I love what Paul Hacket said, I agree with what he said...but...

[ourbluenation]

all our leaders seem to do is yammer on about how wacked the righties are. We get it and more importantly, I think it's resonating with middle america. But then inevitably the next question is, "and so...how can the dems do better?". I see it all the time on boards and in real life conversations with wingnuts. The dems don't have a "voice"...they just complain about the right.

All we seem to have going on in both parties is a bunch of neener neener. However, the repubs are really organized neener neeners. I watched the Chris Mattews sunday show this weekend and was totally depressed afterwards. With all the nonsense going on with this administration everyone on the show was like "why haven't the dems seized all these opportunities???" then one guest said that all the top dems don't really talk to each other much (Kennedy, Pelosi, Kerry, Biden, etc...) and their staffers don't really like each other much either.

THIS EXPLAINS SO MUCH.

There is obviously no cohesive, party strategy. No one loud, strong voice - talking points distributed, etc...No TEAM! Surely they all have the same goal. But obviously they are all working independantly on that goal and until they knock it off they'll get no where.

Reid, Dean and Pelosi should be meeting regularly and often, with marching orders to follow.

Sorry for the ramble - I'm just so frustrated.

[On the Road]

1. The Best Answer for "Can the Dems Do Better" Is:

The Dems DID do better during Clinton's eight years in the nineties. Everything they did well is being done poorly and wastefully today.

[seabeyond]

2. democrats and kerry in particular has put out plan after plan after

plan. on iraq. the economy. education, small business and health care. other dems have put out tons of legislation against a majority. dont you watch them on the floor

yet you say they dont

dems on this board are throwing hissy fits for dems to speak out against repug. the dems speak out. you bash

is it really our representatives that are all messed up, or we the people, i have to ask? after reading so many wishy washy posts like yours

[ourbluenation]

6. Too many "plans" that's the problem - they need one really good message

and hammer it home.

What they're doing now ain't working. It's isn't. The average joes I meet in life are not getting the message of all these "plans" you speak of. Flat out. I never reveal my so called hissy fits to anyone and never appear wishy washy, ever - I'm a party hack if ever there was one. But here, at the DU, it is "behind closed doors" so to speak and I'm telling you right now my friend, that what they are doing IS NOT WORKING.

[seabeyond]

7. didnt you bitch about no plan. now you say too many plans. wow

ayway.... the american people dont hear about the dem plans. they are out there. but the repug and media throw out their agenda dem doesnt have plan. so really wouldnt behove media to put out dem plan. ergo american people think that dems dont have plan. like your posted suggested, dems lack plan......

one step further, you now contradict with dems having too many plans, then blame dems for media not putting out their message

ok. i am dizzy. dont know about you

[ourbluenation]

10. There are plenty of plans - but no strategic plan for winning as far

as I can see - that's the plan I'm mostly speaking about. I'm unsure what your deal is - you seriously don't think they're doing a good job do you? I mean shit - Bush is the gift that keeps on giving, but nobody in our party is showing up to grab the gifts with one, big, fat democrat hand.

I'm beginning to think that there's a bunch of dead wood in Washington that needs to go, or defer anyways, to a party zcar.

[seabeyond]

13. but you aren't being delusional saying this is a piece of cake for dems

repug has the media. i have not heard one single positive on anything the dems have said, or anything positive about the dems and their party, on the news at all for years now. at least since impeachment of bush. bush lies are not shown on the news. all the many things we know bush is fucking up with is a gift to us and us alone, since most of the american people sit in unaware

repugs have control of judicial,
house
senate
whitehouse

they have the religious figures preaching to their flock that bush was placed their by god. that they are going ot hell if they dont vote bush

the dems on the other hand
reid
pelosi
kerry
dean
clark
gore
feingold
conyers
waxman
boxer
and hillary just recently

have spent more time standing up to these people. not that it is on the news. you have to hear their words from other sources

have been on the attack of bush for so long and consistently since after election that bush with all his props cant get his numbers up.

what,..... you are blaming the dems that they cant get their legislation thru with a repug control congress and whitehouse? is that where the dems are deadwood?

[ourbluenation]

17. No. I'm not talking about legislation. I'm talking about turning the tide

so we win back the house and senate and that is all about the voters. There appears to be little coordination amongst the leadership to reach new voters - if they can't get it done then get the hell out of the way.

[quiet.american]

3. Good comment. Hope you'll email it to Hackett, et. al. n/t

[MrModerate]

4. And frankly, America sees lack of Dem organization . . .

a greater threat to their wellbeing than 'Lican criminality. As in, "if they can't even run their own party, how could they possibly run the country?"

Americans are (like all other people, I suppose), driven by their viscera. If the Dems look like weaklings, it doesn't matter how terrible Republican ideas, performance, or morals are -- they'll still win votes.

[bambo53]

9. Well said Mr Moderate

The Republicans are in a total mess nationally & statewide and completely vulnerable, yet every Joe six pack I talk to says the Dem's have no message that they will do any better, just a thousand voices in the wilderness.

We need a STRONG leader

[ourbluenation]

11. Exactly - a 1000 voices in the wilderness. You nailed it! eom

[MercutioATC]

5. Great post! You're exactly right.

We need to state, in very specific and easy-to-digest language, exactly what plans we have to make things better. It's all Hackett's been lacking, IMO.

[ourbluenation]

8. and so are you re: Hacket. He's got charisma, smarts, the whole package.

If only there was a strong party voice to back him up. Our peeps are all over the place, each issuing statements and making speeches. But Jesus Christ - Gore made a great speech yesterday but then Hillary comes out with the plantation speech thing. They keep stealing each others thunder...it's ridiculous. They ALL need to be locked in a room and not let out without a committment to work together and coordinate these speeches and statments. That's what is missing - coordination.

[otohara]

12. The Chris Matthews Dem Bash

it's amazing - he starts off by saying 65% say "the country is on the wrong direction" - then, instead of taking on the party IN POWER and the idiots in the EXECUTIVE BRANCH, he goes into tirade against the democrats.

I saw 60 seconds of this shit and turned it off.

[ourbluenation]

15. The alarming part of the show for me was the gal from the Atlantic Journal

I think her name is Cynthia Tucker. I know she's a leftie and she always rocks. She was genuinely and openly pissed off at the dems and it was Micheal Duffy from Time who revealed that these senior dems don't talk to wach other. I'll tell ya - it was just depressing. It's like I want to know what's going on, but at the same time I don't.

[John Q. Citizen]

14. We have the exact same problem here at DU as the Dems do.

Lots of good ideas and energy but a distinct lack of organization to implement the good ideas.

I look at the greatest page today and it's all about Gore's awesome speech, which it was. There's almost nothing on there at all today about stopping Alito.

Two days ago all that was on the greatest page was Stop Alito.

If we could figure out how to translate internet communications into organized action on the ground, we could change a lot of things.

[ourbluenation]

16. We're ready and able foot soldiers without the marching orders.

We're an asset to the party and are being wasted. I would love a weekly action message from Dean.