Posted on 11/12/2010 12:50:26 PM PST by Still Thinking
"Why don't they fight back?"
That's the question I've been hearing from the Democratic Party's stunned and dispirited base. For the past month, I've been on a book tour that has taken me to Asheville, N.C., Terre Haute, Ind., Austin and elsewhere. Everywhere I go, supporters of President Obama and his agenda ask me why so many Democrats in Washington don't stand up for what they say they believe.
I confess that I don't have a good answer. What I can say with confidence, however, is that the White House and Democrats in Congress ignore these grumblings at their peril. Call it polarization, call it conviction, call it whatever you like: These are not wishy-washy times. If you don't stand for something, you get run over.
We saw this principle in action last week. Anomie among the Democratic base was not the main reason the party suffered what Obama called a "shellacking" in the midterms, but clearly it was a factor. Elements of the party's traditional coalition - minorities, women, young people - voted in much smaller numbers than they did in 2008. The "enthusiasm gap" turned out to be real, and it had real consequences.
I've been hearing frustration at the willingness of Democrats to accommodate a Republican Party that refuses to give an inch. To progressives who may not understand the subtleties of inside-the-Beltway thinking, this looks like surrender.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
Oh, bullcrap. The only Democrats that aren't true to their beliefs are the conservative ones. Please.
I've been hearing frustration at the willingness of Democrats to accommodate a Republican Party that refuses to give an inch.
Either they have excellent crack where this guy is from or someone pranked him and exchanged everywhere it said "Democrat" and "Republican" in his "article". I had to post, though, once I saw that Democrats were stuned!
And what the hell is “anomie”?? Eugene must be really smart if he can dig up words no one’s uttered in decades.
Ha Ha!! You stupid Moonbats!
If they were honest there would only be three of them left in office.
They are standing.
It's just difficult to tell since the voters cut them off at the knees.
Yes, a teaching moment, to see that what they believe and are striving to make “progress” toward is something that the loyal base would never go along with.
Yes, if you go to DU or DailyKos, you will find the librulls are beside themselves. They are particularly vexed right now about the apparent continuation of the Bush tax cuts.
It is very hard for me to wrap my head around a group of people angry about tax cuts - particularly since many claim to be unemployed/underemployed - but there is little logic over there.
LOL!
It’s an envy thing. They want to stick it to “the rich” so much they don’t even care about their own tax bill. Plus if you’re unemployed, you don’t have a tax bill anyway, so...
Some sort of sea creature, I think.
because “liberals” only make up 20% of the population.
That was my first instinct as well.
Everywhere I go, supporters of President Obama and his agenda ask me why so many Democrats in Washington don’t stand up for what they say they believe.
Because they know that an overwhelming majority of Americans DO NOT AGREE with what they (Obama/supporters) believe. The result of the recent election slapped them upside the head with that fact!
They've been raped, and are in a catatonic state of denial.
Well, in other countries, “Progressives” (Communists) would shoot their enemies to stay in power. However, thanks to the foresight of our Founders, patriots are armed to the teeth and would decimate the Progressives. That’s how to keep a balance of power against an oppressive government, should elections no longer matter.
reading DU is just depressing in terms of what it says about this country. I don’t doubt there are paid agitators there, but the general tone of discussion verges on group insanity. Functionally, many of these posters advocate a police state (many more than do so here).
This is balkanization that can only lead to severe social unrest (at best) down the road.
To quote John Kerry:
Who wants to be the last to die for a useless cause?
If this were a sane world, the two major politcal parties would be the Conservative Party and the Libertarian Party.
Do they suppose the people smart enough to produce wealth are not smart enough to hide it, shelter it or move it off-shore?
I have a sister-in-law who'd been "on the dole" ever since she blew thorough my brother's life insurance funds five years ago. She even has the sense to understand that taxpayers will have the ability to be more generous helping people like her the fewer of them there are competing for public assistance dollars. So even though she's made a mess of her own life, she's had the sense to push her children to get the education and do the work necessary to ensure they do not emulate her dependent lifestyle and she's succeeded.
FWIW, she also refuses to vote Democrat because she has properly figured out that their programs breed lifetime dependency and she's become a victim of it.
Psalm 2
1Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
3Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.
5Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
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