Well I'm sure glad I don't post in GD at the weekends.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

Oh no! It's all over! The sky is falling! Dean is finished! Clark is finished! We've lost!.

The Chicken Little act is a little premature. One old man pulled out of a ditch in the desert does not an election win. Knee jerk reactions to events only encourage defeatism. I for one do not want to hear people calling elections eleven months before they happen. Self-fulfilling prophecies are very dangerous things.

[trof]

1. A 24 hour time out was mentioned yesterday.

But then I think they'd all invade the lounge.
What's a mother to do?

[nostamj]

3. frustrated GDers invading the Lounge??? right...

like that would actually HAPPEN... ;-0

[trof]

4. Did you get the Hershey bars?

;-)

[progressiverealist]

2. guilty as charged

I got a huge dose of "what do you think of Bush NOW! Isn't he great??? Wow I'm sure you can't still oppose him now!!!!" from my inlaws and it just made me so DAMNED depressed.

So, I went in GD and shot my mouth off and now I look like an ass.

[Philostopher]

5. Yeah, and it becomes like an echo chamber in there.

One Chicken Little post spawns a score of imitators. All our candidates are going to be ground into bones to make Bu$h's bread -- because they supported the war, because they didn't, because they weren't in any place to, because ... well, you saw it.

I have to wonder -- and I'm one of many who suggested this, yesterday -- how many of the Chicken Littles have never watched a political season carefully from beginning to end. My first one was the primary leading up to Carter's election in 1976. You'd think all of history was going to freeze at the point they hauled Hussein out of his hole, and that nothing was going to happen between now and next November. Nothing. Not a thing -- we're going to be frozen for ten months on a Sunday afternoon where something happened that the Bu$hies can claim credit for. We're doomed.

The old 'politics and sausage' maxim applies, I think. If you love either politics or sausage, it's not recommended that you watch either one being made. It's not participating in the infighting and personal attacks on candidates and their supporters that takes so much nerve -- little kids on a playground do that shit day after day. It's sitting back and fitting these occurrencees into the 'big picture' that's important -- and, on edit, difficult.

[trof]

6. Yesterday, one of my threads

was considered to be too serious(?) for the Lounge and was moved to GD. I didn't follow. Nossir.
I'm stayin' here where it's safe.
;-)

[Philostopher]

11. I think it was one of your threads, Trof.

I watched one get locked in GD, appear in the Lounge, and then go back to GD. Maybe it's the same thread, I don't know, but it was bouncing around like a ping-pong ball! It's kind of hard to make a call for them, I guess -- especially when they had to lock sixteen 'oh my God we're doomed!' threads every twenty minutes.

[ACK]

7. Yeah the pansycrats came out hard...

They forget the nation is divided.

They forget that Bush Sr. was expected to win at this time in the election cycle.

They put on the Daschle pink tutus and run around in the circles shooting each other in the head and saying out fighting is useless.

It all reminds me of reading the history behind the rise of the Nazi party in Germany and how the Socialists and liberals and other parties could never get their shit together enough to put up a stand.

Are we just going to stand around and whine while the country continues on this long slide?

We have plenty of great examples out there about how to run great campaigns. We have to bring together these examples into a coherent plan.

The internet organization of Dean is wonderful and use of new media electrifying.

The grassroots organization of Wellstone was a wonderous example of how to motivate the people.

Mike Warner's ability to craft his message straight to his electorate and get in as governor of a Republican controlled state.

Clinton in his re-election campaign and his ability to paint the Republicans for the extreme radicals they are.

Take these lessons and form a real unified campaign plan and we have all the opportunity in the world to take this nation back.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

8. The Chicken Little routine plays right into Karl Rove's hands.

Even if I felt defeatist (which I don't), I'd be sure not to give my opponent any more ammo than he already has.

[supernova]

9. I did get discouraged

reading GD yesterday. But really, the election is 11 months away. Anything can happen between now and then.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

10. Look at it this way. He had to be caught eventually.

Would you rather he were caught now, with almost a year to go, or during the campaign?

[ACK]

12. Very good point

But I suspect they will "find" WMDs during the election. It is part of the rollout plan don't you know?

Ack chunking the sarcasm and tinfoil hat away...