Enough of this gut wrenching, finger pointing, "oh, look at what they've done now" crap. We sound like an annoying little puppy yapping around the feet of big dogs and making nuisance of ourselves.
Hell, I'm a diehard Dem and I AM tired of our whining.
Right now, Republicans are having their cake and eating it too. They have goals and a vision (whatever you may think of it) that allows people to galvanize around it. They are determining the agenda and the discourse of the WORLD.
Here are some questions that I have for our Democratic Party:
Who are our Leaders?
Where are they?
What are they doing?
Where is our grand strategy or great vision?
Why should we stay loyal or even pay attention to you?
more below the fold...
Do I sound frustrated and disillusioned? You bet.
Lately, all we've had are flash in the pan leaders. They start a spark and then vanish into the ether. Yes, I'm talking to you Dean, Boxer, Reid, Kennedy, ...?
But before you come up to bat, you better have the goals, vision, strategy, and follow-through down pat. You better come to win the game and not merely swing at a ball. Right now: you don't have game.
So listen up bud or budess. Here are few things to think about before coming out to play:
1) You will always lose if you play your opponent's game.
We are playing their game. They determine the rules and how the game is played. They determine the outcome. And bud, it is a rigged game.
2) The best defense to an offense is an offense.
Do not allow your opponent to dictate the agenda. It is easy for them to hide traps and, engage and deplete your resources. With time, they will paralyze or neutralize you by having you go on wild goose chases and then springing a trap on you.
Net result: demoralization, depletion of resources, and lose of credibility. Does Dan Rather ring a bell? Does the sudden introduction of Pozen's ideas ring a bell?
3) Keep your eyes on the forest, not the veins on the leaves.
Don't get too caught up with every minutia of every act. We don't have the time or resources to deal with all of it. Nor do we need to. If you take a tree down, the leaves wont matter. We only need to keep our focus on larger issues.
e.g. - Don't try to dissect how SS benefits are calculated under Bush's plan. Just explain that his plan will take away your hard earned benefits, which is absolutely unnecessary when a simpler fix offered by us will protect it. Regardless of what is thrown at us, stick to your easily understood ideas (KISS).
4) "I don't want to hear about problems, I want to hear about solutions. "
People are not stupid (mostly). They get tired of only hearing bad news or watching people point out what is wrong. Hell, they can see it for themselves. They don't need you to add to their misery.
e.g. I know SS may be in trouble. I don't want to only hear about problems with Bush's solution. Tell me what YOU are going to do to help ME retain MY BENEFIT. Tell me what the solution is. I'm tired of hearing about doom and gloom. Tell me something I can look forward to.
Final Note:
This is a new world order. Your old game don't mean a thing. So don't bring us people who should be mothballed. They just don't cut it.
You better start thinking radically. You better be fresh. You better be the leader people WANT to, not merely have to, follow.
Peace