Okay, what, specifically, is too far left for the Midwest?

[bigtree]

...and while your at it, can someone tell me, specifically, what moderate, conservative, or republican ideal or policy that you think the Democratic party (Midwest senators and representatives esp.) should represent, support, or tolerate there.

[Wellstone ruled]

1. Way before your time

a man by the name of Quinton Burdick became the first truly Socialist Party Senator for North Dakota,today they would burn him at the stake.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. "The Midwest" is a big place. Which part of it do you have in mind?

I live in the Midwest - specifically, the People's Republic of Minneapolis, currently represented by progressive black Muslim Democrat Keith Ellison, probably soon to be replaced by progressive female Somali immigrant Democrat Ilhan Omar. It's about as blue a place as you can find outside California. The real divide is urban vs. rural. Since much of the Midwest is rural those parts are more likely to be conservative but the cities are likely to be liberal. The representative for the 7th CD, Colin Peterson, is a Democrat but he sometimes votes with the GOP because his constituents are more conservative and it's the only way he can hold his seat. In statewide elections the candidates have to be able to walk an ideological tightrope, the nature of which depends on the particular state. Al Franken won his first election by a very narrow margin (after 2 recounts), but if he hadn't been kneecapped by Gillibrand he probably would have won again even though there are MAGAts in the rural areas - but the larger, more liberal population is in the cities.

Again, it will depend entirely on the particular district or state.

[beachbum bob]

3. The core value of no such thing as a free lunch...somebody pays. What has

happen is the top 1% has won the class warfare battles as they convinced the other 99% they are coming for their stuff.

There is a social contract. Those who receive assistance from the majority should have some expectations placed on them. The far left always fight against that aspect. The right wing uses that as their basis to fight their perception of "socialism ".

There is give AND take and we all must recognize that.

[Blue_true]

6. The concept of responsibilities in a social contract is where republicans absolutely kill us.

I believe the majority of Americans, the vast majority believe in the social requirement to help those that are less fortunate. But when some people getting the help show behavior that is negative, republicans seize on that and blow things way out of proportion, their image is everyone on public assistance cheats so having adequate assistance is a waste. They win with their argument because everyone has likely seen people cheating, even when such a thing is not a common occurrence.

I believe that the US and the world will soon have to go to a concept of guaranteed income for everyone. In such a system, there will always be people that have private jobs or who work for the government, and there will be people that have been displaced from employment by intelligent machines. In order to make GI work, the able bodied people that have been displaced by machines will need to make some contribution to the society that guarantees their income, and this is where things become tricky and open to gross abuses. When it comes to contribution, what should it be? Should people getting GI not have kids, what possible reason why not? Should people getting GI show up to do sucky jobs that machines don't do and government employees won't do? There are just so many things that would need to be figured out, and everyone would need to play the role that they fall into.

[beachbum bob]

7. The GOP liability is bailing out corporations and businesses, as well as the

Upper 1%. If you advocate all things capatilism that means you prosper or fail on your own dime. Democrats have framed the argument poorly at best. As for the social contract, we need to place expectations on those receiving assistance. That also means we provide the necessary tools for those people to be productive. The dialogue should be on investment in people for their prosperity vs govt handouts to business for their CEOs and shareholders. We must demonize the concept of profits for the elite and the losses for the American family..

[Blue_true]

8. I would like to see the script flipped to where people needing assistance are not looked down on.

But until poor people make it a religion to vote and vote for their best interests, the 1% and corporations will continue to get bailed out when they get themselves in trouble. Sometimes helping formerly rich people is natural, a person giving a job to a kid of a formerly rich family that fell on hard times because the person knows the family. But most of it is simply high level corruption.

[Blue_true]

4. You tossed up an enormous straw man and you should recognize that.

Basically, you have to be joking. Even in the Midwest, what works in a big progressive city does not work in a district of rural towns. There are exceptions, it seems Massachusetts is the prime example (all democratic Congress and strongly democratic state legislature and senate, even with lots of rural areas), because of the location of major population progressive cities in almost every district there. California and Colorado are examples of where if a big progressive city is not located in a district, that district is conservative and red. Politics fit the district, until that changes, an arch conservative who owns up to that corrosive brand of politics will NEVER get elected in a progressive city and a very liberal person won't get elected in rural districts.

[qazplm135]

5. "the Midwest?"

It is not a homogeneous region. Ohio isn't Illinois, Indiana isn't Michigan, Missouri isn't Iowa, Wisconsin isn't Minnesota.

We ran a progressive for Senator in Wisconsin in 2016, he lost. He probably wins in Minnesota.

[McCamy Taylor]

9. Rural? Urban? What is the local industry? Economy? Religion? There is no one "midwest."

This is like trying to pin down the South which includes gay areas and Bible thumping area, Catholic areas and Buddhist areas.