While the opposing party is, by nature, supposed to oppose (something these Democrats just seem to have learned during the Social Security debate), it is also useful to have a clear agenda to take to the people that goes beyond “Not Bush”:
News about GOP political corruption, inept hurricane response and chaos in Iraq has lifted Democrats’ hopes of winning control of Congress this fall. But seizing the opportunity has not been easy, as they found when they tried to unveil an agenda of their own.
Democratic leaders had set a goal of issuing their legislative manifesto by November 2005 to give voters a full year to digest their proposals. But some Democrats protested that the release date was too early, so they put it off until January. The new date slipped twice again, and now House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) says the document will be unveiled in “a matter of weeks.”
Some Democrats fear that the hesitant handling is symbolic of larger problems facing the party in trying to seize control of the House and Senate after more than a decade of almost unbroken minority status. Lawmakers and strategists have complained about erratic or uncertain leadership and repeated delays in resolving important issues.
I really do think that the 2006 Congressional elections are a very clear turning point for the current Democratic party. If they can not capitalize on the missteps and the public distaste for he current GOP leadership as symbolized by President Bush (whose poll numbers are converging with my age, something that would be good for Bush if I were not in my middle 30’s), and if they can not make substantial gains in the 2006 election, I do not know what they can do to regain power for a long time. I understand that politics can change fast in a short period of time, but I really think that this election will have a great deal of predictive value, even with the current state of the highly gerrymandered seats.
Obligatory Troll Protection- I am not saying the Democrats don’t have a message or a plan. They are.
Paddy O'Shea
Well John, perhaps all of this is true. I certainly think it’s a bucket of bollocks. In my opinion the Democrats have quite a strong message based on competence, fiscal sanity, integrity, protection for popular govt entitlements such as Social Security, a strong anti-corruption stand particularly in regard to the disgusting ethics violations shown by the likes of Tom DeLay and Bill Frist amongst others, and the growing perception that when it comes to protecting America from terrorists the GOP has failed and cannot be depended upon to make wise decisions.
But perhaps that is just my opinion.
But there is one thing the Democrats have that the GOP doesn’t. And that is a 14 point lead in today’s Gallup Poll. Something that hasn’t happened since the watershed year of 1994.
http://poll.gallup.com/content/?ci=21793
neil
It seems like it’s the Washington Post saying the Democrats don’t have a message, rather than the Democrats themselves.
Also, it sounds like America has finally woken up to the Democrats’ time-tested “Not Bush” message. Why change the message now just when it’s becoming popular? I say ride that baby to the end of the line, if not beyond. (Isn’t Powerline still running against Jummy Carter?)
Steve
The one thing the Democrats won’t do in 2006, but can still do down the road, is have a leader. Right now, Reid wants to do this, Pelosi wants to do that, Howard Dean wants to do something else, there’s no one in a strong enough position to really take charge. There’s a prevailing sense that the Republicans are self-destructing, ergo the Dems don’t need to stick their neck out, and so everyone who does stick their neck out gets hassled by the likes of Pelosi saying “don’t screw this up for us!”
The Republicans aren’t any better organized, to tell you the truth. For all the talk of the RNC’s vaunted message machine, Republicans in Congress go off the reservation all the time. The only thing that truly holds them together is George Bush and the folks in the White House. Bush takes a stand, his people let Congress know they will brook no dissent, and everyone in the GOP understands that supporting the President is the best course for ensuring their political survival. Only recently has this dynamic changed and we’ve seen things revert to chaos.
Without the White House to set the message, I don’t know that the Republicans have their act together any better than the Dems. Left to their own devices, Republicans in Congress will simply do what Congresscritters do in their own self-interest: raise money, pursue their individual agendas, ensure their re-election.
The proper leader makes all the difference. The major distinction between 1994 and 2006 is Newt Gingrich.
don surber
Gerrymandered seats might make it easier to oust Republicans as one tries to concentrate the Out Party’s people in districts while giving yourself just enough of a majority to hold a seat
DeLay’s district is 55% GOP
Mr Furious
A quick thought before I run into a meeting…
The Dems have an agenda and a plan, they are just unable to catapult the media role they’ve been cast in, and suffer more from the portrayla than the actuial substance.
But that is important to note, and fro them to work hard to overcome. and they often DO NOT use the best voices to do it. Reid and Pelosi (Reid Esp.) might be goood organizers and inside baseball types, but they are crap spokepeople for the party.
the message is there, we need the messenger and the delivery method.
I’ll be back with more.
Mr Furious
Holy crap. that’s a lot of typos.
neil
Here’s a nifty little nugget about the zeitgeist courtesy of Google:
Results 1 – 10 of about 842 for “republicans struggle”.
Results 1 – 10 of about 12,100 for “democrats struggle”.
Yes, it’s undoubtedly true that Democrats have been in more of a position to struggle, nationwide, in the last few Internet-saturated years. But by a factor of over 150? I think what we have here is a bit of linguistic programming.
srv
This is nothing Diebold can’t take care of.
neil
Here’s an example that I think _doesn’t_ reflect the same lingustic bias:
Results 1 – 10 of about 65,900 for “democrats fail”.
Results 1 – 10 of about 23,400 for “republicans fail”.
A 3-1 ratio is well explained by the times we’re living in. A 150-1 ratio is not.
don surber
What we need is a fourth party, one that doesn’t care about prayer in school or academic freedom. One that doesn’t care about abortion or parental notification. One that doesn’t care intelligent design or evolution. One that just wants the shores protected, the mail delivered and the damned government to do the jobs it already has without adding more to it
LITBMueller
This Post article is complete bunk, IMO. Why in the world would you have to have a “national agenda” to win a local race?
Local races are won on local issues. It makes little sense for someone running for a House seat in a rural part of Nevada to be stressing port security over local issues – they have no ports!
All politics is local…still. The Contract with America was something any candidate could mention in his campaign, as it was universal. But, let’s not kid ourselves – it did not win much for the GOP. It was signed a mere six weeks before the elections.
And, think about it: some sort of a Democratic Document concerning something like the budget deficit and the national debt would be incredibly repetitive. Everyone knows that Bush and the GOP Congress squandered the surplus with tax cuts and reckless spending. There are few that believe that the GOP is really fiscally responsible anymore, as opposed to back in ’94 when both parties were trying to claim the mantle of fiscal responsibility.
Jorge
I really think the issue is that the parties have switched roles and the Dems have not been able to admit it.
The Democrats – under Clinton – became the party of maintaining and refining the programs and advances of the Great Society and the New Deal. They are now the ones trying to keep the status quo.
Under Bush, the Republicans have become the party of change. From Rumsfeld changing the military to Bush wanting to privatize social security to reforming the tax code to overturning Roe to ending affirmative active, the Bush revolution is about fundamental change.
After a century of massive change, the old definitions of liberal and conservative don’t apply anymore.
Jorge
They used to call this party the “Republicans.” What happened to them?
jg
And it won’t amke any difference because the GOP will put a wedge issue like gay marriage on the ballot and the election will be overrun with blue hairs and religious nutbags and racists who normally couldn’t be bothered to show up to vote. And they certainly won’t be voting for the dem candidate after they pull the gay marriage lever. Worked in the last presidential election.
Paddy O'Shea
One thing I have always loved about Democrats, they never take good news well.
Best polling numbers during the Congressional races in decades, and my brethren get depressed.
Take it from yer pal Paddy, will ya? The fucking elephant is tits up and stinking of death and flies.
kelsey
This is such crap. What is the Republican’s national message? They have the president to run on, and since he is not too popular right now, they need something to run against. It’s the Republicans who want the Dems to release a national message so that they can run against something. And the idiots at the Washington Post would like nothing more than to do the bidding of the Republicans, which is why we keep hearing this crap.
Rob
What’s wrong with “not Bush”?
Bush := incompetence, cronyism, morally bankrupt.
You would therefore be running on competence and integrity.
Rob
So does that mean there is prayer in school or not.
Do we teach evolution or ID?
Is there parental notification or not?
Is abortion legal or illegal?
Dennis
I have voted Republican in the last 6 Presidential elections. I will be voting Democrat this time. I think all the worry over the Democratic message is balderdash at best and Republican talking point at worst(always unsupported). Democrats don’t need a unified message they can run on local issues and smear the Republicans at this point. The only other option I have is to vote for a party that has failed the conservative revolution, become corrupt on many levels, led us into an illegal war, is attacking my personal freedoms, and calls me a traitor for thinking so. Democrats shouldn’t promise anything! They will have their hands full just trying to undo the damage the Republicans have caused. The corrupt incompetence on obvious display is all they need to win. They don’t even need to call attention to it, it would be redundant!
VidaLoca
I think this point, made by you and others, is somewhat true.
The problem is, no two Democrats have the same agenda and the same plan. Furthermore, to the extent that they do have a common plan, it’s called “individual survival” — plus servicng the (mainly elite) interests in their individual fiefdoms. Hence the disorganization around message, and the circular firing squads that we’ve come to know so well.
Furthermore, all the agendas and all the plans they can dream up will only take them so far. What they need, and haven’t got (on the evidence so far) is any ability to stand for anything, and any desire to fight for anyone.
Pb
For the other poll wonks out there, I saw some interesting analysis over at Political Arithmetik (via Mystery Pollster). Basically, Bush has already lost America–his base is the only thing keeping him afloat, and if they go south (are they already?) his poll numbers could really collapse–like, below 30%. It should make for an interesting year, in any case.
ppGaz
Speaking as a confirmed and lifelong Democrat, I think it’s important to recognize that there is a huge battle under way for control of that party. It’s a struggle between entrenched and established power, and those who want to retire that power. It’s a struggle between Biden, and Dean, for example.
Democrats know that party unity is like fire, useful for boiling water but dangerous at the same time. Republicans worship unity, Democrats do not.
The bullshit issues like prayer in school and defense of marriage only work when they can be used to distract from real issues. That strategy only works for a while. Today you have the Iraq debacle, the corruption, the mounting debt, and a whole list of shortcomings that are really owned by the Republican government in power. It’s going to be hard to paper over this train wreck with “values” bullshit, going forward.
All your values are belong to us, when the country is being run into a ditch.
But the bottom line for me, a party reformer by disposition, is that I’d rather see the Spuds continue to shoot themselves in the groin another two years than roll over for the Bidens and Liebermans of my party. They are like vampires, stakes musts be driven through their lying self-serving hearts, otherwise we just get another band of assholes to replace the current band of assholes running the country.
Paddy O'Shea
ppGaz: Remember the message some “reformers” put out in 2000? That there was no difference between Al Gore and George W. Bush, and that it wouldn’t make any difference who won?
Man, did that turn out to be a scow filled with shit.
Tim F.
I had a similar sentiment in my second post here. Democrats can likely win this coming election merely by not being Republicans, but to cement a lasting majority they need to remember why they’re the ones taking up half of Congress and not, say, a Scarlett Johanssen fan club.
Richard Bottoms
South Dakota just delivered the socially liberal Republican soccer moms back to us and Saint McCain says he’d of signed the same bill.
The Republicans in control of all three branches of government, given every dollar they’ve asked for are losing a war. The military people bearing the burden of the debacle are none too happy with Chimp McFlightsuit.
Teri Schiavo scared the crap out of any sane religious person, and Jews have finally woken up to the Pat Robertson wing of the party’s anticipation of the Rapture, which comes after the fiery destruction of Israel BTW.
Millions without health care and grandma with her screwed up Medicare are out for blood.
The elephants can’t find someone to even oppose Hillar Clinton, much less beat her.
The port scandal reveals that foreign ownership of America may have gone too far, and as an aside less than $1 billion a year is spent on security at the docks.
Oh, and the bribery scandals are just starting heat up.
All this and Bush is already in the 30’s.
They may limp past the 2006 elections, but they are fucked come 2008.
Some of us suggested during the Social Security fight that Democrats just say, “We have a plan for Social Security. It’s called Social Security.”
Stand by the program we created and our success in fighting off attempts by the coservative ideolouges to dismantle the social safety net as you platform.
Let them try the same of fag bashing and we’ll see who wins.
Richard Bottoms
I think the winning part is the most important. A lasting agenda will come from gaining the power of investigation and supeana so we can see just what the necons have screwed up the last six years.
Mac Buckets
Didn’t you have all that (if you listened to the Donks) plus (fake) massive unemployment in 2004?
RonB
You’re in luck, Don! They already exist, they are called the Libertarian Party, and they have about as much chance of getting into national government as I do of being able to tattoo Scarlett Johanssen’s ass.
Half made up of lazy political thinkers and fringe libertines. Which one do you fall in?
Paddy O'Shea
Poll: Cheney Less Popular Than OJ
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=060000&biid=2006030721918
Pooh
Food for thought on why the message we liberals hear doesn’t neccesarily reasonate. Good stuff.
kelsey
“Cheney Less Popular Than OJ”
OJ just got a bad rap in the press. His wife and her boyfriend were just sneaking up behind him when he turned around and accidentally stabbed them. Everyone knows it is proper ettiquete to announce yourself before you walk up to someone with a knife.
DougJ
I’m not convinced the public wants a “unified message” as much as the Beltway media pimps do. Remember how they always attacked Clinton for his “something for everyone” style of SOTU address? And remember what a big hit they were with the public? The Beltway media morons (sorry to be foaming at the mouth here, but I truly, truly hate the Gang of 500) likes simplistic messages because they are too stupid and lazy to deal with anything more complicated than that themselves.
I think most Americans simply want politicians who aren’t completely corrupt or completely incompetent.
The Other Steve
That would be the Democrats.
If it weren’t for the Republicans, none of these issues would even be on the political agenda.
danelectro
seriously tim, cut it out with the scarlett johanson references. i have to get some work done here.
The Other Steve
I’m so close to running for some office somewhere, just so I can get a podium and scream at these fucking morons.
I’ve gotta figure out what that involves, cause if my state house district isn’t democratic by 2008, I’m running.
DougJ
I think we need a fifth party: one that doesn’t care about prayer in school or academic freedom. One that doesn’t care about abortion or parental notification. One that doesn’t care intelligent design or evolution. One that doesn’t care about protecting the shores, or delivering the mail. One that only cares about The War on Christmas, the disappearance of Natalie Holloway, Janet Jackson’s breasts, and movies about gay cowboys.
Such a party would undoubtedly win every election.
ppGaz
To what do you refer? Nader?
I’m talking about the Deannites and the Kossacks.
Paddy O'Shea
Rule of thumb: The worst Democrat is better than the best Republican.
VDOES as they say.
Perry Como
Vote DougJ 2006.
Perhaps we need a straw poll. DougJ vs. Don Surber.
Richard Bottoms
That’s my motto.
Applies to Star Trek movies vs. Star Wars too.
The worst Star Trek movie is better than the best Star Wars movie. Of course every rule has an exception. The last Star Wars movie is just slightly better than Star Trek V.
Only because Vader tattoos Natlalie Portman’s ass.
Davebo
If the Dems haven’t released a “legislative manifesto” (God what a term!) by the end of May I might muster some concern.
But for now, as has been noted already, the single most resonant issue for the Dems has been handed to them on a silver platter and I wouldn’t want them to ignore it and point “over here, here’s our agenda!”.
There’s nothing wrong with showcasing the abject ineptitude of the oppostion party in virtually every area of leadership.
srv
Pooh
Good reading.
mark
AMEN
gratefulcub
The dems can win in 06 by just riding the wave of anti bush, anti corruption, and civil war in Iraq.
In 08, a new GOP with a new message will emerge. That will be the turning point. The dems will have to be better by then.
srv
I second that.
DougJ
Three words, motherfucker: Empire Strikes Back. I’ll take the pepsi challenge with that Wrath of Kahn shit any day of the week.
Barry
Mac Buckets Says:
Another:
“Today you have the Iraq debacle, the corruption, the mounting debt, and a whole list of shortcomings that are really owned by the Republican government in power.”
Didn’t you have all that (if you listened to the Donks) plus (fake) massive unemployment in 2004?
Yes, and the unemployment wasn’t fake. Bush was the first US president since Hoover to have fewer jobs at the end of his term than at the beginning.
Truth met the lie, and the lie did win.
DougJ
Barry, you’re a clear example of the pre-911 mindset. No wonder you clowns lose all the elections.
Jorge
Katrina – Nope
The Social Security Smack Down – Nope
The corruption scandals and indictments – Nope
Terri Schiavo – Nope
The reality of the Drug Bill – Nope
The mess in Iraq – We had the mess, but folks still believed the insurgency was in its last throes.
Jorge
And the worst episode of the new Battlestar Galactica wipes the floor with either of those film franchises.
Caprica, bitches.
DougJ
Jorge, no one is interested in your blame Bush litany of pre-911 whines.
Katrina — would have been worse if Saddam had still be in power.
Social Security — will be made stronger through private accounts
Terri Schiavo — murdered by the government, like Vince Foster.
The reality of the Drug Bill – Getting more popular as people learn more about it.
The mess in Iraq – I guess you would have called the US a mess in 1776. Boy, I’m glad you weren’t at Valley Forge.
Jorge
DougJ,
Why do you hate freedom?
We have your IP address, by the way. So, if you’re reading, DougJ, we have your IP address, and we’re going to turn it over to Balloon-Juice security, and you’ll be getting a little visit.
Richard Bottoms
Bring it bitch.
Darth Vader is a cartoon, a meenie in a universe of Jabba the Hut? Har, don’t make me laugh.
Khan didn’t just swing a light saber and rattle off bullshit, he cut throats and killed people with his bare hands.
Vader? Khan would have compacted him like a used Chevy.
Ancient Purple
That is true.
It is also true that Bush Co. successfully used wedge issues to win the election. Now, those wedge issues are seen for what they are and most people simply don’t care about the gay marriage debate or believe that Bush is the only person who can save us from Osama (isn’t he supposed to be captured by now?).
Good luck riding those wedge issues in 2006 and 2008. South Dakota just gave the progressive movement a big gift, Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate in the country despite the fact they allow gay marriage, and people are starting to believe that Bush is soft on homeland security (Dubai port deal, DHS funding, etc.).
Add that to the fact that income is down, Medicare Part D is a disaster, DeLay is spending his primary night with a group of lobbiests, and Cheney is allowed to carry a gun, and the pickings are ripe for a change in Washington.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that the Dems gain control of at least one half of the Congress, just because I want to see Bush’s head explode when he doesn’t get his way.
srv
And Kirk could’ve kicked both their asses.
DougJ
Billy Dee versus Ricardo Montalban? It’s a clash of the titans, Ali versus Frazier, but Billy Dee gets the decision.
DougJ
Because in the end “Colt 45: works every time” is a better line than “fine Corinthian leather”.
God, I’m really showing my age here.
Richard Bottoms
Adama does rock. But the proof is when they go to the big screen. And why don’t they just have Number Six stroll naked all the timr, since only Baltar can see her?
Best line ever: “No more mister nice Gaius.”
Too bad I don’t get the SciFi channel at the moment, so no spoilers. Anyway, I’ll see season three on DVD.
Krista
Damn skippy. And the Cylons would use Darth for spare parts. I love that they kept that creepy, back-and-forth red eye-light thingy. Scared the bejeezus out of me when I was a 5-year old in footie pyjamas, begging to be allowed to stay up to watch “Battlestar Gal-ac-it-a”.
Jorge
Whatever – James Earl Jones in black outer space Samurai armor whips up on fake chest piece, space mullet Ricardo Montalban any day of the week. Yoda’s long ears punk Spock. Chewie could fix a space drive quicker than Scotty could bitch about how he couldn’t get it done.
And, well, we all win if we get to see a cat fight between sail barge Leia and Uhura.
Richard Bottoms
What are you smoking? Ricardo Montalban is a better actor as Senor Senor Senior on Kim Possible, than Bille Dee was in anything he’s ever done except Lady Sings the Blues.
Jim Allen
Once the Dems do put out some kind of agenda, in whatever form, the Republicans will likely co-opt some portion of it, water it down almost beyond recognition and take credit for a “new” idea. If the Dems then oppose what the idea has become, they’ll be labeled flip-flopers who were “for it before they were against it”. The Department of Homeland Security is one such example, as is prescription drug reform.
Screw that shit a lot. The Republicans are in power, with both sides of Congress and the White House. Let them come up with the ideas. The only reason they want the Democrats to come up with something is that everything they’ve come up with sucks pond water.
Jorge
Richard –
It just gets better and better. Here is a non-spolier spolier that will make your day – there are lots of 6s running around and they are all played by that same Victorias Secret model. Yum.
Jim Allen
I’m sorry, am I off topic?
LITBMueller
C’mon….everyone knows Buckaroo Banzai can outsmart Adama, kick Vader’s ass, and get more chicks than Kirk any day!
“It’s Big Boutaaaaayyyy!!!” :)
Krista
They do in the Canadian episodes. They were thinking of doing it in general, but after that whole Janet Jackson uproar, they decided that the U.S. was just too prudish, and obviously preferred TV violence to TV nudity. So they film two sets of scenes for Number Six. One set where she’s fully clothed for the American audiences, and one set where she’s nude for the Canadian and British audiences.
Your loss, I guess. She’s stunning. I guess you would have also missed the nudity during the sex scene between Boomer and Helo?
Richard Bottoms
More evidence we don’t have to do anything other than watch the right implode.
The wolves haven’t even begun to fall on each other in earnest. If it weren’t real people dying because of this stupidity it would be fun.
I save my popcorn for fights over abortion and port security.
srv
BB was way more choosey than Kirk. Sorta 1 guy, 1 girl. Kirk was more 1 guy, 1 galaxy.
Krista
Jim Allen – deep down, even though we love arguing about politics, we love agreeing on what makes us complete and utter geeks.
Jim Allen
Krista, I understand completely.
Now if you can tell me when I’ll be able to get “Galactica” in DVD in the Canadian version, I’ll be a very happy man.
Does everyone say “What the frack, eh?” in those episodes?
Jorge
Krista,
You just ruined my life with that little tidbit. As a happily married, sober, Christian man, the only cheap thrills I still get come from just HAVING to watch some smut in order to enjoy my favority TV shows. The fact that I’m not being subjected to the full smut is frustrating.
Jorge
Hey – I love the use of the word “frack.”
The Other Steve
I just want to say, I am experiencing great joy reading this thread to see the back and forth of Star Trek versus Star Wars versus Battlestar Gallactica.
Primarily because nobody has mentioned that show Bablyon 5. God I could never stand that thing.
I haven’t watched much BG… one episode friday night, and it made no fucking sense to me. Not nearly as good as the original.
You just can’t beat Dirk Benedict as Starbuck. Just ain’t gonna happen.
What they ought to do is bring back the A-Team, with a crack squad of Iraqi war vets.
Jim Allen
No, what they really ought to do is bring back “I Spy”. And not a remake, either, just rerun the original episodes. In sequence, please.
Krista
Respectfully disagree. I think Katee Sackhoff brings such a cool, interesting, complicated dimension to Starbuck. Dirk Benedict was awesome, for the time, but I think the new Starbuck is a lot less two-dimensional.
Richard Bottoms
What??? The first space series in which people died, changed sides and evolved. I thought there would be nothing at all to watch on TV once I knew B5 was headed off the air.
Then they came up with a girl living in Sunnydale who killed vampires.
Richard Bottoms
The Man from Uncle, biatch.
Pb
The Other Steve,
Works for me! Incidentally, guess who has a reality TV show in the works…
Richard Bottoms
Remember, no matter where you go. There you are.
Jim Allen
Not all that long ago, TVLand (I think) reran some episodes of “Man From UNCLE”, and I sat down to watch with great anticipation. And I got up some time later suffering from great disappointment. To my mind, they really didn’t age well at all. In fact, the seemed as dated as old “Batman” reruns.
Still, seeing J. Carroll Naish do anything again was a treat.
srv
Jorge,
I am sure, in the miserable annals of the Earth, you will be duly enshrined.
Ancient Purple
I wish you could have. B5 was simply awesome because it broke the rules. Characters that were introduced in season one would disappear and then reappear in season 4. The whole thing was a soap opera in outer space and things were not so wrapped up in 42 minutes. Some plot lines lasted years. And, then there was the hot girl-on-girl subtext featuring Ivanova and Talia.
B5 was well before its time. I remember being in awe when Kosh came out of his encounter suit. I also still get physically exhauted watching the battle scene in “Severed Dreams.” And who knew that little Laura Ingalls would grow up to become an agent of the Shadows! :o)
I miss B5.
srv
We should write scripts. You know, the elder A-Team survivors could come out of retirement to break them out. Be a good opener.
Pb
srv,
I was reading something else Mr. T-related, apparently he still keeps in touch with the original cast, and he’d probably be up for a movie too.
The Other Steve
Obviously they introduced her to try to appeal towards women.
As The World Turns in space…
See here’s the thing. I’m not a television watcher. I don’t put my life on hold just so I won’t miss the latest episode of Frazier. I go out, I do things. Occasionally I watch TV.
Any show which makes no sense to me because I haven’t seen the past 24 episodes, is crap.
This was the magic behind Xena and Highlander. If you’d seen the last 24 episodes, a lot made sense. If you hadn’t, it was still enjoyable.
Oh yeah, and the A-Team… the Most Awesome Show of all time. Ok, maybe with the exception of Magnum PI. We’ll have a strawpoll on that one.
Jim Allen
And this, dear friends, is why the Democrats cannot come up with a coherent plan.
Too easily distracted by trivia.
Richard Bottoms
Actually it was a huge deal, and more of a breakthrough than Willow hooking up with Tara in BtVS. B5 did something even Star Trek never dared, right through Enterprise, have a character gay.
Made Claudia Christian quite an icon.
The Other Steve
Gonna be tough without George Peppard.
How do you break anybody out with no Plan?
Richard Bottoms
Like Great Expectations or Bleak House, both serialized back in their day, and not one huge book like you see it now.
Sometimes you can’t tell a story in one sitting.
Mac Buckets
I prefer the Family Guy version.
srv
You obviously missed some of the Kirk-Spock subtext.
Richard Bottoms
I know. The flying sub in Voyage to the Bottom of the see was damn cool when I was elven or so. Now not so much.
On the other hand, I hear The Rifleman holds up well, mainly due to Sam Peckinpah’s directing.
And when are they going to resolve the music rights issues so I can get thirtysomething on DVD. Always liked how Ellen wore those skirts right up to her ass, and Miles was my boy.
People always ask why I named my software company DAA.
Richard Bottoms
Except Taila and Ivanova kissed and spent the night together.
Now as for fanfic, well let’s just say for some reason women like to read about the oddest characters getting together.
Spike & Giles.
**shiver**
Richard Bottoms
No, we’re just enjoying the destruction on their side and biding our time. They are Republicans and they are losing a war. The bedrock of their beliefs are their ability to handle war & security, and fiscal restraint.
Obviously, tat’s not the case.
Beisdes with some much ammunition being handed to us, every now and then one needs to let their weapons cool down. Cuase we’re going to firing on full auto by November.
srv
Ricard, another Democrat who selectively quotes:
Hey, hey, hey. Don’t be mean. We don’t have to be mean because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.
DougJ
Was watching Breakfast At Tiffany’s over Xmas, speaking of George Peppard. I kept expecting Mr. T to burst in and yell “Murdoch, you crazy fool, can’t you see Holly Golightly is in love in with you!”
Lines
Ah, yes, once again a “centrist” like Maggie has decided that today’s dems are socialists. McCarthy anyone?
skip
Agenda: Competence. What a concept.
Would you prefer a phony Contract with America?
skip
Agenda: Competence. What a concept.
Would you prefer a phony Contract with America?
Pb
Now there’s fodder for a slogan or two.
“At least we honor our contracts”
“Contract with America, not [Dubai|India|China|Halliburton|etc.]”
Richard Bottoms
Sell crazy someplace else. We’re full up here.
The Other Steve
LOL! That MaggiesFarm can’t be for real…
It’s all links to RealClearPolitics, InstaHack, LittleGreenFootballs, and this gem…
I wonder if this is scs’s spoof site?
Perry Como
It’s probably DougJ’s site. He’s a busy fellow. He posts 2/3rds of the comments here, posts on other blogs, and apparently runs a few websites. I wonder if he is really George Soros in disguise.
DougJ
I wish I could take credit for rathergate.
jaime
I’m a little late into the discussion, but…HELLO! FORCE CHOKE!
Mr Furious
Jaime, that was from across the room, and he didn’t even take his gloves off…Kahn was in your face and personal. Knew how to nurse a grudge and serve the dish.
Vader’s a pussy.
Fledermaus
John, you DO realize that that we have this thing called voting. And if the voters are not wise enough to see the incompetence of the GOP it is not the fault of the Democratic Party, but rather a failure of the voters themselves.
srv
It’s not the people who vote that count. It’s the machines which count the votes.
– Josef Diebold
chopper
tell me about it. republicans care more about the people of iraq than they do the people of america. sh1t, half a trillion in a wacky ‘trust me, i’ve got a hunch’ experiment to bring democracy to a bunch of people that didn’t want it, while voters are still disenfranchised here. building schools and fixing the electrical grid in baghdad while katrina victims are still living in trailers.
maybe new orleans should rename itself ‘new baghdad,’ maybe it’ll finally get some reconstruction money.
Krista
That was an absolute stitch, wasn’t it?
Oh, and Jim Allen and Jorge? I was just yanking your chain about the nude Number Six thing.
I’m sure you knew that, though.
scarshapedstar
Here’s what I never understand.
For all their vaunted clarity of “message” the Republicans have two main approaches:
a) Never say what your true views are, but everyone somehow knows them (e.g. race, abortion)
b) Just fucking lie and say the exact opposite of what you really want and never get called on it (everything else)
Why don’t the Democrats get it so easy?
Pb
chopper,
LOL! I’d love to hear the reaction to that proposal. I bet Nagin would do it too… :)
The Other Steve
Democrats can’t lie with a straight face.
chopper
Democrats can’t lie with a straight face.
yeah they can. take bill clinton for example.
thing is, the dems aren’t as good at it as the goopers are. clinton was the exception, he beat the GOP at their own game, and it pissed them off.
DougJ
God help us all
Tom
Looks like business as usual:
“But, to tell the truth, Democrats don’t need a lot of ideas.
In 2006, they’ve got something even more important going for them.
In 2006, the one big, winning ticket for Democrats is very simple: They’re not George Bush! That’s all they need to win.”
-Bill Press 03/07/06
chopper
God Hates Us All