Reply #88: I wasn't asking moderates to "beg".

[Ken Burch]

I was just asking them to make their best case for the position they will be taking in
2008, the position that the party must once again leave the poor, union labor and progressive activists out in the cold, but yet has the right to demand absolute unconditional support from all
the constituencies that "moderate" policies disregard.

I was asking for respectful, reasoned arguement. People who build successful coalitions try, if at all possible, to treat all in those coalitions with respect. I wanted to see if "moderates" were willing to reach out to us rather than just assume that it's THEIR party first and that they have the right to say "jump" and expect the rest of us to say "how high".

Three straight defeats on "moderate" policies(the Kerry program was suicidally neutral on the war, had no real health care program, did not support electoral reform and did not support strengthening the labor movement)should have shaken some of the arrogance out of our party's right wing.
Apparently, they haven't shaken it yet, which means the party's still in big trouble.

(And let me remind you, the Nader/Green vote came back to the party as a virtual bloc in 2004, despite the fact that the party did nothing whatsoever to reach out to those voters. What ELSE do you want from progressives?)