Does anyone think that we have to play by a different game?

[holiday]

Dems have to watch everything we say and do in an election.

Republicans can spit out hate and partisan crap

but we are not allowed to

they don't have to convince people that they are American, we do

We have to play by the rules, they don't

and I'm sick of it

[uppityperson]

1. Of course we do. We are the nice guys. Criticize any woman and you are sexist.

But they can do it because they are simply pointing out reality. Etc. Many of us are sick of it too.

[begin_within]

2. They play dirty, nasty, unfair politics - and win.

Dems play chess, and lose. When will they ever learn? Everything is fair, and to win you have to play mean, and unfair. Dems want to lose with honor rather than win with dishonor. That's why they lose.

[Prefer]

3. I am not into embracing hate

I will not support this part if baseless non constructive hate is involved.

I'd like to see us on a higher road, but I feel the trolls pull us down and feed us bad vibes that we then adopt as legitimate.

I think the name calling and other crap tends to be counter productive. Like "let's think of a nickname for...."

I think facts are the way to go.

[apnu]

4. How is this new from any other year?

I mean seriously. Every damn word out of Gore and Kerry's mouths was parsed, picked apart and ridiculed. I see nothing different this year.

It is, perhaps, more acute because our candidate is African American. And lets be brutally honest here. If African Americans want to be taken seriously by the white majority in America they have to work twice as hard, and be twice as careful of what they say and do. In particular they have to be ultra cautious of white guilt, and work hard to minimize and/or ignore it.

We live in a very racist culture. People are still judged by the color of their skin... just not as directly as before. I call this "soft" racism, or ignorant racism.

[Sensitivity]

5. We have to get smarter. More careful analysis, strategy. Focus on what works

[holiday]

6. I can't go thru losing anymore elections

im tired of it.

and yes you are right.. obama has to watch everything he says and does unfortunately

[paparush]

7. This Election is a WAR, and we Dems need to approach it as such.

Use anything and everything at our disposal. Defeat is simply not an option. The major media outlets are clearly on McCain's side. We need acknowledge that overall, America is dumber than a bag of rocks. Simple messages that the working class can relate to:

If McCain Wins, YOUR Child Gets Drafted (hand made sign in my car's rear window)

Would You Trust Your Surgery to a Hockey Mom?

Name One Thing Bush Has Done for the Working Class? (I use this one alot, to which I receive a long pause, then a sidetrack to Obama is a Muslim)

Do You Really Want 100 Years in Iraq?

[holiday]

8. your right, America is dumb and they need the talking points

like republicans do

[paparush]

10. Well, don't get me wrong, Obama is an INCREDIBLE speaker and can shape the message.

His responses to Swiftboat 2.0 have been great. You understand them. I understand them. We are motivated to listen to what he has to say.

His team needs to be out there pounding away at McCain & Palin 24/7 on these other issues in the simplest and scariest of terms.

[Bluenorthwest]

9. Step one

Stop repeating all of this crap as if it is actual fact and not the product of spin. It is not what 'is' it is just what the pukes are inventing.
"we are not allowed to" is bull on toast. "They try to intimidate us from doing so" now that is fact.
So stop saying these mantras as if they were true. Understand that when we act, they react and rather than act shocked, expect that reaction. And act again.
When they speak a lie, it is just a lie until WE start repeating it as truth.

[TheKentuckian]

13. We aren't "allowed" in some real ways

The press controls the flow of information to the sound bite voter. If we cross them we get smacked down.
Many of the talking heads actually warned that Biden could not be heavy handed with Palin.

They dare to talk about sexism and say don't pick on the "girl", in the same sentence. Our women (grassroots and surrogates) are doing a piss poor job of pushing back on this, in my opinion.
No one talks about what I believe to be the most pro-woman/pro-family platform in history!
No one talks about the number of Senators and Representatives this party has.
No one talks about how Democrats have firmly and consistently stood up front for equality.

Women face an uphill battle but have made huge strides in the face of persistent Republican opposition.

Women should fight for US because we have consistently fought for you and do this day.

[Bluenorthwest]

15. Yeah, but that is just craven

It is like this. It is a fight. Yeah, if we punch they will punch back. That is not the end of the world. The fact that your rival will answer your blows in kind is not a reason to give in.
Not allowed? I guess, if you expect to make your stand unopposed and without reply. Your posting is dripping with fear. Yeah, we smack them (you say cross them) and they smack back. Then we smack again, and again and again. Why would you expect anything else?
If you need to make a stand only under safe and sane conditions, you are worthless in making a stand. Expect that they will smack back. And be ready to smack again.
And you know, the most snivellingly craven thing in your post is this notion that media news readers are a force to be feared and obeyed. They are fucking entertainers, and frankly, the whole of our side is intimidated by them by chioce. There is a tendency to build it up into a force beyond compare, the 'MSM'. yeah. They are in it for money and numbers and right about now they are freaking the hell out. They are afraid, and if you can not see that, you need to take another look.
And you chastize our Democratic women, the morning after the 'pugs ended their fest? Dig this. You do not respond to your rival's accusations while the rival still holds the mic. See? We are now one week into the Palin thing. And trust me, our Democratic women are going to push back hard, and they will in fact deliver this election to a great extent. You should be standing with them, frankly. Or cowering behind. Demcoratic women are not afraid of Wolf Blitzer. Nor is this Democratic man.

[AndyTiedye]

11. That is Because the Repiggies OWN ALL THE TV NETWORKS!

They'll crap on us no matter what we do or say. That is why the Repiglickins almost always win.



Their lies become "truth" to most people when the Tee Vee repeats them enough times.

[Overseas]

12. On a gut level, the mean guys look tough.

They do the slamming and smearing because they know that on a gut level people will think the mean guys will protect them better. So that's why the Republicans did a nasty convention in 2004 after the Democrats' lovely "Showing up for Duty" theme. They knew scared people would think the bullies would protect them.

That got them 48% for Bush next to our 51% for Kerry. Then they flipped it and it was close enough that the pundits could talk Guns, God & Gays to explain the oddities of the exit polls. 3 points isn't a big flip.

[RaleighNCDUer]

14. "They knew scared people would think the bullies would protect them."

If that's so, then fewer people have had real-time experience with bullies than is supposed.

Bullies NEVER protect anyone except themselves. Anyone who has ever had to deal with bullies knows this.