Everyone who sat out 2010 election, I hope they are happy.. because they are the reason

[Peacetrain]

we are in such deep stuff..

according to the Census
https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural/2020-ua-facts.html

80% of people in the US live in urban areas
Which is where most Democrats live..

https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2017/08/rural-america.html

97% of the US land mass is rural

So 1 in 5 people (20%) live on 97 % of the land

80% of us live on only 3 % of the land

somehow, someway, we have to address this.. Its like the Republicans have become Zombie Lords of the Manor.. and the rest of us are just peons have to live with their crazy choices..

[Just A Box Of Rain]

1. 2010?

[Peacetrain]

2. 2010 not 2020.. huge battle in DU about that

Some wanted to "Hold Obamas feet to the fire" God how I started hating that phrase.. made no sense..

[Just A Box Of Rain]

3. I wasn't here, but somehow I'm not surprised.

This forum hasn't turned out to be exactly what I expected in terms of supporting Democrats.

[Ferrets are Cool]

10. Not sure what you were expecting. DU does more to support Democrats than

any other site of which I am aware. If you know of some place better, please inform.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

15. I was expecting "an online community for friendly, politically liberal people

who understand the importance of working together to elect more Democrats."

Instead I've found a place--were for the only time in my life ever--I've been accused of being a right-winger and I where I see Democrats getting dragged on a daily basis.

Quite a disappointment. Frankly.

[OhNo-Really]

20. You can customize DU. My "Ignore" list is quite lengthy

It makes for a much more pleasant experience.

So when you see one of the many contrarians, male chauvinists or just plain rude members, just add them to your “ignore list” and you’ll still get all the news you want.

[Ferrets are Cool]

23. For me it IS a online community for friendly, politically liberal people

And I have been a member for almost 20 years. I have LOTS of great friends here who have helped me get through tough times in America.

[betsuni]

28. You missed the fun of being accused of being paid by David Brock for supporting Democrats

in 2016. That was a popular insult. Now it's that we're wealthy old centrists/right-wingers.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

31. I did miss that, but I have been accused of being paid as a shill (variously) for

CNN, NPR, and (IMS on this last one) CBS.

At no time in my not-short life as a politically active liberal Democrat, one who fully embraces the liberal values of my party, has anyone--anywhere--EVER accused me of being a right-winger, yet this slander has been thrown at me countless times on this forum.

It is a pretty fucking bizarre experience.

[634-5789]

13. Gotta disagree! DU is the king!

[Just A Box Of Rain]

14. Way too much trolling for my taste.

Sorry.

[634-5789]

17. Understand you. It's not for everybody.

I find it just ducky.

[mcar]

26. Lord, I remember that shite

[OhNo-Really]

18. Yup 2010 - Ed Schultz was all "Don't vote"

I witnessed his speech and my heart sunk. He passed away after that.

I had a Press Pass & backstage with all the progressive luminaries.

Did you attend the huge “One Nation Rally” on 10.2.10?

Attendance was undermined by Jon Stewart & Colbert’s silly show announced shortly before 10.2.10 and performed in DC shortly thereafter.

My very young professional acquaintances skipped the One Nation 10.2.10 Rally, opting for Comedy Central super stars.

We lost an opportunity to control Congress.

I don’t often jump in, but 2010 was concerted effort by lots of foul players.

[elocs]

4. Here in WI in 2010 the state was controlled by the Democrats.

But too many on the Left just weren't excited enough to vote in that midterm while Republicans turned out to vote like it was their duty. In 1 election WI flipped to total Republican control. Plus, since 2010 was a census year, that meant that when Republicans took control in 2011 they got to gerrymander the state to maintain their control. We still suffer the consequences of that election to this day.

[Peacetrain]

5. I hear you.. I live in Iowa.. look what has happened to us

so much of it seems to be the rural areas being intimidated by the right.. they are loud noisy and give no quarter.. so I know people in small communities here believe that their vote is not secret.. that people in their community can find out who they are and make their lives miserable.. the right has figured out how to intimidate people on a grand scale..

[TheRealNorth]

7. Had Dayton not won in MN

MN would probably be as bad as WI.

[Hortensis]

6. Nope. But not for the right reasons. The more ignorant and

irresponsible, or radicalized, the more likely to complain that it's all the fault of "they" and "them" and be afraid of the unilluminated darkness. And there's a lot to complain about -- they certainly themselves no good.

These days the biggest political difference between majorities of rural and urban dwellers is ideological, what is supposed to be reflected in the vote, not so much geographically locational. When we lived in Los Angeles, we knew plenty of mostly conservative types who chose to live socially introverted, insular lives there, ignoring most of that worldly, world-class city, very like those who leave to find small towns with people "like us."

[Thunderbeast]

8. May I add the 2000 Nader voters.

I know...You are tired of hearing it while rationalizing that there was "no difference between Gore and Bush"...

Let me name a few events that would have been avoided:

Dick Cheney
Donald Rumsfeld (fight with the army you have)
Condolezza Rice (mushroom cloud from Saddam Hussein)
John Ashcroft (draped the justice statue so her breasts would not be seen)
John Roberts (Citizen's United)
Samuel Alito (Dobbs decision)

Ignoring Al Queida (pre- 9/11)
Invading Iraq
Katrina Response
Coddling Putin (I can see his into his soul)

Sorry...Still pissed off!

735 Nader voters in Florida DID THAT!

[Ferrets are Cool]

11. Yes, I am still pissed off royally.

[OhNo-Really]

19. Yup! Totally agree!

[electric_blue68]

24. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, effin' Ralph* (and I'd been a big fan)

* plus his bigoted comment about "gonad politics". 🤬

[Polybius]

29. Alito and Roberts came in Bush's second term

It's extremely rare that one Party wins three Presidential terms in a row. Had Gore won in 2000, that would be the third term in a row for Democrats. If Gore were to win re-election, that would be an unprecedented 4 in a row.

So even if Gore wins in 2000, Bush may run again and win in 2004, giving us Alito and Roberts anyway.

[TheRealNorth]

9. I think when you look at the 2010 data....

It was a combination of AA voters not turning out at the levels that they did for Obama in 2008 and white working class frustration with the recovery from the Great Recession.

[Aristus]

12. I never take Washington State's blue status for granted.

I’m always uncomfortably aware of the slavering hoards of Trumpsters out Spokanistan way, and even in reliably blue counties like Pierce, King, and Snohomish.

God help us if they ever get the power to turn us into Florida.

I vote all the way down to the bottom of the ballot where the school board and city council races are.

[mountain grammy]

16. I feel the same about Colorado

We worked hard to turn it blue. We still have Boebert, but she's hanging on by a thread. She "represents" a big chunck of land but not so many people. Gonna flip that district in 2024!

[Aristus]

21. I'm in Colorado right now!

Mrs. Aristus and I are visiting our grandkids in Denver.

[mountain grammy]

22. Enjoy!

The weather looks cool but pretty good for March, nice and sunny up here in Grand County. Watching our snow melt.

[electric_blue68]

27. 👍 Beautiful State!...

Back in '80 my cousin attending U of CO when I made my 2nd big USA trip took me up on his motorcycle (his roomie had taken the the car) first to 🥰 Red Rocks, then to Golden, and finally to Echo lake northeast of Mt Evans in ?mid-July (still had some snow). And then looking north west seeing the snow atmospheric blued snow capped mountains of the Continental Divide! 🧡🧡🧡
Magical and Majestic.

[Kennah]

25. I fear that things were truly lost in 1980

[betsuni]

30. I recently came across a wrong explanation for why the white working class votes Republican,

and it's the same old accusation that Democrats ignore the working class because all they think about is money ("the Democratic Party has abandoned them for wealthy contribution contributors and 'the beautiful people.'" ), but this time it names names: it's President Obama's fault!

"Many of these so-called racist Americans voted for Barack Obama ... and for 'hope' and 'change' and 'Yes we can.' ... But their lives did not get better. After almost 50 years of wage stagnation, Democrats were in charge, but we did not raise wages for workers."

It goes on with a list of all the things the Obama administration did not magically fix in two years (forget that Democrats had a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate for all of four months and ten days during those two years): unions, economic inequality, health care (forget about the ACA), Pharma costs, child care and higher education, homelessness, housing crisis, etc. It is easy! There are simple solutions for all these problems, you just have to "take on" and "fight." Why didn't Democrats fix all these problems in four months and ten days? No wonder Republicans took over Congress in 2010, no wonder the nice economically challenged white working class went on to vote for Trump and gave him more votes in 2020!

And now Biden didn't fix all the problems in two years because he didn't have large enough majorities in Congress either.

I have no idea why anyone thinks blaming Democrats and "holding their feet to the fire" and threatening to have to "earn my vote" teach them a lesson or whatever has anything to do with progress and being progressive, but there it is.