We no longer stand for the common man and his economic interests. We give him no compelling reason to vote for us other than, "well, we aren't quite as damaging to your intersts and your aspirations as are the Republicans."

  Add to that, the problem that our loudest and most strident members come across as fervently dedicated to IMPOSING their positions on controversial and divisive social issues by any means necessary and regardless of the feelings and attitudes of anyone else and it's not real difficult to figure out why no matter how unpopular, inept and corrupt the Republicans  are proven to be, we don't gain much in popularity.

  Until WE get leaders who return to the roots and truly work for economic justice,  who are committed to finding broadly acceptable consensus solutions to divisive social issues,   and work to re-establish the coalition that made us the dominant Party for 50 years, we will be a weak Party essentially only able to even reach parity briefly during periods of extreme disdain for the then current Republican leadership.

With the US midterm elections just a week away, Democratic Party leaders and candidates are waging the most right-wing campaign in the party's history. The essential content of this campaign is a pledge to continue the Bush administration's policies of militarism abroad and social reaction at home.

The Democrats are at pains to reassure America's financial elite that an end to Republican control over one or both houses of Congress will in no way impinge on their wealth or political influence. ...

There is little to distinguish Democratic candidates from their Republican opponents. Thirty three of the Democratic challengers have won endorsements from either the Blue Dogs, a caucus of predominantly southern right-wing Democrats that frequently votes with the Republicans, or from the New Democrat Coalition, the congressional arm of the the pro-war, pro-corporate Democratic Leadership Council, which emerged a decade ago as an opposition within the Democratic Party to what it derided as outmoded "liberalism." A number of these candidates are themselves former Republicans and not a few have made a point of declaring their opposition to abortion rights and same-sex marriage.

There could be no more telling indication of the party's trajectory than this week's endorsement of my opponent, Hillary Clinton, New York's incumbent Democratic senator and frontrunner for the party's 2008 presidential nomination, by Rupert Murdoch's New York Post, a tabloid that is infamous for its semi-fascist diatribes against the working class and anyone who dares to challenge the right wing's political agenda.

A substantial majority of Americans expect Democrats to reduce or end American military involvement in Iraq if they win control of Congress next Tuesday

Well Mr. Liberal Media there's this ideological phenomenon known as "civic duty" that some Americans to this day still define their voting habits by. Oh, yes it's true! Some of us don't need a failed policy to, as you say, "drive us to the polls".

At what point did discontent with current leaders become the major factor in whether or not I vote?  I remain optimistic that one day Americans will assume their civic duty of voting without looking at the media for "reasons". We speak of oppression throughout the world in the forms of dictatorships, religious ways, and military takeovers; yet the same people do not go to the polls to exercise the one right the oppressed can not, the right to vote.

1. the flag burning amendment won't be raised.

2. the marriage amendment won't be raised.

3. mr. bush won't be able to sandbag congressional critics of his "foreign policy". he'll be forced to either come up with a legitimate plan for ending our involvement in iraq, or have one forced on him, by virtue of congressional purse strings.

item 3 is compelling. perhaps, the pres. will agree to finally listen to the generals on the ground, as opposed to whatever ghost of macnamara is advising him now.