Are the Congresscritters and candidates hearing us?

[TechBear_Seattle]

Poll question: Are the Congresscritters and candidates hearing us?

Or at least have staffers read DU and report on the pulse of Democratic activists?

I'm curious, as threads like this which call for impeachment, threads expressing dismay over Congress' handling of war funding, and other threads generally lambasting our elected officials for not taking action are usually very high on the "Recommended" list. Are we pissing in the wind and screaming into an echo chamber, or are Pelosi, Clinton et al. actually hearing what we have to say?

If you answer "I know for a fact" then please explain.

[Totally Committed]

1. By and large, they are "hearing" us (all they have to do is look at the polls...)

but being the arrogant, dismissive, corporate supporters they are, with an election coming up, I think they are taking the cynical appraoch: They are toe-ing the corporate line, with their hands out, waiting for their re-election $$$. Once they have it, who are we going to vote for? The Republicans? No one? They still don't see that as a possibility, so screw us.

It'll hit home at some point, I think, but for now -- it's strictly "show me the money" time.

TC

[stillcool]

3. I agree....money talks..

and government listens.

[underpants]

4. I don't think their political advisers find themselves in uncharted waters

actual immediate input from the masses??? Hell what is that all about??

This goes both ways.

Dems are having to deal with a base that wants the war over NOW and many in that base who at least want an impeachment.

Republicans have their echochamber blowing up in their face. Years of whining about abortion, guns, and immigration suddenly erupted in a call for actual action. They were clearly not prepared for this.

That being said the Dems see their base as naive and gullible and the Republicans (the White House) sees their base as a bunch of idiots. In the end both expect the bases to fall in line-where else do they have to go? They are probably right too.

[MuseRider]

2. Oh yes, I think they hear us alright

but they don't need to do anything about it because who else are we going to vote for? They may just find out.

After the primaries they don't even have to pretend they are listening because we will cease to be important at all. Once they have the nomination they can rely totally on their corporate donors and work out their "tit for tat". Again, who else are we going to vote for? It must be so nice to be in a position like that. We need, no we HAVE to change that.

[OHdem10]

5. None of the above---Some may hear us

The problem is insitutional within our party as a whole.

It APPEARS that the Dems tend to listen to the Beltway Media
way too much. This is the blind leading the blind. The Beltway
Media is as disconnected from the people as some in our party.
Both are killing themselves trying to please the elites and at
the same time trying to please us.

just think about it the Media revere Broder as the grand wizzard
or "Dean" of the Fourth Estate. He spends the Sunday AM MTP
beating up on Democrats over that stupid Immigration Bill.
He essentially said the Dems are no better than the Republicans.
as leaders. Never once did he offer the possiblity that the
Republicans just might be obstructing on this Bill because
they want Immigration as an issue in the Campaigns. It is always
the Democrats fault. I would dare say Broder has bought the
Pipe Dream that you can bring in an Independent President
and that will straighten Washington out. I question this
elitist thinking. Congress will still have Dems and Repubs
fighting. Indy Pres. could be made weaker?????

My Point is for whatecver reason, Beltway Media feels a right
to beat up on Dems and Protect Republicans.

This is not to flame, but our party cannot hear us when
the party is divided. They are trying to convince people
of unity--where there is none. We all know they cannot even
send competent Representation on TV because one wing might
be offended.

They are losing the PR Battle in the country, because
the people in the country only hear the Republican Message.

It does not matter how much good they may be accomplishing
if they are not on TV(where America gets it news) no one
knows how the Republicans are obstructing or how much the
Dems may be accomplishing.

[Nite Owl]

6. They hear us but sometimes I think

that they are deliberately doing things the opposite of what they know we want. They are somehow trying to prove that they are not slaves to their 'extremist' base like the R's are to theirs. The way that they speak of us like we are some kind of extreme left wing of the party that they want to ignor for the 'sensible middle' is ridiculous. The dem base is not like the right wing base at all, polls show that what we want is basically where the country as a whole really is: get out of Iraq, healthcare for all, fair trade, decent wages. Not very wild eyed left wing ideas from most of us. It just seems to be their excuse for doing the opposite of what is needed. The fact that we have been right from the beginning has and will never cross their lips, we are not the people that they wish to identify with.

[Vidar]

7. They only pay attention at election time.