Every race for congress or governor has a primary. If you don't like the Dem nominees,

[DanTex]

then get out there and vote in the primaries.

Here's the thing about the "left left" or "professional left" or whatever you want to call it. Every four years they decide it's time to "take the country back." And then they make a lot of noise about Nader, or Kucinich, or now Bernie Sanders. And then when their guy doesn't win they blame some conspiracy and mumble something about "corporatists" and "oligarchs".

And after that, they go back into a hole for four years, and blog about how horrible the Democrats are. Do they go out there and organize at the grassroots level? No. Do they fight just as hard to get people elected to the Senate or House? No.

A great measure of how ineffective the left left has been in getting people into congress is the number of endorsements that Bernie has from national elected officials. As of now, two representatives. That's it.

Say what you will about the tea party, but they get people elected into congress. That's because they don't just try for the Hail Mary every four years, they actually organize and primary Republicans they think aren't far-right enough. For some reason, the left left doesn't like to do this kind of actual organizational and campaign work. What they like to do is complain.

And so here we are. I hate to break it to Bernie supporters, but the nominee is going to be Hillary. And hopefully, for the good of the entire world, she will beat the Republican in the general.

After that happens, the left left could go two ways. They can keep doing the same thing they have done the last few decades, which is complain a lot and accomplish nothing. Or, they can actually organize, come up with some realistic plan to get people they approve of elected into office, and execute that. I'm hoping for door number 2. But if I had to bet, I'd say we're in for a lot more complaining.

[VanillaRhapsody]

1. Or get out there and run yourself!

[JaneyVee]

2. Exactly.

People need to stop looking for leaders and start being one.

[BootinUp]

3. bookmarked nt

[virtualobserver]

4. that is not what the Tea Party does

they organize for people who are totally right wing, and people like Dave Brat are elected.
The mainstream Republican party listens to the Tea Party, because they are afraid of losing.

I hate to break it to Hillary supporters, but we are organizing.

[DanTex]

5. As a Hillary supporter, I'm glad you are organizing, I just hope that's actually true.

My guess is that after Bernie loses the primary, instead of continuing the movement, the people supporting him will go back to complaining. But I'll be very happy to be wrong about this.

[virtualobserver]

7. "I just hope that's actually true"

Jeez.

[gwheezie]

8. That's how I see it

Where are the Bernie organizers I hope they do start doing something other than work for Bernie. Of course they would have to be dems.

[randys1]

26. Stole the words from my mouth. As a very active political person, I wonder who is

actively working and who isnt.

[gwheezie]

6. How's that working out?

Virginia dems just took a hit. Not enough dems willing to run for local office.
I think dems have been very short sighted only focusing on the big races. Teabagger where I live run for school board, county executive, various boards and agencies and then go for delegate or state senator. Come here and organize.

[virtualobserver]

11. It is much worse where I live (statewide).....

and really bad locally, but we have to start somewhere. It is important that we start increasing even the losing percentage at all political levels and locations because the margin of victory at the Presidential level determines the mandate.

[gwheezie]

13. This is why I admire blm so much

They haven't made their agenda hinge on one candidate. I've watched this batch of black activists grow and leaders are emerging. I fully expect some to run for local offices. They are not going to cave under if a candidate loses because they are pushing all of them.

[virtualobserver]

16. I agree

I am very impressed. No matter who wins the election, I would also like to see some activists involved in the new administration, although it could be tricky for them to maintain their independence.

[onenote]

12. Agreed, but with a caveat.

I don't buy into the notion that Democrats in Virginia took a "hit." Were the results disappointing? Absolutely. But in the end, we neither gained nor gave up ground in the State Senate (and believe me, we could have lost ground). And, I believe, we gained one seat in the House of Delegates (which isn't nearly enough but, again, better than falling further behind as has been the trend in some other states). And at a more local (e.g. County) level, there were surprising gains (such as in Loudon County).

That being said, I agree 100 percent with the notion that more needs to be done at the local level. The repubs hold 66 seats in the House of Delegates -- in 40 of those elections there was no opponent to the republican nominee. That's appalling.

[gwheezie]

14. That is my major complaint

Dems just don't run here, but the teabaggers and wingnuts are running for dog catcher and that gets them into local politics. Where are the dems?

[Sheepshank]

17. hope you don't mind if I repeat a thought here, that I posted elsewhere

We have all been maneuvered into infighting during the Primaries, and focused so very heavily on the presidential seat in the Generals. So much so, we've largely ignored state and local elections.

I got a huge wake up call during a recent MSNBC talk show telling us that while we were distracted, while we were laser focused on the Presidential races, the Republicans (who make up a smaller percentage of the actual voters in this country), have gerrymandered districts, undermined local elections with outside money, and damaged huge voting swaths with suppression laws...we've not paid enough attention to these issues and what we have to show for it are over 900 local and state offices that have been lost to Republicans.

How Is any Democratic President going to accomplish anything progressive when both houses are filled with Republican contrarians and tea bagger assholes? The Republicans have laid out strategic election plans to be implemented over decades, implementing them in slow, hardly noticeable, incremental steps. And we have let them accomplish these moves largely unchallenged. They are falling apart in the puclic arena, but the backroom deals and strategies are laid out and there is an inexorable march to those ends.

Folks, time to get involved at the local level. If one of the most conservative states in this nation (Utah) can elect (looks like a win with 75% of the votes in) an openly gay person as the new Mayor for its State Capital (Salt Lake City)it can be done everywhere. GOTV!!!!!!!!

[JoePhilly]

9. Prediction: They'll be demanding a primary challange for Hillary in 2020.

Just like they did with Obama in 2012.

Meanwhile, they will have done nothing to identify or generate or build up suitable liberal candidates, for 2020, or 2024.

I could be wrong about this ... but this is exactly what I predicted for 2016 back in 2011. In 2011, they demanded that some unidentified uber-liberal had to come along and primary Obama. Did it happen, no.

And did they work to build up a better candidate than Hillary for 2016? Nope. They spent their time complaining about Obama and doing little else.

It would be great if they broke this pattern, but I'm not holding my breath.

[misterhighwasted]

10. Outstanding Op. Thanks

[Art_from_Ark]

15. Last year, there was no Democratic gubernatorial primary in Arkansas

And do you know why? Because the party apparatchiks pushed out the more liberal candidate in favor of Bill Clinton's former driver, before anyone in the hoi polloi had a chance to vote.

[jeff47]

18. It's cute you think the party will let anyone run.

What actually happens is the anointed candidate gets to run. If a serious challenge is mounted by the evil "professional left", the party throws its weight behind the anointed candidate.

If that evil, satanic, "professional left" candidate wins, then the DNC de-facto endorses the Republican.

Say what you will about the tea party, but they get people elected into congress.

Yeah, that's why we have a majority in both houses!! Oh wait....

[DanTex]

19. I guess the teabaggers are just smarter than the far lefties then...

[jeff47]

20. No, Teabaggers withheld their votes from "centrist" Republicans

And thus took over the Republican party.

Golly...I wonder why you work so hard to demonize that evil "professional left" that's talking about withholding their votes...

[DanTex]

21. The teabaggers primaried mainstream Reps out of office.

And they also organized around state and local elections, rather than one Hail Mary every four years.

And it's been much more effective than the far left's strategy of complaining a lot and then trying to throw the occasional presidential election to the GOP.

[jeff47]

22. They did both.

First, they tried to run in primaries, and the Republican party fucked over their candidates. So the teabaggers withheld their general election votes, and the Republican lost.

Then the party stopped fucking over non-establishment candidates in their primaries, because it was causing them to lose. That allowed the teabaggers to actually run in primaries and win.

And it's been much more effective than the far left's strategy of complaining a lot and then trying to throw the occasional presidential election to the GOP.

Considering you've got utterly zero clue what happens in local Democratic races, I'd suggest you stop pretending to know.

The party prefers a blank spot on the general election ballot to the "wrong kind of Democrat". And the local party will work very, very hard to make that happen.

[DanTex]

24. Actually, the notable GOP losses recently were tea party candidates like Todd Akin.

The tea party was so effective in primarying that the GOP ended up putting out some candidates that were unelectable in the general. You know, the thing that would happen if Bernie won the presidential primary.

If the far left decided to do more than complain and threaten, they might be able to mount some successful primary challenges at state and local levels too. Unless they just aren't as smart as the teabaggers.

[jeff47]

25. That's late in the battle within the Republican party.

The moderates were expunged earlier. They didn't actually have to call themselves "the Tea party" to have an effect.

If the far left decided to do more than complain and threaten, they might be able to mount some successful primary challenges at state and local levels too. Unless they just aren't as smart as the teabaggers.

Childish insults are a fantastic way to get the votes of people you need to win. Please keep hurling them.

[Chan790]

23. This is rare, you should comemorate it or something.

I'm going to agree with you, at least as it regards downticket races. (I still think Hillary is a 100% certain lock to lose the GE.) If you think your Democratic Congressman, Senator, Governor, State AG, Mayor, Board of Finance, Zoning Board or School Board sucks...get out there and stump for a primary opponent--or run yourself.

We may or may not win the Presidency and/or the US Senate...but we are going to most-assuredly lose overall because we will lose downticket and local races now and in the future if Democrats don't start caring about local politics and showing up in off-year elections.

Please give a shit. It doesn't matter who is President if the GOP controls most of the state houses, governorships and local elections nationally. That, not Bernie or Hillary, is the important election!

[brooklynite]

27. More to the point, focus on the State and local races in your area...

...because that's where the future Federal candidates frequently come from.

Of course, writing some more blog posts would be easier.

[daleanime]

30. Yes, talking about politics.....

must be discouraged.

[brooklynite]

31. Please DO talk about politics...I do it all the time.

I ALSO work to get candidates elected across the country, from President to State Legislature to City Council.

[daleanime]

28. I thought the Democratic primary was over?

[daleanime]

29. Teabaggers, started on corporate news casts.....

Nurtured on Faux 24/7.

The only push we "professional leftist" get is a multi-million shove backwards.

Really similar cases, aren't they?

Not that it worries you any. So have a great dau.

[whatchamacallit]

32. DanTex winning hearts and minds one post at a time

I wonder if Hillary would appreciate the alienating you do for her?