We do not abandon our principles. If we vote on 50 bills and vote our conscience and lose, we still fought for our principles. The students in Tianamen Square were crushed, but that does not mean that the one guy standing in front of the tank was wrong. Folks in the south were not strong enough to stand up to fire hoses, but they were right.
Fight with steely resolve. I know my predictions are for shit, but I still can’t believe that Republicans of good conscience want to be the party of evangelical gay haters. They will someday get tired of shouting “We won!” when Bush gets a tax cut passed and start looking at the results.
Then the moderates that Liberal dismisses will ask themselves if they like being among the “winners.”
If that never happens, then fuck 'em. Let them eat debt. We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it.
For Christ sake, Lib, isn’t there any political ideology that you won’t badmouth? You hate liberals (despite the mockery in your user name), and you hate conservatives. The one ideology that you can seem to get behind is the one that, in your unmedicated opinion, fantasizes that Halliburton and Enron are somehow looking out for my best interests.
This approach is incredibly naive. Do you believe, for one moment, that the batshit crazy far right will stop demonizing the opposition? It doesn’t matter what they do or don’t do. If they don’t do anything then of course the main criticism:
Democrats were elected to Congress and not even doing their job! They failed to vote for money to support the troops in Iran, money for the new school-churchs, failed to vote for the new amendment to disenfranchise undesirables. Is that who you really want running the country? How can you trust someone like that? Democrats, party of do-nothings! - Paid for by the coalition of Right Wing Nut Jobs and Talk Show Hosts
Before the elections there will be the usual ad hominem attacks and slander via subtly shaded lies and innuendoes. Bush and the Neocons, with no opposition voice, will do pretty much whatever they want: Look, I didn’t want to invade France, but the Congress voted unanimously and we’re pretty sure they have some bombs and terrorist training camps*.
*A man in traditional arab garb was clearly photographed eating on the Rue de Isle. That’s enough proof for the new Intelligence Czar.
In that they need someone to hate in order to function at all, no.
Letting Il Buce and his Evil Regime run things completely unopposed strikes me as a most foolish way of getting to say “I told you so.” The big problem with letting them get away with passing unreasonable and foolish legislation is that they’ll end up passing unreasonable and foolish legislation.
But we’ve learned that nothing Bush or the GOP can do can sway their supporters away from them. Nothing-not fiscal mismanagemrnt, not declaring unjust wars, not eroding civil liberties-- is as important to them as Bush hugging a little girl or saying “God” a lot.
Why are you personally attacking **Liberal **and not addressing his very valid point? According to the stats rjung posted, conservatives (about 1 in 3) far outnumber liberals (about 1 in 5), making them a minority. This is clear.
And you take Liberal to task for being irrational? I’m sorry you have to suffer at the hands at the murdering, lying Republicans. I know that liberals never lie or murder. :rolleyes:
You are indeed, since you don’t know what a liberal is. Karl Marx and Hillary Clinton are not liberals; they are authoritarians. Regarding Halliburton and Enron, it is up to you to look out for your best interests, and it is up to government to make certain you are allowed to do so without any coercion or deception from Halliburton or Enron.
First off, when have you ever seen me define liberalism?
Second, when have you ever seen me call Marx a liberal?
Third, do you even know what authoritarianism is? Show me a definition, then show me that Marx and Clinton fall into this category.
Fourth, I once started a GD thread asking libertarians to convince me of their position. You responded with a string of insults, leading me to believe that you have not one convincing argument.
Fifth, isn’t it about time you got back on your medications?
*Nevertheless, in most advanced countries, the following will be pretty generally applicable.
Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
Centralization of credit in the banks of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and an exclusive monopoly.
Centralization of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the state.
Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state; the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
Equal obligation of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.
Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, etc.*
— Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, Manifesto of the Communist Party
I’ll tell you why this is an incredibly stupid idea: because it’s already been done. After 9/11, the Democrats rolled over and did whatever the Republicans wanted for fear of being labelled weak. And that’s one of the things that hurt Kerry most, in my opinion: the fact that he didn’t oppose things at the time that he later criticized.
No one’s impressed by someone who backs down but later points out that they were right all along. This has been the Democrats’ major problem since 1994 – whenever the tide goes against them, they clam up and/or try to imitate Republicans. It’s pathetic.
Have some convinctions, fight for those convinctions even when it’s not politically expedient, and the tide will turn. The Republicans have defined themselves by the far right, and in so doing left the center wide open. The only way for Democrats to make up ground is to stand by our positions.
