If someone wants to run as a Democratic Party candidate, someone supporting the principles the party says they stand for, someone who can actually win an election, what difference does it make whether she/he’s a Democratic Party member? Unless of course their support for those principles was just bullshit to win elections.
And don’t forget the wonderful message to non-Democrats who vote, “We don’t want you if you’re not one of us”.
I don’t know; what difference do you think it makes?
If you think it makes them less likely to get folks into office for to support those principles, then you should of course criticize them for it; and if you think it makes them more likely to get folks into office for to support those principles, then I’d figure you should okay it.
But, near as I can tell, that’s it: I don’t see that principle enters in either way.
My feeling is that, given the current state of affairs, the Democratic Party is one of two options available. Yes, third-party candidates and independents hold a few offices here and there – Bernie and Angus being the most notable – but in the lion’s share of contests, you must pick one or the other or resign yourself to being inconsequential. If the other Party does not have this policy in place, it does not make the Democrats look good to institute it.
How is liberalism radical? The left doesn’t have a radical branch (except maybe for some college students who riot and shout down conservative speakers). The mainstream left has no radical branch. If anything, we need one to move the overton window to the left. I wish he had honest to god communists so that the progressives looked more moderate.
Sanders did fairly well in the primary. He came from nothing and won 43% of the vote and 23 states. He wasn’t Kucinich.
The democratic party is getting more and more liberal. Pushing for liberal democrats from the west coast or northeast is going to get more and more common.
Can you explain why? What does he do that is so horrible? Had he won the presidency he would’ve been totally ineffective as president with a GOP congress. But I don’t get the hate for the guy. It is like people blame him for Hillary losing.
I strongly disagree with you on this point. I’m glad the Democratic Party has superdelegates. Watch some of the chaos from the 1972 convention if you need further proof. Superdelegates can help right the ship should something go mad in the nominating process. Of course, the Democratic Party has all of their primaries and caucuses allocate pledged delegate proportionally, so there’s no winner take all nonessential that helped propel Trump.
It has nothing to do with principle, but if they weren’t incompetent boobs they’d pretend that it did. Their only chance in the mid-terms is because the GOP abandoned its phony principles for Trumpism. And as it emerges what a mistake that was they’ll change their tune in a hurry, as they already are.
No, it’s just realizing that for decades, thicker than pigshit Americans of all stripes have been waiting for the magic pumpkin candidate to appear, and seem ever more determined to cut their nads off to find one…with predictably piss poor results. To anyone who sat out the election or voted 3rd party while simultaneously realizing the repulsiveness of Donald Trump, eff off. For the first time in our nation’s history, a foreign adversary has as much influence as any cabinet member. This is not a fucking joke. This is not the fucking time to complain about the lack of purity from the DNC. Wake the fuck up and see how dangerously close we are to the precipice.
The Democratic Party put us there. What have they done for this country this century? And don’t say the ACA, they fought Obama tooth and nail on that one, and he had to win the primaries with grass roots populism. Don’t forget Hillary started the ‘Obama is a Muslim’ crap that led to Birtherism. They keep talking big and delivering nothing because they’re practicing machine politics. The political party system is a blight on this country and now they’re making it worse. Neither the Democrats or the Republicans can win an election with just their members anymore, Trump has sent a lot of Republicans to the ‘I’ column, this is not the way to pick them up.
If Bernie were president, we would not have Gorsuch, or Pruitt or DeVos or Cow-Pai, and most of the rest of the world would have at least a half a shred of respect left for the US. And he probably would have vetoed that ridiculous tax bill. So, a little less destruction would have been better than what we have.
Just keep pretending Hillary is president right now. I didn’t say there was no difference, but they’re both political parties, and they both use the same kind of tactics and strategy, only because of your attitude the Republicans have been better at it.
But seriously, for those of you who call me chicken little, this is what you need to understand, and this is why America is heading toward its inevitable collapse. There will be no unified stand against right wing authoritarianism. The growth of the political independents, the modern political know nothings, is the result of concerted efforts to destroy faith in democratic leadership and institutions by the right wing. As a result, centrists and leftists will fight each other, while the right wing eventually executes a hostile takeover of the country.
Keep pretending that Obama was president. What was he able to accomplish after 2010 when lazy as fuck progressives sat out mid-terms and allowed the tea party to take over? He actually was able to accomplish ACA (imperfect as it was), TARP, and an economic stimulus package that put shovels in grounds and people back to work after one of the worst recessions in decades – all in less than 2 years. Not much after that.
He was president, and he didn’t have the backing of the Democrats. They ran for the hills and joined the GOP in opposition, lost the congress, and all because they didn’t care a rat’s ass about the principles that kept their voters over the years.
You just don’t get it, we had to suffer through Bush the Lesser, and now we’re suffering under Donald the Least because the Democrats can’t even pretend that they care about people in this country any more. That’s why they have no candidates, and why people think someone like Trump will save the country. Dear Og, Hillary didn’t even have the sense to take on Bernie as the VP candidate because she cared more about being challenged in the primaries than the people, winning, or even the Democratic Party.
We could…but look at what has happened the last few election cycles. How much do you trust the average American voter? It’s possible, but the fact is that too many Americans are too ignorant to vote.
2018 and 2020 might be our last chances to save this country. We’re very close to the end of American democracy and/or America as we’ve known it.