Does the left have a base to rile up for the vote?

[Check12]

We always see the repug politicians rile up their 'base' before the vote.
Gay marriage, flag burning, activist judges etc.

Why is it that democrat politicians never rile up the 'base'? Do we even have a base to rile up.?

There is no need to rile my ass up, I am already there, but why do dems always try to appeal to the center? this is a losing strategy! The repugs get people mad enough to get in their gas guzzling SUVs (with red white and blue ribbon magnets made in china) and go down to precinct to cast their vote. Why can't we start doing the same thing? I am not saying we need an Ann Coulter of the left but come on for christ sake there is enough out there to get the progressives mad as hell! It's class warfare people and they are winning, they are kickin our ass. Kos said this exact thing after the Busby defeat "culture of corruption" is not enough to win. We need to get our people mad as hell so they will vote in huge numbers.

If that means getting down in the gutter with them then so be it. The high road leads to more oppression by the rich and powerful, so let's fire up our base, starting NOW!

[redqueen]

1. Yes, we have a base.

Why don't democrats rile us up? Or throw red meat to us, so to speak? Because they've pretty much abandoned us in the hopes of maintaining the contributions they get now, or in search of higher campaign contributions. MHO anyway.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. The Environment.

Que An Inconvient Truth.

[vi5]

3. What would be the rallying issue of the base?

One look at the divergent views and flame wars and abundance of single issue voters on this board alone shows that it's not an easy answer.

[Check12]

5. ummm Torture?, Spying? War Crimes? Class warfare?

These are the things we can all get behind.

[vi5]

10. Who are "we"? That's the problem....

I mean I don't want to stereotype anyone but there are many facets of the democratic base that don't always feel as strongly about issues that other facets do.

I mean would someone whose main issue was gay rights (a democratic constituent presumably) vote for someone or rally behind someone who voted for the FMA if that person was a strong voice against torture, spying, etc.?

Would a staunch union member vote for someone or rally behind someone who had a crappy worker's rights record, just because that person was a strong voice against torture, spying, etc.?

Would a staunch pro-life supporter put that aside to rally behind someone just because they were a strong voice against torture, spying, etc.?

To say nothign of people who are liberals and dems for whom torture, spying, etc. aren't that big a deal. I know plenty of them (I'm not one of them).

I'm not saying any of this is good, I'm just being cynical and optimistic at the same time. Optimistic that we're not brain dead robots who all feel the same way on everything like the right wingers/repubs who support and defend and rally around whatever their masters say. But cynical in that I believe that prevents us from ever truly rallying any "base" that we have.

[Tesha]

4. They know you'll always vote for the "D" no matter how bad they are...

They know you'll always vote for the "D" no matter how bad they are
because "this is the most important election since, like, forevah
so you wouldn't want to waste your vote this time ''sending a message''!"

Every election, they trot out that old canard, every election we
dutifully vote for the D, and so every election, the annointed D
stinks more and more of Republicanism and Corporatism.

Tesha

[Alcibiades]

7. Some of them are good

My congressman is David Price, who I like just fine.

We have Dole and Burr in my state for the senate. Just about any Democrat whatsoever would be better than either of them!

The thing is that we really do have to get out the base, just as we did in 04. the difference is that this is an off-year election, and our efforts could make this a landslide for us, just as the efforts of republican activists did for them in 94.

[emulatorloo]

6. "I don't know if I can vote for Democrat X. She just isnt X enough for me"

How many times have I heard this. Quite frankly if we can get the house or the senate, it means bye bye to all those cover-up artist republican committee chairs. I would vote for most any senate Dem to have the satisfaction of making Senator Pat "cover-up" Roberts lose his stranglehold on the truth.

[Nite Owl]

8. The dems somehow are convinced

that the 'center' will really get out and vote for them and they are scared of being called the L word, you know, Liberal. They use the same old advisors every election and haven't yet caught on that they lose every time using them. The base doesn't matter, they take our votes for granted because the feel that we will vote for them because not to will only make it worse. Someday they might learn but that might end up being too late.

[Alcibiades]

13. It's not simply a matter of getting the base out to vote

but of getting the activists out to get the base out to vote. This is a big part of where we will whup them in '06. Only the paid shills of the Republican Party can even manufacture any enthusiasm for their current policies.

Most of the Democrats in Congress don't lose every time, they win every time, just like other incumbents. Now is the time to sweep out the republicans, so that we can get new folks in congress who will enjoy the benefits of incumbency for many years to come, just as the Republicans did in '94. This is an off-year election, so it is all about getting the base plus all the folks who didn't even realize until today that they are part of our base.

Maybe some of you folks out there have a DINO, I don't know. I like my Democratic congressman, and hope many more will join him in the next Congress.

[mdmc]

9. i am down

time to play to the progressive base

[Hidden Stillness]

11. They are the "Base"; We are the Whole

You are promoting the Republican-consultant way of describing things--I "don't know" why. Republicans by their nature are a minority Party, and therefore have a small, non-mainstream "base." The Democratic Party, (not "democrat politicians," as you put it), represents the vast middle class, the poor, progressives, women, those who want good government, older people, those who want health care, available public education, etc.--huge sections of the population. We are the Party that wants the government to work for the public good, and therefore cannot narrow down the appeal or the way it was put. The majority of the country supports and agrees with our positions on all the issues, and even now opposes the Iraq war by a majority. To appeal to a specific "base" would be to narrow ourselves down, and not address the general American population, which we actually are.

[Check12]

14. If what you say is correct, then why are we losing?

[Hidden Stillness]

16. Democrats Have Not Acted Like Democrats for Many Years

Democrats have not fought for the middle class, etc. (Clinton gave us NAFTA and GATT) for a generation. They do not fight to raise the minimum wage or make rich people and corporations pay heavy taxes, as clear majorities want. They were taken over by useless "D"LC corporate consultants who made them totally lose their way by imitating Republicans, etc. I believe this era is ending. Recall, also, that Al Gore actually won, and John Kerry probably did, too. We can no longer afford this corporate/lobbyist pandering, and ripping up all the laws and protections we once had, the people are more and more frantic as they can no longer even pay their bills, now more commonly have two or three jobs, etc., and Democratics have acted like corporate Republicans the whole time, losing voter support. I believe it will start to change when we come back to the American people, and fight the corporations that are killing our way of life.

[Alcibiades]

15. It's political-insider nomenclature

I agree with you that, as the natural majority party, our base is wide, but it still does not include everybody (the self-interested rich (that is to say, that part that narrowly construes their self-interest to mean tax cuts) bigots, etc., are not part of our base).

The point this time around is to enlarge the base, if I may use that term, to activate people who should be Democrats but who currently are not. Most of our real base will vote the right way on their own, but activists should still get out there to encourage them, to let people know they are not alone, that we are all mad as hell.

[T_i_B]

12. Do the poor and the needy count?

Surely helping the least well off people in society should be a priority for the left?

[Xenotime]

17. A good base would be gun control..

before another Columbine happens.