Democrats prove they are incapable of reform
First it was Chuck Shumer in the Senate.
Now it's Nancy Pelosi in the House.
Pelosi got 134 votes to Ryan's 63 — winning 68 percent of the votes after declaring before the election that she had the support of two-thirds of the caucus. The victory sends a message that while there's a growing appetite for major changes in the party's leadership structure and messaging tactics, it's not strong enough to loosen Pelosi's grip on a liberal-heavy group that's rarely challenged her authority.
Ryan and his supporters had argued that the Democrats' grim performance in this year's elections — the latest in a string of cycles planting Republicans firmly in the majority — was a clear signal that Pelosi's leadership strategy has failed to attract the broad coalition of voters required to return the Speaker's gavel to the Democrats' hands.
The critics pointed, in particular, to the party's alienation of the middle-class Rust Belt workers, who flocked to Trump and secured victories for a long list of vulnerable Republicans down the ballot. Ryan, who represents an Ohio manufacturing district that's struggled to keep pace with globalization and rebound from the Great Recession, said he was the right fit to make inroads with those voters.
Remember when it everyone at TOP was laughing about how the GOP was imploding?
Well, Democrats are in danger of becoming an irrelevant party and turning America into a one-party nation.
In the greatest presidential change election since 1932, 97 percent of Democratic Party super-delegates, with the confidence of a preacher holding four aces, bet on their most unpopular presidential candidate in modern history to win a Clinton third term … and promised damnation if voters didn’t.It didn’t work.
CNN exit polling reported Trump won the “lesser of two evils” choice by 20 points when voters held unfavorable opinions about both candidates — Trump at 49 percent vs. Hillary at 29. Trump also won the independent vote by 6 percentage points.
...
Starting with President Clinton’s first off-year election in 1994 through 2016, Democrats lost 69 U.S. House seats and find themselves at the lowest membership since 1929. Before 1994, Democrats held House majorities in 60 of the previous 64 years, and after 1994, in only four of the next 24 years. In the U.S. Senate, Democrats are at 48 seats, down eight from 1992.Republicans have 32 governorships, 984 more state legislators, and control 32 legislatures vs. 13 for Democrats, which results in 26 completely controlled Republican state governments to the Democrats' six.
In short, Republicans have won the political "quinfecta" — the presidency, Congress, legislatures, governorships and the Supreme Court.
Comments
A party I can get behind.
That way I'm correctly positioned to push them over the cliff.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
Obama's failure
What does it take?
Gee, what happened after the 1920's to turn around the Dems political fortunes?
And, they opted for Pelosi
Losers, all. Keep going with the losing crew. The Dems are now a lost cause.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Look,
are we interested in winning elections or raising money. Let's not get distracted. Keep your eyes on the big picture.
Now let's all unite to embrace the suck. Gah!
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Remember, it's not a shit sandwich.
It's excrementé on ciabatta with aioli and arugula!
Compensated Spokes Model for Big Poor.
Exactly!
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Wonderfully put.
You're obviously a person of fine discernment.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Even when the Dems win elections
Even when the Dems win elections, where does it get us? Obama won in 2008 and brought a super-majority with him. What did that accomplish for progressives?
As long as the Democratic Party is dominated by the neoliberals, simply winning elections isn't going to do anything.
The question is, is it possible (or possible within a relatively short time frame, given that we don't have a lot of time to waste) to wrest control of the Dem party from the neoliberals so we can begin to enact true progressive measures -- pro-worker as well as socially progressive?
"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi
"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone
It's looking more and more like the Dems are a lost cause.
They seem determined to learn nothing from this sound drubbing.
"But she won the popular vote! We'll strategize better next time and spend more time in swing states!"
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Yeah, it looks that way
I caught this gem at TOP:
They'll re-brand, but they'll never change.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
What REALLY made me laugh
was the anxious email I got from TOS insisting I hurry and make a call to support Pelosi against Ryan... Are you kidding me??
I'm not sure Obama sees it that way.
He might view that as a success. I suppose we should distinguish between the team Obama is on and the one he appears to be rooting for.
"there's something so especially sadistic about waving the flag of a country that you're actively destroying" -- Aaron Mate
The purpose of the DLC
has been to push the party to the right, or in the measure I prefer, closer to the top than the bottom. That was Bill Clinton's task, and between his trade policies, his militarization of local police, his destruction of welfare and his increased war on drugs, his administrative steps towards deregulation and monopolies, and his military adventures in Yugoslavia to remake the map of Europe match a map of Europe at Hitler's maximum power (really, go look at a couple of maps) Bill managed to pretend to be a Democrat. Obama did the same thing, and Hillary wasn't bright enough to lie enough to her progressive wing. She thought a new red scare and identity politics could get her over the finish line. She pretty much abandoned any talk of economic justice. I'd love to see who were the creation. They eventually succeeded in the process that started with killing JFK in 1963.
Barack Obama: Clinton without the ruthlessness
The Clinton/Obama party has almost screwed itself entirely into the ground. Let's hope they finish the job. It'll make the task of pushing them off to the party graveyard easier, so we can build something new.
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Obama's plenty ruthless.
He just manages to seem cool and classy as he screws us, drones helpless foreigners, and spreads mayhem far and wide.
Rather, Clinton without the nihilistic sociopathy
Obama doesn't want a nuclear war. Because he's not, you know, crazy.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
The Dems weren't just beaten, they were skunked.
The Republicans espouse policies that are even more unpopular than the Democrats' neoliberalism, yet the election went their way big time. To be sure, there are a lot of non-issue oriented reasons like gerrymandering, suppression, an electoral college system skewed to the less populated states, etc. But, the Democratic candidate spent more money than the Republican candidate and that is usually enough to mean victory.
Failure to address the loss of good paying jobs for those with a HS, or less than HS education, was the difference in my view. The Democratic candidate failed to address the problem; the Republican candidate did, although it's widely believed that he lied.
Only 6.6% of the private sector workforce is organized now - Obama promised to pass EFCA - the card checkoff system of forming a union - and he didn't even try. A union voter is more likely to be a Democratic voter but there are not many left and soon there will be fewer.
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
I saw it coming before the primaries even started. But the
"brilliant" party leaders were too busy playing 11 dimensional chess to be able to read the writing on the wall. They out-foxed themselves. What a bunch of self-deluded fools!
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
They weren't playing chess, they were playing bingo
I'll never forget DWS and the DNC pushing "Republican Debate Bingo Cards" when the first republican debate was getting underway. Instead of spending her time organizing and scheduling the democratic debates, she was playing bingo and thought it was so much fun. The first democratic debate didn't happen until months later. And they wonder why they continue to lose? Mind boggling!
“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”
George W. Bush
They don't play well with others, just themselves. ;)
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
You're right, that was one of their many stupidities and
symbolic of their overconfidence. Let the Repugs have the stage all to themselves. The Dems thought everyone would see what a bunch of fools the Repugs are, but like always happen, the more you hear something over and over, the more it sounds correct even when it isn't. DWS is such a moron. Yet won reelection! There is no hope for Florida.
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Like we
didn't know that, already?
First time Ever registering as a dem so I could vote the Bern in a primary and what happens in the GE? No ballot. Permanent vote by mail voter and no ballot. Why vote provisional if they don't count 'em?
NPP Baby!
The dems can go the way of the Arctic ice they all seem to care about and do nothing for.
Policy, not party.
peace
Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .
Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .
If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march
Meanwhile the WaPo has your Presidential picks:
http://observer.com/2016/11/democrats-already-planning-to-screw-up-2020-...
"there's something so especially sadistic about waving the flag of a country that you're actively destroying" -- Aaron Mate
It's time for the Democratic Party to die and put me out
of my misery.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
You may be interested in some of my diaries here --
advocating the formation of a new political party. Here's one:
http://caucus99percent.com/content/informal-report-new-party-idea
"there's something so especially sadistic about waving the flag of a country that you're actively destroying" -- Aaron Mate
I've seen them, but I'm not sure how to accomplish it.
We may be headed for a one party government as in "Nineteen Eighty-Four" if the continuation of the party becomes the only goal. See my sig line as a cautionary goal.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Did you have any specific objections --
to my proposal that we create a business plan and submit it to prominent activists before organizing a group effort to set up the new party?
"there's something so especially sadistic about waving the flag of a country that you're actively destroying" -- Aaron Mate
No, but as we need local grassroots organizations, I'm not
sure how that will work. This damn country is so big that we have a Herculean task ahead of us.
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
this gives me a good idea of what to write for Thurs. OT
there has to be a way forward but danged if I can figure it out this early in the morning.
("early" = before afternoon)
as expected but
the fact that there was even a credible 'challenger' should tell them something. It wont but it should.
So much Hate...
Don't you understand the way things work?
This is all just a BRILLIANT plan to Lull the Rethugs into a false sense of security. When they are SURE of their victory is the time to strike! Clearly we should all jump behind the strategy of doing the same thing we've always done because it will be the LAST thing they expect us to do.
/snark
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
we need a new coach
The University of Oregon has a football team, composed of student-athletes who take time out of their studies to participate in physical activity. As
Shakespeare or LincolnJuvenal once said "mens sana in corpore sano".The squad has done very well in the recent past but this year suffered loss after loss. Even in victory they did not look as good as they used to. So the coach is being replaced. The university's athletic director did not say "the Russians made us lose" nor did he blame those who didn't attend the games. Yes, there were no-shows this year. The AD did not insist that everything was fine with the leadership as is.
I should mention that the responsibilities of the coach extend beyond training the team and choosing the plays. He is the main recruiter. He goes and visits those who he feels will excel in the classroom and on the field. If, as was the case with our now ex-coach, he does a poor job of bringing in
votersplayers then that job must be done by someone who can do better.In other words, the people in charge are more interested in winning games than in making sure that them's what got is them's what keeps gettin'.
Part of you comment--"them's what got is them's
what keeps gettin"--triggered a memory of a song. I had no problem figuring out which song it was, but the meaning was a bit unclear, so I did some follow up.
The song is Billy Holiday's "God Bless the Child." Apparently, the idea for the song came from a comment her mother made that harked back to the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25: 14-30). The parable ends with "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away." The parable itself is an important lesson on how the wealthy view themselves and the 99% as well as why they create a "Christian" persona:
[video:https://youtu.be/jNMSQCA78kA]
Matthew, by the way, was a publican (tax collector). According to Matthew--Tax Collector and Apostle, "Before he met Jesus, Matthew was greedy. He thought money was the most important thing in life and violated God's laws to enrich himself at the expense of his countrymen." From the above parable, I would say that his conversion was skin deep at best.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass
And when all else fails, they'll just blame Millennials.
After all, according to this asshole, it's our fault that Trump got elected and now he takes satisfaction that we'll suffer under his watch, as though we haven't been suffering already with insane student debt, no jobs and over a decade of war to boot.
Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.
Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.
Apparently I'm too old for my vote for Stein to matter. As
a Boomer, I object to being overlooked as a ruining ruiner. You hurt my feelings, DNC! Why do Millennials get all the credit?
"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"
Because Boomers can't be perfect...
Unless they're humble about it?
(Sorry, Sorry, couldn't resist.)
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
There is a fundamental fallacy in many of the comments
in this thread. It is the equating of the current leadership of the Democratic Party with the 72 million registered Democrats. I agree with the many comments here that indicate that the current leadership is incorrigible. They are incorrigible because they have large financial incentives to be feckless. They fuck up every election and they get more and more money from Wall St. and they get fat paychecks in one way or another when they leave politics (or their spouses get them now). It is convenient for the big corporations that run the country to have two corporate parties and if the leadership of one is completely incompetent so much the better. Let me remind you, however, that Bernie Sanders came damned close to winning the nomination even though the corporate media and the Democratic Party establishment opposed him vigorously. There are a lot of people that consider themselves to be Democrats that also consider the current leadership to be hopeless and would like for the party to return to being a party of economic and social justice rather than whatever it is now. This election opened up opportunities to reform the mess that is the Democratic Party. It will not be easy, or even likely, but it is probably a better bet than trying to boost the Greens into a viable party or create yet another party that of any electoral consequence.
Remember though, the Dem. establishment is going
to fight tooth and nail, with everything they've got, for relevance and control in 2018, except the problem is that they will not be fighting the Rs at all, they're going to be fighting us.
The very existence of a progressive left is something the DWSs, Schumers and Pelosis of the world can't tolerate, or allow to gain traction. Either the progressives will gain control somehow this cycle, or the Dems will continue on the same old track, and blow 2018 too.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
So, "Not All Democrats?"
When the most prominent members of a group don't represent you, you really have to ask why bother to associate with that label.
Power? That right there just perpetuates the system that creates them.
Respect? They aren't respected except for their power.
Visibility? The only reason they're visible is because nobody is willing to break away from them.
Tradition? Status Quo? Both Bad reasons.
There are no good reasons to support the Democrat party, just like there's no good reason to support the Rethugs. Both are bought and paid for subsidiaries of Corporate America, and to wield power within them requires that you ring kiss.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Data?
As counterculture SF writer Rudy Rucker put it:
The thing they have is mailing lists full of people who are basically on our side (as the Sanders voting showed), but don't have the time/energy/education/confidence to deal with the leadership's games.
All the other stuff (money, software) can be built up by any group that has a decent set of candidates and platform. As I suggested in one of Casses essays, there exists a pre-build platform full of super-majority issues courtesy of the Progressive Change Institute. All one would need are candidates and a way to reach sympathetic voters that bypasses the media gatekeepers. Those mailings lists are the only thing between them and annihilation.
We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg
And a way to counteract the many forms of election fraud
that will occur when the paymasters see that someone's coming to create a new Republic, or maybe something better.
Once we figure out how to counteract the election fraud/voter purges, that's when it will get really exciting.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Another nail in the
"stay an Independent" coffin, for me.
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
My exact thought!
Then again, I hadn't assumed Democratic politicians had the least bit of interest in reforming themselves. They're getting rich. Too bad about others. Too bad, even, about the future of their own Party.
Après nous le déluge.
Besides, who knows? With some sleight of hand and cosmetic changes, they may still be able to pull off the illusion of reform from within. Politics is perception and, sad to say, we seem to be an easily duped and manipulated lot.
They gave Warren some fake title a while back, something like Senate Democratic Caucus Liaison to the Left or some such nonsense. (They're so tone deaf at this point that the incredibly irony of long time elected Democrats needing a liaison to the left apparently never occurred to them.) People whose intelligence I respected then were actually kvelling about that at the time! (Maybe maintaining that illusion was why they allowed her to refrain from endorsing Hillary until Hillary was the nominee.)
Now, they're pretending she and Sanders are practically running the Party. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-elizabeth-warren-win-...
Some rank and files Democrats will be genuinely duped. Others will loudly pretend to buy it. Some will Demexit. (Drip, drip, drip.) Most will simply go about the business of trying to feed, clothe and educate their kids. The rest will be bullied into silence. Until the next time.