The BuzzFlash Mailbag

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Part Two | Part One

Subj: Angry!

Dear BuzzFlash,

I am an American living in Norway--the Norway that selected Jimmy Carter for the Nobel Peace Prize. I believe that the Nobel Prize Committee were letting the people of the United States know that he is the kind of American people in Scandinavians admire. I think the Norwegians hoped that Americans would heed their message and elect a Democratic majority in the Senate and the House, thus promoting an America for peace and accountability. But American Democrats did not listen, and they did not vote in the numbers needed. They remained complacent. I voted (¨Democrat, naturally) even though I live abroad and it is a rather complicated process to obtain an absentee ballot. But now I ask myself, what happened to my fellow Americans belonging to the Democratic Party? Have they been inspired by their spineless representatives in Congress to stay home, go to the shopping mall, watch TV, and just go with the flow? What am I to think of my own nation, a nation that is giving its mandate to an obviously untalented leadership with war in its heart, the American tax money in its pocket, and personal gain as its major goal? Why????

Jeanne Eirheim

Subj: No, we won't give up.

Dear BuzzFlash,

Your editorial hit the nail on the head.

I will go further. The Democrats will never be victorious until they get leaders with spine. Cohones, as Ms Albright put it.

The spinelessness that they (as a party) have displayed over the past 2 years is responsible for yesterday's humiliating defeat. It will happen again and again until the party is run by men & women of conviction & with a touch of ruthlessness. Politics is a nasty game. I do not expect to delight in having my political leader at my dining table or as a God-parent to my children, but I should have the confidence to follow him into battle.

This is the theme upon which BuzzFlash and other progressive organs should be harping. Nothing will happen until Daschle, Gephardt, McCauliffe, et al, disappear from the leadership of the party. These people up against the Rove/Bush team is as sickening a scene as poor, shrunken Warren Christopher representing us against James Baker.

The keyword is BALLS. The Buzz must demand it.

WLCC.

WHEN VOTES ARE BEING STOLEN ELECTRONICALLY, HOW DO YOU KNOW AND HOW CAN YOU CATCH IT? THERE IS NO PAPER TO COUNT.

ALSO I THINK THE DEMS SHOULD JUST LET BUSH HAVE ANYTHING HE WANTS. THEN WHEN THE COUNTRY IS IN A STATE OF DEVASTATION THE DEMS CAN TAKE OVER LIKE CLINTON DID AND FIX IT.

KATE

Subj: Election Results

Dear BuzzFlash,

I woke up to the terrible news on November 6th that the Republicans were now in control of all three branches of the government. I felt sad and then I became angry. Angry at the Democratic leadership that has kneeled to Bush on everything from tax cuts, war on Iraq, corporate corruption and the list could go on and on.

Democrats had good issues to run on but the leadership has been afraid to take on Bush. They were afraid of being too aggressive or unpatriotic since 9/11. Well, their lack of leadership and their unwillingness to take a stand on the tax cut, homeland security, war, corporate corruption have caused the Republicans to be in total control.

We need to find new leadership in the Democratic party and find our real values that seemed to be missing from this campaign. Hopefully this sweep by the Republicans will awaken all of us.

Here is hoping for a better day

Joyce
Tampa Florida

By the way Floridians may have gotten their voting procedures straighten out but have not become any smarter in their choices for governor, state representatives, etc.

I'm sorry BuzzFlash, but I don't like Democrats today.

They have really let the people of this country down. They failed at making an effective argument against Bush, beginning with the stolen election to the war on Iraq!

I can't stand behind them nor congratulate them today. For two years now most Democrats have taken lightly the fact that it is my first born son, a child that I chose to have and not abort, could be killed in GW Bush's war for oil. They never mentioned my right to choose, my job, my rights to freedom of religion and especially my Constitutional right to vote!

They ignored the fact that it is women like me and Blacks, already oppressed, and poor children of all races across this Nation who will suffer the most under the tyranny of Right Wing rule and activist Right Wing courts.

Yesterday, the ministers visited my youngest son's elementary school and passed out Christian Bibles. I am expecting teacher led prayer to begin any day now.

No BuzzFlash, the Democrats did not stand behind me. I sent them money that I did not have to spare, I called them and gave them support as well as criticism. I fought hard to expose the truth about GW Bush, but they chose to stand behind HIM!

Like Clinton said, the politicians will be all right. They will be all right, it is us who will suffer. They don't need my congratulations.

I don't like Democrats today.

And I don't know if I can fight anymore. Right now all I can do is cry.

Nancy Lynn Nagy (TN)

Subj: Mass Hysteria in the New World

Dear BuzzFlash,

On September 12, 2001 the media proclaimed that "things would never be the same". It was the day Karl Rove thought, "I will do my best to make it so". He realized that an arguably unstable moron could be manipulated to come to fervently believe that God had called him to save the free world.

A majority of the fearful populace came to adore this dolt who was easily moved to tears by thoughts of his awesome new responsibility. The media obediently fed the myth with weekly, monthly and bi-annual celebrations of planes crashing into buildings."Experts" were brought in on an hourly basis to explore the horror of every imaginable terror and to remind people how unprepared they are. Patriotism took on a new, threatening meaning.

The "born again" leader of the free world began to preach the gospel of revenge in pursuit of security and the love of freedom for all. Kill the bastards!

The Leader asked the Congress for carte blanche approval to wage war on the "enemy". They bowed down and granted approval.

The leader then asked the populace for complete control of all branches of government. They waved little flags and cheered maniacally, chanting "USA, USA, USA..."

Dark clouds began to fill the sky. Four Horsemen appeared on the horizon, raising large clouds of dust. The chanting stopped and there was only silence.

Bob Gaiek, Lawrenceville, GA

p.s. Thank you Max Cleland. You served us well.

Buzz:

Thank you, thank you, thank you for being there. It is the only thing I will be able to read now for the next two years. I was totally depressed by the election returns last night, but today I keep thinking: How could this have happened? Apathy of the populace, nonexistence of a free and unbiased press, and a president who doesn't do his job, but campaigns non-stop on our dime for his party. What a sham. What a shame that America has come to this. Moving out of the country has definitely crossed my mind more than once.

Reader

Buzz:

Have you heard about ie America Radio? (www.ieamericaradio.com) I couldn't find a link on your site, but I think you should consider adding one. I don't know much about them but my understanding is they're an alternative radio network, and not some rinky-dink operation. I'm currently listening to the Mike Malloy show, and he's mad as hell about the election. What he's saying is getting me energized.

Just thought I'd pass the word on.

Josh Murphy
Kansas City, MO

Dear BuzzFlash,

Open letter to James Carville and the rest of the Democratic Party:

Please do what every it takes to assume leadership of the Democratic Party!

We need you. The United States needs you.

You have shown in the past how to deal with the GOP.

We need this skill to defeat the darkness that is coming across our land.

This a fight we have to win, for our children and your children as well.

We need an America that's not " tall in the saddle" but walking with the world as an equal.

We need a United States that holds it's Constitution and it's Bill of Rights

as the REAL Contract with America.

Please for all our sakes consider this.

Paul Hartmann
Glenville, West Virginia

Subj: Message to Democrats!

Dear BuzzFlash,

It is not the "economy stupid!" It is the media stupid. The media is conservative and sets the agenda. This along with a wimpy bunch of Democrats!

Dorothy Nethery
Millville, CA

Subj: Channel 2, Fox News

Dear BuzzFlash,

Thank you so much for being here for all of us. We do need you!!!

During the day there were various hypes on Fox News about our new Governor Jennifer Granholm. Word was that the five o'clock news would have a report.

Five o'clock came and what was the lead? Winona Ryder and her troubles in court. I headed for the phone and called Ch.2 Fox. Huel Perkins answered in a canned message. After punching the correct button for the comment department, I was thanked for calling the channel that gives you news you can use.

I told the comment department that they certainly did not give us news we could use. I scolded them for putting Jennifer Granholm second on the news. As one of your writers said this evening,' The Republican Media has to learn.'

I am proud to say that I worked for Jennifer Granholm, so her win was particularly nice.

Stephanie
Dearborn

Hi BuzzFlash,

I'm disgusted beyond belief. I called the DNC this morning, and told them, *they, who should have been the watchdogs for us democrats, have truly let us down*.

I'm 64 yrs. and voted almost every election day since I was 18 yrs. I vow never to go near the polls to vote again. I can't afford to have my hopes dashed over and over, because of weak representatives.

We went down again without a whimper from our elected officials. They are no good to us, if they continue to be the republican's boot lickers. Just hand everything over to the republicans. Why pretend??? They are what they are, but the DNC and elected democrats are worse. They didn't have the guts to give them a knock down dragged out fight. They refused to listen to us democrats, they are suppose to represent. They did it their way, and that was no way. I'm proud of the democrats who fought the battle for us although it was hopeless, because the other slackers would not back them up. May they feel guilt and shame, for they where there to make a difference and did nothing.

A BuzzFlash reader

Subj: Reaction to the Election

Folks:

I am sorry for the Democrats, for the country, and for the world. My rosy estimates were so far off the mark that they require no comment. I have simply refused to believe that America has gone fascist already and hoped against hope that reason would prevail among American voters--but the media turned it into a horse-race again--which it is not--and the media brought the bacon home for the Republicans. War fever won; peace lost. What a crying shame! With the best Democratic Party Ticket in Texas in years, the party went down to defeat in a big way. No-one in his right mind can explain how Rylander won her re-election! Kirk's defeat is a measure of our continuing racism in Texas, I believe. The problem with the Democratic Party is at the precinct level in every instance. The rebuilding may only come after a national or international economic disaster when the party will be expected to pick up the pieces as it always has, and rebuild the community. So, button down the hatches. It is on to Baghdad, and wherever this greedy crew want to take us. Apart from some of the standard Republican chicanery at intimidation, vote stealing, etc., we can't blame it on the turnout--it was high across the country. And that is the fact that saddens me most today. We must redouble our efforts against war!

Jack Cross

Subj: Inside outside upside down: what it means to be an outsider

Dear BuzzFlash,

(commentary from Nashville)

Inside outside upside down: what it means to be an outsider

Lets just face it, Democrats suck at insider politics. You would think that since Al Gore lost the election (it was stolen, I know), we would take a hint that the "insider" game wasn't working so well and realize there is no more room at the "middle." The Republicans have colonized this historically Democratic-controlled territory -- the vast middle ground where Americans frolic happily with 2.4 children and a secure, if not buxom retirement account.

Otherwise knuckle-dragging paleo-conservative Republicans have "rehabilitated" their image by seeming to move to the middle -- adding "compassionate" to the conservative label -- because no one challenges them in this lie. Thereby a "faith-based initiative" isn't so much the destruction of the separation between church and state because no one stands up to say "NO matter what you call it, it's still state-sponsored religion." An imperialistic campaign to war for booty in Iraq, isn't so much the destruction of the world's collective security, if no one is there to say "NO, we won't let you take the world to war for oil."

How does a Democrat "rehabilitate" their image without a middle ground to go to? The conventional wisdom of "moving to the middle" -- support the tax cut, support the war -- is a mirage. It's a heat wave rising from the newly charred ground after 9-11. Wars and tax cuts for the rich aren't middle-ground issues -- they are the antithesis of it.

The republicans are wink and nod when they put "compassionate" in front of conservatism. It's like Jumbo Shrimp. Shrimp can be big -- in relation to other very small things. And so, conservatives can be compassionate -- in relation to other lying, mean-spirited, greedy bastards. Draw a happy face on Jesse Helms and you get George Bush (put a feather boa on him and you get Jesse Ventura). Cross-dressing for conservatives.

And here's the breath-taking irony -- when conservatives LIE about what they really intend to do, people like them better, because they are drawing a happy face on the greedy bastard. Every Democrat should know this and call them on it without hesitation. Nobody wants clear-cutting, corporate-raiding, evangelical theocrats running the country. So, what do we, the Democrats, do as a strategic counter-move? We draw a greedy bastard face on a smiley. By jockeying for the vanishing "middle ground" Democrats LIE about what they intend to do, thereby diminishing their appeal. Tarnishing their image from one of compassion and hope, to one of competition for scarce resources. "As Democrats, we are answering your call to join in the spirit of bipartisanship with our brethren, the Republicans, in revoking your freedoms, raping the environment and eroding the middle class. We know this is what you want or else you won't vote for us." Who in their right mind would think this was a good strategy?

Mondale said today in his concession speech that our ideals are tested more in defeat than in victory. Well, no shit. And I'm sick and tired of it. The environment doesn't have any more time to wait on our ideals. The middle class needs a victory of their own. Now is the time for hope, ideas and action -- outsider politics fueled by the courage of conviction.

It's time for a new Contract for America. Maybe we can call it something less corporate. I know it's not catchy, but how about, "The Battle Between Good and Evil." When the stakes are this high, there is no sense in parsing words. The time for accommodation is over, and outsider status affords the Democrats the opportunity to lay waste to the strategic disaster of patriotic bipartisanship.

The Democratic agenda isn't about prescription drugs. It's not about deficits. It's not about pension reform (especially when hardly anyone has one). It's about being decent people in a world that requires good citizenship because without civil order, everything goes to hell and that ain't good for business. The republicans want to put the cart before the horse. If it ain't good for business, then it ain't good for you. Well, fuck that. When was the last time a business you worked for gave a shit about you. You are a Human Resource the same way a pencil is a Material Resource. Sharpen it down to a nub and throw it away.

The Democrats have lost their way, so we must help them remember who they are, and I have two words that will help them stay on track. The words are, "Fuck That." Trust me, you'll have the opportunity to use these two words copiously in the next two years of Republican totalitarianism.

When the (Republican) agenda is about to going to war and the Democratic agenda is about to going to war more slowly, you say, "Fuck That!" Say it to yourself; to the television; to the people at the water cooler; and to the people at the protest. When the (Republican) agenda is to drill for oil in the Arctic Preserve, you say, "Fuck That!" When the agenda is confirmation of another wacko wing-nut conservative nominee for a judge-ship, you say... FUCK THAT!

Don't be an outsider because it's what's left. Be an outsider because it's what's right.

Brook Hines
Nashville, Tennessee

Dear BuzzFlash:

Thank you for your Website! I am so depressed being an environmental writer/editor, but reading your piece helps. Perhaps you could write up a list of simple things ordinary people can do to fight the Right, such as writing letters to the editor, calling their representatives, supporting independent media, directly contacting journalists, sending money to good causes, etc. . .

Best,

Charlie

Subj: Something's Not Right

Buzz:

On the night that Bill Clinton won his second term as president, Jerry Falwell stated ( while participating in a CNN post analysis show) that, "it's okay, he's going to be impeached"!!! This was of course before "Monica" appeared on the scene in Washington. Alas, two weeks ago on "Crossfire", one of the Republican strategists pronounced emphatically and gleefully that Max Cleland would lose his Senate seat. At the time Cleland was a few points ahead of Bush's clone, Saxby Chambliss. Something is not "clean in the milk or water" and soon I hope, someone will reveal just what the Republicans' secret is. They aren't just guessing. They are making plans and carrying them out (I still wonder about Paul Wellstone's "accident").

Sincerely,

D. (I'm afraid to use my name anymore.....face it people, this is pre Nazi-Germany all over again)

Subj: A Point, Please

Hi,

I would like to remind everyone that the VNS polling, which much maligned in Selection 2000, needed no revamping. They had ONE result that did not jive with what ballots allegedly showed: Florida. Even if they were dead wrong in Florida, that is 49 out of 50 states that were called *correctly*. Not a bad showing. In actuality, though, all 50 states had accurate projections. Exit polls, by definition, are when voters tell the pollsters how they voted. In Florida, November 2000, the majority of voters believed they voted for Al Gore.

So, here we are, two years later and they have revamped a system which did not need revamping. What was the result? A total collapse. Just one more example of what happens when the repugs get their way.

Get used to it, America, it only gets worse from here.

Liz
Houston

Subj: JESUS GOD HOW STUPID!!!!!

JESUS GOD!!!!! PLEASE TELL ME THE DEMOCRATS WON'T FALL FOR THIS CRAP AGAIN! HOW STUPID CAN THEY BE?! NOW BUSH IS INVITING GEPHARDT AND DASCHLE TO BREAKFAST NEXT WEEK! YOU MORONS! TELL BUSH YOU ARE ON DIETS! HEY BOYS, NOW THAT I HAVE SCREWED YOU GOOD, LETS MAKE UP AND YOU CAN GO OUT AND PRAISE ME SOME MORE! THEN TWO YEARS FROM NOW ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED YOU YOUR PRAISE WILL VOTE FOR ME. :):):) JESUS GOD! HOW STUPID! FOOL ME ONCE SHAME ON YOU, FOOL ME TWICE SHAME ON ME!

RK

Subj: Apathy and Fire

Dear BuzzFlash,

After reading the mailbag Nov. 6, I sensed both apathy and fire.

It is obvious that democrats are dissatisfied with their leadership and with good reason. They have said "excuse me for living" to Bush and the republicans once too often. Yes, they have appeared to be gutless wonders. The image of a young Senator from Massachusetts took over my thoughts as I was reading the commentaries. John Kennedy wasn't given a chance of a snowball in hell to beat Richard Nixon in a presidential election. He had too many things against him. Many would hold his religion and wealth against him. He was wet behind the ears and much too youthful looking. And Nixon was riding Eisenhower's coat tails as Vice President.

After assuring the country that he respected the separation of church and state, Kennedy set out to stun the country and the world. He pointed out what was wrong with the country and offered plans to straighten it out. Kennedy's most important strategy was to talk to the politically disinterested youth of America. He knew there was an abundance of votes in the youth population, so he set out to speak on college campuses and mingle with the students. A grassroots movement transpired among our young people. They adored John Kennedy... they considered him one of them.

I don't see strategies like Kennedy's among our democratic leaders. True, Kennedy was brilliant, a charismatic individual who was one in a million. When he spoke, he had our full attention... everyone hung on every word. Kennedy took potential, negative voters and turned them into believers. He delivered democrats the presidency against all of the nay sayers. The democrats can do this again in 2004 if they can find that bright young star. Surely, that bright one with charisma is out there.

Along with bringing in a fresh new face, the democrats would be wise to start building a 2004 war chest now. It is evident that they were completely outspent by the republicans in 2000 and 2002. Money talks. If the democrats don't have it, they won't be able to get their message out once again. It's past time to bring in the big dog to build the $$$ for 2004.

Let's go Dems! Get the strategy going!

~ Cathy

Subj: Will This Now Wake Them Up?

Dear BuzzFlash,

Well, now that the Republicans have control of the whole country, maybe this will wake up all the Democrats! Those that didn't bother to vote, and those in Congress. Instead of worrying about voting with this "popular" President, let's set our own agenda and stick to it. Certainly, we could have won on all the economic issues, but they were hardly mentioned. No one had the nerve to rock the boat! That should change now.........more and more of our rights will be chipped away, unless we do something NOW!! All the Democrats in congress said they received thousands of e-mails urging them to vote against the war, yet most of them voted for it anyway. Paul Wellstone had the right idea - he voted for what he believed in. Is there NO ONE else that can take up his cause, and vote their conscience?

Donna Turiano

Subj: WELL GOOD GOD O' MIGHTY

WELL GOOD GOD O' MIGHTY! THE CABLE NEWS STATIONS HAVE TURNED GW INTO A STAR. THEN WITH THE DEMOCRATS PRAISING THE THINGS HE DOES........WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU NOT VOTE FOR HIS PICKS?

KAREN M.

Dear BuzzFlash,

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph...."

Now they have the power...

Now they own the Senate...

Now they own the House ...

Now they own the Executive Branch ...

Now they own the Supreme Court ...

Now they can do what they want ...

Now they are out in the open, and when the enemy comes out in the open he's vulnerable.

We point out the corruption, loudly.

We point out the prejudice and hatred, loudly.

We call them on each little sleazebag move.

They go to war for oil, we go to the streets for peace.

They pass their homophobic laws, we protect our gay brothers and sisters.

We call them on it, and call them on it, and call them on it.

We franchise the disenfranchised, fight for the persecuted, file lawsuits against thieving conniving companies, blanket the newspapers with letters and ads, plaster the Internet with our hopes and dreams, demand that those whom would lead the Democratic Party stand for our values or get the hell out of the way...

then we take our country back and make it what it's supposed to be.

They've come out in the open and we have them where we want them.

Now, lets go get them!

- An old Winter Soldier

Subj: Re: Mailbag: A tiny ripple of hope...

Dear BuzzFlash,

After reading your BuzzFlash letters of Nov. 6th:

I offer to those of you who need hope, those seeking answers and for those who mourn Wellstone's death, this passage by Senator Edward Kennedy at the eulogy of his brother Robert Kennedy at the funeral held in St. Patrick's Cathedral.

(The beginning is Edward quoting his brother Robert from a speech at a Youth Rally in Africa.)

"The answer is to rely on youth, not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. The cruelties and obstacles of this swiftly changing planet will not yield to the obsolete dogmas and outworn slogans; they cannot be moved by those who cling to a present that is already dying, who prefer the illusion of security to the excitement and danger that come with even the most peaceful progress.... Each time a man stands for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.... And I believe that in this generation those with the courage to enter the moral conflict will find themselves with companions in every corner of the globe...."

My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life. He should be remembered simply as a good and decent man who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it.

Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world.

As he said many times in many parts of this nation to those he touched and who sought to touch him: "Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say, why not."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So to you my fellow BuzzFlash readers I say:

Let us all dream of a better day in this country. Be discouraged, but learn from defeat. Get back up....dust yourself off....and try again. Be patient. Be organized. Be prepared. Get better. Change what you don't like in your party and protect what is good. Demand better leaders. Find what went wrong and right it. If you see a need..fill it. Start from the grassroots. Change it one step at a time. Build a solid foundation. Make it new. Make it better. Build it with passion and commitment. Fill it with hope.

Your heartfelt pain is real and I feel it. Sculpt that pain into positive action. Turn your action into a dream. Take your party back. Take your country back. Do it with hope, love and imagination. The country needs you now.

Don't ever let them take your dreams. Make that dream a reality. Be a ripple of hope and take that message of hope to the people. They will embrace it.

Don't worry. We have been here before...many times in our history...discouraged, downtrodden, hopeless....and we have turned that sense of hopelessness and loss into groundswells of action toward eventual victories across this land we call America. We have done it before. We will do it again.

We shall overcome.

Work hard. Play safe. Be a ripple of hope. Imagine.

A fellow BuzzFlash reader,

Tom T.
Austin, Texas.

Subj: Hank Perritt's election night speech

Dear BuzzFlash,

On Hank's website is an eloquent concession speech which is a wonderful balm for the pain many of us are feeling right now (perrittforcongress.com). We knew this was an uphill battle--but everywhere else, too?? Election night just went from bad to worse. I went to bed in tears and utter despair.

But the headline on your site today was perfect--one day to mourn and then LET'S KEEP FIGHTING! Maybe we have to go through this to finally purge the Democratic Party of the spineless posturers who have sold us short. We gave them two years--it's time to go.

The future of our country is too important to give up on. I believe in the theory of the emerging Democratic majority which is why I think the Republicans are making this last grasp for imperial power--they know their days are numbered.

So, Buzz, we need you more than ever (though what I really needed today was angrydems.com). Thanks for that one!!!!!

A Loyal Buzz Reader

Subj: Democrats must stand up for their principles

Dear BuzzFlash,

As a Democrat who abhors everything that George W. Bush and Richard Cheney stand for, and as a person who has criticized them before on BuzzFlash, I must admit that I was not surprised by the Democrats' debacle on Nov. 5. I have seen this coming since the 2000 presidential election.

The situation was exacerbated in 2002 because Democrats made a vital tactical error: They were unwilling to stand up for their principles. For example: Senators refused to criticize Bush's tax cut, refused to pound them on an issue that would have resonated with voters.

Excuse for my anger, but why the hell not? Why were so many Democrats, particularly Richard Gephardt and Tom Daschle, unwilling to stand up to the administration?

It is called lack of intestinal fortitude. When the late Sen. Paul Wellstone stood up in the Senate and called Bush's plan to invade Iraq a disaster, his stock immediately took off, gaining six points in a short period of time.

I became a Democrat because of men like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The party then enunciated those principles in the 20th Century, with FDR, JFK, Harry Truman, and LBJ leading the way. Now the Democratic party is simply a whimpering child in a parched desert early in the 21st Century.

I realize that many Al Gore supporters will not like this tack, but if the Democrats are to be a viable entity in the 21st Century, they must take a serious look at themselves.

Forget about whether Gore was shafted in Florida and with the Republican Supreme Court in 2000. Gore's conduct of that campaign demonstrated a lack of backbone. For example, he refused to take advantage of Bill Clinton's popularity in certain areas. Gore was afraid that Clinton's unpopularity would hurt the presidential candidate in some states. Afraid to take advantage of a president whose job approval ratings were in the mid-60's?

With a few trips to Florida by Clinton, the debacle that took place in the aftermath of the 2000 election would have been unnecessary. Clinton would have energized the Democratic base in a way that no one else can. That move on Gore's part was simply stupid.

Gore failed to stand up for basic Democrat principles, those enunciated by our Democratic elders. Therein lay his defeat, one that snowballed for all Democrats this year.

Face it! In 2002, the Democrats did not get out their message. The Democrats certainly had a ton of issues that should have resonated with the voters: The economy. Corporate corruption. Veterans outrage. Social Security. Prescription-drug coverage. Turning a $5.6 trillion surplus into a billion-dollar deficit in 20 months. Cutting college student loans and financial aid. Stock market dropping 25 percent in two years. Harken. Halliburton. Education. Ashcroft. The "Compassionate Conservative" warmonger. The most intellectually-challenged president in the past century.

Quite simply, the Democrats were not able to get a message across to the mainstream voters because they did not have the guts to battle Bush. As a result, Bush, like his father a wimp at heart, was able to serve the Democrats a plate of crow.

The president was able to take advantage of 9-11 and the war on terrorism in a way that was unprecedented.

However, that does not mean that he will be invincible going into the 2004 election. Bushes have a history of faltering on the back stretch. By the time the '04 election comes around, gas may be at $3 a gallon with a barrel of oil at $60. In addition, now that the tax cuts are going to be made permanent, the economy may be in serious condition by that time.

Please, let our leaders emerge, from John Kerry, John Edwards, or someone else. Gephardt and Daschle both undermined their credibility with the Iraq resolution fiasco, and nominating Gore will only provide the party with a sense of déjà vu.

Please stand up for your principles and fight for them to the end. The only one doing that right now in Washington is Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) Thank you, Sen. Byrd.

(Hugh Conrad is a free-lance writer and college English instructor from Lilly, Pa.)

Hugh Conrad

Subj: He never wore a uniform!

i hope the democrats will not let chambliss get away with what he did! the democrats should never go a full day without pointing out somewhere that chambliss ran an ad accusing cleland the man who lost three limbs for his country of not having the courage to stand up for his country! and pointing out chambliss never wore a uniform! the dems should pound that so hard that over the next year there will not be one person in this country who hasn't heard about it!

kate

Dear BuzzFlash,

Re the mailbag comment "God help us all in the coming months," I think we better try to help ourselves. If God was going to help us, she would have started by directing a bolt of lightning at the NBC news set last night when Tom Brokaw was sitting there talking things over with Rush Limbaugh for all the world like old Rush was a legitimate commentator. What's next -- Peter Jennings consulting with Matt Drudge?

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subj: My Country

Dear BuzzFlash,

I hardly know where to begin. The demoralization I feel is so complete. What has happened to the principles that this country was supposed to have been built upon? In today's America black is white, day is night, but wrong is still right. How is it that people who supposedly have brains can honor a deserter, thief, con artist, compassionless, power-hungry individual and can crucify a good president for womanizing? I'm sorry but I can't forgive the democratic party and leadership for enabling this double standard. The most treasonous offense of all will continue to be for me Daschle's capitulating to Bush's demands that no investigation of 9-11 be mounted. My God, 3,000 human beings were vaporized but Bush doesn't want us to know why. Are the Democrats afraid for their careers or their lives? We are herded into cages if we want to protest, the patriot act is threatening the very fabric of this country, homeland security as structured more closely resembles fatherland security yet this president is not answerable to anyone or anything.

This morning as usual I watched Washington Journal before work and the calls from Republicans were truly frightening. We're ugly, unpatriotic, enemies of the state and should be dealt with accordingly. After hearing this, I thought that if party affiliations can now turn so ugly, can they also turn violent and I was sick at heart. When did Americans get so hateful, selfish, greedy, narrow minded and so forgetful of what this country is supposed to stand for and, yes, so stupid.

The next two years will be truly difficult for some. That we deserve it as much as the despicable weenies in the democratic leadership will not help. A word in passing. The news media in this country, who truly have behaved in a traitorous manner should be held to account. And I can't think of a better way than boycotting their broadcasts and writing their sponsors that we won't be buying any of their products as long as they are a party to this rape of the gullible, indifferent American people.

I was always so smug that I lived in a free country and it would always be so. I don't understand what happened. But I do understand that it began with a republican temper tantrum when the godfather 41 lost to Mr. Clinton and we have been flayed alive ever since. I hope we can retain the courage to continue to be true to the concept of free speech and freedom but I am truly afraid for the first time. I would feel more comfortable if, for the sake of the country, all of the present democratic leadership step down and give someone younger, more idealistic, with more fire in the belly a chance. This country was not founded on the concept of a royal family, especially one so bereft of ethics, decency and compassion and one so steeped in the lust for power and greed that we are on the road to becoming a one-party country with a lifetime president.

Heartsick

Subj: Dan's Second Letter in Nov. 6 Mailbag

Dear BuzzFlash,

Yes, yes, yes! Dan is again right on the money! James Carville is the man! I was channel-surfing (a disgusting habit I picked up from my husband) last night and came across Carville saying much the same thing: Democrats have got to stand FOR something or no one will vote for them.

To paraphrase Carville so you little white boys running the party can understand: stop playing the prevent defense. The only thing it prevents is a victory by the team using it. Get bold. Take a stand. And above all, completely omit from your vocabulary the words "I agree with my opponent." If I hear that coming out of the mouth of another Democrat, I swear I will immediately travel to where he is just to personally barf on him. (I say "him" because this, like not being able to find anything, seems to be a testosterone-related problem; Democratic women don't do it.)

A BuzzFlash Reader

Subj: Sen. Jeffords

Dear Sen. Daschle,

The person I feel the worst for in all of this is Sen. Jeffords. He was courageous enough to break away from the Republicans to give you the majority. He was courageous enough to vote no on the war. But none of the rest of you were courageous enough to stand up to George Bush. You went along with all of his lunacy because you were afraid to confront such a "popular president". Did you ever stop to think that maybe his poll numbers were high because the Democrats knelt before his throne in agreement with him? There was no dissent. You even bragged after the vote on the war that you "spoke with one voice". You were a bunch of yes men to George Bush. You lacked the courage of Sen. Jeffords and men like Paul Wellstone that follow their conscience and not George Bush's poll numbers. Is it any wonder that people didn't see leadership in the Democratic Party? All they saw was men in pink tutus dancing to Bush's music.

G. Newman

Dear BuzzFlash,

In Arizona, Sore Loser Matt Salmon refuses to concede to Napolitano, our next governor, the Democrat. Where are the vote counting stoppers. Where are the felonious five now? I don't hear anyone saying, "Stop the counting of ballots. It will do irreparable harm." Napolitano isn't whining and running to court to get the count stopped.

V

Subj: CHRIST ALMIGHTY!

THAT'S IT! I'M WAY TOO SMART FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY! LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT, THE DEMOCRATS LAVISH PRAISE ALL OVER BUSH, CAMPAIGN ON HOW MUCH THEY SUPPORT HIM, HOW MUCH THEY AGREE WITH HIM AND THEN GIVE CREDIT FOR THE REPUBLICAN GAINS TO BUSH'S POPULARITY? CHRIST ALMIGHTY WHAT IS THE LONG DISTANCE RATE TO MARS?

DIANE ANDERSON

Hey Buzz,

Thank you and thanks to San Francisco Chronicle for publishing that our Janet Napolitano (D) of Arizona was elected governor because the Arizona Republic newspaper won't report that. They are worried about the feelings of Sore Loser Matt Salmon (R). Let's make some signs. Salmon, Be A Man, Concede. Can you imagine if the shoe were on the other foot how he would have whined if it had been her refusing to concede?

mari

Subj: The Frustration Mounts

Dear BuzzFlash,

After spending over ten years in the trenches waging in your face politics as the Treasurer for the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, I feel I need to say a few things about the 2002 midterm elections. Although I grew up in and still live in one of the most affluent in North East Ohio, I made myself available to democrats from all areas of the county. Since Cuyahoga County is I feel a microcosm of the country as a whole, a trouble big city, Cleveland, inner ring suburbs that are changing and facing sprawl problems and the outer ring suburbs where the middle and upper class white people live, looking at the big picture doesn’t require that large of a leap. We have a few integrated areas that work well and we also have some integrated areas that are still, to this day, uneasy with people of other backgrounds, not just race.

After eight years as an officer of the party, I proudly boast that outside of our chairman, I visited more ward clubs, helped candidates from every walk of life and went to more events than any one who wasn’t a county wide candidate. There were several occasions where I was the only white person in a room. There were also several times when I was the only non Irish person in a room. Needless to say, I was able to experience the whole gamut of the great coalition that is the democratic party.

With that in mind, I can tell you Cleland, Carnahan and McBride all lost because they took large chunks of our base for granted. Instead of doing what any good political person would do, shore up your base, they listened to consultants and went after what ever demographic was hot, i.e. the soccer moms or Joe six-pack. I know they did since the two senators voted for the tax hike. That in and of itself wouldn’t be a bad thing, but neither offered any economic incentive, help or assistance to those in the base who needed it the most. If I heard it once, I heard it a thousand times from leaders of the base who represent those on the lower end of the economic scale, you only come around when you want my vote.

Well, payback, as they say, is a bitch.

To the already disenfranchised, whatever Bush does isn’t going to make their already harsh, lives that much worse. Many of the leaders from this part of the base say, and rightly so, what’s in it for me. Clinton was able to push through several what many would consider conservative fiscal reforms because he made sure the base was never forgotten. There was always something inside the reforms for everyone.

I can’t speak for McBride but I do know the African American Community in Florida supported Janet Reno. Janet Reno was not the candidate of Terry Mac, and she was not the candidate of the part of the base too many in our party feel is more important, the money boys. When their voice was given short sift, could anyone in Washington think that Reno supported would rise to the occasion and vote for the big money guy?

If I was a person of color I would have to say, you’ve got to be kidding.

When our candidates keep scapegoating Public Assistance recipients, keep demonizing those on the fringe of our society and strongly support wealth oriented tax breaks such as the capital gains tax all in the misguided hope of pealing off a few suburbanites from the GOP what do these candidates expect.

Again, if I was a loyal democratic voter who is struggling on the economic fringe I would have to say what’s in it for me.

When the party keeps running and supporting, with a few rare exception, African American Candidates as long as they represent African American constituencies, how long can we expect that part of the base to remain solid. When the GOP supports and runs African American candidates that represent whites as well as blacks, I get discouraged.

What I am really saying is this, the dem’s have got to energize the base. They have to, for example, trade support for a capital gains tax cuts, really a weapon of class warfare, with payroll tax relief. They have to hang tough, demand that we not leave anyone behind and support realistic goals even if those programs would ruffle a few big donors feathers. They have to have the conviction to vote for the best interests of the people. They have to point to the culture of greed and corruption that eats at the very soul of our nation and chastize those few who have waged war on the rest of us. Ruffle some feathers. Stand up for your people.

I have seen it time and time again, our biggest asset isn’t the connections we have to big time donors it is the connection we have to the man and woman who struggle to get by, who look to government for help when times are tough and who need a little bit of a push to help them climb the ladder of success. If the people who supposedly run our party in Washington can’t or won’t realize that the Dem’s strength is not in the bank but in the hearts and minds of the average people who make this country great we will forever walk in the wilderness. Until our leadership comes to grips with this simple fact, the democratic party will remain on the margin only breaking through when a political figure with the stature and conviction of Bill Clinton comes along.

Sorry folks, those kind only come along once in a life time. It’s time to do some hard work. The only question that really remains is our we ready for the task at hand?

Chris Green

A frustrated and furious accountant from Cleveland, Ohio

Dear BuzzFlash,

Here is my letter to Democrats.

ATTENTION Democrats!

America loves a good fight. America loves sports and teams that fight to win. America does not run out to support pathetic little wimpy losers that don't stand for anything. That is why Americans did not go out and vote for you on Nov. 5th. So many people tried to warn you. I wrote you two letters begging you to STAND UP and FIGHT, but you were too weak and cowardly. Your behaviour during the past two years was a total embarrassment to every Democrat in America. That is why so many voters decided to stay home Tuesday. Those who stayed home did not see any reason to vote for someone who was not going to fight for them.

There were so many newspaper articles during the last two years screaming, "Where are the Democrats?" but you didn't bother too pay any attention to these warnings. When you solicited for donations, many Democrats wrote you letters telling you that they were not going to give you a cent until you get a spine. I was one of them. But did you listen? Did you even acknowledge those letters? NO! All I got were more form letters begging for money! That told me that my party was not even bothering to read my letters and address my concerns; all they wanted was my money. If I were not the dedicated citizen that I am, I, too, might have stayed home yesterday, but I didn't because I knew what was at stake. Unfortunately, you managed to turn off too many other Democrats who might have gone out to support a party who fights for them if they had seen any evidence of it. Here is the bottom line: Attention Democrats: America LOVES to support a FIGHTER. Please get a clue!

-Maria
San Rafael

Dear BuzzFlash,

As I've said to the few people I was able to talk to today, I want to go back to bed and wake up to the headlines that should have been about the resounding Democratic sweep of the Congress.

I haven't felt this low before - ever. I think I have a glimpse of understanding how people come to the decision to chuck it all and grab a few too many sleeping pills.....

And then I read your editorial about not giving up -- and when I came to your offer at the end I couldn't believe that I could laugh that hard again !!!!

Thank you a hundred thousand times over for being the truly inspiring place for those of us who need you.

Beautiful Barb
Seattle

Subj: Got Hope?

Hey Buzz:

I feel like barfing today.

I am nauseated that the GOP's crass, transparent flag-waving campaign ploy proved so effective (I had hoped the American electorate would be savvy enough to see right through it. Instead, Election Night 2002 was simply further validation of H.L. Mencken's famous quote: "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.")

I am equally revolted by the utter timidity and lack of vision shown by our so-called Democratic "leaders." (Had either Gephardt, Daschle or McAuliffe exhibited the same fiery passion and courage of conviction that Senator Byrd did during the Iraq debates, I believe the Dems would be toasting victory today. Instead, they're just toast.)

Yes, I read your commentary and appreciate your desire to keep a stiff upper lip. But there's no denying the fact that the next two years are going to be very, very, very bleak: resources further squandered on frivolous tax breaks and military hardware, a judiciary packed with Scalia/Thomas clones, wholesale devastation of the environment, and rollbacks of civil liberties that would have made Joe Stalin proud.

And- of course- with Dubya's Crooked Corporate Cronies having nothing left to fear and with no coherent plan for stimulating growth, the economy will continue to bog down. Which, oddly enough, provides me with my lone source of hope. Now, the Republicans have no one left to blame for the worsening economic miasma. There's no longer an "obstructionist" Democratic Senate to cast as the scapegoat. All the Republicans have left is themselves.

And, if in two years time, the American people still can't figure out who's responsible for this mess we're in, well... there's always Canada.

Grumpy Norm
Portland, Oregon