DEMOCRATS SEEK ANSWERS LOCAL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ANALYZE WHAT WENT WRONG.Byline: Lisa Friedman Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. Democrats chewing over John Kerry's defeat admitted Wednesday their party has lost the ability to connect with most voters on social and cultural issues - and that they don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what to do about it. In a day of recrimination A charge made by an individual who is being accused of some act against the accuser. Recrimination is sometimes used as a defense in actions for Divorce. Traditionally the underlying theory was that a divorce could be granted only when one individual was innocent and the and regret as Kerry conceded to President George W. Bush, local House Democrats volleyed a barrage of advice - most of it vague - at their own party. ``Is the Democratic Party coming off as too liberal for the American people An American people may be:
``If we want to be a winning party, the Democratic Party has got to be able to speak beyond the sort of relatively affluent professionals who don't like the Republican's cultural message.'' But Berman did not suggest Democrats should shift their views on controversial issues like same-sex marriage Noun 1. same-sex marriage - two people of the same sex who live together as a family; "the legal status of same-sex marriages has been hotly debated" couple, twosome, duet, duo - a pair who associate with one another; "the engaged couple"; "an inseparable or abortion. Instead, they should ``think about'' how to fix the perception of the party so more voters will hear its economic message. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. exit polls, 22 percent of voters said ``moral values'' were the most important issue in the campaign, eclipsing the economy, terrorism and even the war in Iraq. ``We were just not able to bridge the cultural divide,'' said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, although he offered no specific ideas about how Democrats should do that. ``We just have to have a better understanding of how the South thinks.'' Southern states went solidly for Bush on Election Day. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, bemoaned what he said was an inaccurate image of the Democratic Party as ``dominated by secular politicians.'' Bush, he said, ``gives the image that not only does he go to church every Sunday, but out of 100 aides, 99 also go to church and the other one went to synagogue the day before.'' Sherman's advice to Democrats: Stick to issues like trade, closing tax loopholes and fighting the privatization privatization: see nationalization. privatization Transfer of government services or assets to the private sector. State-owned assets may be sold to private owners, or statutory restrictions on competition between privately and publicly owned of Social Security while looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a 2008 candidate that is ``serious on national defense.'' Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Thousand Oaks, concurred that his Democratic colleagues are ``out of step'' with most voters on cultural issues. The vast majority of Americans, as evidenced by the results of 11 ballot initiatives nationwide banning same-sex marriage, see the issue as a threat to families. ``(Democrats) need to be a little more sensitive to that,'' Gallegly said. He called Bush's victory and approximately 4 million popular vote margin a vindication of the 2000 election, when Bush eked out a contentious victory over Democratic contender Al Gore. ``For four years we lived under this cloud of people saying George Bush didn't win. That kept the country divided probably more than anything else,'' Gallegly said. Lisa Friedman, (202) 662-8731 lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com |
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