Jonathan Cook wrote:
Mostly a reply to wayno rather than riverman:

riverman wrote:
"Wayne Harrison" wrote in message

anyway, my point is this: until the democrat party comes up with
someone who can successfully communicate the fact that george bush, et.
al., are driving an agenda that is totally opposed to the interests of the
economic middle and lower class southerners of all ages, we all will be
burdened with he and his like for the duration.

I've heard this over and over from "liberal" upper-class people
(often at academic conferences). It is totally wrong (IMO, of course).

Until the democratic party realizes that _economics_ is not the
main factor in voting choice for middle and lower class voters, they
will be stuck losing. The main factors are embodied in that loaded
word "values". Now we can talk all we want about how the republicans
violate their supposed values, how they lie and cheat and steal
and create a total inversion of their campaign "values", and a lot
of it I'd agree with, but they put their finger on what drives
voter choices. If all the democrats can retort with is "but _we_
are the party of your economic self-interest", they'll lose
again...and again...

Ignorance, prejudice, racism, misogyny and homophobia are not
"values". The Democrats cannot abandon civil rights, women's
rights, gay rights and the separation of church and state and
still be Democrats. Almost half the voters in America believe
that Man was created, as is, less than 10,000 years ago. That
means almost half the voters are ignorant, superstitious morons.
But of course you can't tell them so and expect them to vote
for you, neither can you convince them that their long-term
self-interest is better served by diplomacy and international
cooperation than bad-ass cowboy jingoism. So what's left ?

PS: My way-left friend has a bumper sticker that says "America needs
a second party", if that gives you any indication for what _real_
liberals think of the democratic party...

Your friend's bumper sticker is right on the money, unfortunately
very few would vote for that party.

--
Ken Fortenberry