STOP!

[Az]

Think!


Act.


A group cannot grow or be productive if it is only known for the things it is against. It's fine to use DU to comiserate with those you find common cause with. But if we do not use DU as a tool for progress and action then we are doomed to become as irrelevant as the Democratic Leaders we so enjoy complaining about.

It takes effort and persistance to overcome natural tendencies. And one natural tendency is to complain. It is much harder to sit down and think of something to do an harder still to actually do it. But if we really want things to change this is exactly what we have to do. The pendulem of history does not simply swing back and forth of it's own accord. We The People must grab it and drag it back by our will and action. This is how it has always been. This is the only way change comes about.

So stop waiting for the Repukes to self destruct. Even if they do, if there is nothing ready to take it's place the people will simply continue on in the trend they are already headed in. It is going to take ideas, planning, and action to change this nation's course.

So

STOP

Think

Act


Please. The People need this.

[bryant69]

1. A few pointes

We are the opposition right now. We are not in power; it would be nice if we were. But we aren't. So the Republicans are going to set the agenda and we are going to be defined primarily by our opposition to the Bush Administration. That's the terrain we are playing on.

That said we need to root our opposition in more than a simple dislike of the Republicans or of President Bush or Karl Rove or anybody else. Our opposition has to be rooted in the concrete idea that there are better ways to do things. So in that sense I agree with you.

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

[Az]

3. We need to have our own identity

If we are just the opposition we are defined by them. And that is nothing. Expect to see a lot of Dems stepping up as the Bush cabal crumbles. But it means nothing. It is opportunism. Without an identity independent of being not the republicans we will never sway people or change our societies path. Social change does not come from being the other guys. It comes from championing ideas and standing up for them whether they are currently popular or not.

[porphyrian]

8. But we are simply Everybody Else.

We don't all share any other common identity. We don't all agree on anything. We are legion because we all agree to the opposition. The more we attempt to define our identity, the more we dictate the rules we must follow, the more of our numbers we exclude and alienate. Why do people keep insisting that we must be a spear rather than a hydra?

[electropop]

2. We're not waiting

We're trying to push them over the brink. I'll bet there were a lot of DUers here in DC on Sep 24th. I'll bet on any given day, thousands of letters and phone calls are initiated by DUers, trying to influence the media, politicians, and even our immediate families. We do have a lot of negative material to cover, and it's necessary, because we can't make headway on any positive agenda until we drive the worst of the Fascists from power. Indictments and impeachments are important and we need to help them along in whatever way we can.

We do have a positive agenda, and part of getting it heard is to discredit the Fascists and their agenda. Next part is to send a coordinated message. We need Dean, Reid, Pelosi, et al to start sending around a talking points memo, with negative or positive points, every day. The message in each news cycle has to be unanimous and has to be consistent over time.

[Az]

5. Then promote that

Repeat it. Get it out there. And keep doing it.

The problem we are facing here at DU is part of the nature of such forums. The complaints and arguments get top billing. Flame wars stay pegged at the top. To overcome this its going to take a lot of repeating ourselves and complimenting others that say good things. This does not come naturally for us. Humans are more likely to comment on something they disagree with. They are more likely to nitpick and complain. We need to rise above that and post positive ideas and keep them pegged at the top rather than just our complaints.

Of course there are tons of DUers doing positive things. But we are becoming known as a bunch of complainers. But its not that nothing is being done. It is simply the nature of the forum process. We have to be cognisant of this and act to overcome it. We need to keep our positive voice pegged and in front of people to remind them there is hope.

[omega minimo]

4. Too many people playing "Grab the Pendulum" is the problem

:kick:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. START

start with supporting ethical politics, be it in Ohio, Illinois or Washington, DC. If we disagree on policy, so be it, but if we protect criminals in our own ranks, we are doomed to failure.

start with bringing out the real facts on education, poverty, an increasing povery rate, the spiraling costs of health care and the destruction of basic social services due to Bush's Faith Based initiatives.

start with a rational foreign policy, putting in a reasonable mix of appropriate self-interest (and self-protection) with an appropriate amount of altruistic work for those in the most need. Africa, parts of Asia and some of the Carib come to mind.

start with a rational drug policy, stop this insane war on pot, and ban all prescription drug TV or radio ads. ALL of them,.

Start with an apolitical reconstruction of our intel and security apparatus. Remove Porter Goss as quickly as possible. Make some definite goals, use the existing expertise and knowledge to its best abilities, and have one goal, and one goal only in mind. Our nation's security, not some political goal.

Remove each and every fundie from all branches of the military. Boyton - gone. most of the Air Force Academy leadership and admin - gone. Rummie and all of his civilian hatchetmen - gone, if not indicted.

Investigate every scrap of paper in connection with every penny spent on Haliburton in Iraq and Louisiana. Any mistake? charge them with fraud. Any overages, demand it back with interest, and put the present and past top people in jail, including a certain vice president, for promoting an incredible no-bid fraud on our country.

[Az]

7. Get up and get going

We need to make our identity known. We can no longer let the repukes do the job of telling the world who we are.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

9. the first step is to agree on a platform, then to promote it.

You make the same point within your initial post. I agree with that, and pose just a few ideas that we should be able to agree on.