LOL, first Democrats have to win seats on the town council or school board. Then work their way up the ladder. Thatâs how the Teavangelicals have done it. It took a decade or two.
Stop looking for quick fixes or a savior for the Party and the unions are no help. Do the damn grunt work.
It always scares me when Democrats start talking about âstrategyâ and this does nothing to assuage my fears.
After the Democrats lost two Senate races that should have been gold-plated gifts (Russ Feingold in Wisconsin and Evan Bayh in Indiana), the uncanny ability of the Democrats to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory never fails to astound. Really the only strategy needs to be to get the registered Democrats to the polls to vote. They do that, and they win.
But people in wealthier, better educated, more diverse and urban parts of the country are especially livid at Trumpâs anti-immigrant rhetoric, his hesitance to condemn white supremacists, his ditching the Paris climate accords, his threats to pull transgender soldiers out of the military, and the GOPâs attempts to defund Planned Parenthood â not to mention Russia.
Unfortunately, many Democrats are people who will weep in their merlot over the plight of, say transgender people in the military, but are totally inured to economic injustice and accept it as a somehow natural condition that has nothing to do with politics. Of course the former injustice is worthy of attention, but the latter effects some geometrically greater population (including, of course, many transgender folks). IMHO, that´s why we lost; voters sense the lack of interest in their plight.
Ugh. Yes , please go after those GOP voters. Then wonder why people dont show up at the polls.
I guess Iâd argue who gives a shit about Democrats, unless they deliver the goods! The broad America consensus is conservative in theory and liberal in practice. Support the troops, stand for the national anthem and take your damned hat off already, but spend less on the military. Spend more on everything else, while preaching freedom, responsibility and self reliance. Weâre not socialists.
So my answer to the headline question is yes. Everywhere.
all of the above
how about a 3007 County strategy?
seriouslyâŚ
that 50-State thing has proven insufficientâŚ
tailor each county project to its own mix of occupantsâŚ
Hereâs a thought . . . . the Democratic Party should focus on core issues of protecting and strengthening healthcare, Social Security and Medicare, and protecting individual freedoms and promoting opportunity for all. Democrats need to develop and stick with a simple message. The voters will find the Democratic Party.
Remember what the word PARTY means, too⌠have some real fun and the crowds will appearâŚ
2.1 Birthday party
2.2 Surprise party
2.3 Dinner party
2.4 Garden party
2.5 Cocktail party
2.6 Tea party
2.7 Reception
2.8 SoirĂŠes
2.9 Dances and balls
2.10 Block party
2.11 Costume or fancy dress party
2.12 Christmas caroling party
2.13 Parties for teenagers and young adults
2.14 Singles dance party and mixer
2.15 Fundraising party
2.16 Graduation party
2.17 Marriage-related parties
2.18 Showers
2.19 Housewarming party
2.20 Welcome party
2.21 Farewell party
2.22 Cast party
2.23 Pre-party
2.24 After-party
Hereâs our litmus chant⌠give it a try, it rolls right off the tongueâŚ
INFRASTRUCTURE
COUNT THE VOTE
SINGLE PAYER
LEGAL POT
âŚlots of other important issues, but these four go to the heart of our mutual agreement, these issues subsume all the others in terms of universal appeal to the broadest range of interests without excluding other issues. Democrats need to agree on these basic platform policies, as simple as this.
Single issue zealots will ruin any chances we have to establish a permanent progressive majority, and I personally will distrust anyone who tries to push a single-issue wedge between us as we organize, that is how they held us back for a decade.
The answer to the question posed is simple and obvious: BOTH. Do Trump and the Republicans benefit working- and middle-class voters? NO. Do they benefit relatively comfortable suburbanites? NO. Do they benefit anyone beyond racists, fascists and the rich? NO.
Itâs time for Democrats to stop listening to the talking heads, and to develop a strategy to speak for and advance the interests of the 70 or 80 percent of Americans who are getting screwed by Trump and the Republicans.
infrastructure, in many ways, addresses that issue, carlosfiance, good paying jobs help create economic equilibrium.
Amen brother. The Democrats need to get down in the weeds the same way the Republicans have. This beltway inspired fly over article sounds like it was written by somebody who lunches at the Capitol Grill every day with Democratic air warriors.
The Democrats have to get personal and targeted down to you and me. They have to motivate people to do more than get out and vote. They have to motivate people to run. To do that they have to give people a reason to run. Fortunately they donât have to pick and choose. There are lots of reasons people should want to challenge Republican control of lots of local communities. Democrats should just roll up their sleeves and get to work.
âTaking a populist view of the issues and making sure youâre sticking up for Main Street, that works,â said one Senate Democratic strategist. âTrump joined the fight that Senate Democrats on many issues had been working on for a long time. The way he talks about trade and outsourcing is the cleanest cut example of that.â
Iâm considering why this strategist is the only one not named, or maybe not preferriing to be named, in the story. I have a guess.
Unusual.
Hint: Iâm in California
(Strategist isnât)
May one suggest walking and chewing gum?
â⌠already hammering Repubs with adsâŚâ
And for chrissakes keep hammering the fuckers until they bleed.
The Democrats should be focusing on the populist messages they recently said they were going to focus on. Whatever happened to that rebranding thing, anyway�
Peeling off enough Republicans or swaying on-the-fence Democrats may win some elections, but it would result in an unreliable power base, and margins so thin they prevent any sort of real change. The pendulum swings slightly, and we continue on as we have been.
The Democrats should try hardest to mobilize the young voters who donât vote. Direct your attention and your initiatives to them, and you make your base stronger and more reliable. Right now is the time to do it, with Trump and the Republicans behaving as walking advertisements for everything that keeps people down and holds them back.
Should they focus more on winning back Obama-Trump voters, or lean hard into traditional Republican voters who went for Clinton last election?
Once again, Democrats making things complicated. Where should they focus? How âbout a message first? âA Better Dealâ is not a message. Itâs an embarrassment, as are the messengers, Pelosi and Schumer. The message is jobs and economic equality. Start there and stay there and you will get every voterâs attention. The strategy everyone worries about will become obvious. And Democrats donât have to defend themselves on race, health care, gender issues, etc.
And for those who seem stuck on âwell, the stock market is at all-time highsâ, remember, the top 1% own 50% of the asset value of the market, the top 10% own another 41%, and the ________ own the rest. Who benefits?
And when Mr. Bigly talks to the media about a million jobs created, do the math, seven (months) into one million. Worse than Obamaâs numbers. And his 3% GDP goal? First two qtrs into his presidency and weâre still under 2%.
Commercial and Consumer bankruptcies are rising at the fastest pace since the last recession.
Student debt, at 1.3 Trillion, is experiencing a default rate of 27%.
But before the Pelosi Schumer Democrats get ahead of themselves, go down, once again, the Clinton Corporate road to more failure, put on their boxing gloves and rail against the injustice of say âbathroom issuesâ, thereâs the sticky issue of whatâs left of the Democratic Party itself as an opposition party. If anyone thinks Sen Sanders & Co will sit on the sidelines and let whatâs left of the âDâ power structure call the shots, determine the candidates and message, and set the agenda for 2018 and beyond, then brace yourself for a battle.
Maybe increase turn-out by training young (and old) leaders how to talk to people. Door-knock and call. Present the Dem platform 1-on-1. Ask questions. Listen. Repeat.