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Nanjeanne

(5,471 posts)
34. Stop thinking left right center. Start thinking about what kind of country we should be.
Fri Nov 8, 2024, 07:22 PM
Nov 8

When Walz was selected there was so much excitement. His responses when questioned about his "socialist" or "progressive" policies were wonderful. Then he was smoothed out, relegated to the back seat while Liz Cheney became the standard bearer for the Democratic Party. Stop listening to the same old beltway bubble consultants who keep beating the same tired playbook.

My 2 cents for what it's worth.

Stop chasing the illusive R/I voter and start by concentrating on the non-voters who feel nothing changes in their lives. Rs aren't going to vote for Ds in any big enough number that justifies a watering down of policies to convince them otherwise.

Swing voters are not moving R to D. Swings are non-voter to voter. And that can be done with a bold platform akin to FDRs that ignites a feeling of excitement and inclusion in the outcome.

Engage in transformative politics and stop with the transaction politics. Excite, Innovate, Big - not incremental and small thinking.

Try to build a media landscape that can compete with right wing propaganda

Don't just organize every 4 or 2 years. Build a year round organizing effort and build coalitions in rural areas recruiting local people to run locally and build a big bench.

Be FDR like - Attack corporate greed head on and understand the pain working people are experiencing. It’s Populism that works. Having a billionaire like Pritzker stand on the DNC stage and declare his billions are more real than Trumps isn't exactly a working man's dream. Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift are great advocates. They bring excitement to a rally. But declaring their endorsements as if it's going to swing a needle isn't the answer. We always talk about the middle class. What about the working poor? What about the people Rev. Barber is always working for. Those people have a hard enough time working their two or more jobs. Give them a reason to vote.

Call out "hate for profit" scheme of the rightwing. Don't be afraid. Don't be defensive. Stop apologizing. Biden didn't misspeak when he said Trump supporters were terrible. They are. Apologizing isn't going to make Trump supporters vote for Harris. Racists, hate mongers, anti-immigrant people are terrible. Stop apologizing for insulting them while shitting on core Dem constituents like young people, anti-war people, progressives.

It's time to leave behind the Clinton/Obama/Biden way of doing things. Embrace a new way forward. Please understand this isn't an attack on them. It's been done. It's not helping. World has changed. Our politics have to also. Honestly if I never hear we need a strong two party system or Republicans are our friends and we admire Reagan and Kissinger again, I’ll be a happy Democrat. Rs never say that.

Stop dumping on your base - young people, progressives, lefties . . . Rs play to their base. Ds run from them and continually expect they'll show up anyway. Well they aren’t. And their values are closer to ours than Dick and Liz Cheney. Stop chastising them and start listening.

Work with community activists.

Stop using the strategies that lost the last elections. Focus on new strategies (it can't be worse than what we have now). Stick to the hopeful vision we want to achieve. Develop a platform that is forward thinking - visionary - right for people - and then just stick with it.

Speak like a normal person. Engage in dialogue. Don't be a poll-tested robot.

Frankly, if one more Republican pundit gets on TV and says the problem is the left or the progressives or the young or the anti war crowd or whatever I think I'll scream. I never have cared what a freaking Rethuglican has said and I certainly am not interested in their tired same old same old plan for Democrats future.

Yeah. My two cents and hopefully this won't be construed as "anti" Democrat or "anti" Biden or "anti" Harris. I have been a Democrat my entire life. I've never voted any other way. I would like to see a Democrat in the White House again. I'd like to be proud of my country. I'm tired of trying to win over some white soccer mom who is too stupid to realize that her daughter is going to suffer from her vote or some ridiculous white businessman who hates Trump but sure likes his tax cuts and the chance to pollute the country. How about we win back the people tired of never getting ahead, never seeing a change in their pocketbook, their child's ability to get an education, the chance to take a two week vacation and rent an apartment and earn a decent wage? Paid Leave. Paid Sick Days. Tuition Free College. Medicare For All. Fair tax burdens. Living Wage. Negotiated Drug Prices for Everyone. Taxes that go to making our lives better - not wars. That's the Democratic Party I'm fighting for.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

As far away from tRump as they can get. marybourg Nov 8 #1
Scorched Earth... EarthFirst Nov 8 #2
Doesn't really matter. Elessar Zappa Nov 8 #3
100 percent BannonsLiver Nov 8 #22
Loading us Faux pas Nov 8 #4
Organize locally Blue Owl Nov 8 #5
Go back a decade or so... be Democrats. WarGamer Nov 8 #6
Right, but ThePartyThatListens Nov 8 #7
Start by telling Liz Cheney and Rick Wilson and Steve Schmidt to find their own political "home" WarGamer Nov 8 #9
Well, I don't see how a party that's allegedly on the left ThePartyThatListens Nov 8 #10
Darn strait. Enough of these ex-GOPers. Raven123 Nov 8 #15
Venn Diagrams Mistermike Nov 8 #30
Why are they alienated ? Keepthesoulalive Nov 8 #18
Easy. Sit back and watch the rethugs implode. JohnSJ Nov 8 #8
It is not sustainable to wait for a short respite to have the honor TheKentuckian Nov 8 #36
I happen to be in California, and Newsom is meeting with 17 Governors from blue state for a plan to counter any JohnSJ Nov 8 #40
Grand. That has zero to do with my response to sit back and wait for them TheKentuckian Nov 8 #41
After the shock of our loss subsides, I think we will realize that after another Trump walkingman Nov 8 #11
Oh the Establishment is definitely out of touch ThePartyThatListens Nov 8 #14
Shit, we are so stone cold out of touch that we had the brass TheKentuckian Nov 8 #42
Maybe find out what nonvoters, no longer voters, new voters want? leftstreet Nov 8 #12
Moving to center is the same as moving to the right standingtall Nov 8 #13
I agree, and in my OP, when I say "right" I really mean "far right." ThePartyThatListens Nov 8 #21
FDR left LearnedHand Nov 8 #16
All the GOP has proven in the past 40 years is that there was a good reason for the New Deal tenderfoot Nov 8 #20
Support the same progressive policies the majority of Americans want Fiendish Thingy Nov 8 #17
oh, you need to make it pellucidly clear. Nimble_Idea Nov 8 #24
The thing that is missed is the platform is of little utility TheKentuckian Nov 8 #44
Play the game using maggat rules. OLDMDDEM Nov 8 #19
I don't know. alarimer Nov 8 #23
We need to lie, steal their accomplishments as ours, insult people, Greybnk48 Nov 8 #25
If you have to ask that question then the party has no soul HelpImSurrounded Nov 8 #26
Well said. cachukis Nov 8 #32
Stay left Dem4life1234 Nov 8 #27
Pure unadulterated moral courage ColinC Nov 8 #28
Move to the center people will just join the republican party. Emile Nov 8 #29
True. n/t Greybnk48 Nov 8 #31
Maybe we don't need to move anywhere. Just hit him with BUYER'S REMORSE. EarlG Nov 8 #33
Tend to agree Rstrstx Nov 8 #38
Stop thinking left right center. Start thinking about what kind of country we should be. Nanjeanne Nov 8 #34
Time for some obstructionism Mistermike Nov 8 #35
Let's die on the hill of 'circumcision yes or no!' Fullduplexxx Nov 8 #37
Figure out how to communicate with the non college majority. TheKentuckian Nov 8 #39
May have been the right campaign against too many headwinds RoeVWade Nov 8 #43
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