"by the fruit it bears, not by the bark it wears"

[welshTerrier2]

man, JJ hit this one way out of the park ... some of us are screaming at the Democratic Party ... i wrote and wrote and wrote about this in another thread ... some told me i was wrong ...

the article below specifically mentions Democrats and the "faith thing" but it's a much broader message than that ... we are being run by political mechanics who think they can tweak our candidates like car engines to make things run smoothly ... i hope you take the time to read the whole article; it's very powerful and very well written ... here's an extract:

source: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0718-27.htm

False Piety Is Wrong Cure For Dems
by Jesse Jackson

Democrats seem about to put themselves through this agony. Pundits and politicians tell Democrats that they have a "values" problem -- that people of faith vote against them in large numbers because the Democratic party is seen as secular, or as anti-Christian, or as straying from mainstream values.

Poppycock. Democrats didn't lose Florida in 2000 and the 2000 election because of the lack of a high faith profile. Al Gore won the popular vote nationally and the popular vote of the majority who cast ballots in Florida on Election Day. He lost Florida because the fix was in, because the Voting Rights Act was not enforced -- and because Republicans turned the recount into an alley fight while Gore played by rules. Then a transparently partisan majority in the Supreme Court violated its own principles and shamed itself by ordering an end to a fair count, worried Bush might lose. This wasn't about faith; it was about will.

Similarly, Democrats didn't lose Ohio in 2004 and the 2004 election because of the lack of a high faith profile. They lost because the fix was in, and because once again, Republicans had a partisan zealot -- Ken Blackwell -- as secretary of state. Once again he abused the powers of his office in choosing voting machines and election schemes. Once again, a majority of people set out to vote for Bush's opponent. <skip>

Democrats are now hearing the wrong prescription. They're urged to embrace the symbols of faith, to go to church, to speak from the Gospel, to advertise their faith.

But faith is not a political posture. True faith isn't exhibited by symbolic acts, but by substance. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. It isn't a symbol of things to scheme for. Values are not expressed by the paraphernalia of faith. Values are expressed by action. An abolitionist fighting to end slavery expresses faith. A slave owner attending a church that excludes slaves from attendance reflects bad faith. <skip>

Democrats should focus not on the public display of their faith, but on the will to fight for what they believe in. If they don't learn to stand up and fight for what they believe in -- for the Voting Rights Act, for equal opportunity, for full employment and a living wage, for lifting the poor up and not locking them out, for making certain that every vote is counted -- then they just might be left without a prayer.

[blm]

1. Dem strategists won't make money off of the voting machines being secured

so they ignore the problem as if it doesn't exist.

If the DNC had spent all its time and energy SECURING the machines and countering the GOPs four year long effort to suppress Dem votes from 2000-2004, then Dems would have won in 2002 and 2004.

Dem strategists looking to tweak a word here and there or triangulate issues in public speeches makes the mortgage payment but does NOTHING To secure the votes that are cast for Democrats.

[LWolf]

4. Yes,

and every election that is "lost" due to vote suppression or fraud makes Dem positions look weak, and ups the pressure to shift those positions further right.

We are so inundated with issues on every side it can be hard to maintain focus. If we could focus on just two issues, I'd like to see us focus on:

Ensuring clean, accurate elections and vote counts

Some sort of fairness doctrine to counter incessant propaganda delivery in the media

[welshTerrier2]

5. great RFK Jr. speech on the fairness doctrine

here's the link (it's kinda long): http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0916-27.htm

[LWolf]

6. Those are some very powerful words,

including statements about the fairness doctrine. Thanks for the link!

[blm]

7. Sad for us that it will always come down to this - corporate media in

alliance with the GOP and voting machine fraud, and no Dem strategists willing to side with those of us who want them exposed.

[LWolf]

8. Yes.

I think many of the things that divide us are simply distractions; if these two issues were successfully "won," the rest of the issues would get a fair hearing, and people would come together on them.

Thank you for reminding me of this.

[Totally Committed]

2. I could not have said it better!

Democrats should focus not on the public display of their faith, but on the will to fight for what they believe in. If they don't learn to stand up and fight for what they believe in -- for the Voting Rights Act, for equal opportunity, for full employment and a living wage, for lifting the poor up and not locking them out, for making certain that every vote is counted -- then they just might be left without a prayer.

This is what I tried to find the correct words to say in that Barack Obama thread a couple of weeks back. This is my thought about religion being expressed by candidates and electeds. And, it says what I have always felt the Democratic Party needs to do to win: Find the will to fight for what they believe is right, for themselves, America, and their constituents.

False piety for the sake of election is pandering to the worse kind of hypocrisy.

TC

[formercia]

3. Time to get rid of professional political consultants

that are out of touch with America and get some people that live outside the Beltway.