As long as they can convince their bigoted, ignorant, haters that it’s all the Democrat’s fault and especially the Kenyan, Islamic, Despotic-Dictator, Machiavellian-Bond-Villan/Incompetent-Bumbling-Fool (pick one, please) it won’t matter one bit.
Or easier yet. Tell them it is all because of “Black People” and “Benghazi” (that always works.)
Messaging: In the public’s mind, these issues are totally unrelated to whether you are a democrat or a republican. The dems, must, must, must do a better job of associating these issues with voting democratic.
If they run away from their accomplishments and the President’s accomplishments in 2016, Republicans will win in a landslide.
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Thanks, but I have been here a while, and I know what the site is supposed to be about. This post is just a little too contrived. Its premise is Hillary Clinton’s election is helped by the amendments. My take is the amendments reflect good Democratic policies generally. I am heartened to see the effort to include them in the budget. That they might benefit HRC is incidental.
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All I can say is “more please”!
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“Sen. Johnson realized he cast the wrong vote – there are a lot of votes happening right now, simple mistake,” Melinda Schnell, a (Ron) Johnson spokeswoman, said in an email.
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Usted esta hablando ingles, y tiene razon…
Exactamente!
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Yes that’s the ticket. Johnson saw the way the wind was blowing.
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That’s the beauty of 2016, we’re playing almost nothing but home games. There are only two Democratic seats in the remotest of trouble, Bennet of CO and now Harry Reid’s in NV (if Sandoval takes a pass in NV, then there’s only CO to worry about and it’s not much of a worry). The rest of those running for reelection are in perfectly safe seats. There are several Republican seats that are either in states Obama won twice or are potentials for pick ups, so I don’t see there being a whole lot of Democrats running away from Obama or running away from Obamacare. If Dems play our cards right, 2016 should be for us what 2014 was for Republicans.
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Not to mention all the 26 year olds and under still on their parents health insurance plans…thanks to Obamacare!
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Amen, Plucky. I retain the painful memory of how solidly we were supposedly set up for 2010 that will always keep me from being too confident (yes, it was a midterm year, but still); and it’s taking an awfully long time for too many Dems to realize exactly how strong a policy hand they have to play, especially on Obamacare. And of course, we need our challengers for GOP seats to do the same, and run accordingly. I’m definitely hopeful; but I’ll feel better when I start hearing Dems cheerfully reciting in unison from McMorris-Rodgers’ Facebook page. Then I’ll know they’re ready for the fight.
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Which just gets back to the question - why the hell don’t people vote in midterm elections for governor and state house, which actually affect them more than presidential ones?
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I have mentioned in the past that the DNC needs to take a two-pronged approach to elections, especially the off-year ones.
First, a firm specializing in marketing is going to have to figure out what would get younger people to (a) vote and (b) vote for Democratic candidates.
Second, after any initial success, there is going to have to be some sort of shift away FROM simply marketing and TO education in civic participation and all that entails.
Younger people CAN be motivated to act. Madison Avenue has been doing it for years.
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Paid sick leave is humane. But GOPers aren’t humane.
Veterans (married or not) benefits ought not to be a political issue in the 1st place. If someone is willing to go in harms way for our country they have earned not only benefits but our respect regardless. Any politician who would seek to deny a vet their benefits because they are gay and/or got married deserves to get kicked out of their office.
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Every word of the Democratic platform should be a “Slam-Dunk!” Hillary and all the rest need to run WITH the ACA, Medicare, Social Security, Public Transportation, Infrastructure improvement, and all the other things that make life more livable for all of us.
To the accusation of “Tax and Spend Democrats,” Just yell back “Spend and Steal Republicans!” They start wars off the books, give tax breaks to those who least need them (and DON’T create jobs), and then scream about deficits that they want to “cure” by stealing from those who can least afford to lose benefits, AND from the very benefits that we have paid into separately for our lifetimes.
Just don’t stand there looking like a deer in the headlights when GOPers yell about “giving away free stuff;” challenge them on the free stuff they give to people who already have 3 houses and a yacht! Show them graphs that show when our economy has been strong (when the tax rates have been highest). Show and EXPLAIN in simple English that when regular normal people have more money they pay taxes on it and they spend it; making the economy stronger. When people who have everything they need and want already get windfalls of cash, they HIDE it!
This Headline really aggravates me – as though we need to shuffle into a room, grabbing at one or two things that are popular to run on. If Democrats boldly ran on the things we care about NO ONE with any sense could object without getting laughed at. When I say boldly, I am including the need to ARTICULATE in a meaningful way, AND with confidence, what we want for the people of our country.
Whew! Thanks for letting me rant.
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Just going by my own experiences, while I was in my twenties I always felt I was just passing through wherever I was living (mostly true) and never took the time to learn about local politics. It was only after I started feeling secure about where I was going to be and what I was going to do that I started paying attention to the lower level stuff.
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Sahil Kapur, TPM:
The second, offered by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), would ensure Social Security and veterans benefits for legally married same-sex couples even if they lived in a state that outlawed gay marriage. It passed by a vote of 57-43, winning 11 Republicans including Ayotte, Burr, Kirk and Portman.
Sahil, how did this vote get past a filibuster/cloture vote? While I’m pleased by the result, 60 votes are usually required to get a vote on anything even remotely progressive.
Were there three Senators who voted for cloture, then voted against the bill? Or did the bill get to the floor through a different route or technicality?
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Not enough inside baseball for my taste here…
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I think the key is that the 2016 GOP presidential plotters are on record voting against these popular policies. It’s not everything, but it’s a useful cudgel to either have them stand against the policies, totally flip-flop, or go "uh … ummm … errr … " trying to figure out how to have it both ways.
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If I am the average voter in 2016, I want to know why I should get off my ass and vote. I want reasons to vote for Hillary. I have all kinds of reasons not to vote for Republicans.
I am a political junkie now and a passionate Dem, but I came to it late.
I think my first presidential vote was for Dukakis when I was in my 30s, and I think I voted in every presidential since.
Though I was incredulous during the run up to the Iraq war … thinking there was no way we could be that stupid, I didn’t pay close attention any deeper into national, state and local politics until about 2004 when I worked from home and would put on CSPAN-2 (the Senate) during the day. What I saw everyday from the GOP sickened and galvanized me, turning into the political advocate and devotee I am today.
I don’t know what may have inspired me sooner. I truly wish I had been passionate beginning in my teens or 20s. I have no idea how to inspire young people to realize how critical their participation is to their own future.