Grayson: Democratic ‘appeasement’ cost us the election

[babsbunny]

Grayson: Democratic ‘appeasement’ cost us the election

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/grayson-appeasement-cost-election/

By Daniel Tencer
Thursday, November 4th, 2010 -- 7:01 pm

'There is no center left,' iconoclastic politician says

Alan Grayson, the defeated Democratic congressman of "die quickly" fame, went on the offensive Thursday, telling reporters that the Democrats' "appeasement" of Republicans cost them the election.

In an appearance on MSNBC and an interview with Salon.com, Grayson argued that the "enthusiasm gap" that prompted millions of liberal voters to stay home Tuesday happened because the Obama administration and congressional Democrats did not fight hard enough for progressive values.

[polichick]

1. Yep. nt

[Dinger]

78. Yup # 2 (nt)

[roguevalley]

104. Yep googleplex. times 2. to the trillionthy power.

[butterfly77]

189. Yep.No help from

the so called Democrats and they aren't doing shit now,but bowing down to McConnell and he isn't even the majority leader they are now cowering in their corners and bowing to their demands. Aren't you Dems?

[Vincardog]

210. YEP + 999,999,999,999,999,999

[countrydad58]

194. You Bet.

Alan,Primary Obama to push him left to at least get him to the center.

[txlibdem]

229. To hell with the center

Moving to the center cost the Dems whatever credibility they could have ever had.

We gave the Democrats the largest majority in the history of our nation. And they used that mandate... to compromise with the Repukes, to "make sausage" in the Senate, to water down everything they did so as to make it at best worthless to regular Americans and, at worst, downright hostile to us (ahem... Health Care "Reform" with no public option and NO single payer).

It's a chapter torn out of "How to lose an election 101."

Notice that the so-called Blue Dogs took the biggest hit in this election. To HELL with the center. Move to the ultra left -- where the majority of American workers already are (some of them just don't know it yet).

*78% of Americans wanted Single Payer and would have been squarely behind the politicians had they given that to us. Instead they gave us the great giveaway to big insurance and big pharma. That is example #1 that politicians with "big brass ones" will win the people over, and week kneed wussy boys who hide behind mama's skirt when "those bad o' wepubwikans" yell at them get tossed out on their ass. Too bad they mistook our mandate. Now they've received our reply.

[dpbrown]

80. Yep.

You can't negotiate with terrorists.

[Cal33]

185. Yes. Grayson was right. Millions of liberals became so sick of

the unending giving in and appeasement on the part of the Democratic Administration
to the demands of the right-wingers -- for two long years. It was sickening! Many
just got fed-up and did not vote on Nov. 2nd. How does Pelosi feel now about having put
impeachment "off the table" right from the beginning? Bush and Cheney had committed
so many crimes, that even foreign countries were trying to bring them to The Hague, for
War Crimes, in particular!!

And the right-wingers, who have no legitimate cause against Obama, have already
announced that they will try to impeach him. They'll invent some lies, of course, - as
they usually do. It was Pelosi's duty to impeach crime, and she did not do it!

The right-wingers have no cause to impeach Obama. But they'll invent some lies to
impeach him, just to harrass and embarrass him - just as they did to Clinton!

Talk about irony!

































.

[bobthedrummer]

222. Yep. K&R. n/t

[laughingliberal]

2. He still speaks for me! nt

[Divine Discontent]

114. And I'd sure like him as President Grayson!

[defendandprotect]

123. Agree .... we need a president who fights back against Repugs .....

too much surrendering by Obama before the bell actually rings!!

NY Times 8/5/10 -- reposted at DU September 2010

Here you go ............ WASHINGTON — Pressed by industry lobbyists, White House officials on Wednesday assured drug makers that the administration stood by a behind-the-scenes deal to block any Congressional effort to extract cost savings from them beyond an agreed-upon $80 billion.

Drug industry lobbyists reacted with alarm this week to a House health care overhaul measure that would allow the government to negotiate drug prices and demand additional rebates from drug manufacturers.

In response,the industry successfully demanded that the White House explicitly acknowledge for the first time that it had committed to protect drug makers from bearing further costs in the overhaul. The Obama administration had never spelled out the details of the agreement.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/health/policy/06insur...


If this doesn't make everyone here ill -- they can't read!!

[lib_wit_it]

191. Of course, not only does he lose his base, but he fails to gain any praise from the RWers who would

normally laud that sort of corporation coddling.

[pokercat999]

213. Impeachment, maybe the best thing that could happen for

the Dems. It could actually help us in 2012 if Biden took over, got some gonads and pressed for uncompromising progressive legislation. Of course it'd have to happen early in 2011, say before June. To secure a resurgence for the Dems we wouldn't have to actually pass legislation, just introduce hugely popular bills and make sure the country knew 24/7 that the rethugs were holding back on what was needed and wanted. President Obama has proven over and over he is not going to do that he is the ultimate appeaser.

[defendandprotect]

227. hmmm.... don't think so ... !!!

Certainly didn't help to have Clinton "impeached" -- but they'll keep trying since

we impeached Nixon or were about to -- and forced him to recognition -- they feel they're

down one!

This is a criminal movement on the march -- and as many have noted, looks like the

Democrats just don't have what it takes to fight back.

Individually, there are still quite a few very good Democrats --

but too many have failed us in signing on to pro-corporate agenda -- and sadly that

includes Dem leadership.

[pokercat999]

235. what is so really sad is this could have gone 180 degrees in

the other direction. if obama had only governed like he campaigned, we'd live in a different reality.

[Mimosa]

236. The link isn't working, please repost it.

That is needed info.

[timtom]

158. Great idea!

I'm all for it!

[ixion]

3. Sing it, Mr. Grayson!

:woohoo: :applause:

[arthritisR_US]

4. I so agree! n/t

[robinlynne]

5. right on. exatamon.

[baldguy]

6. Why vote for a phony Republican when you can have the real thing?

Especially when there's no alternative?

[travelingtypist]

22. This. n/t

...

[KittyWampus]

38. So tell us genius, HOW DO BLUEDOGS GET ELECTED TO BEGIN WITH?

You apparently don't understand the simple facts that some districts are Republican-leaning and some are swing voters.

[baldguy]

48. "Of the 54 Blue Dogs, six retired or ran for other offices. All six seats were won by Republicans."

"Of the remaining 48 seats where the incumbent Blue Dog was running, 24 of them won and 23 lost. One seat, Ben Chandler in KY-06, is still undecided. The net result of this drubbing is that the Democratic caucus will move to the left since the remaining Democrats are freed of at least 29 (p)esky Blue Dogs."

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

You were saying?

[countrydad58]

197. Good riddance

of Blue scum!

[tavalon]

65. Low education voters

It takes longer to write than stupid voters, but that's the phrase I'm going with. I am going to try to have as much hope as possible that teaching these low information voters will help them to make choices more in line with what they as an electorate, actually need.

Read: What's the matter with Kansas. for a long boring read about the phenomenon of people voting against their interests.

Oh, and Citizen's United - apparently you can throw enough money at ads that those low information voters vote the way you want them to.

[NYMdaveNYI]

95. Never misunderestimate the....

power of large droves of stupid, misinformed, uninformed voters, nor the scary ability of the American electorate to vote against their self interest.

[tavalon]

148. Well, here on the internet, we can bitch and moan

but it's clear that the education must come in a different form. I'm thinking about leafleting. It worked for Thomas Paine and while there are far more people now, we need to try to reach them.

[dotymed]

159. If our President

would have the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE REINSTATED for the media, things would dramatically change for the better.

[creon]

162. accept reality

The fairness doctrine is gone.

The GOP knew that it needed to build a propaganda machine. The Dems have to accept reality and build one of their own.

[Joe Bacon]

171. How?

I'd love to hear you explain how to build one when the deck is stacked against Democrats and nobody is willing to even do that?

That Fairness Doctirne and Equal TIme provisions MUST be reinstated.

[creon]

238. it will not be

The fairness doctrine is gone and will not return. propaganda is the way of it now.

The party has to find ways around it. You have to fight fire with fire.

[dotymed]

239. Either that, or go back to a tried and proven,

beneficial regulation. Instead of more propaganda, the rule against propaganda makes much more sense....
The REALITY of the situation is that America needs to be informed not controlled.
Your version of reality would just help the insanity.
We need to educate with the TRUTH.

[timtom]

160. I fear the education issue runs much deeper.

It seems to now be built into our culture. I like the idea, but I am quite cynical about the American voter being able to parse a simple sentence.

[tblue37]

233. They don't read. nt

[BlancheSplanchnik]

209. I agree with you...I just wonder how the hell they can become better informed?

With the bottomless well the brown shirts have access to-- to create propaganda, media outlets, high end bargaining etc etc etc..... how can progressive causes out-run that and inform the public?

I hope I don't sound snarky, I'm not trying to at all!!! It's a serious question that the fascists/christo-fascists/corpo-feudalists answered years ago --they needed to create numerous outlets for the propaganda machines and overload the culture in their favor.

I think progressives need more think tanks with more $$ influence. And media--networks, radio. Grassroots reaching out too, for example, as the RW made use of fundamentalists in religion to act as their minions.

The culture of hype is based on dishonesty -- obvious, how bullshit rules the airwaves, and the airwaves are how most people get their current events and worldview information. I've heard plenty of people remark that they just don't KNOW where to get information they can trust---hrmmm, progressives pushing a social agenda of honesty, for one thing, might be a good thing.....

*just thinking out loud*

[rhett o rick]

102. You are always so confrontational. Do you agree with the OP or not? or are you just here to cause

trouble as usual?

[jeff47]

177. Well, let's go look at the election results.

Perriello ran as an unabashed liberal in a conservative district. He lost by 3%.

The other incumbents in VA ran typical blue dog campaigns, desperately fleeing the party. They lost by double-digits.

So, is your idea is to stick with the strategy that does worse?

[Balderdash]

188. What the hell is wrong with you?

Why the hell come out all hateful like that?

[Ignis]

217. Another seagull post?

Quelle surprise.

[treestar]

7. Said by a person who lost his

[w4rma]

8. More money was spent to out him from his conservative district than on anyone else. (nt)

[ibegurpard]

10. yeah, his district had nothing to do with it right?

:eyes:

[John Commonsense]

35. Disinformation and $$$$$$ had a lot to do with it.

[dionysus]

41. you can't have it both ways.

it's often said that we should run DK\Grayson brand liberals in blue dog areas, ie, conservative "districts".

that somehow we won't have conservadems to contend with if we do this.

then a guy like Grayson (who i'd vote for anytime) loses in a conservative district, now it's the district's fault?

to me the main problem is voter lack of awareness.

if the voting populace in these areas were aware of all the facts, things like this would never happen.

[savalez]

205. yep, gotv.

[pokercat999]

216. In Mr. Grayson's district the economy was in the toilet before

he got elected and is worse shape now. Even though he had little or nothing to do with the economy as one vote in 435 and with shit for a senate, it was probably easy to convince his constituents to vote for change.

On the other hand in a district in central Virginia where the economy is bad but hasn't fallen off a cliff, change may be a little harder sell, so Perillo loses by 3% in a conservative district.

Conditions vary across the country and from district to district within a state. This is not a one size fits all type of enterprise.

But if you want one general condition that hampered all Dems this cycle it was the timidness not necessarily in proposed legislation but timidness in letting the American people what was going down. We were hammered with half truths and bald faced lies everyday from RW radio and RW TV and the response from Dems was tepid at most.

For what it's worth that's my opinion.

[Name removed]

113. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[provis99]

118. like hippie punching?

Hey dipshit, the exit polls said progressives DID turnout. It was the wishy-washy centrist Democrats who stayed home, just as they do every midterm election.

[Name removed]

137. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ibegurpard]

126. tentacle porn?

enlighten me...
i'm quite familiar with many varieties of porn but that one escapes me

[Chulanowa]

136. You're better off never finding out

My apologies for mentioning it.

[rhett o rick]

103. So you are against Alan Grayson? I am not surprised. I guess you are glad that he lost to a republic

an.

[donco6]

176. Said by a person positively GLEEFUL about it!

Not surprising.

[struggle4progress]

228. Yep. It's too bad, but nobody's gonna listen to his analysis under the circumstances

[ProSense]

9. He also said

"If Democrats don't vote, then Democrats can't win."

So he's saying people stayed home and didn't vote for him?

Grayson knows that people should have voted. There are a million excuses to be made, but if people don't come out to vote for you, then you lose.

[ibegurpard]

11. people don't come out to vote for you when you don't give them a reason

and saying "you stupid shits can't you see all we've done for you?" doesn't really cut it

[ProSense]

15. So Grayson didn't give them a reason?

They voted for Harry Reid and Michael Bennet.

[Yeshuah Ben Joseph]

31. Reid and Bennet didn't give anybody a reason to vote for them either

Though Sharon Insanegle and KKKen BucKKK did.

[nadinbrzezinski]

33. You get it... thanks

[disillusioned73]

111. And I'm pretty sure Reid & Bennett got the parties

funding access, unlike Grayson which was left out there on his own...

[John Q. Citizen]

208. Yep. It's amazing what the self apppointed partisan hacks on both

sides come up with to delude themselves that their political leaders are beloved by the masses. They generally aren't, and that's probably a good thing in most cases.

[Lorien]

134. I live in Grayson's district. Grayson was the only reason ANY Dems came out to vote here

his district has a huge number of pagans, Socialists, Greens, Repugs, libertarians, and members of the GLBT community. The latter was SO pissed at Obama many actually switched and voted for the GOP because they thought that they would get screwed either way, but at least the GOP would cut their taxes. I kid you not; I heard this crap in my own neighborhood. They liked Grayson, but not as much as they hated Obama for betraying them. Some of the young Greens and Socialists felt the same way. Grayson only won by 4% in this purple district in 2008. Without those one time Obama voters he didn't have a chance. This failure rests on your shoulders and those of whom you serve.

[RBInMaine]

145. "Betraying them" so they vote GOP? Then they couldn't be more stupid.

[Jakes Progress]

168. is the fact that the electorate

may not always vote intelligently news to you? Please give me an example of where masses of people actually display reason and logic in their mass actions.

Grayson has this right. The party will continue to stick its head in the ground, listen to the conventional wisdom of beltway advisors, and continue to lose. If we continue to be weak-kneed, half-hearted populists, we will continue to lose to the lies and greed peddled by the other side.

The choice is to cavil, cower, and kiss republican ass then lose or stand up for what is right, fight the good fight, and represent the people then maybe also lose. Which one is the better path?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

154. You Are Referring To A Small Swath Of Grayson's District

Probably everything within five miles of Mills and Colonial. Grayson's district is much more diverse than Colonialtown and Thornton Park.

[bjobotts]

138. He was heavily targeted and got no money from the DNC. I'd vote for him for president

[bjobotts]

139. The opposition believed their own ignorance.Ask anyone of them any ques. and DUH

[bjobotts]

140. The tea [party gave them a way to express their hate cultivated by hate radio and FOX

[countrydad58]

196. Difference

Reid & Bennet was a state wide race, not just a congressional district ,that is pretty conservative.

[Think82]

20. they gave us a reason

health care
wall street reform
saving economy
stimulus
ending iraq war
trying to end afghanastan as opposed ot thr repubs and our military who wan tot stay forever

you are a stupid shit if you stayed home.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. When exactly did they message that out?

Messaging sucks... it shows.

[ProSense]

28. Here:

GOTV

by Alan Grayson

So, why should people bother to vote? Oh, I don't know. But here are a few thoughts that come to mind:

If the idea of national bankruptcy appeals to you, don't vote.

If you want Sarah Palin to be the next President, don't vote.

If you have a strange fondness for the Dark Ages, don't vote.

If you want endless war, don't vote.

If you think that if you can't afford health care then you deserve to die, don't vote.

If you think that children can educate themselves, then don't vote.

If you view life as the war of all against all, then don't vote.

If you favor cheap labor, don't vote.

If you think that the sick, the hungry and the homeless are really annoying, then don't vote.

But if you believe in JUSTICE, EQUALITY, and PEACE, then you have to vote. And bring ten people to the polls with you.

Truth,

Congressman Alan Grayson

Look at the attention it got here

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. Nah not ONE candidate

the WH... THE WHITE HOUSE!

Also you need to keep the message simple stupid. The voting public is dumber than a box of rocks.

Fear works... too

[ProSense]

30. Well,

the Democrats who voted for Barbara Boxer, Rush Holt and Raul Grijalva got the message.

[nadinbrzezinski]

32. Ok here is a reality check from ONE Boxer voter

I did not go out there to vote for Boxer... or Jerry... I went out there to vote AGAINST Whitman and Fiorina.

You understand what that means?

I was all but excited about it.

I also went to the polls because I grew up in a country where that is what you do, even if that means it is just pissing in the wind.

And that is the part you are missing by a long shot.

People were NOT excited about voting for Democrats...

Jesus is this that complex and hard to understand?

You want to get this box of rocks to move in your direction? Stop the rational shit and reach for the reptilian brain.

Grandpa REPUBLICANS are cutting your Social Security.

Grandpa, REPUBLICANS are cutting your medicare

REPUBLICANS are killing you.

See how that works?

Oh wait that requires the party to fight back... I forgot we cannot do that... (Truman would have a difference of opinion but hell, he is so damn fucking yesterday)

[ProSense]

36. What the hell are you talking about?

What does who you voted against have to do with not voting?

[nadinbrzezinski]

44. Little secret from the American Political system

voting is not a civic duty. It should but the culture is not there.

This means you NEED to excite your voters or they will stay home.

You want to change that? Change the culture or change the law and make it mandatory.

Otherwise the US will remain the lowest voting country of OECD economies.

For somebody who claims to get the system, if you do not know this... there is a problem.

Now here is the second secret, we rely on mobilizing cadres every two years...hope that helps for you to get it.

The Republicans (and we used to know this too) know this. They also know that in the US you drop the intellectual shit and reach for the reptilian brain. We used to know this too.

Want to win elections... message control and excite your base. Calling the professional left the problem... well also that has consequences.

Jesus this is so damn fucking basic US Poli Sci... really.

[creon]

166. agree

people are not rational and logical. They are fickle.

Dems need to develop slogans and key words that appeal to the emotions. This is what the GOP does.

[femrap]

186. I agree....we

have to keep it simple: 'The Republicans will kill you. First, food prices will skyrocket. Second, your SS will be cut. Third, your Medicare is reduced. Fourth, you become ill. Last, you die.' And say thank you to the party that represents the very, very wealthy of this country. If you have to work for a living or retired dependent on SS income, you are screwed. The republicans hate people like you...you're a nuisance. You take money from them. Die, you poor scum.

Think the average person could understand that?

Too bad the average person loves fetuses and the 'prosperity' Jesus.

I am disgusted by how easily the average person is manipulated and controlled....and that is the Big Thrill that TPTB get from this. It isn't the money....they have all that. They fucking love to play the music and watch the 'little people' dance to their tune.

[sabrina 1]

130. All democrats got the message. That is why the majority of progressive

candidates were re-elected. Dire predictions that people like Kucinich eg, would lose, being 'too liberal' were wrong. Kucinich won while most other Dems in that state lost.

The country wants progressives. Blue Dogs went down because Democrats finally DID get the message. We don't need Republicans in name only. We are better off knowing where the enemy resides, and that should be in the OTHER Party, it makes it easier to fight.

The country is center left, this party veered center right and lost their center right candidates which is no surprise.


Now we can forget the old 'lesser of two evils' mantra of the past ten years. People are going to vote FOR someone in the future.

It is better to have a super strong progressive minority that will fight like pit bulls for those who elected them, than a wish-washy, right-of-center, pro-corporate, semi-Republican majority who will fight for nothing that is progressive and will capitulate and compromise away the principles for which they were elected.

We are not there yet, but we have fewer enemies within the party right now, which will make the progressive wing stronger. Now all we have to do is to get rid of the rest of the pretenders and replace all of them with real democrats.

We tried it your way for ten years, it failed. Now it's time to do it right, vote for what people want, not what Corporations want from now on or lose your seat. I hope they got that message.

Eight of those Democrats who voted against an extension of unemployment lost. The party has been sent a message, work for the people or leave. We have Republicans working for corps, we don't need Democrats doing the same thing. The people need the Party of the People back. Looks like Republicans may have inadvertently helped with that.

[Recursion]

181. Nobody's saying people in liberal districts should be less liberal

We're saying that the reason Gene Taylor, Rick Boucher, and Ike Skelton lost had nothing to do with their being insufficiently progressive.

I also haven't heard anybody saying that had blue dogs been more conservative, they would have won; I don't think anybody thinks that. But we are saying that being more progressive nationally isn't going to help us get those seats back.

[sabrina 1]

215. Being more conservative didn't hold those seats.

So there's really nothing to lose by running more progressive candidates since we've never tried it, and bringing out the progressve and Independent vote who probably felt they had no one to vote for this time. It will generate a huge amount of energy also.

I wonder why the attitude is always negative towards attempting to bring this party back to its roots. Why not see the glass half full by stating the fact that being more Conservative was no a winning strategy, rather than predicting something we don't know and haven't tried very hard to do?

[countrydad58]

201. Here! Here!

[walldude]

37. The only message I saw was

"We don't suck as bad as they do". Well done Tim Kaine.

[nadinbrzezinski]

45. Hey at least you saw something

Here it was what Fiorina and Whitman said that had me going... JESUS keep them OUT! They are LOONS!

[walldude]

52. So happy they lost...

they were loonies with money and connections. That could have been really bad. I am kinda bummed that since we lost anyway that O'Donnell didn't win. There would have been some hilarious stuff over the next two years if she had made it.

I gotta run, good luck here tonight, the "blamers" are out in force.

[bjobotts]

141. No messaging of accomplishments or plans to call these obstructionists out

[rhett o rick]

107. So you disagree with the OP? Or agree? nm

[defendandprotect]

127. Grayson is saying the "enthusiasm gap" created by Dem leadership ....

moved Democratic base to stay home --

Democratic voters know that our best chance for MEDICARE FOR ALL was trampled by Obama ....

Here's some of that story .....


NY Times 8/5/10 -- reposted at DU September 2010

Here you go ............ WASHINGTON — Pressed by industry lobbyists, White House officials on Wednesday assured drug makers that the administration stood by a behind-the-scenes deal to block any Congressional effort to extract cost savings from them beyond an agreed-upon $80 billion.

Drug industry lobbyists reacted with alarm this week to a House health care overhaul measure that would allow the government to negotiate drug prices and demand additional rebates from drug manufacturers.

In response,the industry successfully demanded that the White House explicitly acknowledge for the first time that it had committed to protect drug makers from bearing further costs in the overhaul. The Obama administration had never spelled out the details of the agreement.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/health/policy/06insur...


http://us.mc380.mail.yahoo.com/mc/welcome?.gx=1&.tm=1288934061&.rand=37anl4spnou5l#_pg=showMessage&sMid=0&fid=Remember%2520MORE&filterBy=&.rand=2040171943&midIndex=0&mid=1_176_AHJ8v9EAAPcyTJaHDgTrwECwrdw&f=1&fromId=[e-mail]&m=1_176_AHJ8v9EAAPcyTJaHDgTrwECwrdw,1_889_AHB8v9EAAHJ0TJaGFgKyYzvtOGw,1_1600_AHB8v9EAAPAUTC5jMAFuNB4MAvw,1_2223_AHN8v9EAALGcTB00jweOe0J0%2Bog,1_2758_AHV8v9EAANtjTB0O%2FASheWfqDCM,1_3278_ALoPw0MAARVvS4P4RQUyG3ajwGo,&sort=date&order=down&startMid=0&hash=1e44e88b20798cdf28e1a36ffd7786c6&.jsrand=2793718

[Umbral]

135. Ohh, I bet the left's to blame for that, Right?

You ever have anything new to say in your 'cut and paste' world?

[Curmudgeoness]

12. He's right. But shame on the liberal voters who stayed home.

So now we will have to live with that choice. All of us. Sure, we may have lost the enthusiasm gap, but damn it, so we really need cheerleaders to make us do the right thing. I want someone to fight hard for progressive values, and I agree that is not happening. But I do not want to listen to the energized Repugs for the next few years.

:puke:

[rhett o rick]

108. Liberal voters didnt stay home. Why would you even suggest that? nm

[Curmudgeoness]

234. Have you not been reading all the posts here on DU from the

disillusioned or upset or whatever it is who have said that they are going to sit this out? This is one reason I say this. The other reason is my poring over the election results in my area. The Dems just did not participate in numbers, there were many more Repugs who showed up to vote.

[onehandle]

13. The White House directed appeasement.

We had a mandate and blew it.

[msongs]

14. several outspoken libs lost but mostly losers were conservadems nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Du'er grayson will have trouble

with that talk round these parts....

No serious... folks (some folks) are in deep denial over this.

[Naturyl]

19. I know. I got totally slammed for saying what he's saying now 2 days ago, and acting on it.

It's funny how DUers will suddenly "see the light" about things when they are said by their heroes.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Why I got it

I will vote... mostly piss in the wind, due to where I grew up at. But at this point I feel it has the same effect... which is.. perhaps I wil get wet with the backdraft.

I recommend that people get absentee votes though if they cannot go even if it will not make a tinker's damn of a difference...

It is the civic culture I grew up at.

But I get it why people did not. That includes you and why I don't give you any shit.

I said it this morning and got slammed as well.

I get it why people (in the aggregate) vote the way they do or don't... it comes down to fear.

Grandma, Republicans will take your Social Security.

Grandpa, Republicans will take your Medicare.

Now if we run that up the flagpole! Just saying...

[USA_1]

17. 100% Accurate

And just wait until 2011 - it will be worse as Democrat appeasement increases like lambs to the slaughter.

[Naturyl]

18. He is correct. (n/t)

[GreenArrow]

24. "Didn't fight hard enough"?

It didn't appear that they fought at all.

[Jim Sagle]

71. Actually they fought US instead of the Republicans.

[Autumn]

25. What a smart man

you would think our leaders could grasp that.

[icnorth]

163. You would think that they could

but they don't. The Dems have owned the House, the Senate and the White House and they've governed like Neville Chamberlain. It didn't work in 1939 and it doesn't work now.

[somone]

26. No Truer Words

[Cass]

27. Damn straight. Tell it, Rep. Grayson! nt

[John Commonsense]

34. This is the painful truth.

Now is the administration going to do the same thing for the second half of their 4 years?

Please wake up President Obama and fight.

[countrydad58]

204. Yes He will

Unfortunately!

[MissHill]

39. And as a result the president is ramping up the appeasement.

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Stagecoach]

42. I'd agree with that

I think sometimes our leaders in congress seemed to forget they had the majority. When the Republicans had control earlier this decade, they could careless if the Democrats were on board or not. Yet, for the 4 years of Democratic control of Congress they didn't seem to take that approach. It was like they felt they couldn't do anything unless they had Republican input. Again, it was like they treated things as if the Republicans still had control, and were never assertive towards them.

[AlbertCat]

179. Democratic control of Congress they didn't seem to take that approach.

Dems in complete control:

Compromise bill to mush... in back rooms
Throw up their hands and give up at the THREAT of a filibuster (no actual filibusters)
Make deals so no recess appointments can be made.... even when a huge number of apt's are being held up

Repugs in charge:

Can't get a room to hold a hearing in
Hold voting sessions open hours longer than laws allow
literally a "fuck you" to concerned Dem lawmakers

[countrydad58]

218. Thats about right.

in a nutshell!

[Number23]

43. There's considerable data that concludes that low Dem turnout was not a factor

Here's an interesting read: http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2010/11/04/liberals-grope-to-explain-2010-for-2012/

Seems that the conclusion from the data is three fold: 1) the country has turned more conservative since 2008; 2) more whites voted in the midterms which always favors the Republicans 3) the youth vote was outmaneuvered by the over 65 vote.

That link is a good one because it links to several analyses of the elections.

[BeFree]

62. Eh?

Heard that there were 29 million fewer voters than 2008.
Which kinda shoots down that hotair theory.

[Number23]

97. It would be idiotic to compare voter turnout in a mid-term to that of a presidential election

Hopefully, you already knew that...??

The number of voters for 2010 was higher than for 2006. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101103/ap_on_el_ge/us_voter_turnout_5

[BeFree]

101. Your words

"1) the country has turned more conservative since 2008"

[bettyellen]

219. that means the % of people voting conservatives increased, not the # of people voting

hope that helps!

[Jeffersons Ghost]

46. K&R

[bvar22]

47. Thank You.

Or in other words:

"If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for,
at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them."
--- Paul Wellstone


"Centrism"...because its so EASY!!
You don't have to STAND for ANYTHING,
and get to insult those who do!
:party:

[Jamastiene]

49. This guy is becoming more and more of a literal hero to me.

K&R&OH, HELL YEAH!

[mstinamotorcity]

50. All I know

no matter what happened, we took a hard hit. And having Mr.Grayson around made living with repugs almost bearable. Just to know he could say something and make them shake with shock. And thats the problem. Time to go for the shock factor. When a repug say something to you you don't like unless its your boss,Tell them to go f--k themselves. I am still mad I'll work it out later.

[MissDeeds]

51. Grayson has it exactly right

This administration wasn't elected to appease the Rethugs, and yet that is what has happened. This pandering to the right cost us dearly on Tuesday, and the ramifications are going to be felt for the next two years - and beyond unless someone in this administration gets a clue, gets angry, grows some gonads, and does what it/he was elected to do. Voters in 2008 wanted change, not appeasement and compromise.

We lost a lot of good Democrats Tuesday who should not have been voted out of office. Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver said that the election was like a drive-by shooting in which innocent victims were hit by gunfire directed at someone else. Obama himself said that he took responsibility for good public servants losing their positions. One would hope he'd learn, yet today he was talking 'compromise' while McConnell and Boehner were telling reporters what they expect and what they will and will not accept. They are defining the rules and setting the limits. Next they will be setting the agenda.

This has to stop. Obama was elected to govern, and he damn well better let them - and us - know that is what he is going to do.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

53. Sigh. All that trouble to get him here and now we have to tombstone him

Ain't that always the way.

[Starry Messenger]

79. Just what I was thinking.

:D "Shun! Shun the unbeliever!"

[Veracious]

54. EXACTLY

This guy is so on it. SENATOR GRAYSON!

[highplainsdem]

55. K&R

[Canuckistanian]

56. Couldn't agree more

When your negotiations START with a compromise, you end up with ZILCH of what you REALLY want.

Unless of course, you didn't really want it in the first place. Case in point, health insurance care reform and the public option.

[kuroman992]

75. exactly.

This administration got exactly what it wanted with healthcare. The whole compromise thing was a joke. Obama sold the public option off to hospitals and imported prescriptions off to pharma before the whole thing got started.
The obama administration never wanted real health reform. lets wake up people.
Its crap like this that made so many dems and progressives stay home and stole the independant vote.
People dont like being lied to.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

57. yes it did!

[tritsofme]

58. From a guy who couldn't break 40% of the vote in his district?

Forgive me if I do not give his sage wisdom the time of day.

[muntrv]

59. Exactly. How about Grayson for DNC Chair, if not Howard Dean.

[NYMdaveNYI]

96. Give him the DLC, he’ll whip those fuckers in shape. nt

[kestrel91316]

60. Still telling it like it is!!!

[RoccoR5955]

61. Grayson is 1000% correct! n/t

[trud]

63. I voted.

But I held my nose. And I didn't donate a cent to anyone who wasn't a liberal. Normally I'd be out there working my behind off and scraping the bottom of my cookie jar to donate. I guess I didn't do that this year because I'm an f-ing retard.

[cate94]

64. K & R

[Jim Sagle]

66. Fuckin' A.

[nannah]

67. pretty much how i see it.

but why is the real question... why? obama is smart and competent... so why?

[Recursion]

182. Again, because he is capable of counting to 60

Unlike a majority of posters to this board, it seems.

[tigereye]

68. i am sorry to say that I think that is accurate- I hate when we don't stand up

for our values and it looks like we are running and hiding. What's the point of having principles and acting on them and then running away from them while the Reps carry pitch-forks and torches after us? People didn't stand up to the bullying. :(



btw, I did vote, I always do. But the whole thing was kind of embarrassing- we let the Reps set the tone AGAIN! It's like we forget everything that worked in the past.

[leeroysphitz]

69. Dean / Grayson 2012.

and if you don't like it you can move to Russia.

[countrydad58]

206. Dean/ Grayson

works for me!

[leeroysphitz]

70. dupe

[ProfessionalLeftist]

72. 'Swot Michael Moore just said too

I agree.

[JDPriestly]

73. Thank you, Alan Grayson

Once again, telling it like it is.

The politicians are divided. The country is divided. We can only mediate our differences if we meet as equals. Obama refused to meet the Republicans as an equal. He always met them with an apology and an offer of compromise that was never adequately reciprocated. That is not the way you negotiate -- unless you know you are on the losing side.

[Celtic Raven]

74. K&R

Sad, but true.

[patrice]

76. True. In abusive relationships, the abused keeps believing in the better nature of the abuser . . .

abusers, in our case.

[Plucketeer]

77. Alan was/IS my one point of sanity from this debacle.

I don't regret ONE cent of what I sent him. He's worth much more to those of us who claw for fairness and justice.

[whathappened]

86. the dems need to dig in

the pukes did'nt do 1 dam thing to bring this country out of its depression , 2 full years wasted well people were loseing there jobs , homes , cars , there lifes , the dems need to dig in and fillabuster every dam thing the pukes bring down the pipe line , if it has anything to do with selling more of our country off , or cutting s.s. and medicare let them stand tall and yell tell they lose there voices , we already no there going to be up to no good , so we got to give em just what they handed out and make em look like the fools they are

[myrna minx]

81. K&R n/t

[GSLevel9]

82. truth. nt

[John Q. Citizen]

83. That was my analysis, too.

[Devil_Fish]

84. Totally. K&R NT

[Roland99]

85. There's barely a pure left in American anymore.

Anyone who calls the likes of Clinton or Obama as someone on the far left is as fucking ignorant as a box of hammers. But, at least that box of hammers would serve a purpose to someone at some point in time.

[pansypoo53219]

87. no it didn't

it's the economy stupid. AND MIDTERMS IS USUALLY CONSERVATIVE. and the pony people wanted THEIR change.

[unkachuck]

88. K&R....n/t

[hay rick]

89. I voted but I didn't volunteer this year.

I will vote for a blue dog if he's a lesser evil than his Republican opponent, but I probably won't work for him or contribute money. If I did, what more could I offer a progressive candidate? And why should the blue dog reconsider his policies if he can count on me for 100% effort anyway?

[Shrader]

90. Agreed n/t

[Botany]

91. Bingo!

Should have made the republicans defend giving tax cuts to the rich,
money from Red China, and sending our jobs overseas

[Lost-in-FL]

92. DUH! nt

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

93. Makes sense. I was pretty apathetic about the election

I dragged my unenthusiastic butt to the polls to vote straight "D", but didn't expect any good to come of it.

Hopefully, the administration will use the next two years to "sell" the HCR bill so it doesn't get rolled back in 2012, assuming Republicans get majorities in both houses and win the presidency.

Democratic leadership proved they don't know how to work when they have a huge majority.

:hi:

[slay]

94. 2012

Go for it Grayson - you couldn't be more right. Sigh...

[hfojvt]

98. that doesn't explain why he and Feingold lost does it

I also note that he did not want Democrats to fight about economic issues

"He cited immigration reform, civil rights, women's rights and the Employee Free Choice Act as areas on which the Democrats should have focused."

And it would seem that the Matthew Sheperd act, the Lilly Ledbetter law don't seem to count for civil rights or women's rights and neither do appointing two women and a hispanic to the Supreme Court.

Immigration reform is a thorny issue. I don't know what he thinks we should do about it that would be politically popular any more than Health Care Reform was.

[Mosaic]

99. A More Liberal House

Although overall the house became more repug, from the inside of the Democratic party it became more liberal. This is a positive trend that can continue in 2012, we must safeguard memes about electing moderates from flowering. I think the Democratic wing of the Democratic party will prevail and Obama will either become more liberal soon from internal pressure, or he will be challenged in the primary by new progressive movement candidates.

[countrydad58]

207. Yes

But the senate is still filled with the scum bags Conservadems!

[Patchuli]

100. Alan speaks for me!!!!!

:loveya:

[elzenmahn]

105. Ain't THAT the God-Damned Truth...

More proof that it's voices like Alan's that we need in Congress, more than ever.

I'm beginning to think that perhaps this country of ours doesn't deserve leaders of his courage...just sayin'.

[The Uncola]

106. I'll one Alan Grayson over a hundred ..

.. buttkissing Corpodems anytime.

[ProudDad]

109. Exactly true...

If they'd done 1/2 of what FDR was forced by circumstances and guided by good (New Deal) advice to do...

They would have had a similar result to what FDR enjoyed in 1934 -- an increase of seats...

But Rahm and the DLC picked the wrong candidates and folks figured "why should I vote for republican-lite when I can vote for the real thing?!"

[Name removed]

110. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tripod]

112. K&R! We need to hear more from Congressman Grayson...

We need his wisdom more now than ever before... :patriot:

[Rhiannon12866]

121. +1000! Some members of Congress are irreplaceable...

And Alan Grayson is at the top of the list... :patriot:

Welcome to DU, Tripod! It's great to have you with us! :fistbump:

[zeos3]

115. K&R

[gateley]

116. That's a big part of it, but the bajillions of Koch dollars plastering everyone's

consciousness with fear ads can't be discounted.

[gateley]

117. That's a big part of it, but the bajillions of Koch dollars plastering everyone's

consciousness with fear ads can't be discounted.

[hulka38]

119. A Democratic politician who knows exactly what's going on

and isn't afraid to say it come what may really does make him a hero in this day and age. I think that's sad.

[Douglas Carpenter]

120. agree totally!! kick and recommend!!

but will the Democratic Party establishment ever learn? Probably not because it defies the conventional wisdom put forward by the media and because much of the Democratic Party establishment themselves represent the big moneyed interest of Wall Street. They may be somewhat liberal on many social issues, perhaps some environmental issues and may even embrace modest amounts of business friendly regulation and social programs - the way many Wall Street investment bankers might also be somewhat liberal in that sense.. But to use Biblical terminology, where their treasures are - that is where their heart is also.

[defendandprotect]

122. EXACTLY .... !!

I'm not familiar with election turn out numbers for mid-terms ---

but no matter the timing, the LOW TURNOUT IS STARTLING!!

It is populist discourse which brings out voters --

and essentially in denying POPULIST discussion as the DLC does, the Democrats

are suppressing the vote --

And this has been going on a very long, long time!!


We should right now be moving on to MEDICARE FOR ALL -- and if anyone here is

still silly enough to think the fact we don't have it had something to do with

arithmetic in Senate -- or Obama losing a chess game -- try reading this ....




Rahm .... crowing about preserving "private health care industry" ... business s/b grateful!

Thursday, August 12, 2010 10:03 AM



”In a Thursday interview, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel argued that rather than recoiling against Obama, business leaders should be grateful for his support on at least a half-dozen counts: his advocacy of greater international trade and education reform open markets despite union skepticism; his rejection of calls from some quarters to nationalize banks during the financial meltdown; the rescue of the automobile industry; the fact that the

overhaul of health care preserved the private delivery system;

the fact that billions in the stimulus package benefited business with lucrative new contracts, and that financial regulation reform will take away the uncertainty that existed with a broken, pre-crash regulatory apparatus.

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=B2F85DDF-18...


and this ....


Here you go ............ WASHINGTON — Pressed by industry lobbyists, White House officials on Wednesday assured drug makers that the administration stood by a behind-the-scenes deal to block any Congressional effort to extract cost savings from them beyond an agreed-upon $80 billion.

Drug industry lobbyists reacted with alarm this week to a House health care overhaul measure that would allow the government to negotiate drug prices and demand additional rebates from drug manufacturers.

In response,the industry successfully demanded that the White House explicitly acknowledge for the first time that it had committed to protect drug makers from bearing further costs in the overhaul. The Obama administration had never spelled out the details of the agreement.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/health/policy/06insur...





http://us.mc380.mail.yahoo.com/mc/welcome?.gx=1&.tm=1288933652&.rand=3ugai1o0q3pdq#_pg=showMessage&sMid=0&fid=Remember%2520MORE&filterBy=&.rand=47720102&midIndex=0&mid=1_176_AHJ8v9EAAPcyTJaHDgTrwECwrdw&f=1&fromId=[e-mail]&m=1_176_AHJ8v9EAAPcyTJaHDgTrwECwrdw,1_889_AHB8v9EAAHJ0TJaGFgKyYzvtOGw,1_1600_AHB8v9EAAPAUTC5jMAFuNB4MAvw,1_2223_AHN8v9EAALGcTB00jweOe0J0%2Bog,1_2758_AHV8v9EAANtjTB0O%2FASheWfqDCM,1_3278_ALoPw0MAARVvS4P4RQUyG3ajwGo,&sort=date&order=down&startMid=0&hash=8f48ea896184416282b8cc303b3f2a5b&.jsrand=9514119


If either of those don't make you sick to your stomach, you can't read!!

[countmyvote4real]

124. Unfortunately, I think that insanity will continue.

If the President's "shellacking" in the midterms doesn't prove to be an epiphany then the Democratic party should be scouting for a new driver.

[WA98296]

125. Grayson 2012

[bjobotts]

142. With his manner he'd get more followers than any other dem. Balls, Intelligence and Guts= BIG Man

[grahamhgreen]

157. We need to challenge Obama or he will tack even farther right than war, rendition, & DADT.

[kwolf68]

128. Yep ///

And because of that, the media and the righties think America wants total corporate facism.

interesting how that works.

In 08, it was "it doesn't mean the nation has moved far left"

to

"the nation has moved far right"

In 2 years? Yea whatever.

[syberlion]

129. Definition of Civics

The branch of political science that deals with civic affairs and the rights and duties of citizens.

I remember when they taught civics. I remember when we were encouraged to participate in student government in elementary school. You learned about the three branches of government and what was their function, in elementary school. We learned about our government and what it was and how it ran.

Ask people born after the late 60's what a civics class is and they will give you blank stares. There is a quote from an interview of Richard Dreyfuss on KPBS in San Diego, September 22, 2009, I want to share with you. What does this have to do with civics? Well, he's been advocating the teaching of civics and restoring civil debate through his non-profit organization The Dreyfuss Initiative.

What he said in this interview a year ago speaks to what we just had perpetrated on us, I won't say it was an election, more like a psychological beating through tv, radio and corporate malfeasance. Here's what he said:

"Twenty years ago, I did for ABC a special called “Honey, You Don’t Look 200,” which was for kids and it was a celebration of the constitution. And Whoopie Goldberg was in it and Maher was in it and Donald Duck and, you know, Randy Newman, and it was great. And in the ensuing 20 years, I realized what I had written and said in that documentary I could no longer say. I could no longer define citizenship as voting because we’re being asked to vote between two brothels. And our channels of communication have become so toxic and so poisoned and because we’re not taught the values of right and wrong and a firm foundation of ethics upon which we can stand in the world, nobody takes the time to deal with the breaking of the oath that said we will not take advantage. And Rupert Murdoch, who is the closest thing to a Tudor to the sovereign that the people, we, the people, are, Rupert Murdoch has five passports."

There's more, but the point is we've lost the foundation of what makes this a great country, when you elect people that will not face the people, will not do interviews, will not debate civilly, will detain reporters who ask the hard questions, will have male prostitutes masquerade as a White House reporter and will create a normalcy of mis-information, you have the ingredients for despotism.

This was written about in the Federalist papers, despotism. I'll write more about that later, civics and teaching it to our kids is one way of helping to eliminate the virus that has infected our government. It's pretty serious and if we don't do something soon, we just might code in the emergency room, because we didn't have insurance...

[Enthusiast]

151. Nice

Thanks for the contribution and welcome to the DU.

[farmboxer]

131. Grayson is correct.............

he was awesome. He went out on his shield. I will always support Grayson. He is a true American hero.

[reggie the dog]

132. stay in the news brother

we need your voice out there

[HCE SuiGeneris]

133. That would be a true statement,

with the caveat that there were a few other facilitators.

(just reacting to the headline)

Grayson is a voice of the people that really needs to be heard.

[bobburgster]

143. NOPE!

It happened because we did a shitty job selling our accomplishments.

[democrank]

144. Reread #47

[Pooka Fey]

146. Yepperdoodle.

[xchrom]

147. recommend

[Joanne98]

149. He's right

[Enthusiast]

150. And Grayson is right on!

THIS is why we love him so.

[JamesA1102]

152. Grayson didn't appease anyone but still lost.

The logic of his argument is flawed.

[JNelson6563]

155. I think we're not talking about that today.

Only how it's all Obama's fault.

[JamesA1102]

198. LOL nt

[jeff47]

178. His ability was limited by his position

The appeasement he spoke of was on a national level. Since he wasn't part of the national leadership, he couldn't do anything about that.

[JamesA1102]

199. Excuses, excuses nt

[jeff47]

226. And your explanation is.....?

Or your explanation of how he did better than the neighboring blue dog who lost her seat while compromising everything?

[Hubert Flottz]

153. Sad but true...

And the worst is yet to come!

[DailyGrind51]

156. WE lost the moment Obama cut deals with "big insurance" to abandon the public option

and with "big pharma" to drop the demand for negotiated drug prices.

[Recursion]

183. Actually it was hospitals; insurance companies loved the idea of a public option

Because in most formulations of it they could dump all their sick customers into it.

Hospitals were against it because they were already losing a ton of money on Medicaid, which is what a public option would turn in to, and they would go bankrupt if they had to treat everybody currently uninsured at Medicaid reimbursement levels (and that's before the 20% cut to doctors we keep saying we're going to make and never do).

[Vinca]

161. He's exactly right.

[Blue_Tires]

164. Grayson for DNC Chair?

[LawnKorn]

165. K&R

[StandingInLeftField]

167. Thanks for being an Outstanding American, Mr. Grayson!

We hope you'll continue to contribute here at Democratic Underground. You truly define what it USED to mean to be a Democrat. I hope you give me the opportunity to vote for you in the future, because I surely will!

I don't really recognize the new Democratic Party anymore. Certainly not the party of my father. But then again, my father probably wouldn't recognize Sears anymore, either.

[crim son]

169. There is a center left

and it is represented here on DU, but they aren't in the majority and they don't make things happen. IMHO.

[Orsino]

170. Nope. The amount of money and MSM bullshit supporting Republicans...

...which Dems had little choice but to appease, is what did it.

The election was never "ours." The Supreme Court, voting machines, hate radio and fake TV news stacked the deck against our side.

[Kolesar]

193. I hope we can get around this "unlimited money" problem brought on by the Citizens United

decision by the Supreme Court.

Justice Roberts was put on the bench to fuck our shit up. Pardon the language

[TomClash]

172. Campaign spending and unemployment

played a larger role, though what Grayson said is true.

[zentrum]

173. Yep. They've...

...got the stats. 14M youth who voted in 2008 stayed home in 2010. This alone would have won the election for the Dems. And that's just the youth--not the army of progressives that have been turned off.

[AlbertCat]

174. BINGO

That and basic stupidity

[Deep13]

175. People naturally look to the left for needed reforms.

When the left fails to deliver, it is axiomatic that they will turn to the right.

[YOY]

180. Most folks I talk to are apethetic about voting because they see little difference in the parties.

We're not talking about "undecided" we're talking about "the results are the same but the delivery is different and neither one cares about me."

Call them "fools" if you want.

I call them the "left unawakened".

They're there. They will vote when they see a difference. A bunch of them voted in 2008. When they see someone who makes their lives better. They know the RW AM radio jackasses in their offices. We all know those jackasses vote and parrot Rush's message to all idiot enough to listen. Especially the "left unawakened"...they just realize that there is little in there for them anymore.

A bunch of them voted in 2008.

More will vote in 2012 or whenever the REAL NON-CORPORATE DEMOCRATS (or as that stupid article called them "action liberals" :vomit:) RULE THE PARTY.

[NJmaverick]

184. Advice from the guy that lost

is not the best idea

[countrydad58]

211. So then

we should follow the advice & strategy of Rahm & Obama that lost 60 + seats?

[scentopine]

187. Rigid centrist purists don't mind when dems lose because

centrists are happy to do the bidding of whoever has the cash, republican or democratic. There is nothing more dangerous and threatening to the democratic party than centrists. They will tell you to stop being angry that 100,000++ innocent people slaughtered in 10 years of constant war, oil spills, oil drilling, bailouts for the super rich, health care for super rich, are all just ponies and we have to accept the "new" reality.

Unprincipled and opportunistic centrists take the all the bloody violence of war from the neo-cons and all the free-market snake oil of the neo-lib, and mix it together. Out of this sewage crawls the modern centrist leader, a very real swamp monster that survives on an exclusive diet of ponies and poor people.

Centrists are just parked in the dem party until they feel its safe to go back to the republican party. I wish they'd go back to the republicans so we didn't have to choose between two right wing parties at election time. At the rank and file level, liberals are treated like crap by the centrists. Centrists joke about "hippie punching. Many liberals have battered constituent syndrome, they can't leave the party and form a new one because the abuse is all they know. With health care costs so high, I guess I can understand. But some liberals have realized that both parties hate liberals and both parties have decided not to offer liberals any representation.

If centrists don't recognize the deadly irony in these elections it's because, from their vantage point, every crisis is an opportunity to transfer wealth from the non-rich to the rich while skimming off a little cream for themselves.

[BrklynLiberal]

190. He is 100% right...and the rwingnut/tbaggers focused on him and Feingold to make sure

that the voices of the REAL left were muffled.

[Hepburn]

192. Amen a billion times.

Compromise got us NOWHERE but out of the majority. This needs to stop NOW!

Good on Grayson! :applause:

[Howler]

195. Truth!!!! n/t

n/t

[CrispyQ]

200. The new battle cry of the Democratic party:

“We believe we have compromised significantly, and we’re prepared to compromise further.”

~ John Kerry, re: talks with repubs on greenhouse gasses

Barack the Timid likes the new battlecry.

[BlueCollar]

202. agreed...n/t

[BolivarianHero]

203. Grayson sees what we all see...

Obama had a mandate to be as transformative as FDR. Instead he's been Clinton-lite.

[Mimosa]

212. "the "enthusiasm gap" that prompted millions of liberal voters to stay home Tuesday"

Grayson is correct. I did poll watching in 2008 and this year. The young weren't out, the blacks and latinos weren't out. Older voters were.

[garthranzz]

214. You guys have already said it all.

Just wanted to add my +1 rec and handclaps

[midnight]

220. Grayson has a very valid point about many voters not voting.... With so many unemloyed,

and homeless, voting has probably become unachievable without transportation, food or housing..... Another reason for the party of no, not to do anything to change this crisis... It is a win win for them....

[FlyByNight]

221. We lost Grayson and Feingold...

...yet Reid survived. Rah rah.

[bertman]

223. Proud to be Rec #379. nt

[Roy Rolling]

224. Alan's right, of course

And most everyone agrees (because we all think what is logical and correct is the choice of action voters will take.) WRONG! By the time it gets to issues the war is already lost. The battle line that CAN be won is to push against the notion held by the radical right is "smart is bad." You see it everywhere, professors are denounced, global warming theory is denounced, anything that is academic is denounced as unpopular and (over) simpflication is good. Scientists used to be society's heroes and now they are branded as egghead leftists. As long as that idea is not challenged then any attempt at expecting people to favor logical and rational thought is doomed to failure. And the heroes of the "dumb" brand---Palin, Bachman, Limbaugh, Beck---will have more followers than rational thought people like Alan Grayson. With that in mind, you can expect the next attack (continued) to marginalize him will be to paint him as a loony---that is the way they will discredit his thoughful ideas, by calling him brain-damaged or brain-diseased. Mark my words, they will deny his thougtfulness by calling it madness.

[johnlucas]

225. Duh!

I'm done with the politics game.
It's more rigged than pro wrestling.

The only way a socially & economically progressive movement will start is by a revolution. Ain't gonna be done with a vote.
The system is not designed to do the right thing. It was created to halt progress.

From now on, my motto is "Wake me up when the revolution comes."
Can't do it alone. It's gonna take millions.
And until those millions are mad enough to tear things up, nothing's substantially gonna change.
John Lucas

[mlevans]

230. As usual, Alan has it nailed. n/t

[Green_Lantern]

231. Alan Grayson putting out Taliban Dan ads and taking out of context

Video of his opponent to make him look bad probably helped in his defeat. But sure Alan, blame Obama.

[earth mom]

232. K & R...BUT I wish Grayson had been honest about the fact that Washington DC is full of DINOS.

That's the REAL problem that no one wants to address.

[okieinpain]

237. so if he's right, then I hope peole are happy with what they have

now.

[LWolf]

240. He's right. nt