OK, lots of us seem unhappy with the pro-corporate, pro-big $$ focus

[Jackpine Radical]

of the Democratic party. It seems to have slipped its moorings and is caught in a current that is taking it far from its populist base.

Well, the conservatives once faced an issue like that, back in the days when the Republican Party was a moderate force. More Republicans than Democrats supported Johnson's civil rights legislation, for example. Eisenhower was warning against the Military-Industrial Complex. Behind the scenes, Ike had a lot to do with shutting down Tail Gunner Joe McCarthy's Congressional Circus.

The Goldwater people managed to capture the nomination in '64, but LBJ kicked their asses pretty hard & even Nixon had to run as a moderate.

What did the wingnuts do? They didn't bolt; for the most part they didn't leap out into a 3rd party. Instead they dug in their heels and took over their party, and by 1980 they elected Raygun.

Let them in this one respect serve as our model. If we don't like how the Democrats are trending, let's take over the party and reshape it in our image. In fact, it's time to take over the world and reshape it the way we want it, with progressive values, love and tolerance as the new standards. We'll use the internet to play mammal to the dinosaurs of the Centrist Swamp.

[hippiechick]

1. as much as I agree and applaud ...

... Dr. Dean tried that in '03 and got the crap beat out of him, even with thousands of us at his side.


:shrug: I hate to sound defeatist, but this is one time that David will not defeat the mighty Goliath - ol' Golly's just gonna have to come crashing down under his own weight. And we can be there to pick up the pieces of what's left, and hopefully build a party that truly represents THE PEOPLE. :(

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Dean made a good start. It's premature to abandon the program.

To do this, you have to be in for the long haul.

Imagine how the conservatives must have felt after Goldwater. It was 16 years from then to Raygun.

The wingnuts started with school boards, town boards, city councils, and state legislatures.

[More Than A Feeling]

2. with primaries and public financing for all!

I'm totally on board with this strategy. The Democrats who were politically traumatized by the rise of the conservative movement (which caused them to sell their souls to corporate power out of fear) are old and getting older. They can't last forever.

[defendandprotect]

4. Conservative DLC long ago took over Democratic Party --

GORE -- today's DU hero! -- and Clinton -- founded the DLC -- the CONSERVATIVE WING of the Democratic Party!!! Gore also encouraged Clinton to overturn 60+ years of welfare guarantees.
It's the DLC that's been F-ing up the Democratic Party -- since post-WN war. Why???

The people in the Democratic Party who fought to end the VN war were right, of course.
But, right-wing fanatics succeeded in taking over the party!!

And, today -- Emmanuel being one example -- they're still F-ing up the party.

The strength of the Democratic Party is with its liberals and progressives -- it's right wing however is somehow in control. Explain that, please . . . !!!

[dkofos]

5. It is easier to court 100 corporations than thousands of citizens.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. The DLC of 1990 isn't the same as the DLC of 2007.

The Al Gore of 1990 isn't the same as the Al Gore of 2007.

Hard to read Assault & see the DLC in Al.

[bonito]

6. We should be looking at candidate sponsors

before making decisions, high value donors, pac's, up front and on the table for a better view of where the candidates loyalties are.