Why are the Democrats squandering their opportunities?

[PlanetBev]

They are being handed day after day, week after week, gifts to distinquish themselves from the lunacy of the Republicans, but keep failing to take advantage of it. Everything from the ANWR vote to the bankruptcy bill to the Schiavo case, they have a chance to show the country how insane the Republicans are, but continue to sit there with their thumb up their ass.

Maybe they just like being the minority party...I just don't get it.

[democracyindanger]

1. What's ANWAR?

[bryant69]

4. ANWR

The Alascka National Wildlife Refuge, recently to be opened to drilling (maybe).

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[MrModerate]

5. Sorry, I can't hear anything, there's a bunch of lunatics . . .

Outside my window shouting Ter-RI! Ter-RI! Ter-RI!

(does anyone know what this could be about?)

[villager]

2. the "leadership" in the Demo party is useless

it will have to come from the grassroots...

[gWbush is Mabus]

3. b/c the GOP OWNS the media!!!!!

[PlanetBev]

9. I don't think the media can be blamed for this kind of cowardice

Sooner or later, the Democrats have to stand for something, unfriendly media or not. They are terrified of being criticized.

[gWbush is Mabus]

15. they cannot be heard where have u been for the past 5 years???

[tom_paine]

16. I agree, the Totalitarian Sub-Media and Corporate TV Pravda have been

excellent and instilling this fear and amplifying it where warranted.

The media is part of the problem, but the main compnent is for the Democratic Leadership to buy a clue.

They have been clueless as to the extralegal and "Hitler-legal" machinations of the Imperial Family and the Imperial Party for so long, it seems to be a way of life.

Even Dean, who most definitely HAS a clue, repeatedly had his fangs pulled IN ADVANCE ("Dean doesn't make policy, Dean will just sit in his office and raise money, etc.") by the Brave Vichy Dems.

[Amy6627]

6. Yeah! Where's Howard Dean???? n/t

[Cuban_Liberal]

13. Tennessee, unless I'm mistaken.

The anti-Dean movement is alive and well on DU, it would seem...

:eyes:

[Amy6627]

18. I am not anti-Howard Dean! I wanted him to be president. I was

so happy when he became chair of the DNC. I was hoping he would bring his outspokenness to the Democratic party that we so desperately need. I'm disappointed about him not speaking out on these perfect opportunities for Dems to stand up. But maybe that's not the job of the chair? I don't know. We need to hear from our leaders! What is Kerry, Boxer, et al saying? I don't watch TV news, so maybe they have been speaking, I just didn't hear them.

[Cuban_Liberal]

25. No, it's not the job of the chair.

The chair does not speak on policy matters, and Dean made that clear when he took the job.

[mitchtv]

28. Well someone better speak out

I don't care if it's Michael jackson. This cowardly approach looks very bad for our future. Even Boxer won't speak up. Barny Frank is wonderful

[Erding]

14. Howard

Yeah, where is Howard and the DFA? Pretty quiet these days.

[NYCGirl]

20. Howard no longer works with DFA. Didn't you realize that? NT

[Az]

7. How, exactly, would they take advantage of these?

The right has invested the last 40 years in finding ways to usurp the media. Either through manipulation, legislation, or outright ownership they have managed to control the medium by which the dialog of our society is transacted through. The left has invested little to no effort in this area. Thus individual representitives have no means to move in such a way that they cannot be made to seem out of step by the right.

We have been effectively silenced. We bring forward experts and the right has a small army of "experts" that say the opposite. Message silenced. We appeal to the humanity of a situation and they bring forward voices appealing to fear or other anxieties. We create protests and boycotts and the right paints them as the actions of a few fringe loonies if the media pays any attention at all.

[Demit]

8. It seems they feel they've got a limited amount of opposition in them

and they don't want to squander it. Like it's a non-renewable resource or something. Ssssh! Don't make a fuss on this one, they're saying. Save it for the next one. Bleeeh.

[fryguy]

10. because they're playing nothing but defense...

.....and playing on their heels to boot

[PlanetBev]

12. The Dems have been playing defense for twenty-five years

Since they lost their ass in the election of 1980. When are they going to learn that it's only hastening their demise?

[OneBlueSky]

11. as someone once said (I think it was Will Rogers) . . .

"I don't belong to ANY organized party; I'm a Democrat." . . .

[DeepModem Mom]

17. You're right, PB -- we should stand for something!

:shrug:

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

19. Maybe an emailing, letter writing,

phone calling campaign is in order. A massive communication to our elected Dems to get a backbone and take a stand....we've got your back kind of thing? Anyone?

[MsTryska]

21. I think the dems, did a fairly good job with ANWR

considering the number of republicans that crossed the aisle to vote alongside them.

[bigtree]

26. Those were safe election year votes that were cast against known cavers

on our side. If it had been anywhere close to failing those Republican votes would have evaporated in tune to whatever margin that our side provided against the bill. I don't think Democrats had any influence beyond that with the republican votes.

[bigtree]

22. with you PB

tired of fighting the wind here.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3317351

[Kansas Wyatt]

23. Are the Democrats letting the Republicans overplay their hand?

BushCo and his ilk have pissed a lot of people off since the election, and more and more people are regretting the Republican Party being in control of all branches of the Government. The Greedy Republicans just cannot exercise some self control over themselves, and are trying to grab even more power and control over everyone, yet they do not see that people are getting furious over their actions.

Are the Democrats just giving BushCo and the Republicans enough rope to hang themselves, to incite the people into demanding the removal of the Republicans from office?

[bigtree]

27. Then why vote with the republicans? Why not abstain?

The ones who voted for the bill just provide something for the republicans to point to when justifying their own craven support for the anti-constitutional legislation.

[lyonn]

24. A No vote would help

Why do the dems. not vote en bloc like the repubs? Just because the talking heads berate the dems for sticking together and being the "opposition party" and hampering america's progress! Yeah, right. There would be no loss by all voting no and getting some attention that way. It is a mystery to me also.

[Gloria]

29. They should be hammering on the hypocrisy of the GOP on so

many issues, not just this one. Make it about Bush's lies and hypocrisy and the GOP right behind.

Really, this crew is just too flat-footed to accomplish a damned thing.
Shut them all up, except for Howard Dean.

[TankLV]

30. I've been asking this myself for over 4 years now.

Especially with the last incompetant election campaign and the half-hearted at best local campaigns here in Las Vegas for governor and congress critter.

Just going thru the motions and "playing the game" as far as I see.