Did the real democratic party die with JFK?
Isn't the present crop of democrats vitiating the very meaning and
concept of the word democracy? though I would prefer comments, if a
researcher wants to find out what percentage of people joined the
Democratic Party, purely because of the endeering flavor NAME
"Democrat".
I know people who when asked, associates the word with the opposite of
dictatorship, which likens the GOPs unto the dictatorship party.
That name selction was the wisest thing the we DEMs ever did,
notwithstanding the fact that the name REPUBLICAN more closely
represent the true flavor of our system of government.  And
notwithstanding the fact that a true democrasy could easily
deteriorate into the tyranny of the majority.

The Democrats suffer from being democratic; They have allowed all
types of democrats to have a voice at the decision making table.
Democracy is messy.  The Reps on the other hand understand that that
level of party member participation ensures chaos and possible loss of
entitlement. The homogeneous makeup of the Reps party members and
their assumption of privilege and entitlement are powerful intoxicants
to remain orderly and vote the party line.

If it were not for the fact that the Dems took on all those who were
not invited to the Reps party, you would not be living in a democracy.
 Money and privilege rule the day in this country. Give the Dems some
slack, they have blacks, gays and lesbians, latinos,
environmentalists, labor, and every other interest group demanding to
be heard (rightly so). It's tough to get a concensus. While in the
Reps, a group of guys in Texas decide that W is going to be President
and it happens (a bit of hyperbole, but you get the picture.) So stop
beating the poor Dems up. Although I agree this crop running for the
oval office are scary in their lack of appeal. Most people don't
understand that Bill Clinton (had he kept his pants zipped) was the
best Dem in a long time for the oval office. He was Southern, smart
and he had an ability to communicate with people of color.  He was
learning to build those same skills with gays and lesbians. None of
the current crop of president wannabees has the skill to cross so many
social boundaries. Dems are walking around feeling dissatisfied and
don't know the reason for their malaise.  It's that Clinton set the
appeal/competency bar so high that none of the current Dem candidates 
come near it.  The Dems were able to bite the bullet and turn out a
huge vote for Gore, who though a good man did not tilt either the 'are
you cute and smart' meter or the currently popular, 'are you macho and
dumb' meter. America's voters demand its candidates for President
adhere to one of those criteria

W has proven that the Reps can pull anyone from bag and sell him to a
mass audience. They are masters of the sell. We live in a country
where black kids think being smart is acting white and white voters
think showing you are smart is a turn off.  Go figure

Dear Saabster, love your music but it's your lyrics that I will
challenge.  But first, let me take the "ego-poverty-pledge".  (If I
walk away with your views, I win).

If I read you correctly, you excuse DEMs for not being able to
safegard the party culture because of the diverse set of voters they
have attracted, tho you terated it more like an invasion.  My
observation even from the stand-point of a poor black registered
Democrat, is that we vigorosly courted the special interest set to
establish a guaranteed voting pool.  I also observe that we Dems would
necessarily need to "SELL" more that the GOPs because it takes more
selling power to asault logic. It asaults every logic bone in my body
when someone tries to tell me that social security should come before
national security.  Or that raising taxes cures a faltering economy. 
Or being anti all wars gaurantees peace.

We did not "take on" this sub set of bought voters out of a sence of
beneolence but because of the VOTE-VALUE.  It is clear to me that we
persued their votes with reckless disregard for the total good of the
country.  Case in point, our man Bill, for the sake of funds to
guarantee max campaign funds, played I'll show you my secrets if you
will show me your cash.

Since JFK, we have orchestrated our party-culture as the consumate
ROBINHOOD party, latching on only to causes that gaurantees the
maximum vote-value without regard for how these causes affect the
country as a whole. JFK did a cross the board tax cut that solved the
same problem we now have, yet Daschell is saying it wont work this
time because "tax rates are lower today".  Why not let the GOP make
their own mistakes?

The Daschell argument is the kind of stand that needs big time selling
not the GOPs argument.  I say, if this JFK-like tax cut is a GOP
death-wish why the hell are we fighting to the death to obstruct it?

well it seems you love both your own music and lyrics! That forty year
span between JFK's choice in the 60's and what the economy looks like
today would seem to require a response based on where we're going and
not where we've been!