Galt Wrote:Will the Democrats regain control of the house and/or senate?
Discuss.
It depends what strategy they take. I recently read an article about this that made sense to me:
"they need to:
1. focus on eviornmental, energy options and weaning off dependance on foriegn oil.
2. control the dynamic - The anger on the left should be directed against the leaders of the party who are so timid and so afraid of attempting anything that is designed to put the Republicans on the defensive.
3. deny them targets - Rove and the Republicans are masters at this. They go after the enemy's strengths and focus on their own weaknesses. Their greatest weakness, their greatest target would seemingly be Iraq right now. But Rove is brilliant at turning this around. He makes Iraq the Democrat weakness, by deflecting attention from how the war has been conducted to what will happen if we leave. The Democrats should turn this around, by not providing the Republicans with so many juicy targets. Elucidating a clear policy on Iraq and terrorism would help. Taxes are always an Achilles heel for Democrats. Preempt this attack by talking about actual programs you would be in favor of eliminating, of how taxes could be lowered for the majority of Americans, how this would be accomplished.
4. Set ambushes: Rove and company start with something rather ugly or negative that is generally planted into the media by their operatives. The Democrats get angry and fight back. The Republicans return fire by accusing the Democrats of going negative. All of this is done to muddy the picture, deliberately create confusion on policies for which the Republicans are vulnerable. This will often be done around hot-button wedge issues. The Democrats must be prepared for this and should return some of the fire by doing some baiting and ambushing of their own.
5. Stop preaching to the converted: Howard Dean happens to be right here. The party has to expand beyond the blue states, has to find inroads to the South. Messages must be crafted for a wider audience, and money poured into races in areas in which the Republicans have felt themselves safe. Make the south competitive again has to be our mantra. Somehow the party has to rid itself of all of the snobs that have infiltrated it. Will the Democrats be the party of Hollywood, of New York, of Talk America, and progressive ghettos throughout the country, thereby ensuring permanent minority status? Or will it return to the vision of FDR, to a party that the average American could and wanted to identify with?"
if you want the link, I'll supply it, but I don't think anybody's even going to read that ^^^ whole post.
yea pretty much the way for democrats to win has been laid out for quite a while, the problem is that no one seems to follow the rules.
republicans may be "dumb" but they are idiot savants when it comes to politics, at least lately.
Point #1 is something I'm very surprised the democrats haven't been focusing on more. Not about the environment, and our kids and waah waah waaaah the world is going to end - because most people either don't care, don't believe it, or are sick of hearing about it.
But focusing on weening ourselves off foreign oil because it strips the terrorists of their major funding source. The democrats can position themselves as cutting the terrorists off at their knees while the republicans are in bed with the bad guys.
This is obviously not a revolutionary thought - I have seen the point made by democrats, but not as the centerpiece, and they really haven't made a big piont of it.
Point 5. That's the democrats biggest problem. As much as the republicans get branded as racists and homophobes, there is not a single person as closed-minded and less tolerant than a real passionate democrat. The "If you don't agree with us, you are an idiot and a bigot" mantra has not only not worked, but was a major reason why they lost the presidential election. The way they openly mock and dismiss the intelligence of their oponents and their opponents' supporters is killing the democratic party.
I will say, I haven't seen as much of it lately, but the election is still a month away, and the Democrats are looking solid so they don't have to play up the cranky "I can't believe we aren't winning - what are you all fucking retarded?" mantra they have had for the last four years.
The problem with the democrats is they talk too much, they use 10 words instead of 2. Republicans use sound bytes and get to the point, most people dont actually care about the issue, as long as it sounds good and can be said in like 5 words.
Plus the democrats haven't mastered the nothing debate, republicans own that shit. Just debate like you're on the springer show, who can make the sickest burn or talk the loudest and smirk when you are talking. Yet the entire point is there is no point, its just a "yeah well your idea sucks more".
Clearly an unbiased, scientific poll:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.countypressonline.com/site/news.cfm?brd=2549">http://www.countypressonline.com/site/news.cfm?brd=2549</a><!-- m -->
Will the Mark Foley scandal change how you vote Nov. 7?
* No
* Yes, I will now vote Democrat because Republicans are not supposed to be sexual predators whereas with Democrats it is not something unexpected.
* Yes, I will now vote Republican because Republicans get rid of their sexual predators rather than run them for President or give them powerful committee assignments.
The Foley issue is only becoming partisan as a result of Republicans trying to blame it on the dems.
thats the problem, picking and choosing either dem or rep based on one persons "scandal".
like I said no one cares about the issues. it's all about the gossip and soundbite.
SWIFT BOATS, FLIP FLOPPERS, SUPPORT THE TROOPS, GAY MARRIAGE
BUSH WINS!!!
I agree with you on that Gonzo,
soundbytes win.......
and the Dems still haven't figured it out.
READ THE FUCKING OPTIONS
A. No
B. Democrats because we already know they are deviants
C. Republicans because they got rid of their deviant rather than make him President.
IT'S THE WORST POLL EVER!
I read it the first time,
and like I often do,
I talked around you,
you are a speed bump on the fun highway.
thats like the point made one time about a poll.
it was something like, 58% of people think we give too much foreign aid and 49% think it should be cut. Which means that 9% think it is too high and SHOULDN'T be cut.
so basically it's partly the way polls are structured and partly because people are dumb.
the democrat choice is still winning though
That's because I saw this poll originally on Democratic Underground, and they like to bombard polls to affect their outcome.
The Freepers Exist only to keep things fair.
and offsett Liberal Pollster aggressions.
oh, i thought maybe the town was just filled with sexual predators
Ken'sPen Wrote:The Freepers Exist only to keep things fair.
and offsett Liberal Pollster aggressions.
No, they are equally retarded, and they have a crappy site, to boot. I like to go wherever the insane people are and mock them. It's just that the open-minded, tolerant DUers refuse to let anyone post on the board who disagrees with them about anything. At least the Freepers let in dissenting opinions.
It probably is. So you are still on the right track.
sounds like you have issues......
HedCold Wrote:oh, i thought maybe the town was just filled with sexual predators
according to goat they're all on myspace