Then the Democratic Party need to nothing (0.00 / 0)

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by: barryr @ Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 13:54:55 PM CDT

Then the Democratic Party need do nothing (0.00 / 0)

Trying again...

Beltway Democrats must love news like this. If the Republican Party is in so much trouble, then they can just sit back, mouth some virtuous words, and wait for the next election.  No need to "divide the country," as Feinstein's e-mail response said, by doing any messy impeachment hearings.  No need to do anything really drastic to get our troops out of Iraq.  And certainly no need to do or say anything too liberal which might get the talking heads squawking and offend corporate campaign donors.

Before progressives can think about governing, they need to think about how to get a Democratic government to turn to the left.

And all Americans need to think about how to restore the Constitution.

Barry

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by: barryr @ Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 14:03:41 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

They do (0.00 / 0)

There is a general sense down there that the status quo has returned to normal, and there is no need to do anything drastic. But it is up to us to force them to govern progressively. Democrats are going to win almost no matter what happens over the next two to four years. Let's make them win, and then govern, in the right way.

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by: Chris Bowers @ Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 14:25:02 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Presidential race is a lock (4.00 / 1)

With numbers like these, I'm confident that whoever wins the Democratic presidential nomination will cruise to victory. Then the question becomes: What do Democrats need to do in order to build a truly progressive America? The answer lies in a solidly Democratic Congress, in particular a Democratic U.S. Senate with a filibuster-proof supermajority of 60 votes. Even though Senate Republicans are defending twice as many seat as the Democrats in 2008 (thanks to the GOP sweep of 2002), gaining nine more seats is next to impossible.

But getting close (say, 57 or 58 seats) is within reach, and it's likely that landmark progressive legislation will be voted on and not filibustered if that happens. Unfortunately, the Democratic base and the Netroots have been too busy thinking about the Presidential Primary. It's time that we progressives stopped bickering about Clinton vs. Obama vs. Edwards, and start thinking about a truly progressive America vs. one that simply fixes the mess left behind by the Bush era.

Leftmost Bit

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by: Luigi Montanez @ Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 23:15:32 PM CDT

60 Maybe Not Out Of Reach (0.00 / 0)

I think it's quite possible that GOP Senators will 5 percent across the boards by this time next year in terms of re-elect and approval numbers.  Maybe even 10 percent. 

I don't think the numbers from this Zoqby poll are off, nor do I think they've been translated into feelings about specific candidates.  But that's what political campaigns are all about.  There's no guarantee, but I think we're looking at a much, much bigger opportunity than people realize yet.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

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by: Paul Rosenberg @ Wed Jul 25, 2007 at 00:00:02 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

This drives home just how pointless triangulation is... (4.00 / 1)

This drives home just how pointless triangulation is in our next national election. The candidates who are out there talking about "bipartisanship" and "healing rifts" need to take a careful look at the poll numbers Chris quotes. The voters are mad. We know who to blame, and we don't want any of this stuff happening again. There will be plenty of time for bipartisanship in a couple of decades.

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by: Mark Wallace @ Mon Jul 23, 2007 at 23:17:12 PM CDT