We cannot win at their game we must change the rules!

[rainy]

The game the right wingers are playing and demanding we play is diabolical, hate filled, prejudiced,deceiving etc...
They control the media, they are supported by huge corporations who own our government. Their game is to win at any cost no matter who dies period.

We on the other hand are incapable of playing their game because we are the conscience and the voice of the people. We can never really play their game because we are incapable of being so evil and greedy.

We must change the game and the rules. But how?

If we could just get a real media outlet. One where it did not have to beg for funding. One that could operate just for the people, pointing out lies and distortions etc...

I think by allowing Third parties more access to the media and to debates and access to ballots would be a great start in the right direction.

So many voices are not being heard.

Really, I think by electing more alternative party candidates would be a step in the right direction.

I really don't know how to change the game and the rules but something has to give or we will always lose.

Maybe we could start by loudly denouncing FOX. We should be very vocal about their distortions and lies. We should go after them like the whole media went after Dan Rather.

What are your thoughts?

[Eric J in MN]

1. There should be a liberal version of Fox News (more honest)

Regarding third parties, that didn't help us in 2000.

[rainy]

2. In 2000 it wasn't fair, RUN OFF Voting would solve this

problem. That way the majority really would win. Run off voting is how we should change the game. We could actually win. Run off allows one to vote for first and second choices. For instance, if you voted green first and that candidate was not in the lead your vote would then go to your second choice. In 2000 Gore would have won in a land slide if we the people could only have made up the rules of the game. We lost and we continue to lose.

[w4rma]

8. Just forget about wasting resources on 3rd parties, for now.

That is one way that Repugs have an advantage over us. They don't waste their resources on tilting at windmills like that. They all focus on the same thing when they are supposed to.

[Cats Against Frist]

3. The Republicans have this "rules of discourse" thing going

That we do not have. It's a form of the logical fallacy "argumentum ad hominem," -- there may be a separate name for it, I'm not sure -- but they used it on Howard Dean and Al Gore, and on any Democrat who otherwise shows oratory passion.

The purpose is to attack specifically the DEMEANOR or TIMING of the Democratic message. Cheney saying that Kerry's criticism of the Iraq war "emboldens" the enemy, is another such instance of this. Rather than attacking the message itself, it relies on attacking, not even the character of the speaker but the vehicle of the message -- and it's a damn dirty trick, but much more effective than blatant disparagment of the speaker.

I HATE when people do this -- it's like a "chilling effect" on free speech. It's like having to listen to your parents tell you how to behave, or like you're in finishing school or something. It amounts to, "ladies cross their legs," or something like that. I actually received some of this on message boards when Ronald Reagan died -- for "critiquing" his policies, so soon after his death.

The trick of making the "rules of discourse" out to be more important than the message is a favorite Republican trick. I don't know how to change it, but I just thought I'd mention it. I think being fully aware of it would be important to any "snuff the GOP" plan.

[GOPFighter]

4. It's becoming increasingly clear to me...

...that in any conflict, the party with the least scruples almost always wins. How do you defeat an opponent that has no line of decency they won't cross?

[rfranklin]

5. Shock 'n' awe

Go ten steps beyond what they expect and grind them into dust.

[mbee]

6. Why doesn't a big money person within the Democratic Party step

up the the plate on this? People like Alec Baldwin, et al complain about not wanting to live here, but they fail to put their money where their mouth is. Why is that? Also, the rest of us are just as bad because we keep subscribing to cable programming that we do not find acceptable because we won't cancel them out. We should cancel them out for a year and we'll see a turn around. We won't get change unless we change!

[SeekerofTruth]

7. I agree, but nobody likes my rules.

The rules I believe in are:
Quit blaming the media, stupidity,etc. Instead, counteract with meaningful action. Action speaks louder than words. What actions you ask? I'm glad you did.
1) Quit saying repukes are evil, they have a few fears just like everybody else. Their biggest fear is a wasteful government that gives money to anybody who cries poor. However, they are willing to help the poor. Thus, eliminate the waste in government and make it more responsible. Did you know that 50% of the federal government can't be audited because their books are so screwed up? (Side note: why do most liberals only believe big evil corporations are after power and not big government?)

2) Create a uniform foreign policy. If a country has human rights abuses establish a policy of we will work with them and establish economic trade with them, transferring wealth (and eventually power) to the citizens so they can eventually throw away the abusive government. (kind of like are strategy in China, just apply it to the rest of the world).

Calling repukes stupid, claiming the media lies, etc. won't win the war.