bush will be dirt.

[txaslftist]

32. Gotta give it up for Colorado!

Your state rocks. Wish I lived there.