Donna:

We don't talk about the morality of universal health care, quality education for all, or a living wage. More importantly, we don't even talk about how they benefit all Americans, not just the working poor.

As a friend says, "You have to meet people where they are and bring them along."

We refuse to do that. Obama hasn't done it and he will lose in November because of it. You talk a good game, Donna, but - like so many Democrats - you aren't practicing what you preach. (Tell me again what qualifies you to be the Grand Poohbah and Prognosticator of the Democratic Party. Was it the way you ran Al Gore's campaign into the ground and allowed George Bush to get close enought to steal the 2000 election? That was inexcusable. We didn't lose the 2000 election in Florida. We lost it by allowing Bush to get close enought to steal it. You were Gore's campaign manager, weren't you? Will you ever apologize for allowing that to happen? I thought not.)

The Republicans do it very well. They create images and narratives with which voters identify and then use the trust and identification they have engendered to terrify voters, create resentment that others might get something they don't deserve while they can't even get that to which they believe themselves to be entitled, and convince them that voting against the rights and well-bing of others is in their own best interest. The Republicans have convinced them they are voting in their own best interest by voting against the best iinterest of others. Republicans convince voters there is only one tiny slice of pie and the only way to get it is to climb over the carcasses of their neighbors and fellow citizens.

Healthier, better educated, and financially stable people make better workers, better community members, better customers, while reducing the cost and incidence of catastrophic illness, violence, and imprisonment - only to name a few items.

The Republicans want us in survival mode, where we are scarred to death our slice of pie is going to be stolen from us. Republicans don't want us to know that we are fighting over that one slice of pie left over after the wealthy have had their fill.

It is our job to convince voters that healthy, well-educated, and financially stable Ameircans not only make the pie bigger, but create lots of pies, so that everyone can have a slice - In fact, they will likely get a larger slice of pie than they would have gotten by fighting off everyone else trying to steal their slice. Not only that, but the wealthy will benefit from these things as well because they will have a better workforce to work in their businesses and more customers with more money in their pockets to patronize them.

Obama didn't do anything to convince people it's better to bake more pies, than to fight over that one left over slice. Some may think he did, but he didn't.

Instead, I saw and heard him throw gay people under the bus, allow his campaign to use mysogynist and racist attacks on Hillary Clinton, and generally conduct himself as an empty vessel into which anyone could dump their own prejudices, fears, and dreams. Obama's is a contentless candidacy, just like the candidacy of George W. Bush - great sound bites that can mean anything to anyone, but ultimately mean nothing.

In the Congress, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the rest of the Democrats refuse to grab the megaphone and push our message out into the public. As a result, Democrats only win elections by default when the public is so angry with the Republicans, they vote Democratic - not because they believe in our message - but because we aren't the Republicans.

I watched your shameful performance over the last few months as you pretended to be an honest broker while building up Obama and tearing down Hillary Clinton at every opportunity.

I watched CNN as Alex Costellanas (sp?) called Hillary Clinton a "white b1tch" and the Democrats on the panel didn't challenge him.

I watched the footage of Rev. Wright and Father Pflegler (sp?). I wasn't nearly as upset by what they said as by the glee with which the congragation gobbled up their hateful diatribes. I watched as Obama resigned from his church and no one bothered to ask why he associated with a congregation that obviously approved and encouraged the vitriol spewing from their pulpit.

I watched as Obama sent Donny McCurkin to attack gay people from the stage of rallies paid for by Obama to pander to black Evangelicals.

I watched in disbelief as Obama said that Hillary had toughened him up in the primary and now he's ready for anything the Republicans can throw at him.

Obama is a joke.

Until we are willing to fight the Republicans in the streets and put them on the defensive, we don't deserve to win.

We Democrats are an even bigger joke.

We'll be watching as Preseident-elect McCain is inaugurated in January.

Get ready.