"While Republicans believe in their party and in the cause of building its organization from bottom to top, Democratic sympathizers tend to focus on favorite causes and favorite candidates, notably in presidential years," E.J. Dionne writes in his Washington Post column today. He notes that Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean’s attempt to address this weakness by investing money in long-term party building in all 50 states is being criticized by some who want to target the spending on winning the November elections. "The odd result is that Republicans, who defend individualism in theory, act like communitarians where their party is concerned," Dionne writes. "Democrats claim to be more community-minded but act like radical individualists in their penchant for candidate-centered, one-cause-at-a-time politics."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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37 Comments
Complicated, isn’t it.
I don’t know why the Democrats don’t simply ask, “Had enough?”
Massive debt, war without end, gas prices up up and away.
The only message Dems need is “we’re not stupid.”
Okay here goes, again.
Had enough?
That would be a pretty good idea. Which is why they’ll never use it.
The party of gun confiscation, affirmative action, political correctness and hate hotlines will always find a way too snatch defeat from the jaws of victory! Stupid Demorats!!!
Viva la Revolucion Blanco!!!
If Ian the racist hates us, we know we’re on the right side.
Thanks, for NOT supporting us.
Funny, I’m a Democrat and I own a gun and nobody has ever tried to take it away from me. Bush is in support of affirmative action, he got into Yale just for having the name Bush, that’s how he got out of Vietnam service too. Somehow I don’t think Ian was rejected from Harvard because of his skin color. Hate hotline? Is that the people who were calling voters in the South telling them not to support John McCain because he had a Black baby?
As for political correction you are right, I don’t know any Democrats that have accepted bribes from Jack Abramoff.
Tracy this election is our to lose. Bushco could not be more vulnerable.
The Heathrow Hoax proves that.
That was pure desperation.
But between now and the election, they’ve almost have to strike with a real catastrophic event. They are desperate.
I meant to add that Lebanon has left them wide open.
How can you blame gasonline prices on Bush or the Republicans?Republicans have been trying to open up ANWR production for years now.Dems say it isnt enough to make a difference.If ANWR cant make a difference in prices, why has the current Alaskan pipline problem affected prices?Domestic production of energy will help with the trade deficit, it will help keep prices down, it will generate more tax revenue, it will employ more workers.”Protecting” ANWR, an area that less than 1% of American taxpayers will ever see in person, is elitist and stupid.—-By the way Doug, less than 10 years ago, Al Gore was pushing for an energy tax and a gasoline tax that would have made a gallon of gasoline about the same price as it is now.
That last from Paul F Rosell should be foot noted.
Paul has told us he likes Ann Coulter who uses footnotes.
But I digress.
Paul’s last should be footnoted to indicate that Mr Rosell has admitted to having more than a passing interest in the oil and gas industry.
JRI spent over $5,000.00 on gasoline in 2005.That is far more than any investment returns or commissions that I have made off the oil industry.You are a conspiracy kook.You seem to have a fixation in your mind that wont allow you to believe that any of the millions of people who work for the energy industry or invest in the energy industry have a right to affect public opinion on energy matters.Maybe police should not weigh in on law and order issues?Maybe doctors shouldnt weigh in on medical issues?Maybe teachers should not weigh in on education issues?You are the biased one here JR.Your logic is weak, so you always resort to attacking the messenger.If it is any of your business, a very small amount of my income does come from stearing people towards energy related investments.So what?For most normal people, that small fact might enhance my knowledge on the subject.For people in JR’s crabbed and insecure world:Paul Rosell IS BIG BAD OIL lol.Sorry, but you do make me laugh!
Paul makes a good point that Al Gore wanted to raise gasoline taxes to encourage conservation and alternative energy development a decade ago, which would have been helpful today, and I’m sure Paul would agree. So, reading between the lines, it’s nice to hear him say something favorable about Mr. Gore. That was his implication, right? Because even if all he meant was that under Mr. Gore’s proposal, gas would be $3 a gallon, but we’d be getting a lot more mileage for our $3, that would be a good thing for those of us who have to drive, like Paul for instance.
A good post heart. Perhaps I misjudged Paul!
Oh well at least in his last he didn’t call me a bully. He is learning what it means to make an outrageous “post” here. Or maybe not. His last was rather defensive and frothy.
Paul,
The plans for oil out of ANWR were/are to sell it to China. It has nothing to do with providing oil for our country and especially not to drive down gasoline prices.
“How can you blame gasonline prices on Bush or the Republicans?”
Let’s see, BushCo has an energy policy set up in secret meetings with oil company executives. BushCo gives huge tax cuts and lease discounts to big oil companies. Big oil companies report obscene quarterly profits.I don’t know Paul. When you say it, it makes so much sense.
“Protecting” ANWR, an area that less than 1% of American taxpayers will ever see in person, is elitist and stupid.”
Paul, ANWR wasn’t set up for your viewing pleasure.
How would you feel about dumping all of our nuclear waste at the bottom of the ocean. After all, less than 1%of Americans will ever see it.
For as much as I hate Bush you really can’t blame oil prices on him.It’s peak oil, output is almost equal to demand.What pisses me off is both parties are not informing the public as to what’s going on.Were running out of easily accessible oil.
Hey XXX,
You might be shocked to learn how much nuclear waste we have dumped in the ocean!
Hank
Paul F. Rosell, learn the FACTS!
The problem is with BP’s pipeline, not Alaska’s. BP’s leaks, corrosion, etc shows they should not be allowed to drill in the sensitive Refuge area.
This technology would be used in the Refugehttp://www.wilderness.org/Library/Documents/upload/AlpineNoEnvironmentalShowpiece.pdf
The US Army said the 800-mile Alaskan pipeline is “INDEFENSIBLE”. A drunk with a hunting rifle shut it down in Oct 2001, during heightened security.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1584553.stm
A mid-winter shutdown could congeal the heated oil (like wax) — restart impossible until summer.
Global warming affects Arctic area first — the pipeline may require very expensive rebuilding due to thawing permafrost.http://www.rmi.org/images/other/Energy/E01-04_FoolsGoldAnnot.pdf (997 kb)
If oil priceS stay high, and drillers were lucky, Refuge oil MIGHT replace other declining domestic sources.
Follow the link to EIA’s report,http://www.wilderness.org/Library/Documents/upload/PennyaGallon20yrs1.pdf
A small increase in efficiency is GUARANTEED to save much more oil, lower prices, and reduce global warming threat. We proved it in the late 1970’s – mid-80’sSee graph, “The path beyond oil…”, page 229, (PDF pg 253 of 332) http://oilendgame.com
A map of what the 2,000-acre “limit” allows,http://www.inforain.org/Northslope/anwr_3.htm
I don’t have to personally visit a place to appreciate it’s importance to wildlife, and beauty.’Potential Impacts of Oil and Gas Development on Refuge Resources’http://arctic.fws.gov/issues1.htm#section4Beautiful photos,http://www.arcticrefugeart.org/banerjee.html
“By the way Doug, less than 10 years ago, Al Gore was pushing for an energy tax and a gasoline tax that would have made a gallon of gasoline about the same price as it is now.”
Hey Paul, I know you are suffering from reading comphrension problems but for you to respond to a post I make I should actually have those posts in existence. I never made an Al Gore related post so you can’t really respond to some post that I’ve never made. Perhaps you ought to seek professional help for these delusions you are having.
“How can you blame gasonline prices on Bush or the Republicans?”
Anybody else find this to be a joke from some neo-con nutcase?
Well, I’ll answer the joke: War! War in Iraq; war in Israel and lebenon. War drives the price of oil up. Any idiot can figure that out. Hence, when Bush decided to invade Iraq under the false pretense of WMD, the price of oil jumped. Since then, any little wrinkle in the political, social, or environmental fabric and the price jumps again accordingly.
And who’s getting richer for the deaths of all the innocent people of Iraq, Israel, Lebenon, and the rest of the countries tied to oils teat? Sure as hell ain’t me. But I’ll bet all of Bush’s friends are driving new SUVs.
JM, you also need to add the Bush administration’s weakening of the dollar to make it more expensive to import oil. Also the lack of the Republican party to encourage greater fuel efficiency thereby keeping the demand for oil.
What’s interesting is that BP decided that their pipeline had suddenly eroded and needed to be shut down. Being from Alaska and seeing how the pipeline works I know that they put, what they call a pig, through the pipeline to check for corrosion and leaks. Why would a company that makes billions of dollars every quarter somehow fail to do this?
The oil companies know they don’t have to worry about the Republican Congress investigating any charges of price gouging. So many are Republicans have been paid off by the oil companies.
Paul F. Rosell,”less than 10 years ago, Al Gore was pushing for an energy tax and a gasoline tax that would have made a gallon of gasoline about the same price as it is now.”
Let’s see your links proving that. If you don’t have credible evidence, you’re (again) a liar.
Don’t bother Paul with a call for links.
He’ll post something from “littlegreenfootballs” or a fortune cookie.
I think what Paul was referring to was Gore’s proposed “carbon tax”. Here is a link.
http://www.robertbryce.com/102092dmncarbontax.htm
“Well, I’ll answer the joke: War! War in Iraq; war in Israel and lebenon. War drives the price of oil up. Any idiot can figure that out.”
Walker beat me to this one. Notice how oil & gas prices are going down now that there has been a cease fire in Lebanon — the same cease fire that Bush & Rice were against.
DougYou are claiming that I said you said — whatever?Doug, you DID blame Bush for higher gasonline prices, didnt you??I responded that Bush has tried to LOWER gasoline prices by increasing production.Al Gore’s carbon taxes and gas taxes would NOT help do anything but depress the economy and raise prices.My point is simple, Bush is trying to increase domestic production which would decrease prices, raise tax revenues and create jobs.Gore just wants to grow government with a tax increase.—-Now to ANWR,Basic economics folks, the price of oil is set by supply and demand.Actually, a very small percentage change in that balance can have a dramatic effect on price.Prices are set “at the margins”—meaning it is the last barrel of demand or the last barrel of supply that sets the price every day, in laymans terms.It does not matter if ANWR oil is shipped to China or to Canada or anywhere else. The truth is, it is probably more efficient to send Alaskan oil to Asia, as Alaska is closer to Asia than it is to much of the rest of the United States, if shipped by tanker.Those of you who want to force ANWR oil to be sold domestically are actually “anti environment” because you are demanding innefficient use of resources.Commodity prices are GLOBAL.An increase in production anywhere will help control prices EVERYWHERE.(If China does not get the ANWR oil, the Chinese will buy Mexico or Arab oil, won’t they?)
Mr. Rosell
You are an admitted shill for the oil and gas industries. It is not America’s interest you have at heart but your own.
Um Paul, if you’d like to notice I posted that comment about Bush after your Gore comment. Anyway, you are apparently clueless about the point of the proposed Gore bill. The point was to use the money to divert us away from relying solely on oil consumption. So now we are paying the higher fuel costs without any alternative. Gore’s bill would have also provided tax breaks for those who use more fuel efficient vehicles therefore only those who want to consume more gas will end up paying the tax. So please try commenting on something you actually know something about.
Bush has never tried to lower fuel costs by increasing supply. There was more oil being provided on the market before he took office and now output has decreased. Iraq is producing less than half the oil than it did before the occupation (which Bush said would cost around $3 billion and the oil profits would pay for all of that, I suppose you believe that hogwash too).
Also America’s support of the coup in Venezuala served to cut the oil production from that country which happens to be one of the places we get the majority of our oil.
Paul, I’m sure you have the entire efficiency of energy consumption closest to your heart. However sending the oil to Seattle is a lot closer than sending it to Tokyo. It’s called a map, you should try looking at it someday.
Thanks Doug for filling Paul in… maybe he will listen…
Jesus was considered a radical in his day, the scribes and Pharisees were considered the conservatives in his society. What do you guys think?
How Would Jesus Vote? (HWJV?)=)
Not with Diebolt Machines, I bet :)
Tony,”Thanks Doug for filling Paul in… maybe he will listen..”
Pre-recorded republican messages can’t listen.
Let me get in line on this one.Paul, you ignorant slut.
Who in the wide wide world of sports would actually believe that drilling in ANWR would bring down prices.I know you didn’t mention that, but it is your intention.Prices reflect the profits.Outrageous.
oh, and let me just say this about the decrease in production:Bill clinton.Al Gore.Bill Clinton.
Paul F. Rosell, financial planner genius, and world-famous energy expert?
“Now to ANWR, Basic economics folks, the price of oil is set by supply and demand.”
(1) It’s mostly set by those who control a significant amount of the supply.
http://oilendgame.com page 14 (PDF pg 38 of 332)”The aim of the OPEC cartel is to constrain supply, and thereby force others to produce higher-cost oil first, then sell the cartel’s cheap oil for that higher price — and by depleting others’ oil first, make buyers even more dependent on the cartel later.”—The U.S. EIA admits that OPEC has the main control of setting world oil prices.
(2) World oil demand is rapidly growing (close to exceeding supply), there’s ‘peak oil’, high prices, global warming, wars, and health problems caused by pollution.
The best, logical solutions to all of those are lowering demand with efficiency, and alternatives.
(3) Persian Gulf oil is much cheaper to produce (costs only a few $’s a barrel) than Refuge oil.
Paul F. Rosell wants M-E nations to make huge profits… because he wants the high prices needed to get the high-cost Refuge oil.
It is upsetting that political manuevering outweighs common sense; upsetting in the sense that our enemies are planning to kill us while our politicians are 1) afraid to admit mistakes, and ) to bi-partisan to work together.
Dennis Kucinich is the one candidate for President whose vision, eloquence and commitments on the issues can lead us to rise to and surmount the worldwide …www.thenation.com/doc/20040301/dugger – 33k – Cached – Similar pages
Vote Kucinich! Vote Kucinich!http://www.dennis4president.com/go/issue…http://www.vote-usa.org/Intro.aspx?Id=OH…
Draft Kucinichhttp://www.draftkucinich2008.com/
http://www.truthdig.com/interview/item/2…http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/…http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007…========Campaigns go too long,spend way too much money and do not necessarily provide the best available. It is up to us to stop the nonsense at the voting booths on the 2008 ballot.Not voting sends the wrong message and changes nothing.
Lets’s demand a new system and vote in Fair Vote America : http://www.fairvote.org/irv/Demand a change on the 2008 ballot.
The big money candidates are more beholden than ever to corporate special interests due to the very long nature of campaigns. How do they have time to do the job they were elected to do? We need public financing of campaigns. Citizens cannot afford special interest money campaigns for it is the citizens that get left out.
http://www.publicampaign.org/
Who would be against Public Funding? The special interest money providers and their bought and paid for politicians!