Time For Progressives Get Their Acts Together!

[Barbarella]

After reading about Netanyahu's re-election, I looked at this planet, looked at politics in my own country, looked at my fellow Progressives and facepalmed.

It seemed that despite all the worldliness and brains, the Progressives can't fight our way out of a paper bag.

The Progressive's always are "Chicken Littles", cynical, doom & gloom. When they receive a defeat, they go "we're done" rather than, "we'll regroup and try again".

Sure! There are some victories....but when will the BIG WINNINGS start?

Plus, Progressives seldom vote en-masse and they are hyper-cynical towards voting, thus giving more victories to the Regressives. They  seldom run for office en-masse. A lot of our problems could be solved if Progressives ran for the School Board, Mayor or other lower-level offices.

Progressives don't improvise or make do with less in the funding dept. You'd think that a bunch of "Brains & Logic" people would find a way to get ahead despite less funding.

I've read about the Lewis Powell memo and all the other tricks of the Far-Right. Progs (I'll use that term) need to learn from them and adapt it to their movement. Progs need to plan and use strategies.

You know what? Time for a new Progressive movement that will.....
* Raise morale and reject "Chicken Little" thinking.
* Reach out to the average Joe/Jane Q. Citizen, the farmers, the workers, the old folks, etc.
* Have a sort of system of "Secular Missionaries" who will go around and teach & educate the populace. They will also teach the people coping mechanisms so they won't let their fear & uncertainty let them fall for the lies & rhetoric of the Far-Right.
* Strategize & use the Far-Right's playbook against them.....use the Lewis Powell Memo against them.
* Quit dismissing the Far-Right as a bunch of rubes. I realized that they are all "playing dumb". Think about all the stupid stuff they say. They don't mean it. If they were such idiots, how come they've succeeded so far? Riddle me that one?

You know. I need to do something. I need to create a website to spread these ideas. I need to be that spark. It just takes one person. I'll also look into Sun Tzu's Art of War. It's not just for warfare. It can be applied to other areas.

[Art Vandelay]

You know. I need to do something. I need to create a website to spread these ideas. I need to be that spark. It just takes one person. I'll also look into Sun Tzu's Art of War. It's not just for warfare. It can be applied to other areas.

Really, you're actually going to do it? Well then, good luck to you. I'm not even being sarcastic right now. If you're actually going to take action yourself instead of demanding other people do it for you, then I think that's fantastic.

Let us know once you've got it set up.

[SpaceProg]

What Art said.  I'd like to see what you've got in mind.

[Ultimate Paragon]

Good!  Be proactive!

[rookie]

What Art said.  Any old fool can sit there and criticize. But it takes character to fix things.

[Cerim Treascair]

Consider me interested!

[Barbarella]

Thanks, guys. Perhaps I can come up with a really cool blog. I'll even come up with a colorful, easy-to-use, simplified voter's guide as well as a cool site that not only lists Koch Krap to boycott but provides links to alternatives! It's easier to boycott when one has alternatives.

I could put it all into one site and make it really colorful and cool, one that can catch the eyes of today's low-attention span/soundbite/talking head minded person.

I could start a site, or a blog, for a web-blog (maybe on YouTube)....or any of the above. I'm not savvy at complex website building but I could learn to blog.

[rookie]

Oops, Barb. Just say that question. So if the GOP is supposed to be so dumb, how do they keep winning? The quick answer is they better understand the game.  And they have better behind the scenes guys. They don't have the intellectual ideas guys, at least they don't run them that way. If elections really and truly about ideas, Gore should have won it in a walk. In smarts he was light years ahead of the mediocre Yalie. I'm not even going to mention the coke, who doesn't have a past?  But no. The Republican powers that be turned his faults into folksy charm, and taught him to do it in 30 second soundbites. . The very same way Clinton beat Bob Dole.

Every point you made is valid. Progressives do need to do all of that. But before they start winning seats anywhere, any office any level, they need to learn the rules of the game changed when a cool confident John Kennedy sat next to a nervous, uncomfortable looking Richard Nixon.