Democrats In The Wilderness

Regardless of who started it, I'm not very impressed with Democrats' inability to reform themselves internally. How are people supposed to believe that they are able or willing to reform this country?

How can people seriously believe Hillary when she says that she is going to champion campaign finance reform? She would have almost been better off arguing that campaign finance reform is futile and misguided energy. At least it would have been believable. And maybe she even has a point. But instead what we got this fake populism ... Just like this sudden need to oppose TPP ...

 

I don't disagree with you there. At all.

 

A long but (for me) insightful discussion of Hillary Clinton's gender problem. Well, it's not specifically about Hillary, it's about the portrayals and expectations of any woman in power, but it's certainly relevant to Hillary, as the author does point out -

https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n06/mary-beard/women-in-power

 

Faux Bro Shaun King -- like a blind squirrel -- finds a nut:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/king-democratic-party-doesn-unpopular-article-1.2993659

"This is a disaster. At a time when Donald Trump is the least liked President ever measured at this point in his first term, the Democratic Party has found a way to be even less liked than him. This is how Donald Trump wins a second term. This is how congressional Republicans win the next midterm elections. This is how conservatives not only maintain their current power from coast to coast, but also expand it."

This is why I'm here. To remind you of your folly. To remind you that your sanctimonious bullshit is failing the country.

 

He has over 1.5 million followers between FB/Twitter.

He may not speak to you, but many people agree here.

 

I am absolutely agreeing with him. Lots of posters here are doubling down on the condescending, sanctimonious attitudes that put Trump in the White House.

 

Like I said, even the Faux Bro finds a nut now and then.

 

The Democratic party should rebrand itself to the Non GOP party because that's its only identity.

It doesn't even fight for democracy like the name implies. We do business with anti democratic institutions abroad. We fight against democracy at home with our opaque primary system, coddling lobbyists and stifling 3rd parties.

Gerrymandering has locked our reps into super safe districts where they barely have to pay attention to constituents.

 

Primaries are for the party to pick its candidates, remember that.

Expanding to include people that do not like the party mau be good for PR and general election tactics, but it is not what they are for.

 

I look at people like you and wonder short of total capitulation by the DNC to Bernie, is there a road back to being a Dem for you. I doubt it. Because you will have decided that the people that agree with you 75 percent of the time are the real enemy.

 

Hey without googling someone name me the chair of the RNC after Obama won and their message? Quickly now!!

 

This is one of those things that makes me wonder how much the chairman battles actually matter. Off-hand, the only party chairs I can name are the two from this cycle, Howard Dean, and Michael Steele.

 

It was Mike Duncan. I wikid before asking. In this hyper-sensitive media cycle everything matters but in reality very few of it does. Dean's 50 state strategy helped the Dems win in 08 then Obama wanted to spend the money on other things and Dems struggled and then got smashed in the 2010 Tea wave. All those Bernie Bros were hanging in the coffeshops then and were too cool to vote, but blame the Dems for not having an Obama like candidate at every level.

 

Bernie bros...

Is that like Goldwater gurls?

Funny, 13 million "Bernie bros" voted for him in the primaries. So yea let's continue to disparage an entire demographic. How "big tent" of you. Is this how we "unite" [emoji23] I'll take my chances.

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I notice you didn't answer my question? Also just sheer voting numbers shows that lots of people voted for Obama in 08 and then didn't show up 2010. You want to blame the party but where is the acceptance of blame? I mean the Dems aren't perfect but the Berniecrats with their Demexit will say the party lost 3 straight elections, like they were out there in 2010 and 2014. We know for a fact they werent!

 

I seriously doubt that many people would vote in a primary of a party they hate. Especially if you require that they register for that party. That's all I'm asking for ... same day registration.

Name one other better opportunity to expand your party's registration. And isn't that what all Democrats should want? Democratic party membership has been stagnant for a long time. Now more than ever growth should be the priority.

New York was a perfect example. The party kept out potentially tens of thousands of new members by not allowing them to register. How are people supposed to know that they want to be a Democrat months before the candidates even start campaigning in that state? Especially young people who may be experiencing the political process for the first time. Just an unnecessary and unproductive roadblock. Do you think those tens of thousands of people are going to be eager to join the party later when the party told them they're not wanted?

 

Well if they want to change the party, then they should become part of the party and help change it, but many want to sit on the sideline talk shit about both parties and then get pissed when people that actually care about the democratic party selects someone they do not like.

And I say this as a registered green that should not be allowed to vote in the primaries, but my state is an open primary state so I can go back and forth.

 

Well that's the whole point of same day registration! To get them to join the party! Or if same day registration is so offensive, at least make it same week registration. Some people might not know that they want to be Democrats until, you know, the campaign comes around. This is pretty basic logic. You don't close the Halloween shop in October. You don't close the Xmas tree store in December. If you want people to join, invite them in. The best time to invite people into a political party is during an election.

I know I'm not talking craziness. Same day registration is possible because I've lived in states that had it. It's not a panacea that fixes everything, but I as a voter have appreciated the convenience. Especially for young voters and poor voters who are living increasingly transient lives. I've had at least 10-15 addresses from my late teens to early thirties. It's hard enough to keep up with drivers licenses and taxes and those are essentials.

 

The funny thing is that the first-class passengers went down with the Titanic because it would've been disgraceful for them to abandon ship.

The modern incarnation goes down because they expect others to do the work for them

 

I don't agree with Sanders on the minutiae of policy, but I do agree with his overarching critique of the party. The party elders seem completely petrified at the prospect of change. The party's center of gravity has become so old, coastal and upscale that to admit the need for change would mean to admit that they themselves have to change.

To answer that question should be pretty easy. The first clue is in the name of the party. Democratic party should stand for democracy first and foremost. And what does democracy stand for? It gives regular people agency in decision making that would otherwise be monopolized by special interests and bureaucrats. Special interests that are usually driven by wealth, power and self interest.

Kind of a no brainer to me. Not sure why others are overthinking it so much.