Democrats--The party of lemmings.

[Cyrano]

The great author, James Thurber, wrote a short story titled "Conversation with a Lemming."

The crux of the story is that a guy walking through the woods meets a lemming and they sit down and talk. At the end of the story, the guy says to the lemming, "You know, I never understood why every few years, you lemmings get together and commit suicide by marching into the sea."

The lemming responds, "That's interesting. I never understood why you humans don't."

Well, as concerns the Democratic Party, it seems the lemming was wrong. We've committed political suicide for the past three elections, even if it meant that that the Republicans had to pick up a sea and place it in front of us. The point is we walked into it anyway and, for the most part, didn't scream foul.

Well, how about 2006 and 2008? Are we going to go on being lemmings? So far, I don't see any Democrat shrieking about the sea that's still in our path. (Read no verifiable, election paper trails and voter disenfranchisement into that.)

[BlueManDude]

1. No - the Party of Cowards. GOP is the Party of Lemmings.

GOPers will march like robots to whatever moronic position is being advocted by some corporate think tank. Half the Dems will follow because they're afaid of being called bad names. I've never been in a lower state about politics than I am now. I am certain Bush will destroy SS later this year - withn the help of people like Nelson of Neb, Licoln of Ark, Carper of Del and a few others.

[andyhappy]

3. true

"I've never been in a lower state about politics than I am now"

me too bro. what the freak?

I have never cared so much about politics until this last election and the democrats broke my fucking heart.

[revolution now]

..

"Well, how about 2006 and 2008? Are we going to go on being lemmings?"

If you mean by voting for pro-life, religious fundie DLC plants, like the man running against Rick Santorum...then apparently, yes. Either the party will continue to be lemmings, voting for our GOP-lite, or we will get a few courageous souls to stand up and LEAD...letting the right wing bastards know we won't compromise any more.

so far the odds arent looking good in my opinion

[Cyrano]

4. revolution now, welcome to DU.

The only explanation for Rick Santorum is that there are a lot of insane people living in Pennsylvania.

[w4rma]

8. anti-choice is a problem, not pro-life (nt)

[politicaholic]

2. Isn't the party that votes together with no question the Lemming party?

The Democrats haven't "given" anything away. Democrats just aren't willing to go to such lengths as to hire an army of spin doctors to bob their heads with the party line on every news and talk show on television and radio.

I think the Democrats will be able to win in the future once the american poor realize the increasing monetary gap. 2008 should be enough time. 2006 is going to be quite a brawl though.

[Cyrano]

5. politicaholic, I wish I could share your optimism.

Maybe I just need to move to Seattle and O.D. on Starbuck's goodies. Unfortunately, my pessimism runneth over. I wish it were otherwise.

[Malva Zebrina]

6. First thing to do is to indentify the problem

and I don't think it has been done. I see lots of narrative, lots of reporting after the fact,some before the fact, but it is reporting only and I see no real solutions.

What is the problem? Is it the voting machines? Is it lack of money? Is it the leaders? Is it too many from DC belt way politics playing some kind of game that leaves we the people out? What? I am, for one, still in the dark. One cannot fix something unless one has analyzed the thing and has suggested a solution.

Problem is once a solution is tentatively offered, such as moving more to the right, immediately there is a split. Stay the party of the left with a definate platform that is clear and unambigious--immediately there is a split.

[Cyrano]

9. The problems are obvious. A lap dog media and rigged elections.

Fix these two problems and Republicans will never again see a majority anywhere (but the south) in our lifetimes.

But the problem is, we can't fix the problems. The major media is owned and/or cowed by the Republicans, and the voting machines are programmed by businesses owned by friends of George.

Until these two problems can be overcome, we'll never win another election again.

Drop the illusion that you're still living in a democracy. They've got us by the short hairs and they're not going to let go until they're FORCED to.

I don't remember who said it, but the quote is appropriate in today's America. "Those who ride to and fro on tigers dare not dismount." Meaning that these Republican sewer rats will never willingly give up power.

[rniel]

7. The GOP

Kept to their core ideas and won while the democrats adopted those ideas and lost.

That's the lesson we need to not repeat.

[sandnsea]

10. Funny, I do

The legislation is there. What I don't see is the activists getting behind it because it doesn't have hand counting or some such. Typical circular firing squad really.

[LittleClarkie]

11. Well, I just gave money to the lemmings then

2006 Victory Fund :D

What a little cash cow I'm turning out to be.

[applegrove]

12. If we want to defeat the Black & White thinking of Bush's adolescent

brown-shirts ... then we need to look into the shades of grey of markets and world trade etc. If we do not educate ourselves about markets (the only thing that ever created a middle class) - they will destroy us.

[jdots]

13. speaking of lemmings

years ago someone that worked for Disney ratted out ( sorry Mickey ) and said the famous scene with the lemmings walking into the sea was faked.
The corporate whores have had us so called lemmings in thier sights for years,knowing that we will be very hard to deal with.We won't be walking into the sea the way the repukes have.

[Erika]

14. Dean is doing great things and I also have given $

to the democrats since the election.

The absolute mean-spiritedness of the right is now surfacing. People with a conscience will no longer vote for the party who only cares about the rich.