How can we move the Party more to the Left?

[Tertullian]

It's ridiculous to witness this reluctance of our Party to take the positive steps to the Left that we need to build
a society that provides Justice for ALL -- all, as in, everybody world-wide.

First step is for the Party to Impeach 45.

Second step, put a Progressive in the WH.

Third step, keep the Congress as Democrat.

[Kurt V.]

1. Listening to everyday ppl instead of the consultants could be a start.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

14. Been sayin' that for YEARS... not just consultants.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[LuvLoogie]

2. Vote Democrat. That's how.

[GulfCoast66]

3. Many of us are happy where we are now. Generally.

Don’t forget it was not a flood of left leaning candidates that won us the house last election.

Quite the opposite in fact. We ran moderate democrats in moderate districts and exceeded expectations. That’s what a 50 state strategy looks like. Run democrats that reflect and can win in their districts.

Personally, I much prefer a moderate leaning Democratic caucus in the majority then a more left leaning one in the minority. Had we not won the house last fall the filibuster would have already been scrapped and one repressive law after the next would be being passed this year.

Guarantee you one thing...I would delirious with happiness to have the most moderate democrat in the house in place of the Tea Party hack representing me.

[PETRUS]

11. You're happy that we're facing ecological overshoot?

You're happy that that 10% of the population holds 70% of the wealth? You're happy that life expectancy is declining? I could go on, but you get the picture.

[Locrian]

12. I'm with you

Too many people on both sides still doing political calculations for the donors and own interests vs the country / world.
We're simply out of time to be drinking the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

21. Exactly right!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[GulfCoast66]

25. Yeah, that's just what I said...

Give me a fucking break...

I’m happy to have at least one house in Congress under our control. Well, not happy. Rather both houses an the White House.

I don’t philosophically disagree with anything you said.

But will please expound to me how we can achieve any of those things by ranting and raving and pretending most Americans agree with that 100%? And then losing the little bit of power we have?

It is simple. If we do not control the mechanism of power we can do nothing. 2018 should be a lesson for all of us. If we run candidates that their congressional districts will not elect we get jack shit. But we did not do that and we took the House of Representatives in a manner no one predicted. Yeah, gerrymandering sucks, and yeah, there is voter suppression. But what’s your solution?

Don’t ever confuse we moderate’s pragmatism with pleasure about the situation. I wish every district would elect a Schiff, Cummings or even AOC. But most won’t.

2018 was the year moderates retook the house. That why we have no impeachment. You have a better idea?

And don’t give me impeachment and kicking him out out of office. That’s not happening. As much as I wish it would.

You slammed my method of gaining power. I am curious about your ideas.

[PETRUS]

31. In so many words.

The politics you're happy with gave us Trump, and the problems I listed. I don't claim to have the answers, but steady-as-she-goes can't possibly be a solution.

[GulfCoast66]

38. So you have no solution? No suggestions even?

No concrete actions we should take to respectfully rebut my proposed course of action?

Instead you accuse me of supporting politics that got Trump elected.

Even if my suggestions won us the house in an unexpected landslide?

That’s special.

[Midnightwalk]

37. Yes. I want a lot more too

But i hate going backwards even more which is what we get when we lose.

It’s hard having a split brain. The existential threat is climate change. When we are out of power we will go backwards in addressing that. If we go slow it gets that much harder to solve.

We have to win back the senate which means winning the middle of the country. We also need some to push to the left but we can’t scare the squares away.

I’m rambling again. I agree completely with what you said. It is a frustrating situation.

[GulfCoast66]

42. Hell yeah, it's frustrating!

But more frustrating is people on DU who, wanting wanting policies we all want, deny reality!

What’s frustrating is good folks on DU who think pragmatic members are moderates. Not people wanting policies and candidates that can actually fucking win! I’m as liberal as any here. But 2018 should have taught us a lesson. We have to run Democratic candidates who can win in their districts if we want power. And often those will not be on the left of the Democratic spectrum.

Without power nothing else matters. In 2018 we gained the power to slow the bleeding. Had we not won the house McConnell would have already killed the filibuster and the bills being passed this year would be straight out of hell.

Please remember one thing. When some of us express moderate opinions on the best course of action it is not always our heartfelt belief but the route we see to gaining power. Hell, I want this country to be way more like France! Most Americans don’t.

[JustAnotherGen]

57. I agree

The NJ 7th was held by the GOP for 38 years.

Malinowski is NOT a Justice Democratic.

He worked for Obama and was the guy who delivered the Trump Is A Racist speech in the house last week.

You can't run on outlawing corporations in this district.

That would be a stupid thing to do and he'll lose.

People don't seem to understand AT ALL that just as this district has NOTHING in common with the entire states of Mississippi, Arkansas or Wyoming - we have very little in common with AOC'S district 50 miles down the road and under the tunnel.

Every Democratic in the House - ALL OF THEM - need to stay in their lane.

It would be arrogant to put words in districts held by Democratic Party Members that you know nothing about.

Malinowski 's win was a MUCH bigger deal than AOC's. Blue to blue is easy to do.

38 years of GOP? He did the impossible and no one should be telling us what to do in our district, what to think, etc etc.

[treestar]

61. you have not convinced a majority of voters on any of that

it is not going to magically happen.

[brooklynite]

66. The easiest way to not deal with your issues is to let a Republican get elected.

[JI7]

4. there needs to be more demographic changes . most white people support trump

they are there ones holding this country back.

and many so called white liberals see these white people as victims.

[GulfCoast66]

30. You've got to be kidding me?

Bullshit on your slam on we white liberals. WTF, now attacking your fellow democrats who happen to be white? I’m not even saying allies because I don’t see my fellow democrats who are black as allies, which implies two different groups. We are just democrats. And Americans. The base of our party here in Florida are African Americans. Please.

This is a messed up post. Dividing democrats by color? You’ve got to be kidding me.

[JI7]

45. i didn't attack Democrats

i said so called white liberals . people like thomas Frank, Michael moore, and other similar types. and none of these would say black people were the base.

how is the latest shit from Michael moore helpful to Democrats ?

[GulfCoast66]

46. Ok. Understand. So your really attacking white pundits,

Who are becoming less and less relevant but depend on viewers for their income. They say what they think will keep them relevant. I get it.

But when you carte blanche attack all white liberals you are attacking me.

Thanks for the explanation. I understand.

Have a nice evening.

And BTW. African Americans, specifically African American women are the base of our party in all southern states. Ok. Maybe not NC and VA. But the rest for sure. Including Florida where I live. It’s not popular to say, but it’s the truth.

[JI7]

49. that's why i refer to them as "so called liberals"

i don't think they really have any interest in advancing the liberal agenda .

and these people view the black base of the party as "establishment" in a negative way.

[treestar]

63. or try to convince more white voters

of their interests.

[emulatorloo]

5. Elect more Democrats, and don't enable Republican victories by not voting

Help register more people to vote, and help GOTV for Democratic candidates when there is an election.

When Republicans control Congress, progressive legislation won’t get passed.

[Fiendish Thingy]

35. Then you'll need to inspire young voters

Who tend to be more to the left- nominate a Status Quo pragmatic incrementalist, and it may suppress the your turn out.

If the youth turnout increases significantly, we WILL win.

[GulfCoast66]

48. Ah, the mysterious youth vote.

Hasn’t happened. Will not happen. It’s like chasing unicorns.

Countless Democratic Campaigns have crashed and burned counting on it.

If it happens, fine. But don’t build a campaign on it.

[Fiendish Thingy]

71. I think motivating youth turnout is a better strategy than flipping Trump voters

Of course, the would require the Dems to move further left, which consultants and big donors don’t like.

[Captain Stern]

6. You probably should change that step #3.

We can't 'keep the Congress as Democrat', since we don't hold the congress now.

We only have the majority in the House. We need the majority in the Senate also.

And as far as steps one and two go.......why would we even need to impeach trump, if we could put a Progressive in the WH in sixteen months?

[UTUSN]

7. By winning the vast Middle. *That* is Left.

[doc03]

8. agree 100% nt

[ProudLib72]

10. Are you advocating for platform change in a more conservative direction

just to win the vast middle, or are you talking about messaging?

[doc03]

15. I am running more left will re-elect Trump. I

was assuming that was the intent of the original post.

[ProudLib72]

47. I really don't have a firm opinion about that

If we were more "progressive" it might mean we win over 3rd party voters and actually get them excited to vote Dem. On the other hand, we might infuriate moderate Dems to the point they less interested in us. Which population is larger? How far can we go left or right? (I am asking rhetorically. I don't expect an answer.)

My question was about whether UTUSN meant we were already too far to the left or if we had lost all ownership of the narrative. Right after 2016 there was a lot of speculation about how we could improve our message or method of disseminating that message.

[UTUSN]

22. I answer sincere questions: I'm a FDR-HST-LBJ-O type, plenty "Left" for me!

"messaging" - I'm not a p.r. type, just go to and from the heart.

[hack89]

9. Who says the party needs to move to the left?

I am very active in Rhode Island Democratic Party politics and there is no burning desire to move further to the left - lot of centrist voters here.

[doc03]

16. Every day here in Ohio WV and Pa former staunch

Democrats have switched Republican because they believe Democrats have gone too far left already. I remind you that is where we have to win to have the presidency.
We aren't going to lose that Blue Wall talked about endlessly in 2016, it's the swing states we have to win.

[Amishman]

79. Yup, in some areas we really risk outstepping public support, other areas are open for advancement

Based on WaPo polling, impeachment is becoming a losing issue; their latest poll puts it at a dismall 33% for / 63% against among registered voters.

A Public Option for healthcare is the opposite, support is up to 72%.

Gun safety is a good example both ways, universal background checks and red flag laws enjoy 90% support, where bans on semi autos or handguns is under 40%

Take action where we have broad national support, avoid areas where we do not.

[CentralMass]

26. Bernie Sanders won the 2016 RI primary by double digits.

[hack89]

40. RI politics are strange

even though it is considered a deep blue state, the largest party affiliation is independent - 53% of the electorate. Many of those independent vote Dem but don't vote in primaries. And the independent voters are traditionally more conservative then registered Dems - which is why we do on occasion elect republican governors.

So you have a situation where a critical segment of the electorate is independent but leans Dem as long as their choices are not too "radical". Which is why the RI congressional delegation consist of moderate and centrist Dems. Two other moderating influences is that we are a heavily Catholic state and are very pro-military because of how many jobs it supports. A good example of how moderate we are is that we have not joined our neighbors MA and CT in passing an AWB.

[stopdiggin]

54. Bernie Sanders was a dead heat in IA caucuses

and then Iowa went BIG for Trump. Not even close. So ...? Maybe we need to do a little thinking here.

[CentralMass]

69. This was a reply about Rhode Island politics.

[stopdiggin]

84. pardon

I guess I thought hack89's post (Who says the party needs to move to the left?) might have something to do with "How can we move the 'Party' more to the left" like in the original post. My mistake.

[Stallion]

13. We could Nominate Adlai Stevenson, George McGovern or Pete Dukakis-Oh Wait

far left liberals haven't won a national election since FDR 9 decades ago and that took the Great Depression and
emergency circumstances. We're not even counting the long list of liberals who never got the nomination

[doc03]

17. It is free this, free that talk that is killing use in

the rust belt.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

18. What does this mean? Change the platform? Change Democratic voters' minds? Encourge Democratic

politicians to...what, exactly?

[hunter]

19. I'm a hard leftist and a radical environmentalist. But my politics are practical.

What's your problem with "our Party?"

I love Nancy Pelosi.

She's like a nicer version of my own mom, grandmas, great grandmas, and sisters.

My great grandmas, hard hard women of the Wild West, were the sort who could kill bad men and call their county coroner friends to clean up the mess and file the proper paperwork.

Maybe it's best we don't awaken that.

Trump will die, hopefully like Ronald Reagan.

I'd rather skip the part with his head on a pike.

[PETRUS]

24. ???

We've been practicing practical politics for some time, and everything I'd assume you care about as a "hard leftist and a radical environmentalist" has been getting worse.

[hunter]

39. How do you fix it?

I've done well enough here in California.

My representatives actually represent me, even smarmy Gavin Newsom, more or less.

Even the Terminator. Trump suffers in awe of that guy.

Schwarzenegger was a terrible Governor but Trump never got the naked with naked where he could brag about it.

This is Trump:

I lay there, annoyed that I was getting fucked by a guy with Yeti pubes and a dick like the mushroom character in Mario Kart … It may have been the least impressive sex I’d ever had, but clearly, he didn’t share that opinion.

[Dirty Socialist]

20. Don't overreach

Implement actions step by step.

[UTUSN]

23. Hey, Tertullian, when I see "Democrat" used as an adjective, I need to ask, HUH?!1

[bronxiteforever]

33. +1000 me as well

[GulfCoast66]

34. Now that's interesting. Wish I had seen it.

[GulfCoast66]

43. As I said. Interesting. I wish the OP would respond to his/her Op.

Because I have not seen too many Biden supporters(which I am) wanting the party to move more to the left. I would enjoy the discussion.

Fighting with those responding to the OP is not as satisfying or productive as discussion with the original poster.

[UTUSN]

44. We (u'n'I) are doing fine as we are. The O.P. prolly can't stand his ground here.

[treestar]

62. missed that

thank you

[beachbum bob]

27. Because America is not and never been a left-center country for

starters

[Thomas Hurt]

28. Political parties don't get moved left or right, as much as they evolve.

[DonaldsRump]

29. Why exactly do you suggest moving the D's to the left?

We will win the White House in 2020 with the candidate that will beat Trump.

The R's have no one to offer except Trump, who is a loser in every respect (without help from Russia). So, any D that is right, center, or left will do.

And, b/t/w, it's Democratic, not Democrat.

[sheshe2]

32. Keep Congress as what?

Third step, keep the Congress as Democrat.

Democrat?

[TwilightZone]

36. Elect Democrats at all levels and give the next President a Dem Senate.

"Third step, keep the Congress as Democrat."

It's not Democratic now. Only the House is.

[Doodley]

41. The first step is to stop Trump winning next year, and if that means moving to the right, I'm in.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

50. Better messaging, and that's an uphill battle because...

... so much of the media is owned by the filthy rich.

[samir.g]

51. Get behind the squad

not the old guard

[FiveGoodMen]

77. AMEN!!!

[redstatebluegirl]

83. You had better find a way to get "the squad" and their people out to vote in large numbers.

If you piss off those of us a little closer to center you can't win. We are the ones who show up to vote, who give our time and money to the candidates. I grow weary of the ageism of some on this site.

[democratisphere]

52. Most of the world is to the left and right of the center.

Attempting to take things further to the left will only alienate a large segment of voting population. Why would you even think of doing such a thing when we are trying to rid ourselves of drumpf?

[emmaverybo]

82. +1

[VOX]

53. The salient question is: "How can sane Americans get rid of this insane administration?"

That’s number one, getting 45 OUT. Another four years of his incompetence, intolerance and lawlessness will utterly stamp out our democracy.

Running a hard-left Democratic candidate— as much as that would be welcomed— could be difficult in a time when not just the U.S., but numerous democracies worldwide have embraced right-wing nationalism.

As good as many of the current crop of Democratic candidates are, no one has yet emerged as “the one” to tackle Trump, especially with the goddamned Electoral College choking down general elections where the decision ultimately rests with a mere handful of “swing states.”

It really boils down to this: a Democratic candidate who can connect and do well in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin; or 4 more years of fatal Trumpism.

[Poiuyt]

55. We need to find candidates who don't subscribe to the neoliberal agenda

Ever since Reagan and Thatcher, much of the world revolves around the neoliberal ideology, i.e. low taxes, fewer regulations, etc. Coincidentally, that's when income inequality began to increase and real wages plateaued. Unfortunately, politicians of both parties seem to think that this is the way it has to be. It will be difficult to reverse this trend, especially when Republicans scream that anyone to the left of Sean Hannity is a socialist.

[JustAnotherGen]

56. Nope

The Democratic Party is already to the Far Left.

The GOP needs to move over to the center. Stop trying to kill social security and the ACA. Stop carrying water for our enemies. Stop being asswipe racists. Stop trying to kill women.

It's on them.

We are the good patriotic ones - they are evil Russian lovers.

[JI7]

64. ++++++++

[mercuryblues]

58. it ain't gonna happen overnight

the 1st step is defeating republikkklans. Which means the left and far left vote for democrats instead of sitting at home or protest vote for people like jill Stein.

Get the power save the world.

[Joe941]

59. Show the advantages for the average person if we adopt socialism.

[Recursion]

60. Reverse the question: how do you make "The Left" more attractive to Democrats?

Because the stumbling block "Progressive" candidates keep facing is getting enough Democratic voters to survive the primaries.

(And if my quotation marks aren't passive aggressive enough, I'll state plainly: I think this question was asked in bad faith.)

[brooklynite]

65. First step: prove that someone you find suitably progressive can win the election

[JI7]

67. what does that even mean ? who his your congress member ?

[Gothmog]

68. I really do not want to lose control of the House

We risk losing many of the seats that the party picked up in the midterms by moving to the left.

[DFW]

70. Move the party into office first

THEN it can move anywhere it wants to.

The Republicans stared going batshit crazy under Reagan. It got worse under Cheney, who started the groundwork for Citizens United while W was in the White House, because he knew they had fucked up too badly to get a Republican elected in 2008. They lurch rightward while in office. In power, you move in the direction the party wants. Out of power, you had better move in the direction your voters want, or else it doesn't matter which in direction you move.

[fescuerescue]

75. That's the problem with both parties

And why voters are continually unsatisfied and flip between D and R.

"In power, you move in the direction the party wants. Out of power, you had better move in the direction your voters want"

It's the classic bait and switch tactic. Voters want what they want. Not what the current trendy politician of the year wants.

[elocs]

72. "How can we move the Party more to the Left?"

Well working as hard as possible and voting for the Democratic Party nominee would be a great start because if Trump is reelected you will be lucky to get back to where you are now in a generation.
If the nominee is not sufficiently "Progressive" and you choose to pout about that and not support the Democratic Party nominee,
that is the next best thing to voting for Trump.

1. Impeaching Trump will not remove him from office.
2. Putting a Democrat in the WH now is job #1.
3. Work to keep the House DemocratIC and to retake the Senate.

[PDittie]

73. I have found

the following helpful.

1. Ignore the pedants.

2. Disregard the incrementalists.

I believe that the Puerto Rican people have established a good model for swift, effective change recently.

[FiveGoodMen]

78. Disregarding the incrementalists will do little good if they're still in power

[MineralMan]

74. Did you mean to say "Democratic?"

It's the Democratic Party, not the Democrat Party. You can edit your post.

[FiveGoodMen]

76. Vote in new leadership

[emmaverybo]

80. Why should we? Then we would be totally out of step with the country. We need to take the Dem

message to the heartland, to rural America. But if that message is too left, they aren’t buying. Good
old left of center liberalism creates the biggest tent for the party and the voters we need in addition to our base to put the party into power.

[Kablooie]

81. We'd better work on moving the country to the center first.

If we don't do that Republicans will keep hold of government and the leftward movement will disappear.