The GOP claims to be the "mainstream party" because

[mandyky]

they control a majority of governerships and state legislatures, as well as US Congress and the WH.

What this means is our work is not over even if we get Kerry in the WH. Groups like Democracy for America need to be formed and nurtured at state and local levels. I think America is more liberal than conservative but we need progressives and liberals to run for everything from local dogcatcher on up. Democrats who are active need to join a local group or form one. We have to keep AAR and Guy James on the air, and we need more such media outlets.

[xchrom]

1. the work of liberals and leftists is to create a revival

of left thinking in the country.
liberals and lefties have to emerge from the ''tax and spend'' label with a vigorous and lively program of what they believe.
then they need converts.
more people need to be convinced that liberals and lefties have the ideology that is best suited for modern america to grow and thrive.

[0rganism]

2. because they own the mass media

They set the agenda for issue discussion on the major TV networks.

They're the gatekeepers for what ideas can make it onto the radio.

They can insert memes almost at will into the debate.

They decide what the "mainstream" is, because they own the devices that largely establish it.

[mandyky]

5. But we can change this

That is why we have to keep Guy James on air and get AAR syndicated in more and more cities.

[Nimrod]

3. Psychological warfare

"Mainstream" is a term designed to make the opposition (us) feel outnumbered, and remind us that right now we're on the outside looking in. It's also a great word to use when you want to spread the concept that anyone who votes against the current administration is a dangerous radical and terrorist.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. they control a majority of governerships<<

They are controlled by a minority of special interests... they control nothing.

The Iron Triangle
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0471281085/qid=1093779586/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/103-4906379-1140652?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
Dwight D. Eisenhower, upon leaving the office of president in 1961, warned future generations against the dangers of a "military-industrial complex," and the "grave implications" of the "conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry." The wisdom of these comments has clearly been lost in the forty years since Ike left office. And the first step towards turning things around is understanding how we got here. No single company can illustrate that progression better than the Carlyle Group, a business founded on a tax scheme in 1987 that has grown up to be what its own marketing literature once called "a vast interlocking global network." The company does business at the confluence of the war on terrorism and corporate responsibility. It is a world that few of us can even imagine, full of clandestine meetings, quid pro quo deals, bitter ironies, and petty jealousies. And the cast of characters includes some of the most famous and powerful men in the world. This is today’s America. This is the Carlyle Group.

[RobertSeattle]

6. many people think they are conservative

but in practice they are not.