Discussion: Chris Van Hollen To Head Senate Dems' Campaign Arm

And the first campaign battle of the Trump era begins.

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You guys might want to fix the typo in Chuck’s name there… :wink:

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Good pick.

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I wish him luck. Ds could easily lose 8 of these 10 senate seats in 2018: Fla. Ind, Mo., Mont., Nev., N.D., OH, PA., W.Virg., Wisc. It doesn’t bear thinking about.

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I think we need to find progressive candidates in all those states willing to actually work for main street and not wall street.

But it DOES bear thinking about!

As in, we must all be thinking about what we can do in the coming years to save the country from the Republicans. As in, we must all already be thinking about how much we can contribute to the Democratic Party, to candidates, and to various advocacy groups on the left. As in, we must all be preparing to clear our calendars so we can volunteer time can candidates, attend demonstrations, and so on.

Saving the nation (and the world, and the planet) is a big job, and it’s up to us. That’s something to think about!

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Of those you listed, I could actually see Sherrod Brown in OH losing. Same thing with Donnelly in IN. The demographics just aren’t favoring us anymore.

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Of course. And yet, think about what those who hate Wall Street just got in this election: a Wall Street said to be “giddy” about Trump, a treasury pick (likely) of a Goldman Sachs ex-partner, a batch of hedge fund guys (Scaramucci, e.g.)… It does not matter what the GOP says about taking down the power of WS–they never mean it.

They will kill Dodd Frank and the CFPB…and the dummies who voted will be the butt s of their guffaws heard round the world.

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So the guy that presided over the ass beatings we took in the House every two years during PBO’s term will now bring the ass beatings to the Senate. Yay?

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Idk scheme r isnt too far off.

Teachout and Feingold both lost. If WS is the issue, then what happened?

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We’re Dems.

Are you new?

:smiley:

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I dunno nuthin about actually being a US Senator, but i’m at least a little saddened that a brand new Senator’s 1st “job” is campaigning for (other’s) election, rather than, you know, taking care of the NATION’S business?

I know this stuff has to be done, but honestly it should be the job of the Party itself. Our elected officials are supposed to work for the people that elected them, right? :frowning:

I know I know…pie in the sky idealism :confused:

Those in the dem party that view WS and its influence on DC were a bit uninspired by the top of the ticket.

Also both from places taken for granted by the top of the ticket.

This means those that disliked Clinton werent fired up enough to vote(stupid, yes, i know) and those that could be receptive didnt see the nominee after the convention.

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And you say this from your years of experience living and knowing the culture in all of those states, right?

North Dakota is a bulwark of progressivism, as is Montana. And Florida has long been known as the home of progressives for decades, that’s why they have such a lock on the Governor’s mansion and the state legislature.

Tell you what, why don’t you come back when you do some research and get a little experience under your belt, instead of parading around a lot of empty bumper stickerism. Oh! And try doing a little work for “main street” instead of sniping from the sidelines for “wall street” like you did the last election. Or haven’t you noticed all the bankers lining up for Trump lately?

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If you don’t defend Medicare you can go to hell Senate Democrats. And any Democrat voting for a voucher system should be mercilessly primaried out of a job.

Nah, Sherrod can hold his seat. He just needs to spend the next 2 years going from one town hall meeting, union meeting, diner after another, and saying: We hear you. We know you didn’t want to vote Trump but felt that you had no option. We know we let you down. We’re going to put that right now. And you know that we can’t let Trump have everything his own way. That’s real ground game. And in fact Ds need to round up every articulate union guy and union woman they can find and get them out there advocating at a grassroots level, in particular African-American guys who will say, They told me not to come here. They told me you were racist. I told them you weren’t racist, you were desperate for change. I told them people voted for Trump in spite of his racism, not because of it. So here I am, and here’s what I want to do: listen to you, and let you know what we’re planning to make YOUR lives better.

We need to involve union members much more heavily than we have, and speak to people face to face, and make them see we’re sweating on their behalf. That’s a lot of work, but it’s got to be done.

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Indeed. CVH is outstanding.

Van Hollen was the point-person for House Ds on the Ryan budget, which sought to privatize Medicare - and for which not a single House Dem voted in favor, I might add.

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