Before we begin our search for a 2020 presidential candidate,

[MineralMan]

We have other work that needs doing. There's an election in 2018. Senators and members of congress will be up for election then. So will state legislators. That's the election we need to be thinking about right not, not 2020, it seems to me.

Democrats have a bad habit of not showing up for mid-term elections, and we need to make sure that doesn't happen in 2018. We need to find outstanding candidates for the House, Senate and state legislative seats and work our asses off in the primaries that year as well as doing excellent GOTV for the general election.

2020 will happen, and the candidates people are talking about may well not be the candidate who show up that year. If we truly want to regain control, we absolutely MUST work on 2018. Every House seat will be in play, as well as 1/3 of the Senate. In each state that holds even-year elections for its legislature, we have an opportunity to build majorities in many states or retake the majority.

Politics is not all about presidential elections. In fact, it is legislative elections that make the most difference. Please, let's work on those as hard as we do every four years for President. It's never been as important as it is right now.

Thanks!

[citood]

1. Of the 33 senate seats up, 25 are D or left leaning I senators

[MineralMan]

3. Yes. We need to win every one of those,

and pick up as many of the remaining 8 as possible. Every election matters. We must work hard in every state and district, even if we think we're going to win. That's how we make gains. And it's all really up to Democrats in those states and districts. Those are local and state elections. Local people are who must work to elect Democrats. It all happens at home or near home.

[JustAnotherGen]

2. Thanks MM

I'm completely focused on my local town council (2 seats) and the gubernatorial race in NJ next year (November 7, 2017). I don't understand why people are so torn up over 2020 when we have a great candidate in NJ who would be a repudiation of both Christie AND Trump!

[MineralMan]

6. Thank you for being a local activist.

We need more of those, all across the nation, working to elect people where they live.

[crazycatlady]

31. Who are you supporting for NJ governor in 2017?

I've been out of the state for a lot of the last year and haven't been paying attention to NJ politics as I should.

I know Phil Murphy is the frontrunner, but his ties to Goldman Sachs worry me. Did we not learn our lesson with the last GS guy?

[JustAnotherGen]

36. Murphy

His ties to GS have enabled him to engage in job related philanthropy. His appointment by Obama as an ambassador outweighs any negatives.

He is nothing like Corzine. A Sanders crafted politician can't win in a state with the number of people employed in Pharma, Telecom and Finance. What played well in Michigan and Wisconsin won't fly here.

This election will be a repudiation of every New Jerseyan that voted for Trump. Let's bring them to heel.

[crazycatlady]

37. I will admit I haven't made up my mind

But I know that John Wisniewski is also running and he was the highest profile NJ guy on Team Bernie. He's also former chair of the NJ Dems. (FTR I was undecided until the last minute in the primary. I eventually voted for Clinton.) I've met him several times and have been impressed with him.

I agree that NJ is different than the Rust Belt. And I definitely agree about Trump.

[JustAnotherGen]

38. He wimped out on

Barbara Buono - he and Sweeney both. Enough of those two. All of them that banked on Christie being the nominee and it but the entire country on the ass. They were both turn coats - so nope.

[crazycatlady]

39. The whole party abandoned Barbara Buono

At the 2013 convention, when she was supposed to choose the new party chair (as she had a right to do), they didn't accept her pick.

There was a lot of misogyny in the NJ Dems. I see it at the local level too.

[LAS14]

4. That's right! And I'm glad Obama, Shumer, Pelosi and Sanders have all..

... directed our attention that way.

[MineralMan]

5. Our attention is not enough. Action is required.

Local action, in person, is what is needed, not more posts online on national forums. All elections are local. Even the presidential election, as we have discovered in 2016. Local activism is what wins elections, not postings on social media and discussion forums.

[JustAnotherGen]

7. Amen!

[JustAnotherGen]

8. If you are just going to post online

Could you make a small donation to the Phil Murphy campaign? He's running for Governor in NJ in 2017.

https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/murphy-for-governor

[LAS14]

12. Just did. Small, but real action on this front needs to be supported.

[Chasstev365]

9. It's All About MESSAGING!

Keep it short and simple to illustrate that the GOP thinks the American people are a bunch of chumps. THAT IS HOW TO WIN!

[libtodeath]

10. We need to fight repuke theft,cheating and voter suppression

one more election cycle like the last few and they will steal their way to a 60 plus majority in the senate.

[MineralMan]

11. Yes, that too. And that has to be done locally, as well.

Elections happen in counties and states, not nationally. Election laws are state laws. Again, local action is needed. I cannot do anything about elections anywhere but in my own state of Minnesota. I can, however, become an election worker, an election judge, or whatever other job presents itself.

Minnesota has fair elections, run properly. That's because Minnesotans have insisted on it. Every state is the responsibilities of residents of that state. It's all local, frankly. In most states, county clerks or some other official actually conducts the elections, and must follow state laws. It all begins where you live.

[mopinko]

13. fix the voting system and we win. we need to stop their cheating. period.

do that, and everything else takes care of itself, including cementing the disenfranchised voters to the party for a generation.

[MineralMan]

14. Please demonstrate the validity of your premise.

[mopinko]

15. just look at the number of votes that were suppressed in the swing states.

we left 100 times the margin on the damn table.

besides, we need to show a spine, and there is no better place to do it.

you dont think poc are tired of their rights being stripped, and we do nothing but run our mouths?
we talk about justice reform, but do we start w felon voting laws? no we dont, and that is the lowest hanging fruit out there.

these people are being stripped of their citizenship, and we dont even think of them as voters. dem politicians count them up and figure they cna win without their votes. they do see them as reliable votes.
we should see them as citizens that have been robbed and act accordingly.

how long can we keep getting new voters through gotv, while we are bleeding loyal voters in the states we need to win?

[MineralMan]

16. How many were suppressed? Show me a link that quantifies that.

I've seen lots of claims, but no supporting evidence. What I have seen is the number of third-party voters in those three crucial states. They were plenty to have turned the election.

Show me evidence. That's what I asked for. Not people saying things. Numbers. Evidence. I already have numbers that would have changed the outcome from actual voters.

[mopinko]

19. you dont think there were 10k voters suppressed in mich?

80k over all?
hell, there are probably that many blocked for felonies.
numbers i have seen are, indeed, projections. voters that still had to be gotten into the booth, and pull the right lever.
but since the orders of magnitude were so huge, i dont think there is any doubt.

ya know, i dont recall very many threads here about what the party was doing to make sure people had what they needed. a little local bit here and there. but i didnt see any kind of big push to make sure everyone who wanted to vote could vote.

and again, you are counting votes. we have to see them as voters. citizen who are being robbed before our very eyes.
we have to be the good guys.

i will look for some numbers. but srsly. you dont know this?

[MineralMan]

20. Again, show me some factual information. However,

there were way more than that number of votes for Jill Stein in MI, for example. Those are actual numbers of actual votes. You can see them on the state's voting results.

You are claiming voter suppression, but have no actual facts regarding that. I have facts and actual numbers.

I'm sorry, but votes count. Guesses about people whose votes were suppressed don't count.

If you have actual evidence of voter suppression in MI, please link to it. I will go and look at the information. If you want actual information on the number of misguided Jill Stein voters, you can just go to the MI Secretary of State's website and look at the election results.

I'm done here, unless you can produce some facts, rather than speculation.

[mopinko]

26. somebody piss in your wheaties this morning man?

was i posting w a russian accent of something?
that attitude is entirely misplaced.

[frankieallen]

30. It's just that MM wants real solutions to

real problems, and not waste time with unsubstantiated bullshit

[mopinko]

32. dude. my comments at the only real solutions in this thread.

[frankieallen]

34. Yet you produce not one shred of evidence

after being asked several times.
Real solutions for real problems....dude

[mopinko]

35. i just posted 2 links.

one a summary chock full of other links.
sorry i didnt do all the math for y'all, but it is plain as the nose on your face.

and not a dude, just fyi.

[mopinko]

27. just one link. come on man.

A voting rights group sent volunteers to DMV offices around the state, recorded their interactions with clerks, and shared the audio with reporters. Most of the clerks gave out incorrect information about how to get a temporary voter ID, and several didn’t even appear familiar with the process, instead instructing the volunteers to begin compiling the underlying documents previously required. “It’s very time-consuming,” one acknowledged. In response to the reports, Judge Peterson ordered the state to investigate what went wrong. But it’s no sure thing that things will be straightened out before the election, potentially leaving some portion of the estimated 300,000 registered Wisconsin votes who lack ID out in the cold.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/10/the-real-voting-problem-in-the-2016-election-214386

[mopinko]

29. go ahead and add up all the totals in these links.

then tell me i'm wrong.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-election-day/election-2016-tracking-reports-voting-problems-across-united-states-n673236

[Initech]

17. We need to focus on rebuilding at the state and local levels.

And taking back the media. Then we can focus on electing a new president.

[MineralMan]

22. Taking back the media? How do you propose to do that?

Yes, we need to focus on the state and local levels. I've been saying that for years. That's what's important.

That involves state and local GOTV efforts and a lot of hard work. I'm all for that, and have been doing that where I live, also for years. My precinct went over 60% for Clinton. How did things go in your precinct?

[Initech]

24. I live in California. We have a democratic super majority now!

My county even voted for the democratic state reps over the conservative ones. And that's pretty rare!

We need to take Bill Maher's idea and start flipping districts. I'd particularly love to flip Paul Ryan's and Mitch McConnell's.

[doggie breath]

18. With Michigan going for Der Dorfmeister

and that asswipe Snyder still in office, I hope we don't lose Debbie Stabenow.
Michigan hasn't had a repuke senator since Spencer Abraham's 1 term from 95-2001 and before that it was 1979.

Hopefully 2 years of Drumph and 8 of Slick Rick will bring out the Democratic voters in an off year election and put Michigan back on the right track.

[crazycatlady]

33. Is Snyder termed out in 2018?

Good opportunity for a pickup if he can't run

[treestar]

21. Could not agree more

[MineralMan]

23. Thanks. That is the key to everything.

We all live somewhere, in some precinct. In a way, it's up to all of us, really.

[TeamPooka]

25. K&R

[Thinkingabout]

28. Yes, mid term elections has results, we need to sway the results to our side.