Regarding the idea that it’s time for Democrats to “fight dirty” (and the hilarious assumption that they’ve been models of decorum thus far):
*"It’s about maturity, pragmatism and plain old smarts — and the necessity of all three when the stakes are this high.
Many Democrats get that. Maybe even most do. In the primaries last week and on Tuesday, Democratic voters by and large chose House candidates whose appeals were tempered and whose profiles make them formidable general-election contenders. They’re the best bets for wooing less fiercely partisan voters and snatching seats currently in Republican hands…They’re not frothing at the mouth about Trump…
“When they go low, we go high,” said another first lady, Michelle Obama, at the Democratic National Convention in 2016. It’s a fine set of marching orders, disobeyed ever since. It was definitely ignored by those of you in the Manhattan theater where the Tony Awards were held on Sunday. You answered De Niro’s expletives with a standing ovation.
Never mind that he wrested the spotlight from the Parkland, Fla., teenagers, so that his negative message, not their positive one, was the big story. Never mind that he squandered a chance to model a bearing more dignified than Trump’s.
He made the blue wave look iffier and Trump 2020 stronger. Did you mean to be clapping for that?"*
More and more, I’ve been tuning out the anti-Trump craziness along with the garbage emanating from Trump himself. I still anticipate voting for Democrats in key races this fall (for example, for Congressman, Senator and Governor). It wouldn’t surprise me however if lot of people are not just tuning out the uproar, they’ve stopped caring enough to try to affect he outcome.
“Fighting dirty” is a losers’ game. Trump does it better anyway.
Here’s a low blow somebody ought to deliver as loudly as possible:
“The Chief of Homeland Security says that she is unable to account for the girls separated from their families at the border. What evidence can the Administration show to counter rumors that they are being channeled to Russian-connected human traffickers?”
But primary voters tend to be more partisan than the general electorate. Even with that factor, Trump got more of his partisans than Sanders got his.
And Hillary lost, in large part, because she didn’t “resonate” with black voters, in the sense, not that they voted for Trump, but that they didn’t vote at all. Given the very high levels of anti-Semitism among blacks and Hispanics, I rather suspect Sanders would get even less turnout among those groups.
Bruce Bartlett, architect of the Kemp Roth tax cuts later adopted by Reagan, tweets: [INDENT] Democrats think that being tough means being mean. In order to avoid being mean they have become feckless. [/INDENT] https://twitter.com/BruceBartlett/status/1025439497792708609
Remember that gang. Don’t be mean. Be tough.
Be tough on DC and Puerto Rican representation.
Be tough on the Senate filibuster, starting on the earliest day possible.
Be tough on Trump’s judicial appointees, proportionate to the extent that Republicans blocked Obama’s appointees - though a super-proportionate stance would serve a higher principle.
Be tough with a long memory when Republicans violate democratic norms. McConnell decides not hold hearings for Obama’s judicial pick, even after he chooses the most moderate Democrat possible, one endorsed by arch conservative Orin Hatch? Fine. Do that Mitch. But expect to be rendered justice when the next Democratic President appoints 4 justices to the Supreme Court. Alternatively, Democrats could enable bad Republican behavior. But that would be immoral.
Given our country’s circumstances, procedural hardball isn’t just tough and smart. It’s a categorical imperative.
Is it time for the Dems to fight dirty the OP asks?
When have they not fought dirty? Dirty now includes going against their own. See the DNC.
But there is a difference between politics and class. This encouragement to confront officials in public is rather scary. My hunch is the non-liberal, more centrist swing type of voters frown upon this type of activity. Yet Democratic leaders really don’t police their own on the topic.
The other alarming trend to moderate type of voters is how the left keeps calling all Trump voters racists, and Nazi’s. Seriously over 61,000,000 people voted for Trump. If there is evidence of racism on either side, let’s repudiate it, but this ad hominem attack style does not work. It only fires up the other side and makes Democrats look like fear mongers.
If Dem’s would talk issue, and do it would class, I think they would have a better chance of getting the moderate type of voters.