Just got ANOTHER call from the DCCC! You think they would have taken me off the list by now

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

I tell them the same thing every time - I will still contribute but only to those individual races where I think I can help a candidate with a progressive viewpoint.

"But you realize to help us in our battle for real health reform-"

I said "Please stop. I actually blame the DCCC and Mr. Rahm Emanuel for some of the reps who are fighting real reform right now and you can quote me on that."

She thanked me and hung up. Maybe now they will take me off that list.

[Frances]

1. I don't think you are being reasonable

For example, Bobby Bright was elected as a Dem from the Montgomery, AL district by a narrow margin. It was a miracle that he defeated the Republican candidate in that district.

Bright doesn't vote the way I would like for him to vote on many issues, but the most important vote he casts is for a Dem to be leader of the House. In other words, his vote gives Nancy Pelosi the power that she has.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. I still contribute. I just make individual selections.

Soon we will have enough DINOS to be completely indistinguishable from what used to be the sane albeit conservative Republican Party. What is a socially liberal, pro-labor, pro-environment, anti-war, pro-civil rights, pro "robust" public option Dem supposed to do? Contribute to committees that support candidates that oppose almost every one of those viewpoints?

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. I am with PL. Not a dime for the "generic" blue dogs.

They are standing in the way of health reform. I would rather have Republicans in those seats. At least then we wouldn't have the ambiguity of trying to figure out what they stand for on an issue to issue basis. We can simply ignore them and move on.

[Frances]

5. I have to admit I used to think the way you do

but then I learned the hard way how wrong I was.

The Dems of my native South were replaced by Repubs.

That meant that the leaders of both the House and the Senate became Repubs.

The Congress passed all kinds of harmful legislation. When Clinton was President, he was able to veto some of it.

When Bush was President and had a Republican Congress, the country came to the brink of disaster.

I would rather have a Blue Dog Dem who votes for Dem leadership of Congress than a REpub who votes for Repub leadership.

By the way, even though many of the Southern Dems were racist when FDR was President, they supported FDR's social programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps (my uncle was in it), which did a lot of good, especially for national parks. They also supported Social Security, which is very important to seniors. In the late 50s or early 60s Senator Lister Hill (D-AL) helped sponsor the National Defense Education Act, which helped me to attend college on a low-interest loan.

I can't imagine either of Alabama's Republican Senators voting for anything that is good for the average person the way Sparkman and Hill (both Dems) did.

[jwirr]

4. Keep them calling - we can show them how many of us are not going

to donate until they start acting like Democrats again.