People who want Dems to move to right - what issues do they have to drop?

[opebo]

The Dems need to drop the abortion issue.

No, then about half of Democrats would stop voting for them.

[Frodo]

The Dems need to drop the abortion issue.

No, then about half of Democrats would stop voting for them.

No, we will gain more than we lose by becoming less doctrinaire and closer to where the vast mainstream of America is on this issue.  It may lose your vote, but that is what I would regard as a desirable outcome.   

[Virginian87]

The Dems need to drop the abortion issue.

add to that gay marriage.

[opebo]

Want me to put this another way? Wave the white flag in the "culture war".

Why?  Isn't giving up the same as losing?

[opebo]

e.g., do we really want to sell out our working class for cheap third world labor? 

The working-class is 'sold out' by definition, angus. 

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Want me to put this another way? Wave the white flag in the "culture war".

Why?  Isn't giving up the same as losing?

Yes it is. Al wants the Democratic party to become a bunch of warmongers.

[opebo]

Want me to put this another way? Wave the white flag in the "culture war".

Why?  Isn't giving up the same as losing?

Yes it is. Al wants the Democratic party to become a bunch of warmongers.

I think it is even more important to him that the Democrats become a bunch of intolerant religious like him.

[GOP = Terrorists]

What they want:

1) Pro War.  Doesn't matter the war as long as you're calling for the deaths of whoever the government tells us is our enemy.   Violent militant warmongers.
2) Anti-Gay.  Can't fight for equality for homosexuals.
3) Anti-Labor.  Not allowed to work for the average Joe.  You will do the corporate elite's bidding at all times.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

The dems should aim towards a libertarian police state type of policies instead of trying to steer the US into social democracy.

[Inmate Trump]

It may lose your vote, but that is what I would regard as a desirable outcome.   

You're such a nice person.  Let's be friends.

[Jacobtm]

Democrats should:

1) Take a firm stance on fiscal responsibility, balanced budgets and whatnot. They've done a great job criticizing Bush for not balancing the budget, but they haven't done anything as a party to help curb reckless government spending.

2) Avoid talk of raising taxes in general. The gov't already sucks up about 37% of American's incomes, and that's more than enough. They should be smart and learn to deal with what they have. There's more than enough waste in government that a good shake-down could turn up tons of funds that weren't actually going to public use.

3) Chill on the anti-gun rhetoric. I mean, national registry and whatnot is a good idea, but in places where people go hunting, they have this image of democrats from places like Ny and Ma that want to get rid of guns in general.

4) The whole image of the northeastern elite is really what hurts Dems in the culture wars. The south and mid-west are not in any way opposed to things like social welfare programs and public works programs. There's nothing about core Democratic policies that are incompatable with anywhere in the nation, but lots of times Republicans just look better, and get elected.

[Ben.]

It's not so much about changing specific planks of the Democratic Party platform (although that too) as it is about changing perceptions.

I'd suggest instead of moving the party platform to the right you should do what the PA Democratic party has done for years, which is tolerate and support candidates who don't always agree with the party platform.  The Caseys are hardly social liberals, but the state party backs them.

The Republicans win because they have a big tent.  Lincoln Chafee, Arlen Specter, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, John McCain, and hopefully soon Tom Keane, Jr all find a home as Republican Senators.  Its a very big tent when Lincoln Chafee and Tom Coburn are both under it.

The Democrats on the other hand have Ben Nelson.... uh.... Ben Nelson, and Ben Nelson.  Smaller tent.  This is what I'd work on if I were a Democrat.

I Agree with both posts.

The Democratic party needs to embrace a broad church not enforce a narrow sectarian dogma and at the same time endorse a policy platform that works with the creation of a broad church party rather than against it – finally the Democrats also need to stop allowing the hard left interest group in collusion with the GOP to define the party in the eyes of the electorate.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

It's not so much about changing specific planks of the Democratic Party platform (although that too) as it is about changing perceptions.

I'd suggest instead of moving the party platform to the right you should do what the PA Democratic party has done for years, which is tolerate and support candidates who don't always agree with the party platform.  The Caseys are hardly social liberals, but the state party backs them.

The Republicans win because they have a big tent.  Lincoln Chafee, Arlen Specter, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, John McCain, and hopefully soon Tom Keane, Jr all find a home as Republican Senators.  Its a very big tent when Lincoln Chafee and Tom Coburn are both under it.

The Democrats on the other hand have Ben Nelson.... uh.... Ben Nelson, and Ben Nelson.  Smaller tent.  This is what I'd work on if I were a Democrat.

I Agree with both posts.

The Democratic party needs to embrace a broad church not enforce a narrow sectarian dogma and at the same time endorse a policy platform that works with the creation of a broad church party rather than against it – finally the Democrats also need to stop allowing the hard left interest group in collusion with the GOP to define the party in the eyes of the electorate.

Can you be more specific?