President Obama...I have no idea what his malfunction is. Where does all this leave us for 2014?

[Poll_Blind]

I have all but written off this man as being effective. You can put your megaphone down, I already know what dickfaces the Republicans are. All I know is the president has been dancing with them at this party and giving the cold shoulder to those that brought him.

Fine.

Okay, where the fuck does that leave us for 2014? The strategy for Democratic House reps is...? Distance yourself from the President's policies? Embrace them? What the fuck?

There have to be people who have the job of trying to politically polish this turd of a situation so it looks attractive enough to get a big Democratic turnout.

What. Is. That. Plan?

PB

[KoKo]

1. Don't know...but think they might have hired James Carville...to hoodwink us....

He's been pretty active writing these days. BTW...I'm not TRASHING Carville...only saying that he is good at what he does...even if he works for foreign govt's that we might not like...he knows his business.

He's out there in articles spouting off. I think Dem Party loves him for Electing Clinton Campaign...so I'd watch to see who hires him for how we move forward.

He did an interview where he thought we Dems might have problems in 2014....but it would be from Repugs Backlash ...getting their act together.

He's good at what he does ...even if I cannot stand him or his wife. Paul Begala is also interesting to watch to see where he surfaces and who he supports. Just saying.

BTW...article/interview with Carville I read earlier today says...he thinks Dems need to move Right and Repugs will move Left.

Take that for what you will.

[Poll_Blind]

3. I'm not even sure WHO is in charge of developing a House strategy for...

...Dems in 2014. Do you know? I assume senators are going to have a lot more personalized strategy and they're all Big Boys and Girls anyway. I'm much more worried, especially after the number of retirements I've read about, us being left in a weak position after the next elections regarding the House.

PB

[lamp_shade]

2. Yawn.

[customerserviceguy]

4. Frankly, I think we're screwn

The President will not be at the top of the 2014 ballot (or any further ones, for that matter) and I see a repeat of 2010. He has only about a year to get anything through Congress, and if he pisses his political capital away on gun control legislation that has no chance, or immigration reform that has no chance, then he won't have snot to come to the table with when it gets down to serious bargaining on a grand bargain.

Like I said, we're screwn. With all the Democratic resignations from the Senate, we might well effectively lose that house of Congress for the last two years of his term. I guess we can hope like hell that all the voters who backed Barack Obama come out to vote a straight Democratic ticket for 2016 when Hillary tops the ballot.

[Poll_Blind]

5. I'm not a fan of Hillary's but WHOMEVER gets on the 2016 Democratic has to be...

...an incredibly strong contender, otherwise this is going to be an extended multi-decade clusterfuck for the concept of Middle Class in America and many other things.

PB

[dawg]

7. We already effectively lost the Senate when the Dems refused to pass filibuster reform.

Now, nothing gets through unless some Republicans want it to.

[customerserviceguy]

13. I predict that in the near future

we're going to be damned glad that the fillibuster rules are still in place. It means that what you might call a supermajority of consensus from the states, each one having two votes, is needed for public policy change. We hate that when it works against us, but we will appreciate it when it works for us.

[Jim Lane]

14. I predict the contrary

If the 2014 midterms give the Republicans a majority in the Senate, as is quite likely, then they will begin 2015 by repealing or greatly modifying the filibuster rule.

With the benefit of hindsight, of course, we can say that that's what we should have done in 2009.

[LWolf]

6. Not much of a plan.

I will vote for whatever Democrat is courageous enough to run in my House district against Greg Walden. The likelihood of dethroning him is slim to none.

I will vote and work to re-elect Jeff Merkley to the Senate; he's earned it.

[JaneyVee]

8. He still has all of 2103, all of 2014, all of 2015, all of 2016, and a month into 2017.

[robinlynne]

12. and...

[Savannahmann]

9. I postulated an idea that has been recurring now and then.

I posted this a couple days ago. After hearing how Toomey is polling so well in PA, and therefor considering more votes on Background check, I think now more than ever, we are being played.

Politicians and political action groups are constantly screaming about issues that matter to those on mailing lists. Remember when you signed up for those mailing lists how you picked topics that mattered? Days or weeks later you started getting fund raising requests that mentioned that topic you checked the block on. One of my examples is Abortion. Ever since 1988, I have heard that each election is crucial to a Woman's Right. If we lose, it will be a return to the Back Alley Abortions. But it never is. So I delete the emails I get telling me if I don't donate right now we will be seeing back alley abortions returning.

The politicians and political groups use those issues we care about as cudgels to get us to donate, and get us to the polls. Now, for those of you who didn't read my previous missive on this, let me repeat one thing. I know the Rethugs are worse in the scare mongering than we are, and I agree with our issues, but I resent the hell out of the fear mongering.

Every election, every single one, has so many issues, all targeted at a group. Social Security will be gone if we don't elect the Democrat and stop the Rethugs from stealing it. Welfare, Abortion, Workers Rights, a living wage. But, when we are in power, with a majority in both houses, and the White House we don't do anything about those issues. When the Rethugs have the game going their way, as Bush had from 2002 to 2006, they do NOTHING about it either. Oh they make a couple pandering plays, and so do we. But nobody ever takes on the topic we had to elect them for.

Let me repeat. The Rethugs do this more than we do, and have had far more single party rule than we have and yes they use fear mongering far more than we do.

But we do it too. We use the issues to scare the people into donating, and into getting in to vote, or we'll lose our precious right (insert your personal issue here) that we have fought so hard for.

The Rethugs do it. We do it. Everybody scaremongers us, the supporters, the voters, into believing that if they hold back one dollar, all will be lost. The issues we bang our head trying to understand why they don't fix it, its because there is no money in fixing it. Imagine Johnson and Johnson discovered a cure for AIDS. One pill and you are cured. How many pills could you realistically sell? But treatments, that is another story all together. You can treat it forever, or at least until the patient finally expires.

We suspect that the drug companies are doing exactly that. I'm now at the point where I suspect our politicians are doing much the same thing. There is no money in solving the problem, but tons of money to keep it going election cycle after election cycle.

[rhett o rick]

10. Here's what I see. We are fucked. I can not see a way that we can climb out. Wake me when the

revolution starts.

[treestar]

11. The separation of powers

Learn about it. For 2014, try to get a Democratic Congress. Even with Blue Dogs, it will be better.

Republicans. Learn about their existence.

[enjoyingyourpeasyet]

15. PBO is a lame duck for the next 4 years people just need to accept the fact

The Dems will not re take the house in 14, the south is to gerrymanded we need to be looking at 16 and beyond.

The GOP will do exactly what they have been doing the last 4 years, nullification of the POTUS and it is working out VERY well for them. Of course it helps when the POTUS allows it to happen but that is just how he rolls, frankly I am surprised he did not get his assed kicked every day back in grade school or at least got shaken down for his lunch money every day.

The only thing the POTUS is good for now is vetoing any really damaging legislation but I highly doubt he will seeing that he agrees with many of the GOPs policies and goals.


The only way to get change via the ballot is to follow the California model, make the GOP totally politically irreverent, screw the bipartisan nonsense it will get us nowhere.

[Demo_Chris]

16. He is representing his elite employers...

As for 2014, THAT is entirely dependent upon how the rest of the party responds. If they continue to support and defend him they do not deserve our vote regardless so it really doesn't matter.