Our side's biggest weakness is focusing on absolutes and single issues.

[smartvoter]

It's interesting to see DU after being away for a few days. I see thread after thread of people calling each other out, denouncing politicians for not taking stands on issues personally important to them and even threads wherein people writing about reported events are attacked because it is perceived by some that the reported events are lies.

I don't have a solution, but it does seem that we have an inherent weakness on our side in that it's far too easy to alienate progressives. There are too many raw nerves just waiting to be stepped on.

There is so much brain power on our side that you just have to wonder what could be accomplished with a truly unified front.

[EFerrari]

1. WB, smartvoter.

Without going into specifics, I recently saw DUers unite and become a laser over an issue that was important to them. It was so awesome, it rippled out all over the net AND agitated every troll in Netdom.

I don't wonder, I know. Just saw it.

They should be afraid. Very afraid. :)

[smartvoter]

2. I know what you are referring to. We need THAT in other areas... nt

[EFerrari]

5. Fine. But look at the mechanism, not the narrow goal or issue.

Look at all the ways people contributed: time, money, energy, creativity, negotiating, calling up their networks, brainstorming.

Do any of those activities ring a bell for you? :)

Maybe more narrowly, when we do focus up on a concrete goal we agree on, we're pretty much unstoppable. I don't say that lightly.

[smartvoter]

8. Yes, I know. It's demonstrable potential. Hence, the observation. nt

[EFerrari]

14. And in response, I'd say you don't build a web from the perimeter

You build it by working one issue, developing working relationships and a consensus that always overflows the bound of that issue. Then, you work the next one. Maybe this is naive. But, it seems to work . . . And all the flaps in between just aren't that important and usually can be predicted, avoided, deescalated or contained.

I guess I wasn't around for Skinner's stuggle during the primaries. Sorry.

[smartvoter]

15. That is how we do it now. My comments were more on

the misdirected energies (toward each other)... I agree that what you say works -- just think we have significantly untapped potential.

BTW: The Skinner posts were a week ago...

[EFerrari]

16. Ah, I see. Yes, lol, misdirected energy is a problem, and

somehow I missed those posts of Skinners.

[Stand and Fight]

3. Your post is an accurate reflection of its subject matter.

There is much irony there... Perhaps you've not noticed the many great efforts that DUers have made? Perhaps you've not noticed the deep discussions that surely cannot be characterized as generalities...

:evilgrin:

I do not know, but I most definitely know that the people of DU are some of the most informed and collected people that I know. I'm politically active in my own community, and I dearly wish that the local party members had but an ounce of the passion I see here everyday. The problem with DU is that we're all so widely dispersed; nonetheless, I do concede the point that a truly unified front of DUers would be a force to be reckoned with. Pray tell, what do you propose to achieve this end? I am sure you've some solution in mind...

[EFerrari]

4. A quibble: I think being far flung has this advantage. We can take

what we learn here and spread it out to our local networks. It's sort of an amazing thing to see happen when it does -- and I'm sure you have seen it.

[Stand and Fight]

7. I agree...

However, I live in Oklahoma. You would be absolutely surprised to learn just how resistent to reality the Republicans here can be, friend. But I do my best to spread the truth -- even plant seeds -- in the hope of effecting a change in outlook.

[EFerrari]

12. I wouldn't be surprised. My dad is in St. Joe. I mean, he's

REALLY in St. Joe.

But I did manage to tell him one day that the Cabal aren't Republicans they're RADICALS. lol

[smartvoter]

6. Answers:

Yes, I see the irony and the many accomplishments.

I do not have a proposed solution to the larger challenge of focus on the common enemy. I was making an observation after looking through the threads and thinking about how much could be accomplished if energies were focused.

I recently watched with interest as Skinner tried to gain a consensus as to what could be done to keep things more civil during primaries, etc., with no luck. It seems that passion comes with passion, so to speak...

[Stand and Fight]

9. You're quite correct, SV.

I wish that there could be an organized DU convention, so that we could get from behind the keyboards and put all that energy into motion. I just don't find the Democrats that I work with anywhere near as smart, passionate or progressive as my fellows here. I do agree that we'd be a serious danger to the Republicans if only we could get as organized -- preferably more organized....

[Carolab]

10. Yes.

And there is too much infighting and splitting of hairs.

Plus, as Dean pointed out, we spend too much time explaining ourselves--"we want to tell you everything we know"--about the issues. Get some short, simple messages out there and repeat them constantly. The U.S. is used to the sound bite. Reframe, rinse, repeat.

Let's work on our message and on uniting behind our party.

[Lexingtonian]

11. We do need a central idea/statement

You're very right that people here don't see the forest for all the individual trees.

I think there's a center. A piece of the Constitution and approach to it in which everything being done roots. And once people connect what they're doing to that, in their minds, everything joins up, becomes an ensemble.

But we're a little preoccupied at the moment with flushing out some more residual/latent conservatism, expressed in desires to be less radical and thorough and courageous inwardly than our situation requires us to be. A great deal of the chickenheartedness is being exposed and slowly being given up a bit.

[TreasonousBastard]

13. It sure isn't just DU...

and I started another thread about the problem.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3708539

I had a bad week this week, but over the years it's been pretty much the same thing- annual dinner planning meetings hijacked by the Free Peltier contingent, Not Invented Here Syndrome, suspicion of other groups that might want to take you over, or at least steal your thunder, the interminable number of "coalitions" that are mainly your friends...

Lots of good things could be done, but we just don't focus on the big picture.

[oscar111]

17. LONGWINDEDNESS: agreed, this is a LW flaw

we need to do as you said: condense to catch-phrases that nonpolitical voters can easily remember.

I see longwindedness here at DU: posters refer me to links with long articles instead of just telling me the essence.

They think i have time to "read up" on their tiny issue. All hundreds of them expect me to read up on their fav issue . Insane. OR maybe they are just young. Maybe i did the same at eighteen.

whatever, we all need to distill our issue's evidence into catchphrases for Joe Voter who works two jobs and is harried.

[smartvoter]

18. I really struggle with this as well. Even posts can be killers. nt