I spoke with a friend of mine who I knew before he was elected to Congress a few years ago. He's pretty conservative for a Democrat but he's a nice guy and pretty smart and he helps me wunderstand what's going on in Congress. He was reelected and called him to congratulation him and ask him why so many Democrats in his state lost while he won. He said it was because Democrats are seen as leftists and he avoids that label. "But you are part of the left and they advertised you the same way they advertised every other Democrat-- a socialist. He said it couldn't stick to him. "I’m a traditional left. I’m not Bernie. Not Democratic Socialist. Not defund police. Not abolish ICE. Not anti Israel. I am pro-environment, pro-labor, pro-civil rights, pro-police reform, pro-immigration reform-- I am not burn the mother down."
That's an exact quote. The problem is that:
a- not a single Democrat who lost in his area is anything like what he just described andMany Democrats have that Fox News trap embedded in their minds. They come from a place that "the left" is bad. That mindset ruins the Democratic Party because every decision the leaders make flows out of it. Ted Lieu does not have that mindset. AOC does not have that mindset. Pramila Jayapal does not have that mindset. Jamie Raskin does not have that mindset. Rashida Tlaib does not have that mindset. Andy Levin does not have that mindset. Jamaal Bowman does not have that mindset. Cori Bush does not have that mindset. Mondaire Jones does not have that mindset. Ro Khanna does not have that mindset. Barbara Lee does not have that mindset. Bonnie Watson Coleman does not have that mindset. How do I know? I've talked to every one of them and tried to see if they do. They don't. They see the Democratic Party as a vehicle for the legitimate aspirations of working families and as a vehicle for having the government make things better.
b- he's using a Republican worldview to think of "the left."
That's why I was so sickened yesterday by the House Democratic leadership-- that is so totally imbued with that mindset-- warning the House caucus to not run on core Democratic issues, just to run on the tepid non-messaging that lost the Democrats so many congressional races on Tuesday. An old warhorse who should have been put out to pasture years ago, majority whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC), told them that if "we are going to run on Medicare for All, defund the police, socialized medicine, we're not going to win," referring to the Georgia Senate runoffs. Why not just play Fox News for them? I'd like to see George Lakoff have a nice straight-forward talk with this troglodyte. In Moral Politics (2002), Lakoff argued that one of the reasons liberals have sucked so bad since the '80s is that they have not been as aware of their own guiding metaphors, and have too often accepted conservative terminology framed in a way to promote the conservatives' strict father metaphor. Progressives have to stop using terms like partial birth abortion, tax relief, socialized medicine and defund the police because they are manufactured specifically to allow the possibilities of only certain types of opinions. Tax relief for example, implies explicitly that taxes are an affliction, something someone would want 'relief' from. To use the terms of another metaphoric worldview, Lakoff insists, is to unconsciously support it."
To prevent an even worse catastrophe in 2022, these congressional leaders just have to go. It would be suicidal for the House Democrats to reelect Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn again. The Democrats need leadership that revels, even swims, in Democratic values, not "leaders" who want to hide those values in the attic to accommodate Republican-lite members who represent Republican-leaning districts like Anthony Brindisi and Abigail Spanberger.
I'd agree and would love to agree, yet a lot of real progressives lost. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteIt is apparent that identity and emotion are primary in voters' minds in at least half the populace. Newt Gingrich had this nailed.
Hello America. Policies are not a priority for way too many people - half the country just does not care about policies. A face mask policy to slow the virus? Forget about it. Decent health care for all, even themselves? Not a factor for Republicans who don't have it or risk losing it due to pre existing conditions. The possible ending of social security and cutting Medicare? Not important enough to them in their votes. Many voters are not even aware of what the policies are or what the role of government is or could be. The Republicans did not even have a platform in this election, which is a first, and insane. But this clearly does not matter at all to their voters. Trump never talks about policies as his only one is himself. And half the country is fine with this.
It's the dumbness and/or ignorance of the American electorate that is a lot of the problem, along with blatant racism of course. That's why Republicans hate education and do everything they can to sabotage it. Who wants knowledge, critical thinking and expertise in government? Although they sure as hell care about science for their internet and doctors. How many older Republicans have had hip, knee, eye or heart surgery? Maybe Scott Atlas could be your surgeon, too!
Most Americans know little about how our democracy functions and could not even name the three branches of government. They don't know how Congress works (or doesn't) or how much of our government is in control of the executive branch. I'll admit that I was surprised about how much damage Trump has been able to do to so many of our institutions, all within his power as the chief executive. Although of course he could not have done it without Mitch McConnell and the Republicans backing every one of his anti democratic, anti everything moves. Civics education is nonexistent.
People in a democracy have to care about it enough to keep it. I do think a lot of people have woken from complacency and turned out to vote in this election, a wonderful thing. But we are really in for it when Trump loses.
Oh and I read Steve Bannon has called for beheading Fauci and Wray and placing their heads on pikes outside the White House. Way to go, asshole. Is this criminal?
Among incumbents, no progressives lost. All the lost congressional seats that flipped from blue to red belong to Blue Dogs and New Dems. Winning a red seat and flipping it blue is an entirely different animal than holding a seat you already have.
ReplyDeleteHone, if there is one lesson that seems unlearnable by most lefties, it is that someone can be a democrap OR he/she can be a progressive. But since the party is virulently antiprogressive, that someone cannot be both.
ReplyDeleteAnd HST said the same thing as this author 72 years ago:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10025769753
funny how humans never EVER seem to learn anything. or... NOT funny.
Republican candidates and incumbents have effectively labeled their Democratic opposition with trigger words (socialist, left-wingers, violent protest supporters, anti-police protection, blah, blah, blah). I don’t respond to any of that crap but so many Democrats and most Republicans do. We can have the best candidates in the world but until we change how the public responds to progressive messaging and thoughtfully questions what kind of community/country we should be, we are lost. We need a consistent, constant, long term grass-roots information system/program. It will cost big, big bucks and take years. (How long ago did the Koch brothers begin working on their plan?!!). Howie, you support great candidates but you and a lot of your candidates are way ahead of where the population is. Yes there are districts that are electing progressives and I’m encouraged by that. To make that happen on a national scale we have to prepare (convert?) the public so when the progressive candidates run, the public is ready with open arms and will see the opposition’s attack language for what it is.
ReplyDelete(Trump is getting close to 50% of the vote. Are any of these voters reachable? Anyone have plan on how to do that?)
[Insert name here] "does not have that mindset."
ReplyDeleteSo - WHEN are the dauntless actions of these stalwarts going to speak for them? When are they going to actually VOTE "for the legitimate aspirations of working families" and take a stand for "having the government make things better"???
All of this posturing is worth less than the nothing such talk delivers as action.
And that is EXACTLY what the corporatists and Nazis pay "Democrats' to do instead of actually achieving something for the people they claim to represent. That $12/pint gourmet ice cream is addictive!
More Brawndo for the Greenhouse!
Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAlways, always...............
Be without fear in the face of your enemies.
Be brave and upright that God may love thee.
Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death.
Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong.
That is your oath. – (Kingdom of Heaven 2005)
B.
Pelosi giggles over her freezer full of expensive ice cream and Carville chuckles over his $200.00 per ounce whiskey. Yes, our elite Dems are "of the people", and they deeply care about the concerns of financially insecure Americans.
ReplyDeleteWhat frauds they are!
6:29 asks 2 salient questions: "Are any of (trump's) voters reachable? Anyone have plan on how to do that?"
ReplyDeleteI'd say that almost none of them are reachable. They've been voting nazi out of pure hate (whether christian-based, race-based, misogyny-based... or all of the above) since 1968. They're victims of auto-PTSD. They're wired wrong for good.
The second question is not properly phrased. Should be: Why is it that we blithely accept the money's plan to NEVER try to reach anyone with a useful message?
There will be 80-85 million who could have voted but did not. Why did they not bother? Could it be that the nazis and democraps BOTH are not worth voting for?
IF FDR's Democratic party still existed and had worked tirelessly for the needs of the poor, minorities, women, labor and the commons (and peace) for the past 40 years, instead of the corrupt neoliberal fascist democrap party that has worked tirelessly for the money, don't you think some of those 85 million would be affirming that? Don't you think that most of the 70 million who voted simply against trump would be affirming that? And certainly the millions of potted geraniums who always vote democrap no matter what/who would still be affirming the left party?
If you want the shithole to get BETTER, rather than shittier a little slower, figure out how to make that party happen. After that, I think you'd find improvement would be pretty easy.
Seeing Max Rose's name on the list of corporate centrist dems who lost on Election Day puts a smile on my face he's a piece of shit goodbye prick.
ReplyDeleteI made the same observation on my blog.
ReplyDeleteOf the 6 (at that time) Dems who lost their bid for reelection, 5 were either Blue Dogs or New Dems.
The 6th was Donna Shalala, who is ineluctably tied to the Clintons, and went to war against the union when janitors at the college she was president of started to picket.
Nothing loses to something, even if it is a bad something.