The curtain has been pulled back: this is your Democratic party

[rudy23]

Rahm Emanuel, Hillary Clinton, Pelosi, Reid, Obama---they don't give a SHIT about you, or the other 65-75% of the country who support liberal values. Not only do they not give a shit, but they are about to expend an extraordinary amount of money and energy into making us look like ill-informed, unpatriotic lunatics, just like Karl Rove has for the past 7 years +, so THEY and the corporatists who prop them up can have their interests served, at our expense.

I had this fear right after the 2006 elections, but I never thought it would be this bad. The FISA bill before the vacation was bad. The failure to stop the Iraq war is the worst. But the vote on the moveon.org ad really shows just how they think and how they operate.

We know how bad the Repukes are, but these people are traitors to our party, traitors to the people who put them into office to represent OUR interests, like they said they would. .

We didn't win shit in 2006, except the right to see our party for what it really is, without the excuse that a Repuke majority Congress was holding us back.

Who do we call to make our voices heard? Any suggestions?

[bryant69]

1. So riddle me this rudy 23

Yesterday the Senate Democrats voted en masse to restore habeus corpus and to give our troops a more fair rotation schedule. Why is todays vote more representative of our Democratic Party than Yesterdays?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[rudy23]

9. Did they make the Republicans filibuster?

No, they folded over the "threat" of filibustering, when they could've made the Repukes filibuster, and draw all kinds of attention to their unwillingness to support our troops.

I think that's pretty representative of our Democratic Party in its current state.

[bryant69]

18. Well i see you are very determined to paint the Democrats a certain way.

Good luck with that.

Bryant

[rudy23]

20. They're doing a good job of it themselves.

I'm painting our party as what it revealed itself to be today---60% Republican.

[Trisket-Bisket]

10. PLEASE DON'T CONFUSE THE POSTER WITH THE FACTS.

The keyboard PC Olympics are on. As if Moveon needed their help. Indeed.

[The Stranger]

33. Well that is a good question. How in the fuck do you explain those Democrats that voted for habeas

yesterday and voted against Moveon.org today? Why stab moveon.org and the Democratic base in the back? Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY?

[Forrest Greene]

39. Because This Vote Won — NT

[Virginia Dare]

2. Hillary voted no on the moveon resolution..n/t

[Kolesar]

3. Top 3 "dumbest threads" I've seen today

Bet a dollar rudy doesn't come back

[rudy23]

11. I'd like my dollar please. I'd also like to know what's dumb about it.

?

[Kolesar]

15. Shouldn't you be jamming phones in New Hampshire or something???

[rudy23]

16. ?????? nt

[tom_paine]

34. He means he thinks you are a Bushie troll sent to stir up dislike of Democrats

and the Democratic Leadership.

Trust me. They need no help, and even if you are a Ghouliani-troll or a Bushie troll, it doesn't lessen the fact that what you are saying is true.

It only makes it more shameful that our Democratic Leadership has ONCE AGAIN walkked chin-first into a Bushie uppercut. This grows closer to the truth every day: The Democratic Leadership disalikes the Base, and more intensely than I ever imagined, and now is periolously close to becoming a Party without a constituency, other than Big Corporate CEO Donors.

The Bushies, so thoroughly hated that maybe even THEY couldn't steal enough votes to coronate ThomBush, realized they had to make sure and split the Democratic Base from the DLC types who may well turn out to be a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bushies one day.

What does the Democratic Leadership do...AGAIN? EXACTLY what the Busheis want.

Can they be this stupid? Are they trying to lose? Or is it suddnly true that one million precicnt-walkers and phone bankers isn't worth as much as one CEO check for $1,000,0000 inthe modern political arena? (This actually is the most likely situation...the Democrats are foolish to pursue real live breathing voting people when TV ads and cashola ALONE determines which hamsters push which buttons on "election" day)

I just don't care WHY anymore, and anyone can see that I am done making excuses for the Democratic Leadership, who wouldn't piss on my if I was on fire in the middle of the road any more than a Bushie would.

Although to be fair, if the Bushie knew I was a Liberal, and felt he could get away with it, he would probably cut my throat if the fire didn't do the job then organize a coverup trashing me posthumously.

That's such a difference. :puke:

My bonafides: More than 100 hours working on the Kerry campaign as well as PA Congressional Races over the course of the last 3 even-year election, along with some work for a local Democrat running for District Judge in '05. More than $1,000 to various Democratic Party campiagns and organizations since 2002.

And, NO, I am not including donations to Democratic-affiliated orgs like MoveOn or anything, these are all to DCCC, DSCC, DNC, and candidates.

[nashville_brook]

43. who needs bushie trolls when you have Democratic Senators stirring up dislike of Dems

[BelgianMadCow]

4. You mention the wrong names linked to the MoveOn amandment vote

Clinton and Reid voted no on the amendment. Obama did not vote.
Pelosi is not in the senate.

[Kolesar]

8. You dont have to "fact check" on Rudy's campaign...eom

[Tyler Durden]

12. Obama did not vote??? Was he there?

If so, then fuck him.

[rudy23]

13. I wasn't specifically containing it to the moveon amendment. I was talking about the last 10 months

overall. Hillary's mandatory health insurance plan and sabre rattling, it's Pelosi and Reid's spineless leadership, it's the FISA bill, the failure to end the Iraq war---all of it!

This is our party. It looks like Democrats don't even hold a majority within our own party. What do we do about it?

[bvar22]

55. I understood , and agree.

I would add to your list:

*The "Secret Free Trade Deal" Pelosi and Rangel negotiated directly with Bush* without input from LABOR, Human Rights, or the Progressive Dem Caucus.

*The obstinant resistance to even consider the Constitutionally MANDATED requirement to Impeach.

Hillary may have cast a safe, quiet vote, but did she use her position as Senator and Frontrunner to SPEAK OUT on this issue?

[EST]

5. Politicians, on the average, are just dumb, as in marginally stupid.

Either that or they bave an enornmous investnment in looking dumb so there will be very little demanded of them.

[HereSince1628]

6. The numbers suggest that the country hasn't been more ready for a new party since the 1850's

But when you get beyond the numbers you find an incredibly large number of people still willing to part with their money to support candidates who aren't really willing to support them in return.

As long as the lunacy is supported it is lunacy that will reign.

[saracat]

7. Garbage.Who is "our" ? You speak for everyone now?

Just as many if not more Dems disagree with you as agree with your position.I suppose you don't feel they deserve to be heard as well as those who agree?

[YOY]

17. Funny thing is I never noticed this guy until today...and he's got 1000+ posts

Funny about that.

[Kolesar]

24. "Rudy" doesn't want us to blame "the R's". See link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1859113#1859442

[YOY]

26. A'yup. Pretty much what I suspected...

n/t

[rudy23]

28. What did you suspect? I'm curious.

[rudy23]

27. That's a perfect strawman. That's not at all what I said.

I mean to say that this is particularly distressing because our Representative are going against the wishes of their constituents (along with many of their own campaign promises).

Are you seriously trying to prove your point by claiming I'm on the Republicans' side?

note: I'm not the only one who's frustrated with our representatives. Take a look around.

[Kolesar]

29. you're right. You're not the only one. There must be 14 or so

all on a message board...typing stuff.

[tom_paine]

36. Don'tcha' want to call me a troll?

n/t

[rudy23]

21. I'm saying, we can see clearly now what we've got, now that we can't blame a R majority

A party that does not adequately represent the 65% of Americans who believe in ending the war, respectign civil liberties, single payer healthcare, etc.

This is not a doomsday thread or a smear the Democrats thread. It's a "now that we know what we have, what are we going to do about it?"

[Kolesar]

49. they are about to expend an extraordinary amount of money and energy into making us look like ill-in

they are about to expend an extraordinary amount of money and energy into making us look like ill-informed, unpatriotic lunatics

sure as hell looks like democrat smearing to me

[rudy23]

52. DLC smearing. I didn't say anything about Democrats

:)

And besides, I'm accusing them of doing the smearing--if that's a smear, so be it. I think it's pretty freaking valid criticism.

[Marrah_G]

14. Yet another doomsday thread

We should all just give up, they are all the same, why bother voting.....yadda yadda yadda.... right?

That will sure fix them!

[rudy23]

19. No--it's a "what do we do to get our party back?" thread, tempered with frustration.

Excuuuuuuse Me.

Maybe some people aren't that upset that the Repukes put an unconstitutional amendment on the floor, meant as a distracting political stunt, and half of our representatives tripped over each other to vote FOR it. I'm not one of those people.

[Marrah_G]

22. I'm not going to freak out of a "sense of the congress" amendment

You do know it would have been used to beat our candidates over the head repeatedly with right? The general public doesn't understand the politics of it. All they would see is "The Dems think calling our soldiers traitors is fine". Now I don't know about you but I think we need to do whatever it takes to win this election. If we do not win it....we are indeed fucked as a nation.

[rudy23]

25. I'm tired of running from whatever the Repukes might beat us over the head with. That's not how you

win anything.

You win by showing them how ridiculous their whining and crying is, then reminding the public what they're whining about. Then you BEAT THEM over the head with it.

Politics is a game, insofar as there are rules, and a contest involved. You do not win the game by running and playing defense the entire time. This was about slapping down a no-brainer crybaby political stunt, and we couldn't even do that.

[Marrah_G]

30. The reality is that there is only so much the public will understand

Most do not pay attention and do not understand the effect the government has on their lives. They base votes on gut decisions that were shaped through emotionally charged sound bites.

Of course you have to play offense, just be careful not to fumble.........

[Kolesar]

31. Yes, you wrote your response with grace and aplomb

:thumbsup:

[Marrah_G]

32. Thanks !

[rudy23]

40. I think we're trying to run out the clock with a 3 point lead in the first quarter.

We've got a looooooong way to go til the '08 elections, and we're not going to gain ground by running clock, and playing a prevent defense.

[tom_paine]

44. That was so very well said, I can almost forgive the Saints for clocking my Eagles

twice last year.

That's OK, looks like both teams are in the shitter this year, so we can commiserate and bash the stinkin' Cowboys, which is a patriotic act, if you ask me!

:patriot:

[rudy23]

47. We're both in the cellar now! 0-2, baby!

That's okay, the 2-0 teams aren't going to keep it up, and the Bears are 1-1.

You guys shouldn't have given Garcia up to the Bucs--that dude scares me, and now we've got to play him twice a year.

I need no arm-twisting to bash the Cowboys. I've rewatched our 42-17 slaughter of the Cowpokes last year. I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about it.

See you in the playoffs (I hope! :))

[tom_paine]

54. Well, we had to protect the sensibilities of our glass-fragile QB

(and I don't mean his bones, I mean his fragile ego)

so Garcia could not be left as a threat to him. Now, naturally, there's a good chance he's continuing right where he left off last year and the Eagles have little shot with him now (of course, can I diss McNabb without mentioning the Eagles' unwillingness to get him even a first- second-tier receiver, the brief stays of Owens and Stallworth notwithstanding).

Yeah, I wish we had Garcia, because then after McNabb continues his flaming downward spitral (I hope I am wrong, but it is the most probable outcome, long term, though I expect him to play the occasional good game a couple times this disastrous season) we would have an option THIS YEAR (it would be crazy to put Kohb as a starter this year, and McNabb is now playing the role of Doug Pederson...taking the punishment while the rookie gets ready).

But, once Momma McNabb chimed in, Gracia was history. From that moment.

Yes, Philly is unlucky in that I have only known of two players in all of sports histories that were Momma's Boys, we got 'em both, McNabb and Eric Lindros.

Good old Philly Sports luck. And if you think I am exaggerating, check out McNabb's blog and the prominent space fileld by Momma McNabb. Now scan as many pro football player blogs and see if you can find even ONE other that mentions Momma, let alone gives her space to vent her opinion.

I stopped at about a dozen before it made me sick. maybe you can find another Momma's Boy in the NFL besides Mcnabb and another pro hockey player like Lindros, but I somehow doubt it.

Philly luck.

[tom_paine]

35. Bingo.

Boy, you sure sound like a Bushie troll to me :silly:

[rudy23]

41. Yeah--I mean look at my name--IT'S RUDY!

I'd have to be the king of trolls to get 1000 posts with my pro-Bush, trolling agenda.

[tom_paine]

42. Dude, you have your personal info turned off, so I can't see it.

Of course, you could be tellingthe truth that your name is Rudy.

Yeah, Rudy Guiliani!

Gotcha!

:silly:

[rudy23]

45. It's my nickname

I'm not doing well with the sarcasm today--dishing nor interpreting. Whenever somebody calls me a troll, they refer to my nickname, and give a little "I'm onto you, RUDY"---like I hang out on DU because I'm a Rudy Guiliani supporter.

[PDenton]

23. I'm not so glum

I think even corporate America is realizing that healthcare needs to be addressed, or America won't be competitive in a global marketplace. IMO, healthcare is the number one issue right now domesticly, and that is a good thing. It is getting the buzz and it is long overdo.

The Iraq war? Well, don't blame Democrats for being a slim majority. They cannot end the Iraq war, and that is just pragmatism, not treason. If they were to cut off funding to the Iraq war, you know how bad that would look to Middle America? The Republicans would play that over and over "They cut funding for body armor to the troops". Obama and Hillary are not that stupid to give Republicans free ammunition. The best Democrats can do is hold Bush and Republicans accountable by keeping the tempo up with anti-Iraq-war resolutions and pressure.

It is unfortunate it cannot be over sooner, that the troops can't come home tomorrow, but one of these days, history is going to pen down that a Republican president commited American troops to a foolish, bungled war for nearly a decade. In the future, grandchildren are going to be able to piss on Bush and Cheney's graves because they know why the grew up fatherless. With any luck, this will shatter the Republican's foreign policy credentials for over a generation, just like Vietnam did for Democrats. Take the long view. If we take the short view, Americans may turn on the Democrats and blame them for any "failures" in Iraq.

[Disturbed]

38. Is the term "Progressive" a sub for "Liberal'?

How many Progressives are there now, ball park numbers?

I agree that the Dems are in a holding pattern. They seem to be giving the Repugs anough rope to hang themselves with. Most of the people that actually follow the actions of both parties are getting weary of the stalemates. Since 3rd Parties have little chance of being part of the power structure, Dems take the left wing of their party for granted, counting on that wing to go along with the middle ground.

What America needs is a real change in the Electoral System.

The Electoral System

Repeal the 12th amendment, reforming the electoral college, standardizing party qualifications in the states, qualified and free access to public airwaves.

1.Uniform Ballot Access
2.Loosen Third Party Ballot Restrictions
3.Universal Voter Registration
4.Election Day Holiday
5.Equal Media Access/Debate Inclusion
6.Instant Runoff Voting (IRV)
7.Secure Voting Machines
8.Public Campaign Financing
9.Direct Popular Vote Election of the President
10.DC Congressional Representation

But the Commission on Presidential Debates -- set up 13 years ago by the two major parties and amply funded by large corporations -- knows what's best for its backers. The commission is insisting on a strict 15-percent-in-the-polls threshold for participation, a requirement that seems sure to limit the debates to Bush and Gore.

Despite its civic-minded pose, the commission has always been looking out for the interests of the Democratic and Republican parties. It arrived on the political scene in 1987 to hijack the nation's presidential debates -- while ousting the nonpartisan League of Women Voters, a group viewed by the major parties' hierarchies as insufficiently subservient to their desires. At the outset, a New York Times headline got it right: "Democrats and Republicans Form Panel to Hold Presidential Debates."

[PDenton]

46. I think two party politics is inevitable

It is just part of how American democracy works. We work on rule of the plurality, not necessarily the majority. Other nations have governments that are majoritarian- if a party cannot get a majority of votes, it has to work out deals with the minority parties to secure a majority coalition government. In effect you can have single issue political parties in those countries. In the US you cannot have single issue parties, it just doesn't work very well. I believe in the long view both systems work about equally well because you always have to juggle pro's and cons in each. Majoritarian governments tend to be weak whenever a third party in the coalition brings up a vote of no confidence, they have to vote for a new government. OTOH, the system we use in the US tends to create the coalitions before the actual elections, and sometimes the coalitions that are put together do not bring in the votes. One side effect I believe is that the US system creates highly ideological voters- they indentify strongly with parties and tend to buy into a whole package of ideas that may or may not be relevent to them personally.

[Kolesar]

48. Well written, and a nod to "Disturbed"

A few days ago, Congressman Murtha said that the GOPs will try to back out of the war as soon as they choose a candidate. That may be the window to start to end this war.

I think the Dems don't know how to defund the war and not be tagged with losing the war right now.

[PFunk]

37. Is anyone really surprised by now...

After all we are now watching the moderate republican take-over of the democratic party before our eyes.

[Bake]

50. Frankly, I thought the MoveOn ad was dumb. Betray-us.

Couldn't they do better than that? Name calling is pathetic. Making that ad your "line in the sand" is just plain stupid.

And yes, I'm a Democrat.

Bake

[rudy23]

53. That's fine, as long as the Democrats stand up to the Repuke's name calling as strongly as they

admonished their own.

[bigtree]

51. one day a non-binding amendment doesn't mean shit around here

the next day, it signals end of the republic :eyes:

(I really liked the ad)