You wanna motivate millions of Republican voters to come out in November?

[NightWatcher]

Put up a woman or an African American as our Nom.

They will come out in force out of Fear, Hate, Racism, Sexism....

I only mention "electability" for the millionth time because the repukes sure as hell are going to be paying attention as to who we are running.

We NEED this election more than possibly any other in our history. If we lose, or have stolen, this one we may lose the Supreme Court for a generation. We very well may slip into complete fascism if we do not correct our current movement away from the rights of man and towards the powers of government and corporation.

Before you call me rascist or sexist, please consider that I believe that this election is far more important to our way of life than the gender or race of our president.

This is not an invitation to a flamewar, but a desperate plea to please look at the big picture and remember the millions of voters in Middle America whom I believe will close te curtain and vote for a white guy.

[Didereaux]

1. reality sucks! but we have to face it.

[Ravy]

2. Consider what you are saying....

Is it that far different from "We shouldn't have any blacks or women in positions of authority in our company since it might make our white customers unconfortable with us"?

When I was making my list of pros/cons, race/gender/ethnicity went as a plus for supporting Hillary, Barak, and Richardson.

[jakem]

3. You are right...

we dont want to motivate the republicans against us. Lets nominate a republican instead!

Gee. dont piss off the biggots, vote for a white guy!

women are too risky, lets go with a white guy!

gotta be xian! (nothing too weird though!)



WTF people. vote for the best candidate. or at least the best one with a chance in hell of winning.

[katsy]

4. republicans will come out against any Democrat if history is...

any judge. Fear shouldn't close opportunities for any Democratic nominee regardless of race or gender.

The problem is not pukes coming out... it's motivating our own base to vote. Pukes are hateful, greedy, close minded, short sighted thingys. We are not and nor should we fear making bold steps.

Every working man and woman should be in our camp come election day or our message is wrong.

Having said that, I support Edwards on message/primary and any Dem for the GE.

[dysfunctional press]

5. what happens if we have a female nominee and a black veep nominee?

could happen...

[PeaceNikki]

6. Um... wouldn't it also motivate women and/or African Americans to get out and vote?

:shrug:

[zalinda]

9. Not me

or others that I've talked to. If they don't like the message, they aren't going to move their ass off the sofa.

zalinda

[PeaceNikki]

11. And, you know what, *I* have spoken to people with the opposite opinion.

Yeah, people who actually are politically apathetic who WOULD get their asses off the couch if it meant giving their demographic a chance.

There's anecdotal evidence on both sides of the coin.

[flashl]

15. Dems choosing to ignore their base will turn off voters

While doing 'retail politics' in 2004 election, the resounding reason why voters didn't move was the 'Democratic message'.

And, sending surrogates or using robo calls to disenfranchised communities with a 'separate message' that candidates will not put on teevee will no longer work.

[PeaceNikki]

17. Hmm. Well, if Dems nominate a woman or an African American,

I'd guess that their "base" will have spoken on the matter.

Are you saying you support the OP's premise that we should not vote for our candidate in the primary if they fall into one of these demographics because your scared of how it will rally the GOP troops?

This whole idea is offensive and ridiculous. As was pointed out downthread - it's the same thing as saying we should "back off" of gay rights.

I disagree with your opinion of the lack of Dem enthusiasm in 2004. I think we didn't put up a candidate then that was in any way enthusiastic and had no capacity to rally the Dem troops. I hope 2008 is different in that regard.

[flashl]

22. I'm NOT in agreement with OP

My observation of my work in 2004 stands, the party's message is disconnected from the realities of soci-eco concerns of many Americans. The 'problems' and /or 'concerns' of the middle class today have been issues of many Americans for years. I call it 'get back to you' politics.

[Midlodemocrat]

19. Same here. Some very right wing women friends of mine

who were all Bush/Cheney have said that they would definitely vote for Hillary if she were the nom. simply BECAUSE she's female.

It's an interesting turnabout.

[PeaceNikki]

20. Yes, I think we'd pull some centrist republicans and get a huge number of apathetic voters out to

vote.

Honestly, I have spoken to a good number of politically apathetic MEN who are ready for a woman.

I know that the OP is right in saying that the bigotry and racist attitudes are out there and we'll totally rally them. But, so fucking what? I think that we can take 'em and shove it straight up their bigot asses.

[avenger64]

7. Or a Trial Lawyer?

n/t

[CANDO]

16. Amazing how everyone hates lawyers until they need one.

And I'm not a lawyer. But this is especially true of conservatives. It was the dreaded trial lawyers who took GWB's case to court to stop the vote counting.

[jpgray]

8. This is the same reason we can't support equal rights for gays, right?

[matcom]

10. and Martin Luther King should have kept his trap shut at the time

people didn't want to hear THAT message either

:eyes:

[cali]

12. You might consider putting down the broad brush and actually

learning something about the complexities involved in next year's election and why it's unlikely that any repub will win the presidency no matter who the candidates are. Start with the big Pew Foundation report that came out in November. You're wrong about their coming out in force.

Get over your quivering fear and educate yourself.

[blondeatlast]

13. Sorriest excuse ever. I don't care for either of our so-called front-runners,

but it has nothing to do with their genetics. If either one is our nominee I'll work my ass off to get them in the WH. Either one of them would be a considerable sight better than anything (and I do mean THING) the RRR's have to offer.

[NightWatcher]

14. not an excuse, I heard my freeper relatives tell me that either Obama or Hillary would get them

to vote for a repuke faster than anything else that they could think of. Many of them couldnt even name 2 or 3 repukes, but I am scared that they would quickly get interested.

[librechik]

18. sadly yes. Those optimists who believe otherwise can vote their consciences

and watch us go down by a hair with the help of Diebold.

[Balbus]

21. Yes, we definitely don't want to nominate someone the repubs won't like...

:eyes:

You're new to this whole election thing, aren't you...

[JerseygirlCT]

23. I have a little more faith in the electorate than that

Now the electoral *system* is another story.

My biggest fear is a clean election. Any chance we'll get that?

I think Clinton is a divisive person, and that she might do poorly in the general not because of her gender, but because of the way many, many people see her.

I don't know that Obama would have that problem. But I'm from the northeast, and have lived in the NE all my life. Perhaps it might still be a harder sell down south.

Still, I don't see gender or race as a reason to hold back on nominating the right person, regardless. And if this is an attempt to put Edwards forward, that's mighty thin arguing.

[undeterred]

24. What they really fear most, in other words.

[HughMoran]

25. Ooooh, the Republicans do respond to fear mongering

...will we?

[proud2BlibKansan]

26. I think they hate all Democrats

and it won't make much difference WHO the nominee is (race, gender). If they can't hate our candidate because of his/her race or gender, they will just come up with another reason. Look what they did to a war hero.