LETTER: Dems should be true to their base :(GOOD LETTER)

[applegrove]

LETTER: Dems should be true to their base

Troy Shinbrot, EAST BRUNSWICK at Mycentraljersey.com

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/opinion/readers/2014/11/07/letter-dems-true-base/18611421/

"SNIP.........................


For the base of Republican voters who believe in these things, they knew who to vote for, and they knew their candidates will stand up for these principles. Popular or not, reasonable or not, sometimes even bizarre or not: doesn't matter. If you are a Republican, you know who to vote for. Why? Because the Republicans are true to their base.

And the Democratic party? Did they stand up to demand jail for those who caused the banking collapse? No, they voted to bail out the bankers. Did they stand up the demand regulation of toxic dumping? No, they stood by as the EPA has been gutted. Did they filibuster and yell and scream as voter's rights have been cut, as tens of thousands of voter registrations in minority districts have been documented to have been destroyed? No, they have shaken their heads and tut-tutted.

Did they object to increased NSA spying? No, they rubber-stamped the black budgets that fund these agencies and don't even bother to indict officials who openly lied to them about NSA spying. Did they object to outsourcing jobs abroad? No, they promoted NAFTA and happily engaged in anti-worker legislation. Do they stand up for women, for minorities, for students, for anyone who might once have been in the Democratic base?

No, no, no and no. To the Democratic party, while you are wringing your hands over this most recent loss, why not give a moment's thought to why on earth you convinced yourselves that abandoning your base was a way to win support. The Republicans didn't win in 2014 because the American people love what is going on in the House or the Senate. They won because Democrats stayed home. And we stayed home because we were abandoned.




.........................SNIP"

[think]

1. Memories of my youth

I thought they told the truth

[djean111]

2. Got to agree with this guy.

To those who are aghast at the criticism - how is abandoning the base working out?

[Cha]

3. This is Good, apple.. but, I don't think all the losses were because of Base Abandonment..

Like Anthony Brown in Maryland, Martha Coakley in Massachusetts, Mark Schauer in Michigan(not really sure about him).. Mary Burke in Wisconsin, Charlie Crist in Florida.. Not sure what Bruce Braley did but he did have Michelle Obama campaign with him.

"Do they stand up for women, for minorities, for students, for anyone who might once have been in the Democratic base?".. Those who didn't.. needed to run on the Successes of Dems.. not like there aren't any. They let the repubs control the narrative and that put them right on the defensive.. as in Alison Grimes' case saying she "wasn't Barack Obama" with a rifle in her hand.

And, no.. she's not the President.. for one thing.. he has a job.

[F4lconF16]

6. "And, no.. she's not the President.. for one thing.. he has a job."

Ouch.

[Cha]

7. I know that was a little

Ouchy.. but, come on!

[F4lconF16]

8. Was it not meant to be humorous?

I apologize, then, because I definitely took it that way. With all the unfortunate events happening, I take my laughs where I can get them. Clearly it isn't a good thing that she lost her election

[Cha]

10. Yes, it was meant to be humorous.. and I meant the "but, come on".. for

Alison Grimes.. the way she was running from the President and his and the Dems successes and letting Mitch control the narrative.

No it's a really bad thing she lost.. clearly it wasn't the right strategy.

F4lconF

[F4lconF16]

11. Ah okay!

Slight misunderstanding

Have a good day

[Cha]

12. U2!

[applegrove]

15. They abandoned Obama too for sure.

[myrna minx]

4. The Democratic Party has an identity problem.

[aspirant]

5. The action party

If we are going to re-make this party, can anyone specifically define the base? Is it those people over there or these here or those crying up there or aren't we all the base? If we want to change our party than we must be able to contact our base. Let's get a group together and contact every sec. of state and county clerks offices and get a complete list of all registered dems in America with contact info. Then we can present our ideas for change and get feedback to find out exactly what the people want by communities and adjust. We've had DU posters that are complaining of nasty mailers from the dem party, so we know lists exist. Talk is free, actions create change.

[Martin Eden]

9. The "base" needs to be expanded, not limited to a certain group which is catered to

The Democratic Party needs to represent the interests of the vast majority of Americans (aka the 99%). That is a HUGE base which includes folks who watch Fox news and listen to Rush Limbaugh.

Unfortunately, tens of millions of voters have been convinced to vote against their own interests by decades of propaganda and the shaping of public perception. Most people view themselves as "moderate" and think reasonable compromise is necessary for progress, but the so-called "center" has been moved steadily to the right and it does not mean what people think it means. When polled on specific issues (or offered a chance to vote on specific issues like many of the ballot initiatives in Tuesday's election) liberal policies are almost always preferred. It's like "Obamacare" -- many of the people who oppose it support its key elements when asked about them separately. They want the affordable insurance in the state exchanges, they don't want to be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition, etc.

What I'm getting at with all this is that dividing the left and center of the political spectrum into different groups and catering to one or the other is the wrong approach. That is the strategy employed by the Third Way, which feeds into the false narratives that have shaped public perception and steadily pushed the "center" to the right.

In reality, the 99% (or at least 90%) of Americans share common interests. They want and they need affordable health care and education for their children. They need a job that pays a living wage and allows them to go on a nice vacation once in awhile. They need a safe workplace where they're treated fairly. They need air, water, and food not laced with toxins that will give them cancer or cause birth defects. They care about future generations which need a sustainable environment that supports life on earth. They need their liberties and rights protected -- not their votes suppressed, their privacy invaded, and their sons killed & maimed in wars that enrich the MIC while throwing regions into chaos and creating more enemies abroad.

What the Democratic Party needs to do is craft policies which represent those common interests and consistently push that message over and over and over again.

Those interests and those policies are not catered only to a "Left" which has been marginalized and ignored ... but the Powers That Be have successfully shaped public perception to make it look that way.

[NaturalHigh]

13. "(C)an anyone specifically define the base?"

That's my question too. Apparently a lot of people think that there needs to be some sort of "purge" so that the party can be pure or something. Never mind that a lot of the people they want purged consistently vote for the guy with the D next to his name.

Apparently if you're not on the left side of the spectrum on every single issue, you're not good enough for the party. Let's see how well that strategy works.

[Scuba]

14. I wish I could rec this a thousand times.