General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAre we doomed?
http://www.dscc.org/raceshttp://www.dccc.org/races
I'll say it again, the best hope is to deny Republicans any advantage anywhere. Vote them out wherever possible.
Remember 2010? What's happening in states from North Carolina to Texas and across the country can be directly linked to the outcome of the 2010 elections.
I try to imagine where things would be had Democrats won decisively at the national, state and local levels. Instead of the crazy, I think the country would be on a path to more sane policies, even some progressive policies.
It's bizarre to see the advances in civil rights for the LGBT community juxtaposed with deeply regressive anti-choice policies.
The assault certainly didn't begin with 2010, as the SCOTUS' Voting Rights Act decision shows, but that election expanded it into states that leaned progressive, and it's going to take several voting cycles to reverse.
Start with 2014.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)... Living Wage
... Medicare for All
... Strengthen, expand Social Security
... Legalize weed
and
... Cut defense to pay for it all
Supporting such positions, Dems could gain tens of millions of votes from the 40% of the electorate who currently stay home because neither Party offers them squat.
Failure to adopt such stances just makes Democrats look like Repubican-lite, demotivates the base, does nothing to attract the currently disaffected and cedes the issues to the other side.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)Then what?
Scuba
(53,475 posts)... that the Democratic Party has been largely taken over by conservatives wearing sheep's clothing.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)I mean, the 2014 election cycle is a little more than a year away.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)jeff47
(26,549 posts)You're demanding that the party leap to the left before 2014.
There's little evidence that the party will do so by 2014.
Thus we're doomed in 2014.
Trajan
(19,089 posts)That we are 'DOOMED' is specious ... we aren't doomed, but we would suffer a loss at the polls if the party continues to drift right, which your post 'implies' ....
So, you prefer that we continue to drift to the right, as your post and PS's posts ' imply' ?
Not loving that Democrats wanna be Republicans, as your post implies ...
jeff47
(26,549 posts)The party took 30 years to get where it is now. It will take more than 1 year to fix it.
The claim I was responding to is we are doomed unless the party is fixed in one year.
Trajan
(19,089 posts)so stop using the reference .... it's a red herring ...
The sooner we become Democrats, the sooner we will fix this country .....
jeff47
(26,549 posts)I'm not the one claiming Democrats are doomed. The first reply is.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)As opposed to continuing to the right, uninterrupted, to where the GOP lies. Which is exactly what Harry S Truman warned us about:
[font color="blue"]"Given the choice between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, people will vote for the real Republican all the time."[/font color]
Right?
But nice try.
The party is where it is. It will take time to correct it's direction. It took 30 years to get where we are now. It will take more than 1 year to reverse that.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)Peace. Prosperity. Civil Rights. Equal Rights. Voting Rights. Strong Unions. Good Jobs. Good Housing. Good Schools.
These are some of the things that now seem to be denigrated by the label, "Left."
When we stand for the same things as the pukes, like doing everything under the sun for Wall Street, people don't vote for us.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)And spinning doesn't change that.
The poster waaaay up there demanded that the party make a large move back to the left before 2014.
The entirety of my point is you can't undo 30 years in one year.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)n/t
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)n/t
midnight
(26,624 posts)that do... regardless if they have a certain alphabet next to their name, should not be considered to run any thing in this country....
ananda
(28,879 posts)..
Mojorabbit
(16,020 posts)Well said!
yurbud
(39,405 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)yurbud
(39,405 posts)board members than they can serving their employers in public office and deferring those big salaries (temporarily).
Joe Lieberman certainly didn't change his stripes to win over his constituents when Ned Lamont challenged him in the primaries.
protect our future
(1,156 posts)And that's not Hillary.
Junkdrawer
(27,993 posts)I think people are worried about bigger things than knocking on doors for party picked candidates....
But I guess I could be wrong.
TheMastersNemesis
(10,602 posts)If you advocate for a worker or better employment protections you are called a communist. As I said recently in a Democratic meeting in Colorado if you run as a progressive, for unions, living wages, health care etc, the churches here and the business community will call you a communist and anti American and you will get your ass whipped by the same broke people who vote. The word communist or progressive causes so many of them to go berzerk. You could literally get yourself shot in some districts.
monmouth3
(3,871 posts)of the scourge in the House and keep the Senate. President Obama would have no excuses...
leftstreet
(36,117 posts)ProSense
(116,464 posts)leftstreet
(36,117 posts)ProSense
(116,464 posts)leftstreet
(36,117 posts)ProSense
(116,464 posts)leftstreet
(36,117 posts)jeff47
(26,549 posts)Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)Go figure.
Response to ProSense (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)who wants to work with the majority, GOTV, run a serious grass roots campaign, work harder than we did in 2012, yes we can. This static we are hearing from the fringes which has nothing to do with revival of the 90%, gripping and complaining is not good. This energy should be place on positive thinking rather than the gubermint is out to get me.
MineralMan
(146,336 posts)We're not well and truly doomed just yet.
great white snark
(2,646 posts)Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)Zorra
(27,670 posts)how Democrats make the lives of the majority of Americans so much better than republicans whose only interest is in serving the wealthy.
IMO, if the ACA is successful in allowing every American to have access to genuinely affordable health care, we can regain our majority in the House and increase our majority in the Senate.
If the ACA does what it promises to do in 2014, we will need to put this success on a national pedestal, clear and indisputable for everyone to see, and then counteract all RW propaganda that is put forth in order to cloud the issue.
If the ACA does what it promises to do in 2014, I guarantee that I will personally be able to convince a minimum of thirty generally non political voters to vote straight Democratic in the 2014 elections.
I need to unquestionably believe in something before I can sell it. If I see tens of millions of previously uninsured people obtain quality healthcare, I will have the only evidence I need to make my case and convince the jury of uninformed voters to vote a straight D ticket.
And I believe that I may be able to bring a few conservatives to the dance as well.
If it comes to fruition, the affordable, obtainable, quality healthcare in real time promised by the ACA will be a firm foundation for our campaign platform.
Here's hoping.
sheshe2
(83,940 posts)What's happening in No. Carolina and Texas right now is going to become a direct link for Democratic gains in 2014! People are getting angry, women are getting angry!
Look what happened after the Trayvon verdict. The massive Peaceful Protests. They didn't riot. They stood up and are making their voices heard. This too will have a direct link to gains in 2014.
Let's not forget the Dreamers.
http://unitedwedream.org/about/our-missions-goals/
Different groups, yes. What they have in common, that would be equal rights and civil liberties. In my opinion these common issues will coalesce in 2014. Change will happen.
It will take more than one cycle to get where we want. However, we start here.
GOTV 2014
Thanks for the great OP ProSense...this needs to be repeated over and over.
rug
(82,333 posts)great white snark
(2,646 posts)Vote Democrat.
rug
(82,333 posts)2010 blue dogs.
galileoreloaded
(2,571 posts)davidn3600
(6,342 posts)For several years now there appears to be no indication the Democratic party is any different than the GOP when it comes to Wall Street and economic issues. The Democrats are protecting the 1% and the big banks just as much as the GOP would.
Life Long Dem
(8,582 posts)Do what we want or we are doomed. Might as well slice your own throat ahead of time, that way we don't need to listen to your bullshit.
Union Scribe
(7,099 posts)staying home like they did.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)The moderates voted. The independents and youth fled.
great white snark
(2,646 posts)GOTV 2014.
sheshe2
(83,940 posts)GOTV 2014!
Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)manipulation, and deal in reality rather than crafted fantasy then yes, it seems inevitable that we are doomed.
I am optimistic, however.
Safetykitten
(5,162 posts)dsc
(52,169 posts)the gerrymandering in NC, which just got upheld by a 3 judge panel, is pretty awful. We are polling ahead on the generic ballot 51 to 43 for the general assembly but that might not be enough to gain a majority (the GOP currently has super majorities in both houses). I don't know the numbers of the state districts but in 2012 we won the Congressional vote here 51 to 49 but have a 4 to 9 split (and came within less than 800 votes of a 3 to 10 split). It was probably the most effective gerrymander in the nation.
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)Maybe if one of those parties was a liberal one...
sheshe2
(83,940 posts)GOTV 2014