If we get off our Donkey's and vote for them they will win.

I was listening to a progressive talk radio show on XM radio last night when one of the callers made the case the Democratic party is suffering from learned helplessness, I tend to agree.

First let's define learned helplessness

Learned helplessness, as a technical term in animal psychology and related human psychology, means a condition of a human being or an animal in which it has learned to behave helplessly, even when the opportunity is restored for it to help itself by avoiding an unpleasant or harmful circumstance to which it has been subjected. Learned helplessness theory is the view that clinical depression and related mental illnesses result from a perceived absence of control over the outcome of a situation. [1]

I'm not a psychologist, so bear with me as I attempt to apply what I learned in Psych 101.

Alabama democrats have been conditioned by the right wing, to believe they can't win elections unless they pander to the right wing.

Example 1, take this exchange among fellow list serve members regarding Al 05 Congressional candidate Steve Raby (names redacted);

It all started with a press release announcing an endorsement of Raby by the Untied Steele Workers of America to the list serve.

Member A: I endorse Steve Raby too. I've known him all his life and he is a dang good man. I will support him and vote for him in the coming elections. I would hope all you Democrats give him the vote too.

Member B;Remember the last time we all voted for a self-described "conservative Democrat"? Yeah, that worked out well.

Member C; My sentiments exactly list serve member B. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.

Member D; conservative about what? liberal about what? moderate about what? richard smith knows better. List serve member C also. saw today where alfa endorsed parker griffith. no surprise but if we have to fight parker in general election we need to be united.

Member C: I know better than what list serv member D?

Member D; you are better informed and more perspicacious (although a teeny bit emotional once in a while) about what is going on politically than a lot of people, so you know steve raby is no parker griffith. with all the things we have to worry about politically, why hit the democrat who will quite possibly be our nominee against parker with a smear like he's another parker to be? when i saw that ALFA had endorsed parker, i assumed polls showed ALFA info we dont see about the gop primary, and alfa is putting it's money on parker to win the gop primary. so i expect that's who our nominee faces. june 1 results may show i'm all wrong but you got to go with the info you got. if steve's hit on a controversial position he takes, that's legitimate, but to glue him to parker because he says he's a "conservative" wont help going out from the primary. i'm not pretending to be the proverbial "holier than thou" guy -- i've taken a few cheap shots against a political opponent -- but if we can take the seat back for the democrat, regardless of what else happens in november around the country, we'll be in deep clover.

Member C; Steve Raby said he was a conservative democrat. I'm informed enough to know conservative is nod, nod, wink, wink for I'm anti choice, anti affirmative action, anti labor, anti gay rights, and all of the other so called liberal social issues I am a teeny bit emotional about. If Steve Raby is the democratic nominee it won't be with my vote. I'm not going to vote for any more conservative democrats. If I wanted to vote for a conservative I would vote for a republican.

Member E; I've known Steve Raby for more than 25 years. He's not anti choice, not anti affirmative action, not anti labor, not anti gay rights. and probably the closest candidate who's electable that would be a fit for your profile. Would he be perfect for you? Probably not, but any candidate that would be perfect for you would be unelectable. Good luck, and let's talk after the Primary.

First of all, Steve Raby described himself as a conservative democrat, never did he say he was not anti choice, not anti affirmative action, not anti labor,not anti gay rights.

While he wants to keep federal dollars flowing to North Alabama, he does not see himself as liberal.

“Can you be a conservative and be a Democrat? Well, I am. Heck, I own more guns than anyone in this race.”

Example #2; My spouse and I attempted to host a neighborhood meet and greet for AL 05 democratic congressional candidate Mitchell Howie at. My republican neighbors refused to come and meet Mitchell because he was was democrat and my democratic neighbors refused to come because they didn't want to offend our republican neighbors. As the young people say, how whack is that? Republicans don't mind offending us democrats but we are ever mindful of offending them. If my republican neighbors had invited me to meet a republican candidate I would have attended and listened to what they had to say. In other words I would have had an open mind, not a closed mind. Maybe that's why I'm not a republican but I digress.

Example #3; One of my church members called and asked if I was going to vote in the republican primary for Mo Brooks as pay back to Parker Griffith then vote in the democratic primary in the fall. I told them NO, I wasn't playing that game and that I was supporting Mitchell Howie 100% and then some. They asked if he was another Parker Griffith (i.e. pretend liberal) and I said NO, he is the real thing, meaning he has articulated a clear and liberal position on the issues I care about and reminded them of his grandfather, Dr. Virgil Howies' legacy in Huntsville during the Civil Rights movement. My church member listened then said, "Yes, he's a liberal but he can't win, you know how Alabama is".

If liberals can't win we might as well bend over and kiss our Donkey's goodbye.

If democrats continue to elect conservatives we might as well bend over and take our Gang Banging like Girlie men.

If the good guys can't win, and by good guys I mean candidates and elected official who are proud liberals, who will stand up for women's rights, civil rights, equal rights, human rights, LBGT rights, labor and public education we are in deep doo doo.

Think about it.

We need to stop saying the good guys can't win and get off our Donkey's and vote for them.

We need to stop saying progressives/liberals aren't electable. This is America. The candidate with the most votes wins.

Remember?

What mooncat said when she was a liberal;

This is the time for Democratic candidates to stop running away from their party. The debate between the DLC and the netroots will continue long after Sunday's edition of Meet the Press. I believe and hope the netroots view is correct, based on recent recent information and also because I'm tired of living in a country where conservatism rules.

If democrats don't know this by now they will never know;

When conservative voters have a choice between Republican-lite and a real Republican, they vote for the real Republican. What do liberal or progressive voters do when faced with the same choice? They either hold their nose and vote for Republican-lite or, and this is key, they don't vote at all.