Dems - Here's Your Answer
 

I've often posted here that I no longer know what Dems stand for. I used to vote Dem, but in the last 20 years have come to regard the Dems as out of touch, too beholden to special interests while accusing their political opponents of the same, and no longer the "party of the working man".

Instead of constantly playing Trump's game and losing, the Dems might do well to listen to a bit of "wisdom from the Heartland".

https://www.politico.com/magazine/st...indiana-216273

“The number of Democrats holding office across the nation is at its lowest point since the 1920s and the decline has been especially severe in rural America,” Bustos writes in the report. In 2009, the report notes, Democrats held 57 percent of the heartland’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Now: 39 percent. In 2008, Barack Obama won seven of the eight heartland states. In 2012, he won six. In 2016? Trump won six. There are 737 counties in the Midwest—Trump won all but 63 of them. “We can’t keep bombing in the rural parts of these states,” Bustos told me.

Why?

In the report, he says the Democratic Party is “lazy,” “out of touch with mainstream America,” relying on “too much identity politics” where “winners and losers are picked by their labels.” The Democrats in his district, he laments, “feel abandoned.” Some of those folks who feel abandoned used to consistently vote Democrat, and now they are "independent" or don't identify with a political party.

In theory, it seems obvious the party would do what it must to secure the loyalty of additional voters; in practice, though, this sort of overture means peace-making with people like Burns, through the face-to-face pragmatism of people like Goodin, some of whose views bump up inconveniently against the agendas of interest groups and the platform and mores of the party as a whole. Is Burns worth wooing back? And is Goodin a walking relic—or a key cog in the future of the party?

That last question is critical, in my opinion. When the ideas or actions of Dems who don't align with current party dogma are discussed here, these folks are attacked and maligned. Their ideas are summarily dismissed.

The article, to me, is fascinating. If your ever want to really understand what folks mean when they say "we want to take our country back", it's this:

Intentional or not, what’s clear from the report is that many of these 72 rural Democratic lawmakers feel the national party is indifferent to the trouble it has caused them locally. And they’re angry about it. Their assessments are blunt, searing—and directed straight at Democrats on the coasts, in cities, in Washington.

There's also, within the ranks of the Republican party, plenty of this anger directed at the Repubs.

Trump is doing all he can to breathe life back into the Democratic Party.

I hope the Dems do not take this article seriously.

The last election was lost early. Hillary as a candidate inhibited other potential candidates. The Dems ended up with the "Independent" Sanders as her rival.

Hillary with her huge, well known baggage put a big handicap on rural Dems.

The correct answer, of course, is to do away with the Electoral College, which is the real reason Donny is sitting in the White House. Next would be to get redistricting out of the hands of state legislators, with independent panels doing the drawing of lines. Finally, the courts must prevent Donny from underfunding the 2020 census, and keep partisan politics out of this essential process.

Archie Bunker won’t give up power easily, but one of these days, he’ll finally realize that he’s the past, not the future of our democracy.

If the reaction to this thread on this forum is any indication, I suspect your hopes will become reality.

It might be an interesting article, and I'd be willing to read it and discuss my reactions--if someone I respected as an observer with an honest open mind brought it up....

Am I correct is reading your post as an indication of basic hostility to the Democratic Party? That is, you hope they learn nothing, make more mistakes, and so lose elections to Republicans, including Trumpists?

I predict you will not reply. You generally are too wary to engage in dialog with people you feel may be critical.

LOL! You're hilarious, especially when you act like a snowflake.

A Democrat’s victory in a special election to fill a vacant seat in Wisconsin’s state legislature is a “a wake up call for Republicans in Wisconsin,” Gov. Scott Walker wrote on Twitter Tuesday night.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that Patty Schachtner, a Democrat, was victorious in Tuesday’s special election for Wisconsin’s 10th Senate district, a Republican-learning district in the Northwest part of the state along the Minnesota border. The seat had previously been filled by Sheila Harsdorf, who resigned last November after 17 years in office to join Walker’s administration as Wisconsin’s secretary of agriculture.

Walker, who had tweeted earlier Tuesday urging residents of the 10th Senate district to get to the polls and vote for Republican Adam Jarchow, wrote online after the race had been decided that “Senate District 10 special election win by a Democrat is a wake up call for Republicans in Wisconsin” who must do a better job touting their record to voters.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/...ner-win-343237

As I said earlier, Trump will be the gift that keeps on giving for Democrats. We now have evidence of that from New Jersey, Virginia, Alabama and Wisconsin. Moreover, we have the courts tossing out GOP gerrymandering efforts.

And then there's this:

A young Republican activist from Northern Virginia who was seen as a potential rising star quit the party Tuesday, citing President Trump’s “appalling comments” about Haitian immigrants and what he called a nativist streak in his home state.

Kyle McDaniel, 28, served on the party’s state central committee for two years and has worked as a top aide for Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield), who said he had hoped McDaniel would eventually run for public office.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...4fb_story.html

Trump keeps thinning the ranks of Republicans.

qed...

It is an indication of basic hostility to the "Clinton Machine".

I would hope they, Democrats, learn a lot: Not to invest in old tired, papered over venality.

If Democrats want to limit effectively Republican rural advantage, then
they should try to present a face so that enough independent minded rural folks would be willing to step out in the snow for them.

I do agree with you somewhat on the downfall of the "Clinton Machine" since people do get irked when not given choices.

As for both parties, they operate on the extremes. The GOP is more effective in energizing their voters on topics like Religion, Abortion, Race, LGBT etc. to get them to vote for them while they impoverish their electorate. The Dem's OTOH have gone away from bread and butter issues. They have no message and part of the problem is that we have brain dead people like Feinstein, Pelosi and Schumer that have no new ideas since they are incapable of thinking anymore. Similar to the Utah moron Orrin Hatch who claimed that the Trump presidency is going to be one of the greatest ever; does he not know that Trump's approval ratings are in the gutter?

Perhaps future aspiring Democrats will follow the Doug Jones model and get elected through grass roots movement at the local level than be beholden to the national party.

Ah, let's do an experiment:

http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/...23.5_thumb.jpg

OK, no real argument with that, though I think you use the term 'venality' sort-of loosely....

Sorry, but I think the bolded statement above is really interesting, and really wrong. Its interesting because - if you read the article - disaffected Dems believe that those are the types of issues that dominate the discussion within the national party, but don't really impact the day to day life of most folks.

On the other hand, while I suspect there are some, I don't know of anyone I know motivated to get out to the polls and vote due to the social issues you cite above. Not one. I think the old saw that "folks vote with their pocketbook" is far more of a factor on election day for most.

You're suggesting you're Bluto? That's hilarious too.

LOL

I didn't forget that you're acting like a fool while accusing me of the same behavior. Why not be the change you want to see? Lead by example? Etc? Why not try commenting on the thread's topic and the article instead of trying to change the subject...or whatever the hell it is you're doing?

Because you are one of them to his us.

I'm doing what I want, as you are! Is it your claim that I have some duty to take your snide silly ass seriously?

As for 'change,' I gave up on you ages ago.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/5b/e0/2e/5...nny-people.jpg

Actually, I'm more a 'we're all in this together' kind of guy. But some of us are more together than others....

Your key words being us and others.

FWIW, remove religion and Jesus of Nazareth's message is 'we're all in this together let's help each other out.'

You aren't really on team with me, are you.

Yes, I agree with you about J of N. But there are other concepts of Jesus about. Ever hear of 'Tory Jesus?'

https://pics.me.me/i-hereby-pronounc...s-21645274.png

Geeze!

I don't care what you do. But you look silly when you whine about my input here and then do the same shit you accuse me of.

The current exchange is not accusatory. It is merely fun-loving. But let me get this straight. I look silly because...I'm acting like you?

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/78/e5/9b/7...t-humanity.jpg

We all had the same information on Donald...four decades worth of misogyny, racism and grifting. Anyone who voted for him is an asshole.

So, the last time Republicans held so many offices nationwide was during the decade that brought us a market so volatile that we hit highs "too good to be true" followed by crash so tragic that unemployment reached nearly 20% in much of the nation, thousands of businesses went bankrupt and Wall Street investors committed suicide, plummeting to the sidewalks below?

And, Whell sees this as a GOOD point to make?

Yep, he's still a dumbass.:rolleyes:

LOL. That's right. Keepeth thy head in the sand, and thou shalt continue to reap irrelevance.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...53_634x408.jpg