People are worried about the Greens and ex-Bernie supporters. Why?

[apnu]

I've seen a few threads worrying about the Green Party and ex-Bernie supporters who aren't coming over to the Dems. Why are we concerned about these people?

The groups we should be concerned about, and welcome wholeheartedly, are the African Americans and Latino Americans. And, of course, anybody else who isn't white.

Trump is polling at zero with the African American community, and I presume something close to that for the Latino community. Now is the exact time we should be welcoming them to Democratic and Liberal politics. Now is the time to signal to them that their concerns are our concerns and together we will make the world a better place.

If we do that, I see no reason at all to worry about privileged Greens and ex-Bernie supporters throwing a hissy fit over losing the Democratic Nomination, despite knowing, from the start that Bernie's shot was a long one.

Embrace the beautiful colors of America and GOTV!

[seabeyond]

1. No one is worried about them. Discussing is not "worrying".

[NurseJackie]

15. We already went through this during the primary. It's semantics gymnastics all over again ...

... when Hillary supporters posted anything about (insert topic here) our adversaries said that we were "worried". But if we chose to NOT post about (insert topic here) then we were obviously ignoring it, and therefore we were "frightened".

It was all very silly then, and it's equally silly now.

Come election day, the candidates who are neither Democrat or Republican will end up getting about 1% of the total vote. Not enough to sway the election results one way or the other.

[seabeyond]

20. Yes. I believe it's one of six they teach people to win arguments or such. Like we are that

Stupid.

Argue the point but using language to define me isn't gonna cut it.

[Maru Kitteh]

23. Jackie I'm going to start awarding medals in the semantics gymnastics.

I hope you don't mind.

Some people clearly deserve some awards. It wouldn't be right to keep them waiting.

[NurseJackie]

25. Ha!! :-D

[sufrommich]

2. I'm not worried about them. Every time I come to DU I see multiple

threads on crap like this that I see zero people talking about in the real world. The most common answer you'd get if you asked about concern for the Greens is "who?". I think a lot of this hand wringing is boredom,it's summer,no one is really paying attention to the election yet.

[mia]

3. "And, of course, anybody else who isn't white."

Why not welcome all?

[bluedye33139]

4. Demographics

I believe that the future of the two parties in the US is that the GOP will become a whites-only white-supremacist party that reliably brings in 60 to 80% of the white vote, while the Democratic party will be a coalition of people of color, educated and decent white people, immigrants, etc.

I think that the Democratic party will be stronger by speaking for a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multicultural America. This doesn't mean that the party is anti-white, but rather that it is anti-white-supremacist.

[AgingAmerican]

9. The Democratic party is 60% white

[bluedye33139]

19. Let's look at this discourse

first statement: "I've seen a few threads worrying about the Green Party and ex-Bernie supporters who aren't coming over to the Dems. Why are we concerned about these people? The groups we should be concerned about, and welcome wholeheartedly, are the African Americans and Latino Americans. And, of course, anybody else who isn't white." Or, rephrased, the post claims that Democrats should not be worried about attracting Green Party and Berner voters, but rather about attracting people of color.

Someone asked why not target white non-Democrats, and I note that I believe the white voter bloc has increasingly been drawn to the racialist and white-supremacist discourse from the Republicans, and I express my believe that the future of the Democratic party will be as a multi-ethnic, multicultural, multi-racial coalition that includes people of color, immigrants, and decent white people.

You note that the party is 60% white, and I agree, and I think that the party has pretty much already collected all white voters who are able to be in a "mixed" political party.

I don't think it would be a wise use of resources to attempt to draw more white voters to the party, inasmuch as I don't believe that white voters are more valuable than non-white voters, and because I don't think that outreach to white non-Democrats would result in substantive numbers or noticeable growth. I think that targeting people of color is the wiser policy, for reasons I've outlined.

[apnu]

5. Well the party has already welcomed whites, I'm saying to welcome them all.

Awkwardly put, but that's what I'm trying to say.

[Recursion]

7. Because helping minorities drives white voters away

Whites are welcome in our party, but don't in general like our principles

[Matt_in_STL]

26. Wow - you really believe that?

This place has gone to shit.

[Recursion]

27. The past 40 years speak for themselves -- it's hardly a secret

I don't think we've won white voters since Carter.

Now, we do better with white voters than the GOP does with minority voters, and I'm all for keeping that true, but a majority of white voters don't like any social spending that benefits minorities even if it benefits them too, and they've demonstrated this over and over again.

[tallahasseedem]

6. For one...

They spam all Democratic message feeds on social media with HORRIBLE messages.

That and I still relive the 2000 election. Living in Tallahassee and watching that happen up close changed me forever.

[zappaman]

8. Oh my goodness! It's very concerning!

Why aren't you concerned!!11!!

[VulgarPoet]

10. I assumed it was trolling to grave dance and repeatedly kick us while we're down. nt

[whatthehey]

11. Doubt many are worried

Yes it's irksome that some quixotic idiots want to cut off their noses to spite their faces by throwing away their votes in purist tantrums by pretending there is no real difference worth worrying about between Clinton and Trump.

Yes it's a combination of laughable and horrifying to be faced with people so deluded as to think electing Trump will actually speed some wonderful shining city on the hill when we all get so disgusted with Ferret-Top that we turn into Marxists overnight.

But worried that this fringe will be meaningful in the GE? Doubt it. Nader did indeed get away with the same vile treason, but most voters remember the pain it caused and won't be so stupid again, Stein is not as well known or as gifted with a thin veneer of apparent credibility as he was, and she's facing a far savvier Dem candidate with a much wider gulf in platforms than Gore presented. Even those last few pathetic butt-hurt dregs who follow through with NeverHillary when faced with a choice that actually matters in November will be far outnumbered by the semi-sane on the other side who favor NeverTrump. No there's no hanging chads in the cards this time around to worry over.

Will Stein beat her .3%? Quite probably, but by less than the Libertarians, or Pot Smoking Republican Gamers, will beat their tally, and she won't get to Nader level.

[AgingAmerican]

12. Thing is, they all did it simultaneously

As if they were all marching in lockstep, using childish insults like idiot, moron, loonie, etc. My guess would be David Brock.

Many greens vote Democratic once the dust clears, so insulting and castigating them as 'loonies and idiots' is akin to political suicide IMHO. Not sure what their goal is on this one. Seems some folks just can't stop themselves.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

13. what do you mean welcome african americans wholeheartedly?

they are the core of the democratic party. i dont know this 'we' is who will welcome them. But the democratic party is alive because of AA's.

i am sure you didn't mean it but your post really makes AA sound like the other, who has to be brought in, as opposed to the center of the party, which they are.

[apnu]

14. What I'm trying to say is...

The Democratic party should seize on the obvious race issue America is facing right now. Boldly and loudly. Many Democrats, yes, are past an racial divide, but the party still fears hurting the feelings of white liberals. The party still dances around the sensitivities of whites. That's what I'm trying to say. Sorry if it was unclear.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

16. i agree with how you stated it here

[Bluenorthwest]

17. Most who freak out about Greens live in Red States with no Greens they actually meet

So they have no idea how that end of our Party politics works, the coalition making and common ground. I told one of them a story about Michelle Obama reaching out to Greens around here in 2008 and got my head bitten off by someone living in a place where only Republicans get elected for saying we try to get Green votes. We got many for Obama in 08, I even saw 'Green Dog for Obama' tee shirts.

Meanwhile, the very concerned OP makers meet only right wing Republicans and don't really know what Green Party voters are actually like. Because they never meet any, because their politics never calls for coalition because all they do is lose to the GOP.

[democrattotheend]

18. I wouldn't call myself an "Ex-Bernie Supporter"

I still consider myself a Bernie supporter, even though he's not running anymore. I think an ex-supporter would be someone who soured on him, and I don't think that is who the article is talking about.

[apnu]

21. I know plenty of people who feel betrayed by Bernie for endorsing Hillary.

Plenty. And many of them still think there's some crazy conspiracy going on, but now Bernie is in on it.

[HereSince1628]

22. Well my list of overtly bizzare threads now has a Dem seeming to push the party to be anti-white.

Very strange election election cycle this one.

[LostOne4Ever]

24. I don't really consider anyone who acts like that a "real" Bernie Support.

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=3 color=#000076]Time and time again, Bernie has risked his career for the causes he promotes. Why would he give in now when he didn't in the past? That doesn't make any sense.



I expect real Bernie Supporters to have more faith in him than that.

He endorsed Clinton because he said he would support the democratic party. That was one of the things I liked best about him. That he was trying to create change from within.

I honestly feel that Jill Stein and the Greens undermine that. So, I reject her and the Green Party completely and to be totally honest, I am a pretty angry at them for doing that.[/font]

[cosmicone]

28. This is an election - not a meditation exercise

Greens can be a serious threat in swing states in close elections by siphoning off democratic votes. It is every democrat's duty to treat the Greens as enemies - especially they get their funding from republican sources.

When an election is at stake, no group should be overlooked as a non-threat.

By the way, what's up with so many threads on DU with a theme of "leave the greens alone?"

[randome]

29. Gore lost for many reasons but one of those reasons was Nader.

You don't have to see the Greens as decision-makers but they can be a factor when conditions are right. I don't think they are a factor this time but it's understandable why some still harbor ill will toward them.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"If you're bored then you're boring." -Harvey Danger[/center][/font][hr]

[Trajan]

30. This telling implication ...

Embrace people of color, because, you know, liberals are assholes ....

No people of of color are liberals? .. None are Bernie supporters? ....

Thanks for the info ...

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