Wanted: A New Path for Democrats (5 Letters)

NY Times ^ | April 3, 2005 | various

[neverdem]

To the Editor:

I disagree with former Senator Bill Bradley's hypothesis regarding the central cause of the Democratic Party's "inversion" ("A Party Inverted," Op-Ed, March 30).

The failures of the Democratic Party are not attributable to our longing for another J.F.K.-type figure to lead the way. Rather, we are weakened by the fundamental premises of our own ideology.

We place a very high value on the heterogeneity and diversity of our party. But by promoting heterogeneity and diversity, we are dispersing our power instead of consolidating it.

If we want to make progress, we need to focus on constructing a set of clear and concise principles and values that centralizes and homogenizes our message, but not our members.

Michael P. Marshal Pittsburgh, March 30, 2005

•

To the Editor:

Bill Bradley complains that Democrats who run for president have to build their own political pyramids because there is no stable, larger structure upon which they can rely.

But the Democrats do have pyramid elements that are not dependent on the candidate. There is a large source of perennial funding. Liberal sources and people like George Soros have recently been joined by MoveOn.org and various "527 committees."

The second tier includes Democrat-dominated establishment media and colleges and universities. The third tier includes consultants like James Carville and Paul Begala.

While a charismatic candidate might help, the Democrats' pyramid is already stable. But this is about the battle for the soul of the Democratic Party, a subject Mr. Bradley does not address.

A. Jared Silverman West Orange, N.J., March 30, 2005 The writer was a Republican candidate for Congress in 2002.

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To the Editor:

Bill Bradley describes the institutional advantages that Republicans have over Democrats. But he does not identify the institutional base that served the Democrats well when they were in the majority: labor unions.

The decline of organized labor was an essential ingredient in the decline of the Democrats, and until the party finds a way to help labor rebuild, or discovers a functional substitute, it will continue to be out-strategized by the G.O.P.

Howard L. Reiter Storrs, Conn., March 30, 2005 The writer is chairman of the department of political science at the University of Connecticut.

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To the Editor:

Bill Bradley, in his analysis of the shortcomings of the Democratic Party, points to Bill Clinton as a charismatic victor who was unable to create a supporting organization around him. This is true, but to what extent was that because of the self-inflicted troubles he faced because of the Monica Lewinsky matter?

Democrats have nominated two uncharismatic, somewhat colorless candidates in the last two elections. Their inability to energize and galvanize voters who might have been undecided hurt the party's effort.

I agree that the Democratic Party needs to organize from the bottom up. It needs financing, a new generation of political activists, think tanks and, most important, a concerted effort at the state level to take back state legislatures and governorships.

Ed Weissman New York, March 30, 2005

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To the Editor:

While I agree with Bill Bradley's advocacy of a Republicanesque pyramidal finance and information structure for the Democratic Party, I do not think that such a structure would remedy the practical electoral problems that the party is facing.

How would a pyramidal structure win Congressional seats for Democrats in Texas or Alabama? How would it help paint Missouri or Kansas blue again? Establishing a successful fund-raising and media network will not ensure electoral gains.

Democrats need to reinvent the message they send to the heartland before reinventing the foundation of their party.

Adam Shpeen Albany, March 30, 2005

[Killborn]

I'm bored and I can't miss another zot. Good bye.

“Red Eye confirms the presence of a troll. Alerting all units, we have a troll.”

Near the border of Demonseptic Underworld and Free Republic:

"Shadow Dancer, this is Sentinel. There is a DU troll attempting to cross the border in a dilapidated VW Westphalia."

"Dang. Just looking at it gives me a headache!"

"Roger that Sentinel, what a friggin’ eyesore. I’m gonna give it the Rachel Corrie."

"Bombs away!"

"Splash another one!"

Thus another troll is destroyed. The moral of this story is don't mess with the best.

“Nice one, Shadow Dancer.”

THIS MESSAGE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE 1776TH FREE REPUBLIC ZOT BATTALION. IF YOU ARE A TROLL, YOU WILL BE ZOTTED.

[Seaplaner]

J you are correct when you say Stop hating America, and Americans might actually vote for you.

Unsaid, but understood, in all of the letters is that the Dems still need to keep hidden that for which they truly stand (a global green Utopian collective).

So, all they are really talking about is packaging.

Some new path.

.

[spetznaz]

I was telling someone the same thing some time last year. Liberals are some of the most dangerous people in the world. Take Kerry for example. Had he become president (whew, thank God that voters knew better) he would have tried the whole appeasement thing. The UN would have gained further prominence in global geo-politics, and the War on Terror would have turned into a concerted effort to 'understand' why 'they hate us.'

Well, sooner or later even Kerry would have realized that an Islamic radical is not one to be reasoned with, but by that time things would have been too late. He might actually have been forced to take truly stringent military action (eg nukes).

Liberals wait too long to take action when it is time to take it, and only act when things have decayed so badly that they are forced to over-extend themselves. Thus, instead of crushing the Dragon's egg while it is nothing but an embryo in a shell, they decide to wait until the bloody beast is a marauding adult before they wake up to the fact action needs to be taken. And by that time it is either too late, or the action that needs to be taken then is far more drastic than would have been the case before.

I was having a talk with this girl (had actually gone out on a couple of dates with her before she exposed her mental acuity ...or lack of). She was telling me how communism can be a great thing, and how terrorists are misunderstood. The funny thing is that this girl had never even stepped one inch outside the US and yet she claims to be an oracle on Communism. And she couldn't even define what Communism was in the first place! She thought it meant people being 'equal.'

Anyways, let me go to bed. The whole daylight savings thingimajig is really working on me and i need to get some shuteye, otherwise i will start ranting like a parakeet on speed. Ooops ...too late. LOL.

Take care, God bless, goodnight.

[Killborn]

Dang. A couple of my picts are gone. Oh well.

BTW, this is Sentinel.

[CyberAnt]

Well .. they will never believe their message got out and GOT REJECTED .. because they are too self-absorbed.

[Delta 21]

[bad company]

This is sad, They gave you all this time to come out swinging, and all you do is hide under your desk. Pathetic.

[Lurker]

Good night to you as well.

L

[Killborn]

Hello Cyber! I haven't chat with you in a while.

Anyway, it doesn't really matter if the American public rejects the message. If they can't win by hook, they'll sure do it by crook. Washington state serves as a chilling example.

[Andoman72]

"If the Dems ever do a Gingrich we could have problems - (1) identify 10 specific issues, (2) state 10 specific programs that will deal with them, and (3) propose placing all 10 up for a vote within the first 100 days of the congressional session. They won't because they can't."

They know that the Republicans can point to any of their liberal stances and show how that exact program screwed up any one of the now fallen communist countries, or point to Cuba, as proof that it not only won't work, but as all liberalism does, have the opposite result of its desired effect.

[CyberAnt]

"by crook"

You're so right! The farther down they go the more they resort to this activity.

[Triggerhippie]

Careful with pictures like that hippie van, Dude.

You nearly gave me a "contact high."

[Killborn]

If America falls, it will be from the enemy within. I'm not afraid of OBL and the jihad nuts. They are impotent and self defeating, the worse they can ever do is create mass graves. Of course this is intolerable, thus we have a true Commander in Chief in charge, not like the previous one, a lecherous, treasonous fake. Terrorists are like gnats to an elephant. We squish them, and move on.

However, the socialists in our midst are capable of bringing down America. Terrorists could not inflict the damage upon America the way liberals do. Because of them, Americans are losing their freedoms in the name of "tolerance", "conservation", and "public safety". Democrats kill millions yearly through abortion and euthanasia, a body count OBL and his camel shagging goons can only dream about. Our citizens have become weak stupid, selfish, and cowardly through the active destruction of the schools and families. Socialism is the fatal disease growing inside that elephant, gradually killing us bit by bit.

We FReepers and other patriots serve as the medicine by presenting the American public with the truth of the greatness of our country and the rebuttal to the Democrat's lies. It is up to the American people to accept our medicine and rid the elephant of this ailment forever. Liberals should be regarded the same way as Nazis or terrorists.

Right now, I'm pretty optimistic that Americans will not fail this test, but we must never be overconfident that our medicine will take hold. The last time, decent patriotic and God-fearing Americans grew overconfident that these hippies and filthy socialists could never pervert or destroy America. A mere half century later, all that our Founding Fathers have accomplished, indeed they themselves, are under serious attack.

[Killborn]

LOL, I'll be more careful next time. I can sympathize because a FReeper posted a scene from "Yellow Sub,arine" and I felt like I took some psychedelic drugs!

Whoever shows that to children should be prosecuted for endangering a minor. NOT family entertainment. :)

[CyberAnt]

"socialists in our midst are capable of bringing down America"

I wouldn't use the word "capable" - because I don't believe they have as much power as they pretend to have.

Remember, evil always presents itself as more powerful - even though it's really the opposite. The devil was defeated in hell - and Jesus dragged him through the halls of hell to show everybody there that the devil had been paralyzed. However, the devil still can speak - and that is HIS ONLY WEAPON - he whispers in people's ears and then it's up to the person to accept or reject what he's hearing.

Obviously, the left has not rejected the devil's message. But .. if you study the devil's interactions with Jesus, you will find that the democrats talk the very same way .. deception, lies, threats .. it's so obvious - people need to figure it out. When they do they will no longer be subjected to that deception.

That is what I believe is taking place at this time.

The lesson to be learned is that if GOOD PEOPLE are willing to stand up and be counted EVIL PEOPLE cannot continue to wield power.

[Killborn]

Amen. The fact that more and more FReepers are signing up and that Dubya got a lot of mandate and political capital is good news for us. We just have to make sure that the Demoncr@ps can't cheat and lie their way into power.

[CyberAnt]

What it will take is for US TO DO OUR JOB - call, email, fax, snail mail our congress critters and tell them to get with it.

[Killborn]

My congress crittters are all rats. The second worst kind too, East Coast rich elitist liberals. Yeck. :e

But yes Americans must get the critters to do their jobs.

[thedilg]

[A vacuum filled with Godless nothingness, into which swirl the dead souls of men and women who kill their unborn children]

Well said. It amazes me that even from a practical perspective they don't get it. Kill off your babies and you will lose your future voters. It is only the illegal aliens have kept several of the blue states viable.

Godspeed, The Dilg

[CyberAnt]

Well .. I've learned a secret.

First of all - I'm a citizen of the USA

That's what I base my contact on. I tell them straight out that I'm not their consituent, but I am a citizen. And .. a member of the repub party - and I give my designation. I always get a reply from Frist. It's a formal reply - but at least I know some staff member had to read it.

Secondly, I go to http://congressvote.com and there you can select a single person or a GROUP - like the Judiciary Committee.

Thirdly, I prepare one message and then I send it to each person individually. Don't try sending it to all of them at once because it's considered spam and will be rejected.

Fourthly, send your message to the leadership - Frist, McConnell in the senate.

Fifthly, I sometimes send scathing letters to my dem senators - just so they can squirm a little - knowing we know the truth.