Democrats don't stand for anything when right wingers and moderate conservatives think that CNN and MSNBC are representative of the Democratic Party like Fox is to the GOP. People who actually follow the real up and comers in the Democratic Party actually know that there is a lot to be proud of with the Democratic platform and especially what is going on with the progressives. That's the problem with standing on the opposite side of the table to Trump. The camera finds the guy and just like in the apprentice, nobody cares what business ideas Omerosa has... they just were waiting for Trump to say some stupid mean provacative put down and say "you're fired". It's the same thing with his presidency. It's all about Trump and nobody can get a word in on the other side of the table.
Stop being politically dumb, especially by leaders of the party? This is dumb: Nancy Pelosi calls on House Speaker Paul Ryan to remove Confederate statues from the Capitol Spoiler: This is not
At this point? Just sit on a bunch of lawn chairs and wait. And that is another unforseen problem with Trump. Just like with consumer goods, the mantra 'competition is good' applies to our two party system. Lack of viable competition means the other side needs to try less.
If the Democrats want to get their asses handed to them again, all they have to do is keep doubling down on the identity politics and political correctness agenda and keep tripling down on the foaming-at-the-mouth, hysterically deranged shrieking about Donald Trump, while failing to embrace a plausible economic agenda that benefits more than just the Democrat's favorites in their coastal enclaves.
Typical Trumpet sensationalism, but the core of this is legitimate. First, it shouldn't be about Trump. You don't win by telling voters that you're the lesser of two evils. Second, if it has to be about Trump, then the limelight should be on how faithfully he is in prosecuting the federal government's enumerated powers (as the EXECUTIVE BRANCH) -- i.e., stuff that he's failing on that MATTERS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enumerated_powers I will be looking for: MAH TAX CUTS. Where are they mother****er? Punish China. Section 301 Investigation is a step in the right direction. Can we stop having warships running into things? It's embarrassing. The buck stops at the commander-in-chief. [Wishful thinking] Reduce deficit/pay down debt -- I kind of don't care where the cuts come from anymore -- you repubtards want to have 1000 aircraft carriers and no Medicare? Be my guest! [Wishful thinking] Stopping government encroachment on personal liberties (funny how ACA is, but abortion bans and PATRIOT ACT aren't -- alt-right logic)
Dammit, I intended to scroll through the thread to the end and then post something. Then I got to this post. I ardently disagree. If anything, the Democratic Party needs to step on the gas in regards to civil rights. The freedom to vote is a civil right and the GOP has made a career out of suppressing the vote everywhere except Republican majority areas. Rashmon made an excellent post pointing out how Democrats blew it in 2016 by failing to spend the kinds of sums we used to spend on getting out the Black vote (his post is repeated below). Instead, a huge sum was spent on "wavering White voters" and the Black vote plummeted. It isn't that they voted for trump, but rather that they received less help from the party reminding them of how important and how close the vote was, and help getting them to the polling places, something a Democrat like me assumed my party was doing in its usual thorough fashion. I'm not even getting into the support trump and his people are giving to the bigots of the KKK and other Neo-Nazi groups that are openly campaigning for "White Supremacy." BIG mistake. So don't ignore civil rights, whether it's the right to vote without fear and without getting your credentials questioned like you might be "cheating," which is incredibly rare and GOP bulls***, or appealing to the LGBTQ community to step up and put their votes where their interests lay - in the Democratic Party. In my opinion, too many of that minority, who's civil rights are under attack, stayed home because they bought into the false notion that Hillary was "just as bad as trump." She was a far better choice. Events have proven that. The Democratic Party can't afford to assume anything, much less that their usual constituencies will come out on election day, instead of staying home and watching things unfold on TV, assuming that their votes didn't matter because Hillary would win anyway. Another huge mistake. There were so many! Had traditionally Democratic voting groups actually participated in the 2016 election in the numbers the Clinton campaign expected, and often took for granted, we would have a Democratic President, a progressive on the Supreme Court, instead of a 49 year old White guy who is Scalia reincarnated, and we would have a Democratically controlled Senate. I don't have a doubt in my mind, regardless of the interference of the Russians in our election last November. That interference may have made the difference in 3 or 4 states that Clinton narrowly lost, but if it did make a difference, it was only because a poor campaign by the Democratic Party made it close. In my opinion.
How fine a control do you imagine the POTUS has on individual ships in the USN? I don't want anyone voting that needs encouragement, direction, reminder, instruction, etc. on voting/how to vote. Personally, I would prefer there be some sort of test before people be allowed to vote (should people of less than average intelligence really have input on the direction our country takes), but the apathy of non-voters is a convenient substitute.
The Democrats need to be proactive with an agenda. They don't need to spend a lot of time beating up on Trump. Trump beats himself up all the time. He is his own worst enemy and will do damage to himself. Democrats can bring up Trump's horrible lies, policies, and rhetoric sparingly, but not as the main focus an attack. Trump hurts himself and has hurt himself that won't get people excited and active to vote for a Democratic candidate as much as the candidate will do by actively championing their agenda. That agenda should include: 1. Focus on economics (not just on how the economy favors the top 1% and CEOs, but on how to empower workers with increased minimum wage (increased slightly at a time but not all at once). Talk about how more focus on education will help the economy of lower income and those lower on the economic stage. But also point out to the upper class and upper middle class that all of us from the bottom to the very top will benefit and well served by a better-educated populace. That makes more knowledgeable and efficient employees. 2. Do focus on civil rights. But point out that all races are better when justice affects those that have been left out and discriminated against. There will be less crime, more trust in law enforcement officers etc. Show how civil rights and reforming our legal justice system will help minorities but also the white majority in this nation. Point out that by doing this it may help us move past the feelings of resentment and anxiety all around. But do not try and hide or disguise the injustice that exists in the system. Highlight that, and show how everyone benefits from erasing and remedying those injustices. 3. When it comes to foreign policy, show how they will be reasonable, strong, and restore the dignity to our position in the world lost by Trump who has become a laughing stock. Basically, highlight how traditional Democratic values can be beneficial for everyone.
I don't imagine this POTUS has a fine control on anything. *Snicker* And I agree we should have an intelligence test of some sort. How about starting with people who want to run for the POTUS? I don't want anyone as POTUS that needs encouragement, direction, reminder, instruction, etc. on how to be the POTUS.
Agreed. Competence should be a prerequisite for the presidency. Normally one would expect the election process to help with that, but we were really let down by the process this time around. Of course, maybe a smarter electorate would not have elected Trump. I wonder what the average IQ of Trump voters was.
To me it's simple . Stop appeasing special interests . all of these niche stories and tiny issues are distracting from the bigger problems. We have huge issues of debt ( apparently no one cares about this becuase we can keep putting it off) We are spending heavily on our military Healthcare is a gigantic mess that will only get worse To me , the Democratic Party needs to have a clearly defined platform to try and combat these problems ... Not just "cut military spending"
The chart below shows the gross Federal debt as a % of GDP per President. As one can see, if the debt increases under Roosevelt and Truman are put aside due to FDR dealing with WWII and Truman dealing with the last of WWII, the rebuilding of a devastated Europe, the occupation of Japan, the sudden threat of the USSR, who held on to Eastern Europe (they weren't supposed to) and quickly developed their own atomic weapons, and the war in Korea, a major conflict - again, putting them aside, President Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon saw the national debt decrease as a percentage of GDP. It rose under Ford, and declined again under Carter. The huge rise in the national debt that we are still dealing with today began with the massive tax cuts by Reagan that continued under Bush Senior and, despite a continuing GOP fantasy that it would, those tax cuts didn't jump up tax revenue with the help of "trickle down" economics. Instead, it led to a gigantic increase in the national debt. Under President Clinton, not only did the debt drop as a % of GDP, he was able to have budget surpluses for two years. Bush II? The debt shot up again when the financial crisis kicked in. President Obama's debt increase was primarily caused by the financial crisis he inherited from Bush. By the time Obama left office, the economy was doing very well, as were the financial markets, and unemployment had plummeted. The chart:
Agreed . Good points . To me , the Democratic Party needs to espouse this type of position and make it a central tenant . There are of course counter arguments , chief among them that the GDP grew at different rates over time . I'll admit I'm not plugged it . But I just want a real discussion . A clear message . And to stop ****ing pandering.
Ya know, I said the exact same thing and your fellow compadres mocked my words. They felt it was very important to make sure Trump stayed on the front page and perpetuate his mindless Twitter dribble into the mainstream media. Apparently a partys platform comes second to attacking and mudslinging the 'enemy'. I completely agree with this ..which the Democrats ignored in 2016 ... except the whole minimum wage thing. Im not going to get into the minimum wage thing , other than to say anyone with a decent level of worth ethics and willing to learn can easily make double the minimum wage. Honestly Democrats would best serve by putting this way down on the list. We have plenty of laws on this topic and there are plenty of work arounds to circumvent them. You can't regulate a person's belief. If you want to help a disparaged group, you do it by giving them hope, not by getting on a soap box and reminding everyone of the problems all the while offending the others. The left has largely done very little other than to provide the soap box.
Well Trump should be on the front page, and he will be by his own misdeeds. The Democrats don't have to work hard to keep him there. I think it is better for the nation and all people in the nation. If the general populace believes someone can help improve race relations for everyone and ease tension in that area, it will bring voters. But I agree that it won't be done by telling people of their problems. Instead of just pointing out problems, point out the good that everyone, regardless of their race, will reap if injustices are corrected. Focus on the goal and rewards that will come with achieving that goal. Show that to people and they will work hard to make that goal come to fruition. If a potential leader can show a way forward to achieving that goal, it will gain voters as it should.
There's no doubt that the Democratic Party needs to stress economic issues in 2018 and 2020. They need to do so in terms that the general public can understand. There are loads of other issues that should and will be part of those campaigns, but pocketbook issues need to be front and center. Today, trump and the GOP controlled Congress still hope to pass massive tax cuts for the richest Americans. Despite the fact that "trickle down" is a bankrupt political idea, they are still pushing it. The Republican efforts on behalf of the richest in this country at the expense of the middle class (isn't it always at their expense?) needs to be hammered home. There will be plenty of "free" publicity on other issues, like Russian interference in the US 2016 elections and the elections in our European allies' own countries. The kind of "free" publicity trump himself received gratis from the mainstream media during his campaign that he now denounces as "America's enemy." The Fourth Estate is under attack by the President of the United States, who unsurprisingly seems to have not read the Constitution. They will be determined to show that they cannot be intimidated. In fact, they are showing that they cannot be intimidated. Meanwhile, like trump in 2016, Democrats will benefit, in my opinion, by the mainstream media's coverage of the scandals, including trump's bizarre fascination with White Supremacists and Neo-Nazis, and possible charges of treason swirling around this White House. Ironic, in my opinion.
Agreed that the media is a complicating factor for both parties and frankly ... The Democratic Party needs to have a better understanding on the role and influence of the media that I do , Coverage of trump and the potential for "scandal fatigue" etc make forming a strategy and message more difficult. I don't watch the news .. I don't seek it out online or in other forms .. Part of this is definitely my age . Most of it is from a learned distaste . About the only value I get now is from mocking the hyperbole ( on both sides) .
