Witness the battering Murtha took.
Rep. Murtha looks pretty hearty to me.

recent polls show that Americans, when asked, trust Democrats on National Security more than Republicans
We have two parties. When one party loses esteem, the other gets credit. I’d rather my side have a real solution that keeps people in our camp rather than being the “default”.

The time for Dems standing up for Dem values is now. Not 2008 and beyond. If we don’t build up now, we’re dead meat in 2008 again. See 2002-04 for details.

The public sphincter will seize up and deny access to any changes.

Fear is a powerful emotion and rarely includes rational decision-
making. My fear is that there will be another attack prior to
‘08 and all kinds of wild speculation enters my head should
that occur. The public would sit still for martial law and
grant any powerful leader who promises they will be safe, any
constitutional pass he/she wishes.

The electoral process might be irrelevent should an attack occur
prior to.

My point is that people generally vote on local issues. Sure, the war is first and foremost on everyone’s mind, however, I’m pretty sure that 90% of the Democratic party would not agree with my “extreme” position that we get our troops the hell out or Iraq tomorrow. I believe the war has already been lost. If we polled the people in this forum, I suspect the vast majority would disagree with me.

Democrats don’t have a unified strategy on the war for many reasons. I’m not sure the GOP does either, these days.

For one thing, once you take a position, you end up having to defend it. (Witness the battering Murtha took.). Regardless of *not having* a strategy for troop withdrawal, for example, recent polls show that Americans, when asked, trust Democrats on National Security more than Republicans!

I agree with 95% of what you say on this blog. However, offering an intelligent alternative to the failures of the Bush administration and this current Congress may be enough to win back the House and Senate in 06. (More realisticaly, the House.)

The time for party platform will be 08.

JK

MY BS.

I think Hillary’s fate is all intra-party. If she can keep a party core and survive, she’lll be tough. And she will get ‘electability’ points as you say. And if she makes the general election, she can go all the way. As an aside, she has plenty of negatives but she also has invisible positives. Reagan did too. I always wondered where all his votes came from. Not that many conservatives. Not that many republicans. Some people put aside ideology because they liked the individual. Hillary will get some non liberal ‘middle ground’ votes.

OTOH, personally I don’t Clark has a huge amount of ‘personal’ cross-over appeal. And he has to relax and become a little more down to earth – more human. Warner I think could win.

On my side Frist is like Clark. Too stiff (unelectable). Allen too conservative, maybe too paleocon. Rudy G, if he can get on the radar screen, maybe. Not sure about McCain. Age, volatility (what happens when he has to deal with a seemingly unfair, critical media – instead of one that inordinately respects him as the anti-Bush).

Dugger

They could even say, “We’ll allow a vote on gay marriage/flag burning/man-on-dog relationships as soon as this Congress does something serious about unemployment/Iraq/port security/whatever.” And they could say that secure in the knowledge that the odds they’d ever have to follow through approach zero.

I’m just askin’.

Wilbur, I never said it didn’t.

In fact, I predict that there will be much hype and to-do about a chosen anti-hillary, and then about a week before primaries start, all the hype will be about how hillary is the “most electable”, and then Hillary will win the nomination, and then lose to some joke from the right because, frankly, hillary is a pretty big joke.

Just like Kerry in 2004.

Questions: what happens if another major T attack on America. Will it harm Rs who were on duty? Or will it remind/reinforce public of doubts about Democrats positons on T? What if the economy stays strong and no T attacks. Public may not want to risk a major change from Rs (in which case a moderate mark Warner still could go over well). Probably with Warner maybe tepid core support. Same with Hills if she moderates. She has a problem. If she goes left, the public is poised to catch it and and make a big deal out of it. If she goes right, the core left is looking hard and will catch it and react negatively. Could let Clark slip in under the radar. She has to tight rope.

Dugger

The Moderate Voice writes about a Fred Barnes piece in The Weekly Standard outlining what the GOP mid-term election strategy will be. It’s basically red meat for the conservative base of the party:House Republicans, for their part, intend to seek

Serious question.

Do you think the hunkering down by dems is a strategy that works?

Running away from the Murtha plan, Feingold censure is all they have
to do to win seats? What advantage is there in not having a majority
in either House before the ‘08? What COULD they do now to take the
majority in Nov?

Hey, the only real issue between now and 2008 is if Hillary can continue to talk moderate to the mainstream while wink-wink-nudge-nudging the left core that she is some kind of radical. And then will the big money leftists buy her straddling act or buy another candidate? If she can pull it off, she’s probably President.

Dugger

So go ahead and introduce these bills you speak of. See how well gay marriage and tax increases go over with the general public.

Not very well I’d say.

That being said, the Dems do have a good chance to make up some ground in ‘06. Not because of their ideas, but because of the Reps. and some of their screwups. (Iraq, ports, scandals)

The rest of the comment is mine. Now, if you want to say bad things about Mr. Sowell, go ahead. I’m sure he won’t mind; I sure don’t.

But if you have nothing to say about what I wrote, stop pretending that it’s my fault.

JK

Instead of continually whining about the party, I sugggest you read Tip O’Neill’s book…”All Politics if Local.” What you’re doing isn’t helpfull.

JK

The problem is that the politicians you support want America to look more like Iran than Sweden.

I choose neither.

The problem is that the politicians you support want America to look more like Iran than Sweden. I venture to say that a poll would probably find less support for bedroom policing than for a strong progressive agenda.