Challenge to the democrats here

[City of Mills]

Okay, help me sort something out here, i'm going to draw a parallel:

I believe (as many democrats do) that we need to stop dancing around some issues, one that I've been reading a lot about here is the democrat position on gay marriage.

Now, you all know as well as I that the democrats should be for gay marriage. To take any other position is to deny liberties to a group of people based on prejudice.

Here in Massachusetts, the democrats are basically split into two groups on this issue. There are those who want the Democrats to take a stand for gay marriage, and there are those who feel that such a stance is too extreme and would cost too many votes.

Now, I know that getting votes is important, but what about standing up for something you know is right? I'm glad I'm not running for office, because I would hate to believe one thing in private, yet have to stand for something else in public.

Now that I've set the stage, I want to talk about marijuana decriminalization. Why aren't the Democrats taking a more pro-marijuana stance??? I'm not referring to full legalization (yet), but lets be honest with ourselves here. It's been well established that marijuana can provide medical benefits for certain individuals. Even the rethugs know this; why else would the government be prescribing it to a group of citizens on a trial basis? Yet, the government is squashing research into marijuana and the result is people are suffering needlessly. Hey, maybe marijuana is the evil weed - so prove it!

That stated, I want to know why I have yet to see one elected prominent democrat take up the medical marijuana cause. The republicans have no problem standing up for their beliefs (twisted as they may be), and I believe this helps them get votes. I see the democrats standing for issues based only on a favorable votes gained/lost basis.

Why don't we take a stand for what we know is right???


:shrug:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Pragmatism, as ugly as it is.

I do not want to get into the Gay Marraige issue, but would rather use marijuana as the example:

In the present climate, marijuana legalization, as sane as that might be, not to mention fiscally responsible, is a non-starter. Not only that, it would be used to pillory the dems like no one's business.

We need to address, strongly, the bedrock issues: health, economy, jobs, SS...the issues that more widely resonate with more people. Marijuana legalization would just be a freak show.

[blondeatlast]

6. t we have to do is deflect the issue. When it comes up, we need to talk

about how, in these days when we are sorely lacking qualified enlistments in the military, 40,000 were asked to leave under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Andrew Sullivan (I know, I know) said on "Real Time" on Friday that FORTY Arab translators have been asked to leave under the policy. I ask you, is that smart leadership and and good policy when we are in a war in an Arab state?

That is an issue that needs serious discussion, yet we don't hear about it because they will deflect it with the gay marriage issue.

[guardian]

2. We should do what is right

and stand for principle-based positions. We have got to stop watering down our messages with this please-the-repugs triangulation stuff. THe stronger our message, the better we'll do in the polls.

[City of Mills]

4. That's all I'm trying to say

Look, if democrats have to avoid these 'fringe' issues, it must be because they're afraid to appear as extremists (can you imagine, DEMOCRATS afraid to look extreme?), and as a result the party molds its stances to appeal more to 'the other side'.

Well, as an independant voter, I get to choose from:

1. A fundamentalist christian right-wing polluted corrupted joke of a war party (Republicans)

2. A scared, conflicted, afraid-to-take-a-real-stance party of thoughtful people with no outstanding leadership (Democrats)

3. All other political parties, who despite sometimes amazingly honest stances, are rendered irrelevant by the current two-party system.

I don't expect the two party system to change anytime soon (who does?), so I feel I have to give my vote to either a Republican or Democrat candidate. My own beliefs are much closer to the Democrats, yet I feel no loyalty to them. Now does anyone wonder why some people in the party feel it is being hijacked by the "far-left"??? Where are the liberal-minded folks supposed to go?

[ClassWarrior]

3. Wrong. Democrats are for marriage rights for all people.

NGU.

[emanymton]

5. State Your Position. Not Argue Others' Terms...

help.

Stand for equal rights! One is for equal rights or one is not PERIOD. Allowing others to frame the issue in their terms, frames you as the loser.

Your position on marijuana is coming from weakness. One is fighting on one's opponent's ground. Your stance as written here concedes your opponents' basic position. The burden of proof rests with those advocating change of status quo.

[City of Mills]

7. Something to consider

http://www.drugsense.org/wodclock.htm

If you're not concerned with the information presented, please explain to me how your position differs from the Republican stance on drugs.

[blondeatlast]

9. You misinterpreted what emanymton is saying.

He/She is saying we need to define our own terms, frame the battle our own way.

Defense is ALWAYS the weaker position, because it puts one in the reactive mode, not the proactive mode.

This has been a huge problem for the Democrats for a long time now. The RW has virtually invented issues (including gay marriage) that really haven't been out there before. They frame the debate on the issue, invent the terminology, and since they virtually own the media, the opposition is at an incredible disadvantage.

Until we play OFFENSE, we're doomed to lose nearly every time.

I see no opposition to the issue in emanymton's reply--just an argument--a good one--that we need to fight the battle on OUR terms.

If there are even 20 people on DU who believe that marijuana should not be decriminalized, I'll dance a jig in my Underoos. I've never used the stuff, but I support decriminalization; even legalization.

[emanymton]

10. When Asked How Many Have Been Asked To Perform Marriage

between two people of the same sex, 99.999999% ministers have never had to say no.

Yet RW succeeded in making this a wedge issue, and by innuendo framed the DEMs as being for it. Thus you lose when you battle on your opponants grounds.

Kerry and Co. never stood up and said they were for equal rights period. They were not any different than shrub. Again JFK lost.

As for marijuana, I am for it being legal to grow, sell and use.

[MuseRider]

8. Site the constitution

and go on. The constitution is what we are supposed to legislate from, why get into a big emotional fight? Take the emotion out of it and move on. Let them get all red faced and look stupid.