Time for Liberals to Go on the Offensive, and Stay There

[Playinghardball]

I'm no longer interested in hearing how a Democratic candidate for office will defend worker rights - I want to hear their plan for expanding them to more people, in more circumstances, in more parts of the country. I don't want to hear them pledge to defend abortion rights - I want to hear their plan for invading the Bible Belt with more abortion clinics than the GOP's rank-in-file can bomb. I don't want to hear a promise to stop the bleeding of America's public schools - I want to know exactly how they plan to reinstate every last thing cut from this nation's education system since Ronald Reagan kerplopped on to the scene, and then how they intend to expand beyond that.

I want a pledge: No new tax cuts for the rich and big corporations. Not one cent, not ever, not in any form. And then I want to hear their plan for restoring the tax code to the form it was in at the height of America's prosperity in the 1960s, when top marginal tax rates were upwards of 70%. Stop soft-selling with Clinton administration rates - let Republicans beg for those rates as an alternative to returning to full fiscal sanity.

I want candidates running on a "law & order" platform as it pertains to corporate behavior, investing the same demagoguery and tough language in addressing criminal business as generic conservative politicians invest in talking about poor people stealing crumbs, because the truth is that the rich thieves are the ones taking our jobs, destroying our communities, and opening the door to all the lower orders of criminal to swoop in.

I want to hear a Democratic politician raise the idea of draconian mandatory minimum sentences for white-collar crimes, not because I actually want to further pervert our justice system with sadistic punishments, but to finally achieve some balance in the rhetoric of criminal justice between how ordinary people are treated in politics vs. the rich.

More at: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/07/1081553/-Time-for-Liberals-to-Go-on-the-Offensive-and-Stay-There

[Hell Hath No Fury]

1. I agree.

The Party has got to be taken back from the Corporate Raiders and a replaced with a strong, economic populist, New Deal v.2 type of Democrat.

Our Country's future depends on it.

[Vincardog]

2. +1

[lsewpershad]

7. +1 more

[Bluenorthwest]

5. Yes indeed it does....

nt

[tk2kewl]

3. I want fire-in-the-belly populism

We the fucking people kinda shit!

I want an Alan Grayson running every fucking ward across the country!

[AZ Progressive]

4. The Democratic Party needs to be taken over by people who are as passionate or more passionate in

fighting for liberal and populist causes (thus, the 99%) as the Republican Party's aggressiveness in fighting for preserving power to the 1%.

It doesn't make sense in the U.S. that one party and even one side, the side that defends the poor, working, and middle class, isn't anywhere as aggressive as the side that defends the rich. They may have money but we have numbers, after all its the people that do the voting.

I am tired of Democrats being weak and timid as if the causes that it supports isn't as important, compared to the Republican's aggressiveness in fighting for preserving power to the elite institutions (commerce, organized religion.)

[marshall gaines]

6. testicular

I really wonder if the Democratic Party leadership has the testicular or ovarian material to "go on the offensive and stay there". Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi come to mind.

[Phlem]

14. +1

I've been disappointed with Reid for a long time and your right. Reid I think is still a Mormon whom have the opposite principles than liberals. I wonder if that's why he drags his feet and does nothing. Wasn't there some talk about him nuking the filibuster?

-p

[allan01]

8. re: Time for Liberals to Go on the Offensive, and Stay There

since the great deperession and before the repugs have been systemicly destroying this country for the rich. since fdr they have been trying to get rid of the new deal and other things like that . I havnt seen one iota of a plan to recover this country by them from the great depression v.2 ( not recession , but mild to moderate depression) ( dont want to scare the investors, hevean forbid) .an and we really havent recoverd from many of the mild recessions since the reagan , bush and bush recessions (some sectors of the country) the repugs want to like the orignal poster said destroy everything . in the last mid term election, most of the moderates on both sides stayed home , this is what we got. in australia , it is manditory to vote . if u dont you get a very hefty fine. ( have a friend who lives there )all from the repugs i hear is bobbing and weaving , sputtter sputt sputt and no plans. so i rec and k and r the original posters post

[felix_numinous]

9. Yes--we need TRUE representation

or they will be called corporate representatives, not representatives of the people.

[msongs]

10. so far the democratic party INC has offered no vision or plan for the future, liberals OR obama

there will be more weak language use, apologies, and catering to the right. What is needed as the OP says is a strong progressive agenda to give people something worth voting for.

[JDPriestly]

11. I have a confession to make.

I belong to my local Democratic Club.

When I go to meetings, of say 25 people at the meeting, only about 3, at most 4 are under the age of 60.

We older people do not have the kind of energy that is needed to turn the Democratic Party around.

And besides, some of us really like things the way they are. It's comfortable -- kind of like wearing an old jacket when you don't feel really all that good. And the established politicians -- we've known them so long, they are like family. (Not for me but for a lot of the members.)

If you are under 60, your local Democratic Club needs you -- desperately.

You can change the direction of the Party and thus, the world.

Join the Democratic Party and change the world. Do it today. AND GO TO MEETINGS. BRING YOUR FRIENDS.

Your vote doesn't just count in November. It counts when you vote within your Democratic Club.

[Gold Metal Flake]

12. They have to stop apologizing and capitulating first. nm

[The Vrude]

13. Not going to happen

so long as both parties in the highest ranks work for the banks and their rich comrades. We know who really runs things.

To quote a cult classic: "We are men (and women!) of action. Lies do not become us."

[a2liberal]

15. K&R (n/t)

[bonzotex]

16. We can dream! k/r nt