Wednesday at Stoke
Full Member
If this is the stategy of the Democrats they will be in for another surprise in 2020.
Yep, keep playing identity politics with no vision or purpose and get smacked again.
If this is the stategy of the Democrats they will be in for another surprise in 2020.
Would Oprah actually run...
What's wrong with more women being elected?Yep, keep playing identity politics with no vision or purpose and get smacked again.
What's wrong with more women being elected?
You can't stop spreading the correct message just because the main demographic feel threatened by minorities being better represented.Nothing at all, but if you focus your message chiefly on 'We're going to elect more women and minorities!' then white men (and it appears a large number of white women) tend to not really care much. That's a problem when they still represent the main proportion of voters.
You can't stop spreading the correct message just because the main demographic feel threatened by minorities being better represented.
It's the white men that have the problem, not the message.
But that tweet doesn't mean it's the centrepiece of their campaign. It's just a tweet and I don't see what's wrong with it.You don't have to (and shouldn't) stop spreading the message, but if you make it the centrepeice of your campaign then you're going to lose. People vote for issues that primary effect themselves. For working white Americans, they largely want a party that offers to improve their lives. That doesn't mean they oppose better conditions for others, but it's likely to be far down their list of priorities behind the opportunities for themselves and their families.
I don't understand why the Democrats don't seem to understand this, its politics 101.
But that tweet doesn't mean it's the centrepiece of their campaign. It's just a tweet and I don't see what's wrong with it.
But social politics is also important. I'm not American so I'm not too familiar with this but it's also important to stress social issues such as the race and gender divide.It's not just about the tweet though, rather how the party have been running elections for many years now. Obama being elected twice covered over a lot of gaping cracks in Democratic strategy. In reality they have been getting absolutely hammered across the country, losing record numbers of state seats, governorships and so on. It's gotten so bad that the GOP are extremely close to having the power to call a constitutional convention, something that was thought to be basically impossible at one stage.
Luckily, thanks to the orange moron in the white house and the rise of the Sanders movement, the damage is starting to be undone by a new focus on economic issues and grassroots politics. The big fear however is that the people running the national party will insist on their identity politics focus and piss away the gains that are being made. There are a serious number of high profile Democrats who seem to genuinely believe that they will inevitably win total power purely based on demographic change and on being morally right. It's a horribly dangerous position to hold.
But social politics is also important. I'm not American so I'm not too familiar with this but it's also important to stress social issues such as the race and gender divide.
It's a tweet saying they want congress to be more representative of the people they serve. That's it.Sure it's important, but its also irrelevant what you want to do if you don't actually get elected. We're not talking about morality here, or what the party should stand for (this is one of the few areas where the entire Democratic party is united), it's purely about the politics of how to run election campaigns.
It's a tweet saying they want congress to be more representative of the people they serve. That's it.
Let's get back on topic, please.
Is Oprah running or what? Anything new?
Sure it's important, but its also irrelevant what you want to do if you don't actually get elected. We're not talking about morality here, or what the party should stand for (this is one of the few areas where the entire Democratic party is united), it's purely about the politics of how to run election campaigns.
Agree. A trade in priority of your messaging is no great price or concession to pay for better election results. Is there evidence so far that identity politics play well at a national level?
If only the Presidency was all about giving speeches and doing nothing else.Wouldn't read much into that statement. She did that speech to "test the waters" on whether a presidential run is viable.
How about a celebrity technocrat?High time for a person with a scientific/engineering background to seek higher office.
Technocrats >>>> Celebrity.
How about a celebrity technocrat?
Not convinced about that. On paper sounds good (not a new thought given how many lawyers become politicians) but then I remember the typical level of people-skills you get with most engineers, scientists and tech related people.High time for a person with a scientific/engineering background to seek higher office.
Technocrats >>>> Celebrity.
You can make use of technocrats in the cabinet. The president is a manager.High time for a person with a scientific/engineering background to seek higher office.
Technocrats >>>> Celebrity.
Correct. The euphemisms of "the real America" or "average American" or "make America great again" get used instead to dog whistle to the people that might not otherwise be willing to support an explicitly white supremacist viewpoint.Trump won on a platform of explicit identity politics just over a year ago, but because it was aimed at white, christian, non-college educated males, people don't label it as that.
And jesus christ, this isn't even that! If the US is so regressive now that you can't put out a tweet encouraging the election of people that have been historically kept away from power, then it's properly screwed.
Trump won on a platform of explicit identity politics just over a year ago, but because it was aimed at white, christian, non-college educated males, people don't label it as that.
No, that's who voted for him. I'm talking about who the campaign was specifically targeted at. The whole strategy was to motivate previous non-voters into turning out, and disaffected former Democrats into switching over. Those groups aren't the majority, but they did make the difference in the election.It was effectively slightly wider than that, including women within the above mentioned demo and enough of the college educated male and female in swing states. But its a viable strategy for him and other Republicans because that demo is still the majority... it doesn't work with the minority.
No, that's who voted for him. I'm talking about who the campaign was specifically targeted at. The whole strategy was to motivate previous non-voters into turning out, and disaffected former Democrats into switching over. Those groups aren't the majority, but they did make the difference in the election.
And regardless, encouraging candidacy from groups that are under-represented has little to do with that. It's basic fairness in a representative democracy.
Imagine if Sanders ends up president while JC is Prime minister. It would be remembered as the reverse Reagan-Thatcher admin
By 9 points, as opposed to white men which he won by 29 points. Overall he won with men by 11, lost women by 13. So, given that clearly so many women and minorities vote Democrat, it kinda makes sense for them to be encouraged to stand for office and not just be relied on for those votes. Surprised this is causing so much strife to some, you'd better not read up on all-women shortlists and mandated gender representation like some parties have over here in Europe.It's only worthwhile as far as their actual views. Trump won white women by a wide margin.
By 9 points, as opposed to white men which he won by 29 points. Overall he won with men by 11, lost women by 13. So, given that clearly so many women and minorities vote Democrat, it kinda makes sense for them to be encouraged to stand for office and not just be relied on for those votes. Surprised this is causing so much strife to some, you'd better not read up on all-women shortlists and mandated gender representation like some parties have over here in Europe.
High time for a person with a scientific/engineering background to seek higher office.
Technocrats >>>> Celebrity.
"I have no empathy for young people" -Joe Biden
The destroyers of the world.Those who voted for Trump are complete idiots.*
Those who voted for Stein: if they did it in NY/CA/Texas, that's great. If they did it in Wisconsin, etc - I don't agree with them, but I can understand why.
*To be nice: I'd say they made an idiotic decision, whether they are generally wrong depends on the their politics before and after the election.
Any chance of Tim Kaine running?
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/15/joe-biden-attacked-trump-gaffes/
Find it amusing that the stupid things Biden has said in the past which they are bringing him up on and yet fail to see Trump the biggest blowhard of them all, i guess it isnt a massive surprise considering the website is affiliated with Dick Cheney.