General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The "extreme left" didn't give us Trump. The path to hell was paved by [View all]PatrickforO
(14,479 posts)affected an American election with the help of one of the presidential candidates. That isn't OK no matter which side of the aisle you sit on. It's called treason.
However, and it is a big however, 92,671,979 (40 percent) of the eligible voters did not even vote.
Our leadership better be asking how our message could be adjusted to attract these people? I mean, if someone feels that it is useless to vote because their vote doesn't matter, what will it take to change that?
My answer is a populist message - actually addressing things that will make our lives better instead of subtracting even more of the tax dollars we pay in and routing them to corporate coffers. You've all heard what I have to say about single payer healthcare, but it is a powerful issue. Still, every time I bring it up, I get told I'm a unicorn or a utopian or unrealistic. People pretty much ignore what I say on here, though when I have touched too many nerves I have been temporarily banned from a couple of rooms.
But you know what? I AM a Democrat in good standing. I DO sign petitions, call my US Representative and Senators once a week, write them at least once a week and from time to time give money. I'm also involved in efforts in my state to get both houses of the legislature to pass National Popular Vote legislation. Our governor will sign it, because he's a Dem.
Thus far, though, our state Senate Democrats have lacked the backbone, or the will, or the sophistication to get this through. Republicans are in the majority by ONE and yet our party allowed the bill to DIE in committee. We still have a chance in the state House, though because the Dems have a crushing majority.
The problems?
- There is very little in the way of a national vision - yes, I know we have one, but we haven't articulated it very well, have we?
- We are too fragmented. I can remember being sick when a certain discussion of economic justice devolved into allegations that social justice is more important. sigh. And this isn't new. In the 1960's the civil rights movement became fragmented and played right into the hands of the POB (read, white male good ol' boys).
And you know what? If you want to ban me for saying that, fine, but I'm telling the truth.
Sure, Jill Stein took some votes from Hillary, but Hillary STILL won the popular vote by nearly 3 million. If we'd have had National Popular Vote laws in enough states to make up over 270 electoral votes, SHE'D BE SITTING IN THE WHITE HOUSE RIGHT NOW.
And what about those 92 million eligible voters who did not vote? Where, and how strongly do we stand as a party for making election day a holiday? Or putting it on Sunday? Or automatic voter registration?
And where are our people when Tea Party cretins try and take over our school boards? Our local governments? What kind of party strategy and national direction do we have at the state and local levels. I see some good things happening here, but we need to keep it up.
Well, it was a rant, but it is clear from the threads on this post, and on others, that I'm far from being alone. For party leaders who watch this site to see what the base is saying, here we are. We're motivated, galvanized and ready to step up and be activists. Let's get the show on the road by setting a national vision with a few points and POUND ON THOSE until we get them. Then set new goals and POUND ON THOSE until we get them. And so on. That's what the Koch brothers did through the Tea Party. Why not us?