On Nov 4th I posted an optimistic diary about 2016. I rescind that.
I have little hope that Democrats can connect with the poor and working poor, and they will not nominate a candidate like Elizabeth Warren.
The problem with a sizable portion of the Democratic Party is that they exist to service Wall Street, and still believe in trickle down Reaganomics.
In 2005 I asked then-Senator Barack Obama in response to his diary
Tone, Truth and the Democratic Party
... ah, faith (0+ / 0-)
Yes .. on the one hand, I agree wholeheartedly with the Senator, who has a bright future in front of him, no doubt. 'Working across the aisle' is crucial to reaching what is best for all of us. I honestly believe that.
Yes, it is nice to be civil.
However, as some of the others here have posted, we are at war - and I don't mean Iraq or Al-Qaeda.
We have had at least three elections stolen. 2000, 2002 and 2004 by people who hold the very concept of democracy in contempt. Our democracy has been stolen.
However, can we insist that Katherine Harris and Kenneth Blackwell and those like them to be civil, when considering the rights of Black and poor Americans to vote, or of GOP NH operatives that jammed phone banks in an attempt to block Democrats in that State from voting in 2002?
I ask of you {rhetorically, since I am sure this will not be read} Senator, where is your fire? Without it, you will be consumed by your opposition.
"I'd take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day." - Douglas Adams.
by shpilk on Sat Oct 01, 2005 at 02:07:09 AM EDT
Read his diary, and you'll understand what Barack Obama gets is "politics".
The President is very cerebral, thoughtful, down to earth.
Oh, and he can't let go of that working across the aisle thing.
What he doesn't get is that "politics" just isn't good enough to motivate the bottom 50% of Americans. And you can't negotiate democracy with extremists like today's Republican Party - who clearly don't think that democracy should even exist, and see it as a threat to their political future.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is split between insider party machine operatives such as Steny Hoyer and Chuck Schumer, and people who represent that bottom 50%, like Elizabeth Warren and Keith Ellison. Let's face facts - Liz Warren, Keith Ellison and progressives in Congress talk the good talk, but they have very little political power.
If you are poor, or even middle class and struggling, it's obvious that the functional Democratic PARTY as a whole does not represent your interests most of the time. These are not the times of FDR, of JFK, or even LBJ or Jimmy Carter.
You can make the case that Democrats are better than Republicans for the poor and working poor. But we are talking about Republicans who might as well hang a sign outside their door saying "We hate you poor working class scum, and want to turn you and your family into pet food". The reason WHY the poor up to the middle class have such horrendous turnout numbers for Democrats is more than just voter suppression, it's more than even the influence of Corporate Media that dissuades, confuses and discourages folks who aren't trust fund holders to stay home.
They don't see a fire in enough Democrats who are in leadership positions to champion the poor and working poor. Democrats may have as a Party brought health care to the poor and lower working classes, but that victory is not enough. The charisma and accomplishments of Barack Obama, not enough. The Democratic Party has moved not only to the right, but it has become [like the GOP] more an instrument of what Eisenhower called the 'Military Industrial Complex' than a representative of just regular people.
And you can't expect people to get excited and motivated to vote, to overcome all the crap that is thrown in their way to discourage them if you can't bring the fire to the table - this omnibus vote just shows that sad fact again to those who are struggling the most in America. And if you don't have enough fire, people just are not going to take that extra effort.
I am really concerned that Democrats will be able to put forth a unified message with enough fire in it to change that graph. Keep in mind, that this graph is from 2008, when the first black man ever was running for President, in a spirit of optimism and with a campaign theme that was centered on 'Hope'.
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