With democrats like Harry Reid who needs republicans?

 Maddow Slams Reid for Failing on Filibuster Reform: 60 is the new 60

Wouldn't it be nice if the Senate Majority  Leader actually represented the democratic wing of the democratic party?  Sometimes I wonder if the democratic party is afraid to win.  How can President Obama even HOPE to be successful when the democratic leadership works against him? 

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Harry Reid screwed up again. This time it was, once again, allowing the minority party in the Senate to have a free hand to gum up the works.
Reid refused to reform filibuster rules in the Senate in any meaningful way, because the election season’s over, his position is secure and screw you.

Harry Reid gives likes to give em hell at the wrong time. and to the wrong people.

Who says there's no difference between Democrats and Republicans?
When Republicans take power, they band together and fight Democrats. When Democrats take power, they split apart and eat their own.

 What good is electing democrats if they govern like republicans?

This is a what some "Professional Lefty Retards " tried to tell some of y'all post

Hello this is Hank Sanders, Alabama state Senator, and I’m still mad as hell. I say hell no! I ain’t going back to the cotton fields of Jim Crow days. I’m going forward with Ron Sparks, Jim Folsom and others who would do right by all of us. I hope you are mad as hell and will not go back, and you have the power to choose. I will stand until hell freezes over for Ron Sparks for Governor and Jim Folsom for Lt. Governor on November the 2nd.

Paid for by Alabama New South.

“I heard if the Republicans win the election, their first act of business was going to be sending this monkey back to his cage …” These words were posted on a web site (ala.com) in response to a robo ad I sent. There is a mean spirit on the loose.

Rangel: It's disgraceful that he has to make any explanation for anything. The intrusion of the media and Republicans into the sacred relationship that worshipers have with their spiritual leaders I think is going to come back to haunt us. To think that we have to go into the lives and the beliefs of Rabbis and Priests and ministers and Imams is absolutely ridiculous. We've got a war on. We've got an economy that's splintered. I think the media should be more responsible and start dealing with those issues. I don't think many people care what reverend Wright thinks and I don't see why any candidate should have to explain what ..

Rep Waters: "One of the things we can't do is, we can't let them distract from what we're all about, and what we're trying to accomplish. We're trying to keep the focus on comprehensive, universal health care reform, and they're going all over the place. They are desperate, uh, they don't have leadership, uh, they really don't know what to do, and so, I think we're going to continue to see a lot of crazy things happening, like all of the, uh, outrage that has been demonstrated at these town hall meetings, like the kind of statement that Congresswoman Jenkins made, and let them define themselves, let them reveal who they are. The American public needs to see that."

Howard Dean said a public health insurance option is more important than bipartisanship, and that Democrats should pass health-care legislation that includes the option with 51 votes if necessary.

Dean added that Democrats should have "no intention" of working with Republicans if it's not the strongest possible legislation that could be passed with a simple majority.


Bernie Sanders went to the floor of the Senate last December to deliver the most important congressional address of 2010, a nine-hour long, filibuster-style condemnation of economic policies that favored the rich while burdening working Americans. The independent senator from Vermont electrified the nation with a call for economic justice that challenged Obama administration compromises with Republicans on issues of tax policy and declared: "There is a war going on in this country, and I am not referring to the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. I am talking about a war being waged by some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in this country against the working families of the United States of America, against the disappearing and shrinking middle class of our country."

Sorry but I'm going to have to throw a wet blanket on this "bipartisan" love fest.
Has anyone noticed but me that republicans are bipartisan when it's benefits them? Bipartisanship to republicans means you join us, we don't join you.

Mo, Dale, Teabaggers, how about joining with Democrats/liberals fighting for health care reform, or the Jobs bill, or bringing our troops home from Iraq? Bipartisanship is two way, not one way.

Words of caution and advice to my progressive/democratic friends. Make sure you identify yourselves as such so that you won't be lumped in with the Teabaggers. They are NOT your friend(s). Don't let yourself be used to enable the right wing/conservative agenda.


The president said the Republican Party was focused on things like tax cuts for the rich and cuts to education funding rather than helping middle class Americans and young people.

"If we don't have strong leaders in Congress who are supportive of this agenda, who are supportive of moving the country forward," the president said. "If instead we've got folks who want to move backwards to the same failed policies that got us into this mess in the first place, then it's going to be very difficult for me to keep making progress and do what folks want to see me do over the next two years."

The Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party shows you how to deal right wing republican Bully's

And NO, you don't bend over and take your gang banging like Girlie Men, and NO you don't resign yourself to go along to get along. YOU CALL THEIR BLUFF. You call out they HYPOCRISY. You stand up to them. Kudos to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the progressive, I mean LIBERAL caucus. This is what I'm talking about!

From Talking Points Memo

"If we're going to lose, let's lose with a strong message," Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) -- chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus -- told me and another reporter in the Speaker's Lobby this afternoon.

Earlier today, he and other progressives interrupted the tax plan's glide path by blocking a key procedural measure -- a stalling tactic they hope to leverage into being given a chance to vote on substantial changes to the bill. All efforts to amend the legislation are expected to fail. But rank and file Dems are angry that during the brief floor debate over the cuts they were given only one shot at a relatively narrow, symbolic amendment to raise the estate tax.

As long as they're being set up to fail, progressives want that measure to include a whole range of changes to the bill.

Oh, and remember how the righty's were complaining about Congress not knowing what was in the health care bill, that President Obama didn't have hearings on C-Span nor did he include the republicans? Can't find a link, but outgoing Florida democratic Congressman Alan Grayon (Liberal) makes note the government is getting ready to spend trillions without what's knowing what's in the bill(besides tax cuts for the rich, the estate tax and unemployment insurance) without hearings or mark ups. Now ain't that a dip?

I heard a Talking TeeVee Chuckle head say the democrats want to push this bill through before the republicans take over the house because "they would come up with something much worse and cut off unemployment insurance" blah, blah, blab, blab. I say Let em Bring it On. The blood will be on their hands. To quote Governor Howard Dean, I'm tired of being bullied by the right wing. If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything. Freedom is worth fighting for.

We the People can't win for the Media

If the media were liberal we wouldn't be in this mess. What liberal media do we have? Other than 1 hour each of Ed Shultz, Keith Olberman and Rachael Maddow when are true liberal voices seen or heard? Three hours out of 24 is not fair or balanced.

The majority of the Talking TeeVee Chatter Heads push the gop talking points. Example;

Howard Dean was just being interviewed on MSNBC about the tax cut package and long term deficits. He was making the basic point that upper income tax cuts do little to stimulate the economy and do add to the deficit and long term national debt. He was knocking it around with MSNBC's Chris Jansing when all of a sudden, Jansing exclaimed: Wait, since when are progressives the ones who believe in fiscal discipline and deficits?

Then we have Leslie Stall's soft ball interview of the Rep. John Bohner on 60 Minutes.

It's a shame CBS didn't show the famous video of Boehner tap-dancing around the time he was caught handing out tobacco bribes on the House floor. He may not have been compromising his principles, but what he did was far more egregious than what they're lynching Charlie Rangel for... FAR MORE EGREGIOUS. Even if it is the ultimate in DC common ground.

We can thank the Media Consolidation Act for the sad, sorry state of today's media and for our sons and daughters being sent to war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The media is used to scare the American people, or as Faux News says, distort what we decide. The media promotes selective amnesia.

People on Madison Avenue make a boatload of money figuring out how to sell crap to a bunch of people who don’t need it. I mean really do you need a 500.00 cell phone? The wing-nuts have brought those same tactics to politics and the media. They have used branding to not make the country completely conservative, just more conservative than it was 30 years ago. So now the center is no longer the center. You now have Dems espousing former wing-nut positions as if they were now mainstream and rational.

Is the Obama compromise a setup?

I think this White House has underestimated the wrath of a scorned base. I think what this White House and President failed to realize is that while he is the President of those who didn’t vote for him, he owed it to those who did vote for him to stand up for the issues they elected him to stand up for. Those who did not vote for him will never vote for him. Does he think that if he passed all of the Republican agenda that they would not run a challenger against him in 2012? The progressives have for the last two years been waiting for this White House to fight for something. It began with the stimulus package that was too small and loaded with concessions to the wing-nuts and still did not get a single wing-nut vote. Then we had health-care reform where everything was bargained away before the negotiations even begun and progressives thought at least they would fight for the public option which didn’t happen. And of course we had financial reform and again no fight.

Is President Obama afraid the media will portray him as an angry black man like they did Rev. Jeremiah Wright and scare the Bejeezus out of white folks? You know, I could understand white folks being scared of black folks if black folks had enslaved white folks for hundreds of years and had a documented history of violence towards white folks, but the truth of the matter, it's the other way around, so what are white folks scared of? They have all the privilege and the power.

Where is the diversity in the mainstream media? And NO, so called black conservatives don't count because all they do is say publicly what whites say privately. Rush, Beck and the other right wing Lords of Loud flood the public airways with misinformation.

The mainstream media yawned and marginalized Senator Bernie Sander's moment of truth.

The infamous White House/GOP tax cut deal will likely pass both the Senate and House next week and then become law. But Bernie Sanders has opened a Pandora's box of illumination that will vex the feckless, ever-retreating White House and the grossly hypocritical Republicans for some time to come.

The past is prologue.

As we pass the 10th anniversary of the Bush v. Gore decision—technically yesterday, December 12—it is interesting to note how much of our current political predicament can be discerned in the events of those days. The Bush-Gore election illustrates three key points about today’s political and media environment:

* Conservatives fight harder and dirtier for what they want than progressives.

* The mainstream media gives conservatives a pass for acting and speaking in their own political interest while criticizing progressives for the same thing.

* Conservative commentators recognize few if any boundaries in their willingness to demonize progressives, with virtually no corollary of any kind among progressives.

Quoting Democratic Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders

We see things and think they are unfair. We think they are easy to correct. We try to correct the injustice but one thing leads to another and another. Sometimes other injustices occur in the process. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

It's the media, I won't say stupid, because we aren't stupid, the media must think we are stupid.

Why Dr. Joe Reed should be the next chairperson of the Alabama Democratic Party

Alabama Democratic Conference chairman Dr. Joe L. Reed would be the perfect person to lead Alabama Democrats out of this Godforsaken wilderness where Election 2010 stranded us.

For one thing, Dr. Reed would chase all the pseudo dims, neoliberals, progressives, conservadems, moderates, and independents out of the democratic tent once and for all. With *ahem* democrats like these who needs republicans? Democrats have to rise up and take their own party back from the infiltrators. That time is long overdue in Alabama.

Dr. Reed is not afraid of the right-wing bully. He wouldn't capitulate to republicans on any level. Dr. Reed has a history of fighting for the values real democrats share whether that be taking them on in the elections or in the media. He definitely wouldn't be republican lite.

Joe Reed is known as a “fighter for fairness” for black representation. In 1975, Joe Reed led the efforts to get equitable representation for blacks on the Montgomery City Council. His efforts resulted in four (4) blacks of nine (9) being elected. He served on the Montgomery City Council for 24 years. In the Democratic Party today, Alabama’s black representation exceeds all other states in the nation. For over 40 years he has led the effort to get more blacks elected and appointed to public office, including federal marshals, federal and state judges, members of the boards of registrars, legislators, county commissioners, city councils, and school boards. Due largely to his leadership, today Alabama has more black elected officials than any state in the nation. He drafted two (2) plans that increased black representation in the Alabama House of Representatives from 13 to 27; and in the Senate from 3 to 8 in 1982, and 1992, respectively. He also drew a reapportionment plan that provided for 25% (two of eight) majority black districts on the State Board of Education. Alabama is the only state in the nation where the Legislature reflects the state’s population of blacks and whites. Dr. Reed’s congressional plan also led to Alabama’s gaining a black congressional seat

The ADP needs a chairman who will kick the pseudo-Democrats out of the party. It's time for them to GO.

My definition of Blue Dog/ConservativeDemocrats are candidates and elected officials whom identify themselves as "Democrats" to garner the African American vote, and "Conservative" to garner the White votes. In reality they are social conservatives, also known as Republicans.

In my opinion moderates, undecideds,swing voters, blue collar voters, working class voters, nascar dads, security moms, walmart moms, in the middle voters, values voters,evangelical voters, christian right and libertarians are code words developed and used by the media to manipulate public opinion. In reality these groups are social conservatives, also known as Republicans.

Dr. Reed is also the perfect person to raise money -- and diversify sources of support for the party. There are untapped resources within the ADP. Dr. Reed has the ability to recruit and welcome disenfranchised/marginalized Democrats into the party. Minority voters are tired of their loyalty being taken for granted.  We are tired of being expected to be seen but not heard. The ADP wants our votes but they don't want to address our issues.

Dr. Reed is more than capable of managing the party effectively --making sure papers are filed on time, candidates are vetted, election results certified, etc. AND make sure the ADP doesn't let the ALGOP get away with anything whatsoever outside the rules. In other words, be ready to pound the table, call BS and file suit if anybody tries any election-related funny business. He certainly wouldn't award no-bid contracts to fight for Alabama with a blog.

bluebearcat makes the best case for a chairperson like Dr. Joe Reed;

Democrats running in heavily Republican district had an obligation to do the best they could to get elected or re-elected; part of that involved saying and doing things that undermined the overall message of the Democratic party. I don't begrudge them that. However, our party cannot be run by the folks that are in that position.

We need to find a message for our state party that recognizes that matters where we will undoubtedly differ with the national party (gun rights), matters where we will respect an individuals own conscience (abortion), and matters where we believe the cause of justice is more important than politics (discrimination). But we ought to all rally around expanding economic opportunity and better government services in this state.

Yep, Joe L. Reed is just what the Doctor ordered for the ADP.

unless we start vetting names and start a Draft movement. like the Howard Dean DNC movement started by net roots. if you haven't read that story it's fascinating and exactly what needs to be done here.
so this list of qualities is great but time to put it in to action if you really want to do affect State politics.

come up with a name then start petitions and a full fledged draft movement.

If the ADP keeps doing what it's always done, it will get what it's always got.

The Democratic Party is suffering from an atrophy of character. We have lost any conceivable moderates to attrition, because the Republican Party at least has the ability to define who it is – regardless of the fact that they’re the drunk guy at the holiday party, at least everyone remembers that guy’s name. Our fixation on “the bad guys” does no good if we’re not worth listening to in the first place. We need deliberately distinct leaders and we need to be unabashedly unafraid to support those leaders in bringing back the fundamentals of what matters to Democrats and -- as one insider so eloquently put it recently -- "the tangible consequences of voting for them."

If the GOP infused, media-enabled Tea Party can do it, we can do it too.

It's the Stoopid Media, Stupid!

I know you're probably tired of hearing me say this, but I keep saying it because it's true. The MSM we has is largely responsible for influencing public opinion and shaping public policy. As President Obama said in the SOTU address, the media has turned politics into a game of gotcha, right wing talking points and all spin all the time. Instead of telling us what we need to know, they tell us what they want us to know. For example, we know more about Bill Clintons' private parts than we do about 911. Why?

This is the media who allowed Bush and Cheney to take us to war based on DEAD WRONG INTELLIGENCE. This is the media who allowed Bill Clinton to be impeached for trying to conceal a private, consensual, extra marital,sexual affair from his wife, his daughter and the country. This is the same media that marginalized and minimized the anti war protesters as anti Americans who don't support our troops, but legitimize the Teabaggers as a "grass roots" movement. This is the media that claims it's being fair and balanced when they are actually UNfair and UNbalanced.


As this post from another group explains "Democrats are lacking in media and message".

It seems to me more and more that the Democrats and the Obama administration
lack a comprehensive media strategy to explain and promote their agenda,
policies and programs. They have left it up to the increasingly active tea party
movement and promoter such as Fox News, Right wing talk show and cable networks
of all stripes to tell the American people what President Obama and the
Democrats are all about.

It's not only Fox News and other right wing media outlets, it's CNN, MSNBC and even C-Span. CNN is so busy trying to prove it's not "liberal" they've turned into Fox lite. MSNBC treats us to three hours of misinformation with ex republican Congressman Joe Scarbrough first thing every morning. We used to be able to count on C-Span to at least be fair, if not balanced, but the so called liberal Washington Post has been replaced with the conservative Washington Times as the newspaper of record and conservative leaning Politico.com is the blog of record and conservative/right wing groups and talking heads out number and out debate the democratic/liberal counter side. All of them have a noticeable lack of cultural diversity i.e. it's all white unless the minorities are conservatives.

They have allowed the President to have his face grotesquely smeared on posters
all around the country, House leader Pelosi and Harry Reid's name used as a
pejorative by Fox News day in and day out.

I would add they also allowed President Clinton, Hillary Clinton, the late Senator Edward Kennedy, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and liberals in general to become a dirty word. If anyone dared protray Bush is a negative light they screamed bloody murder. Republicans=good. Democrats=bad.

Democrats could not explain their health bill in a way the American public could
understand.


Democrats reigned in the credit card companies last summer, then gave the same
companies six months to raise before the law kicked in.

Democrats failed to create a consumer protection agency.
The Democrats failed to create a Deficit reduction commission.

The democrats passed a stimulus bill and then let the right wing and cable news
pick it apart.

The democrats passed the Tarp and other laws and actions without adequately
explaining what would have happened if that had not been done.

With all the so called big money donors, why the lack of any media buys
explaining the Democrats and Obama's accomplishments?

Why indeed? The President and the democrats need to stop taking a knife to the gunfight and take the big guns instead. The current group of people who are allowed to present the message on TeeVee have failed and failed miserably. They are not effective. POTUS needs new, strong, bold faces on TeeVee speaking on behalf of the people, like Howard Dean, Rep. Maxine Waters, Rep. Dennis Kuchinich and other effective progressives and liberals. Someone who isn't afraid to take on the right wing bullies. In sports lingo, they need to send in the second string. ASAP.

One example that could have been effective is a simple chart showing which U.S
President had the highest deficit during their terms. This chart from zFacts
clearly shows the trend between cumulative federal debt and the economy during
each presidential term since Truman.
See: Gross National Debt as a Percent of GDP, by President
1950-2010
http://uspolitics.about.com/od/thefederalbudget/ig/Political-Economic-Measures/Debt-GDP-by-President.htm?p=1

The writer concludes;

The republicans, conservatives, corporations have a simple formula for winning
elections.
1. Appear to be for the middle class while doing the corporate bidding.
2. Embrace the moral issues (always votes there)
3 Strong military defense (men like guns and war- Male Vote)
4. Use fear of immigrants (brown, black) White and Asian are OK.
5. Use fear of Debt and deficits even though Republicans presidents such as
Reagan and Bush ran up more debt than any other previous presidents.
6. Count on the voters not reading or knowing history.

When will the progressives and liberals get their own Cable network to mirror
Fox News but from the left? The way things are going, liberals are disheartened
and disappointed and the right wing smells blood in the water.

When will progressives and liberals get our own Cable network and talk radio programs? How long are we going to continue to allow the public airways to be used to spread misinformation and to distort what we decide?

It's the media I tell you. The media thinks we are stoopid. They think they can tell us anything and we will believe it. It ought to be against the law to use the public airways to lie to the American people.