Thank you for your wise counsel, Mr. PresidentâŚ
The Republicans took the White House, the Senate, and the House with a message that didnât have a hint of moderation in it. Jusâ sayinâ.
no reason/âwaitingâ
Where on the political spectrum do actual good policy ideas lie?
where he offered caution about the political consequences should Democrats âmove to a very liberal program, like universal health care.â
âRosie and I voted for Bernie Sanders in the past,â Carter noted.
Center-leftâŚ
short answer: it depends on what a particular âmajorityâ wants it to be.
âMust not gives the peoples whats every poll says a majorities wants. Must protect the PRECIOUS!â
With all due respect, Mr. President, protecting the Status Quo is precisely why the Democrats are in the minority. As for moving âtoo far Leftâ, NOBODY running for office as a Democrat is advocating for the seizure of the means of production and turning them over to the workersâŚ
I have nothing but respect for President Jimmy Carter. Despite what the cultural fascists on the right say, he was one of our better Presidents. He deserved a better citizenry.
That said, I feel his use of the word âindependentsâ is a poor choice. I think the word he is searching for is âmoderates.â Many independents are to the left of the Democrats.
Yes, we need moderates, but how substantial are they in swaying the elections? After two years of Trump are we still concerned with people who feel health care for all and universal living wages are a bridge too far? Should we expend energy wooing them when they are fickle enough to tuck tail and run when things get âtoo progressiveâ?
There is more than enough support on the left to get done what we need to do. Our true focus between now and the midterms is to fight gerrymandering and voter suppression, the disingenuous rightâs favorite tools.
Love the guy and what he stands for. He deserved more credit back in the 80âs than he received. This was Jimmy 3 weeks ago in the Washington Post:
Carter says he thinks the Supreme Courtâs Citizens United decision has âchanged our political system from a democracy to an oligarchy. Money is now preeminent. I mean, itâs just gone to hell now.â
He says he believes that the nationâs âethical and moral valuesâ are still intact and that Americans eventually will âreturn to whatâs right and whatâs wrong, and whatâs decent and whatâs indecent, and whatâs truthful and whatâs lies.â
But, he says, âI doubt if it happens in my lifetime.â
Middle of the road worked so well in 1980.
âIndependents need to know they can invest their vote in the Democratic Party,â
Moderate-Conservative Dems need to know that too. See todayâs Prime article on the changing demographics in Florida too.
Carter sites universal health care as one of those policies thatâs too âliberalâ. Recent polling shows Medicare for all is supported by 70% of Americans. 84.5% Democrats and 51% Republicans. I know that the corporate media, insurance industry, big pharma and establishment Dems bankrolled by these corporations want you to think that Medicare for all is a far left bridge too far, when in reality it is a centrist policy.
While Iâm still a Carter fan, its funny to me that though heâs a Sanders primary voter, heâs now saying âcarefulâ, as it relates to MFA (which is a Sanders position).
I donât want to literally yell âpick a sideâ, because Iâm too a moderate Democrat, but Iâm getting tempted.
âFormer President Jimmy Carter sees little hope for the U.S.
to change its human rights and environmental policiesas long as Donald Trump is in the White House.â
Fixed.
Then progressives need to show.
Why do we imagine that âindependentsâ are a bunch of thoughtful-minded centrists?
The independents I know are extremist crackpots.
Tactically I get whatâs he saying. But Democratic tactics kind of got us where we are todayâŚ
Heâs right. Conservatives are very good at this. They sold Donald Trump to evangelicals.
(Trump himself is not at all good at it .)