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2016 Postmortem
Showing Original Post only (View all)Democrats Need to Embrace Progressivism or Else Move Out of the Way [View all]
Democrats Need to Embrace Progressivism or Else Move Out of the WaySteven Singer
Common Dreams
This loss belongs squarely on the shoulders of establishment Democrats. Its not the fault of the electorate. It was the partys job to convince people to vote for their candidate. They didnt do that. Instead they told people who to vote for or more accurately who not to vote for. It was clearly a losing strategy. It lost us the Presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court. Own it.
We need to take back what it means to be a Democrat. We cant have organizations funded by hedge fund managers and the wealthy elite pretending to be in our camp while espousing all the beliefs of Republicans. We cant have Democrats for Education Reform, a group promoting the policies of George W. Bush, the economics of Milton Friedman and prescribing laws crafted by the American Legislative Exchange council. We dont need Cory Booker going on Meet the Press to defend Mitt Romney against income inequality and then pretending to champion working people while taking in contributions from the financial sector. The brand needs to mean something again.
We need to reform our entire electoral process. Ancient and hackable voting machines, voter suppression laws and efforts, rampant gerrymandering and, yes, that stupid relic of the slave states, the Electoral College all of it must go. Weve got to ensure that people can vote, people do vote and it actually counts. And if something goes wrong, we need a way to double check. Recounts in close races should be standard and automatic.
We have a real opportunity to create an authentic resistance. People will be united in their dissatisfaction and anger at what Trump is doing to the country. Theyll be looking for somewhere to turn, for a revolutionary movement to lead them through it.
We need to take back what it means to be a Democrat. We cant have organizations funded by hedge fund managers and the wealthy elite pretending to be in our camp while espousing all the beliefs of Republicans. We cant have Democrats for Education Reform, a group promoting the policies of George W. Bush, the economics of Milton Friedman and prescribing laws crafted by the American Legislative Exchange council. We dont need Cory Booker going on Meet the Press to defend Mitt Romney against income inequality and then pretending to champion working people while taking in contributions from the financial sector. The brand needs to mean something again.
We need to reform our entire electoral process. Ancient and hackable voting machines, voter suppression laws and efforts, rampant gerrymandering and, yes, that stupid relic of the slave states, the Electoral College all of it must go. Weve got to ensure that people can vote, people do vote and it actually counts. And if something goes wrong, we need a way to double check. Recounts in close races should be standard and automatic.
We have a real opportunity to create an authentic resistance. People will be united in their dissatisfaction and anger at what Trump is doing to the country. Theyll be looking for somewhere to turn, for a revolutionary movement to lead them through it.
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Democrats Need to Embrace Progressivism or Else Move Out of the Way [View all]
portlander23
Dec 2016
OP
Zyper Teachout, and every Democrat running for Senate in a swing state against the establishment
still_one
Dec 2016
#12