Now I'VE had it. I'm going to let cooler heads prevail.

[Writer]

All Democratic spokespeople are simply playing into the hands of GOP strategists. ALL of them, especially the ones who claim to be fighting them. Division makes the party weaker.

But you know what? I am not going to scorn Howard Dean, nor Nancy Pelosi, nor Hillary Clinton.

They ALL speak for me, because they all want Democrats to win. They ALL speak for me, because that's what I want, too.

Some prefer to think first, while others prefer to talk first. That is the difference, but they all are Democrats and all are needed facets to the party.

<Everyone else can SHUT UP!>*

*Everything in brackets is a sarcastic retort. I don't know... I'm thinking that we all need to get together and get slammed with a bunch of microbrew and start looking at the big picture. Screw pretense.

[BOSSHOG]

1. May I suggest

The Crescent City Brewhouse on Decatur in New Orleans. A nice little bistro. They make their beer inhouse and the food ain't bad.

[Writer]

2. Hey, I've been there.

Not bad at all. Wicked good liquor and all. Bring the beer nuts.

[BOSSHOG]

3. and tacky t-shirt shops right next door.

[Missy Vixen]

8. Bosshog, how many folks does the Crescent City Brewhouse hold?

>I'm thinking that we all need to get together and get slammed with a bunch of microbrew and start looking at the big picture.<

I can't think of anything more fun. Who's bringing the white board and markers?

Julie
president for life of the PFEB

[BOSSHOG]

9. I'm gonna guess

at least 200. They have an upstairs seating area with a large balcony overlooking decatur and fancy seating in the back part of the downstairs. Its fancy and comfy and homey and nice all at the same time. I'm a beer drinker but seldom get tanked up, but the CCBH product is an ass kicker. Good stuff but strong. We had a going away get together there years ago and that's the last time I got tipsy. The same quantity of their stuff vs the same amount of Budweiser, no contest.

[Writer]

10. BOSSHOG, that's plenty...

I'm thinking of bringing down some Colorado microbrew - maybe Left Hand or New Belgium (esp. New Belgium.)

[Missy Vixen]

11. I might have to ship it beforehand, but

I'll bring some Seattle microbrew...:toast:

Julie

[Armstead]

4. Look at the Big Picture? How heretical.

Personally, if we could all get together over a microbrew (or my choice of vodka tonic) I think we ought to look at what has happened since about 1960, and work forward from there.

We'd find that the core of this nation has been hijacked, and the majority of people have been bamboozled. Not because the majority are stupid. But because we have allowed the center of information and power to shift to a small group that can set the agenda by manufacturing false illusions.

How to break through that noise with some truth and some alternatives to really benefit the majority is, IMO the core question we have to answer. We can win, if we can address that frankly and honestly, and if the Democratic Party as an entity become willing to represent that alternative.

The rest of it -- including labels like "left" and "center" are irrelevant distractions, IMO.

[VaYallaDawg]

6. Hear, hear!!

Even ole Ike warned us about the dangers of the military-industrial complex. It came to pass, and it now owns just about everything in the USA.

[Toots]

5. What is a Democrat?

Is Zell Miller a Democrat? They don't all speak for me and the letter D doesn't mean a thing unless they walk the walk...

[Poet Lariat]

7. I liked what I read the other day from David Van Os

...talking about labels. He is running for the AG office in Texas '06.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5496698#5499295
>snip<
"Transcend the phony ideological dualities. Forget about red-state/blue-state, left-right, liberal-conservative, progressive-centrist, etc. - the people on the bottom get tricked into using all this phony baloney to classify and segregate themselves from each other while the elite journalists, consultants, and politicians who make up the crap and cram it into our heads are laughing their asses off as we the people literally volunteer to be divided and conquered."

"Base your thoughts and actions on the differences between right and wrong, just and unjust, democracy and dictatorship, equality and elitism, in other words on real values, not labels."
>snip<