Third Party? "The People's Democratic Party"?

[G_j]

or something of that nature.

I really don't think the DLC and DNC stuffed shirts are going anywhere. I don't believe there is any possible way to "take back" the party. So is there a way to use the word "Democrat" or "Democratic" but in describing a NEW party.

Just sort of day dreaming...

[LoZoccolo]

1. Maybe it's like the fifteenth party.

You can put them behind LaRouche, Nader, Greens, Peace and Freedom...

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. Don't forget The Marijuana Party.

I kid you not. C-SPAN had a debate on with Senator Leahy and everyone running against him. There was some woman from The Marijuana Party debating him. ;)

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

14. The last guy who ran against Kerry in MA......

.....from the Greenies, that was his big issue. Needless to say, he got his ass whupped.

[Wind Dancer]

27. She forgot a question at one point.

It brought back quite a few memories, lol. That was the funniest senatorial debate this year.

[in_cog_ni_to]

46. Yeah, I remember thinking,

*I know why she's so spacey and she HAD to have been loaded when she thought up her little jingle and decided that ringing that bell would be good for her campaign* LOL..THAT cracked me up! Whoa! *Peace Out, maaan!* :hippie: :smoke:

[Mike L]

38. Add: Reform, Constitution, Socialist Workers, Libertarians, American

Patriot. Hell, the list can be endless.

[LoZoccolo]

40. They always win elections and change things to.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

[Slit Skirt]

2. I prefer progressive to democratic

or freedom party or something

but definitely NEW party

[G_j]

6. of course I'm just

fantasizing, but I'm really so tired of those folks. I feel like they don't deserve the term "Democrat" at this point, not if they want to let the Repugs frame the dialogue.
It seems like so many concepts have been poisoned by the Repugs (compassion, clear skies, peace, etc. etc) I would prefer that 'we' were more honest.

[Slit Skirt]

8. i think you've started something......

[elehhhhna]

3. The People's Constitution Party (PCP)

[Joylaughter]

5. The PDP

People's Democratic Party. I LIKE IT.

[Huckebein the Raven]

7. That works. I also like the Progressive Democratic Party too.

[G_j]

9. that might work better

God forbid they compare us to communists! re: "The People's"
:eyes:

[burythehatchet]

10. I'd rather all of us turn our support to the Progressive Caucus

Kucinich has always been my man. His band of merry liberal people could really use our support for greater power.

[G_j]

11. I'd rather take them with us

what a great core group that would be!

[Sarbannes Oxley]

12. I'm totally with you!

If anything, the DNC-- with influence of the DLC-- will try to move more to the right in order to appeal to all the schmuks out in red country.

We need a new party.

[Sarbannes Oxley]

13. I like "The People's Democratic Front"

n/t

[bunkerbuster1]

35. The Judean People's Front!

or maybe the People's Front of Judea.

Splinters!

[Sarbannes Oxley]

45. That's exactly what made me think of that!

And perhaps we should also fight for Stan's right to want to have a baby.

[JHB]

15. Oh, yeah. THAT'll deflect the people who call us "communist"

:eyes:

[DrShrinker]

16. Sounds good to me.

How about "The Democratic Patriot Party"?

Here's what I sent to the DNC. We can use this and beat the heck out of the repubs and Dems.

Time to change the politics of politics.

We lost, Republicans won. Time to move on to bigger and better things, but where do we go from here? Did Americans start leaning to the right on their own, or were they brainwashed into believing the Republicans possess the right belief system?

Which one are you? Pro-choice? Gay? African-American? Pro-welfare? Against the war in Iraq? Don’t like guns? Maybe we should put these terms in a different way. Are you Pro-death, against marriage, welfare queen, unpatriotic, or maybe you just hate the Constitution? That is how the Republicans have been able to classify Democrats. We are not a party for a general agenda, we did not vote for Kerry because he supported ALL these items, we voted for Kerry because we either did not like President Bush, or we had our own personal agenda.

It’s time for a change in the way the Democratic Party plays politics. We need to become the party of “Pro-Children”. What is Pro-Children and what does it encompass you ask? Well, in a nutshell, it encompasses EVERYTHING each of our fringe groups represent, plus we get the added bonus of throwing in those much sought after moral values we seem to have lost over the past few years. It just takes a bit of marketing to get the point across.

Let’s start with being pro-choice. The Republicans have done a masterful job of changing pro-choice into pro-death. Pro-choice is now automatically assumed to mean, “I support abortions”. In fact, we all know this to be hogwash. Now, the Pro-Children stance removes that stigma. We NEVER need to mention the term pro-choice again, and as a matter of fact, we never should. After all, how can you possibly be pro-children and not be against abortion? Simple: we are concerned about what happens to children at any step of the way. If you want an abortion, it was in the child’s best interest and you emphasize adoption and how many kids are permanently stuck in orphanages. If you don’t like abortions, that was in the child’s best interest also. In essence, it was being “Pro-Children”.

Guns? Hate them or like them? If you hate them, well, that’s in the best interest of the children. If you like them, you are protecting the children. Of course the goal is to remove certain guns from society, so you start plastering the airwaves with the amount of guns that have killed children. You are not removing anybody’s Constitutional right to own a gun. How is the NRA going to fight you when you tie it to saving innocent children’s lives?

Gay civil union. Here’s another one. In Ohio recently, a law was passed that not only defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, but it also removed the right of supplying health insurance to gay couples from any institution that receives state money. It actually went beyond that; Issue 1 stated that Ohio is unable to recognize any union that resembles a marriage. How can that be good for the children? It sure sounds like the Republicans are advocating a single-family household, quite the opposite of their supposed support of marriage. How about having to remove a child’s health insurance because the state won’t allow health insurance for couples that are gay? This would be a big blow to their theory of wanting children to be healthy and happy. Heck, it sounds like the Republicans in Ohio want your child to be sick.

War in Iraq? Do you want your child to die in Iraq? Social Security? It’s your children that will pay for it. Deficit? Do you want your child to be saddled with the burden? Environment? Your child will be affected when they can’t breath. Tort Reform? Ever see a baby that was deformed because a doctor didn’t know what he/she was doing? How about showing sick babies that can’t be treated because the insurance company raised the doctor’s malpractice insurance for no reason and the doctor either quit or left? This is literally a never-ending list and it is ALL based under the theory of “Pro-Children”.

The time for playing games has ended. The Democratic Party needs to get down and play dirty, and with a message like Pro-Children, they can have this weapon at their disposal. It doesn’t matter what your belief on a specific item might be, guaranteed it will fall under the premise of Pro-Children. The Democrats can paint their challenger into a corner by using this catchall generic term, and the moralistic value? Unmatched in just about any circumstance.

It’s time to end the pro-death and pro-choice. We NEED Pro-Children.

[G_j]

17. that is a great letter!

much thanks for sharing it.
Have you had a response?

It would be hard for a 'thinking' person to not to be at least stimulated in thought by your ideas.

[DrShrinker]

18. none.

One party official in Ohio said and I quote "That's cute".

The Dems haven't won a party seat in this state in years, and know I really understand why.

[G_j]

19. "cute"

that is really sad.
Anyone who would write off those well thought through concepts as "cute" is doing nothing but standing in the way.

[DrShrinker]

21. unfortunately, that's our party.

no original thought process anymore, just hammer on the repubs while they win and we lose.

[G_j]

23. it is scary to think how many people

there are in the party who think just like that.
lots of dead wood alright..

[DrShrinker]

24. yep. and that's why we keep losing.

Edwards had a good message going at the convention "Hope is on the way"

why he didn't run with it a bit more is beyond me.

[hexola]

20. Anything with "The Peoples" is out...

Playing right into their hands...sounds like the "Peoples Republic of China"...

[hollywood926]

25. yes, that usually signifies communism... n/t

[bvar22]

22. For those wanting a ...

...Progressive Democratic Party, go here:

http://www.pdamerica.org/

I no longer send money to DNC/DLC. All my money, time and sweat will go to these guys who seem to remember what REAL Democrats are supposed to represent.


edited to include quote:
<snip>

"Progressive Democrats of America are organizing the peace and justice movement within the party. We have helped to define the Party by pushing our issues at the state level. In at least 16 states, we have been successful in making sure that the heart and soul of the Party is representing all unheard and underserved American citizens. This is the next fight for the Party. The Party needs to stand for something again. “Not Bush” is just “not enough.” Many progressives have said this, now the party knows it.

Beginning tomorrow, we must refocus our energies on pressuring the Democratic Party to adopt and advance a more explicitly progressive agenda. This effort is well underway in 16 states where activists have been empowered to stress the importance of their viewpoints. We must continue to unite the progressive left and cannot expect the Democratic Party will harness our capabilities or do it for us. The Party has proven time and again that they will step back in line and return to politics as usual once an election is over. This is unacceptable. We must use this moment in history to take the lead at the grassroots level and further organize.

[mzmolly]

26. Sure, that way they'll not have to steal our elections. We'll split up

and let the facists drive us into the ground for decades.

:hi:

[G_j]

28. thing is

I keep hearing people say they are already leaving. Many people I know personally are saying they are now with out a doubt going third party, probably Green. Green is fine with me too. I don't necessarily think we need another party, but it is worth discussing IMO.

[mzmolly]

30. I know others who say the'll never vote again.

Worth discussion, yes ... worth consideration not really.

People are angry right now, and saying lots of things ... that's understandable.

[G_j]

37. well my comments

are a vehicle for discussion.
My guess is that in the near future the Green party will emerge with a lot of new members.
I think that would be healthy in many ways.

[mzmolly]

39. Sure it would be healthy, if the Republicans start flocking to the

Constitution Party.

I think the best thing we can do to "expand" our system would be to draft a good Constitutional Party Candidate to run against the next Republican.

[JNelson6563]

47. I am seeing the opposite

I chair membership on my local Dem board and sent out my renewal/recruiting mailing nearly three weeks ago. Even tho' the election is over and we lost they are still flooding in! They are sending in plenty of extra cash and little notes too. The hand written messages are usually short: "Keep the faith" or "Never give up", stuff like that.

I am in the northern (red) half of Michigan's mitten FYI.

Julie

[IrateCitizen]

29. Pathetic defeatism...

I really don't think the DLC and DNC stuffed shirts are going anywhere. I don't believe there is any possible way to "take back" the party.

I'm usually with you, G_j, but this statement is just plain pathetic and completely dispirited. You think that taking over the Democratic Party is hard, yet you advocate doing something that is around 1000 times harder, which is starting up a NEW party?

Get real.

Things are NOT as bad as they appear right now. For instance, out of the seven anti-war Senators who were up for re-election -- seven were re-elected. The smallest margin of victory was Russ Feingold -- at 55 to 44 percent. And he was the one most targeted by the Republicans.

Montana, despite voting for Bush and passing an anti-gay marriage resolution, also passed a medical marijuana resolution by an overwhelming margin.

Both NV and FL passed resolutions hiking the minimum wage by $1 per hour, despite intense opposition from big business and Jeb Bush.

Dallas County, TX elected a Democratic Sherriff. Lupe Valdez is an openly gay Hispanic woman, and her election represents a first for all of those demographics in holding that office.

Dean's dozen candidates were elected all over the US, or at least gave tough races where it was suspected to be a cakewalk.

But hey, since none of this is working, why don't we just throw all this away and start over, right? :eyes:

Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and join us in the neverending struggle!

[G_j]

31. "dispirited"

yes.
Sure I am throwing around the idea as a sort of catharsis.
I feel very much burned at this point.
My skin crawled as I listened to the aspect of the Kerry campaign that tried so hard to strike a macho posture. I know at least the folks I work with who are dyed-in-the-wool peace activists feel essentially dirtied and comprimised by the whole thing, because we were all trying hard to help Kerry who realy wasn't a peace candidate. There is only so much people can take, only so far they can bend before they break. And who has the stomach to keep up this endless debate about the party going right or left?
Do really think that can be resolved?

I appreciate some of the good news you state. It gives me a bit of hope. DK and the progressives give me hope. But much of the party seems to do nothing but ridicule them. We'll see.

[IrateCitizen]

33. Of course the party elite ridicule progressives -- we're a threat to them

If progressives are able to largely take over the party apparatus, where does that leave people like Bob Shrum and James Rubin? Where does that leave Robert Rubin and Citibank when it comes time to craft the Democratic platform? Where does that leave James Carville, Paul Begala, and Stanley Greenberg?

It leaves them out in the cold, that's where. It leaves them on the outside looking in. Therefore, they will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to maintain their positions of privilege and power, even if that means effectively selling out the core constituencies of the Democratic Party in the process.

Have I been depressed over the past week? You betcha. I've also been angry -- angry at the Republicans for trying to build a bridge to the 17th century, angry at the ineptitude of the Democratic Party elites, angry at friends and family members for being ignorant and uninformed enough to vote for Bush. But I can either stew with that anger and depression, or I can use it to spur me on to do something useful.

I KNOW that progressive values speak to a lot of people in this country. I know that the majority of Americans still believe in ideas like fair play, community, cooperation, compassion, charity and the like. It's just that their heads are just so pumped full of shit that they lose sight of it. But it's there, and if it policy stances can be articulated in ways that always come back to these core values (rather than getting muddled in the details), then we can advance a truly progressive agenda.

[G_j]

36. I really want to believe

that progressives might be "able to largely take over the party apparatus". But the two camps seem to be on entirely different pages and the old guard completely entrenched.
Can this be resolved? I want to believe, really I do.. :-)

[4_Legs_Good]

32. I think the Democratic Party needs to be a coalition of smaller Democratic

factions:

The Democratic Environmental Faction
The Democratic Progressive Faction
The Democratic Centrist Faction
The Democratic Fiscal Responsibility Faction

etc.

We have each faction have its own leaders, and then we together decide on who to endorse as the Democratic nominee...

I guess that's kinda like the way things are now, but it would basically give all the different factions in the large tent a stronger voice, but still keep us unified.

david

[G_j]

34. that sounds really good

I like that. And it is well.. very democratic!

[Siyahamba]

41. New Democratic Party

Yes, I got the idea from somewhere else. ;)

[Lorien]

42. I like the Progressive Party

but so far they're only in Vermont. :-(

[Jeanette in FL]

44. I like the "Progressive Party" too.

It reminds me of Paul Wellstone's book "The Conscience of a Liberal". He even has a chapter called "A winning Progressive Politics" where he discusses ways to win by being liberal.

[hiphopnation]

43. This thread is vaguely reminiscent of a Monty Python movie...

BRIAN:
Are you the Judean People's Front?
REG:
Fuck off!
BRIAN:
What?
REG:
Judean People's Front. We're the People's Front of Judea! Judean People's Front. Cawk.
FRANCIS:
Wankers.
BRIAN:
Can I... join your group?

REG:
No. Piss off.
BRIAN:
I didn't want to sell this stuff. It's only a job. I hate the Romans as much as anybody.
PEOPLE'S FRONT OF JUDEA:
Shhhh. Shhhh. Shhh. Shh. Shhhh.
REG:
Schtum.
JUDITH:
Are you sure?
BRIAN:
Oh, dead sure. I hate the Romans already.
REG:
Listen. If you really wanted to join the P.F.J., you'd have to really hate the Romans.
BRIAN:
I do!
REG:
Oh, yeah? How much?
BRIAN:
A lot!
REG:
Right. You're in. Listen. The only people we hate more than the Romans are the fucking Judean People's Front.
P.F.J.:
Yeah...
JUDITH:
Splitters.
P.F.J.:
Splitters...
FRANCIS:
And the Judean Popular People's Front.
P.F.J.:
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Splitters. Splitters...
LORETTA:
And the People's Front of Judea.
P.F.J.:
Yeah. Splitters. Splitters...
REG:
What?
LORETTA:
The People's Front of Judea. Splitters.
REG:
We're the People's Front of Judea!
LORETTA:
Oh. I thought we were the Popular Front.
REG:
People's Front! C-huh.
FRANCIS:
Whatever happened to the Popular Front, Reg?
REG:
He's over there.
P.F.J.:
Splitter!

GOLIATH:
Ooh. Ooh. I-- I think I'm about to have a... cardiac arrest. Ooh. Ooh.
SPECTATOR:
Absolutely dreadful. Hmm.
CROWD:

REG:
Yes, brother! Ha ha. What's your name?
BRIAN:
Brian. Brian Cohen.
REG:
We may have a little job for you, Brian.