What’s clear is to me right now is that we cannot win or possibly even survive against the right wing propaganda in this country. Unless voters, particularly Democrats, start boycotting products and corporations that do not align with their interests, we are really lost. As we all should know on this board, money is the only thing that counts.
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Who knows what Manchin will do? He might also think that he will be blamed, along with Sinema, for the loss and it is time to at least pretend he has some loyalty to his party. However, it is true that if the infrastructure bill had passed, it might have helped the Democrats because they could claim some kind of win. I do understand that progressives are concerned that it is their only leverage for BBB. And they might be right about that too. The problem is they are trying to pass a huge bill with 50 Senators. It might be time to just vote and take what you get and move on. As for the midterms, who knows? But for Chrisake, no more defund the police talk. And as for CRT, it is pure BS and we all know it, but figure out how to respond to it without insulting voters.
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I’d like to think that too, but the Dems will likely place all the blame on the progressive wing of their own party. And the next election will give you a choice between Republican and Republican-lite. I HOPE to be proven wrong.
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Youngkin should send Manchin a very nice Christmas gift this year to thank him for handling him the gift of Virginia’s governorship.
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Success breeds success. Builds political capital, makes the low-engaged voters see progress
Displays of non-success drive weakness
(yawn)
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The CORE infra bill? So a bunch of highways for rural people and broadband so they can watch Alex Jones videos.
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When is the last time the Dems talked about Defund the Police? That has become another mostly false media narrative.
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This is the problem with the attack strategy…I heard a man say that he did not like being treated like a domestic terrorist because he disagreed with the school board. I think Dems need to understand that there is some genuine concern among parents out there. A lot of them had to home school because of the pandemic and for the first time they actually saw the curriculum. The issue should be violence at school board meetings. Do not attack the parents, even if they are wrong about CRT or whatever.
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But defund the police stuck because of the back drop of the protests. I live in a very conservative state. I know these people. Democrats talk about the Capitol attack, which was appalling, but they see cities burning. They don’t believe the media themselves. Neither side of this actually has any respect for the talking heads. Both sides think the media helps the other side. No matter how much time passes I will never forget what happened at the Capitol…and they will never forget seeing a church burned in the Capitol. See what I mean?
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So how do we counter stuck narratives? You said they shouldn’t talk about Defund. They don’t, and yet it sticks.
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I know its easy to blame Manchin and Sinema, but they weren’t the reason McAulliffe lost.
He lost because Biden/Pelosi/Schumer allowed Manchinema to hold the party hostage. Dem leadership has been spineless throughout this process.
Here’s a few clues to what happened.
-
In 2020 20% of the electorate was under 30, and gave Biden 62% of their vote.
In 2021, only 10% of voters were under 30, and McAuliffe only got 53% of their votes.
YOUNG PROGRESSIVES STAYED HOME. -
In 2020, white voters were 67% of the vote.
In 2021 white voters were 74% of the vote.
In both elections, non-white voters favored the Democrat heavily by close to the same margin overall – but non-white voters just didn’t see a reason to turn out to vote in 2021.
This is NOT about Democrats not being moderate enough. Its about Democrats not standing for anything, and giving people a reason to vote other than “we’re not Trump”.
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It sticks because of the images. To them it exemplifies everything that is wrong with Democrats and liberals. BLM = cities burning. Just like I will always feel like Republicans allowed Trump to commit treason. But in the case of the election, Republicans found a way to make it personal for people. They made it about their children. So much for rational discussion. A girl was raped in a school bathroom…guess who got blamed for that? Crazy, I know.
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That’s the bright side about last night. They won’t be able to do that little two-step next year when Trump is back on the campaign trail and doing weekly rallies. To me, as bad as it was, I really hope everybody had the ever loving shit scared out of them last night. 2022 doesn’t have to be bad year, it can be a very good year, but we can’t just sit at home and cross our fingers and hope we can defeat them. We’ve gotta actually do something about it.
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The gut-punch loss in Virginia notwithstanding, there was quite a bit of GOOD news for Dems across the U.S. Tuesday night: https://twitter.com/michelle_byoung/status/1455740843810332673?s=20
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What do you believe Biden/Pelosi/Schumer should’ve done specifically to get Manchin and Sinema on board? What would you have done differently that would’ve moved the needle?
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If they make promises, the Democrats need to at least try to keep them. It is better to hold a vote and lose than it is to dither.
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One BIG structural disadvantage for Dems is not having strong party presence in all 50 states. Nobody will vote for you if they don’t see you.
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And as for CRT, it is pure BS and we all know it, but figure out how to respond to it without insulting voters.
Race baiting still works of course but we should continue insulting them before CRT becomes “fact.” It’s what got Youngkin to victory. He’s gonna continue pushing race card, to purge CRT from VA schools even though it doesn’t exist. As long as he doesn’t have a statehouse super majority he’ll be playing defense. I think VA gov is a one four year term. Even the Stoopids wise up after a bit.
Time to call for a vote on both infrastructure bills. Like right away, control the narrative STAT!
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Virginia is on Sinemanchin, 100%. Their precious BIF would have passed in the summer if they had come to the table in good faith.
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first off, I would never have agreed to a separate ‘roads and bridges’ bill without a firm commitment from them to support the rest of the Biden agenda in reconciliation.
secondly, I would have told them that their committee assignments were forfeit if the did not support the Biden agenda and $3.5 COMPROMISE bill (remember, the original proposal was 6T) And if the switched parties, attack them, and the GOP that they’d switched to, for being corrupt and opposed to the priorities of the vast majority of Americans.
I’d rather wait 2 more years and get the feast, than settle for a few crumbs and empty promises this year.
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