2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: For those who don't yet get it, r.e. Bernie Supporters. [View all]PatrickforO
(14,566 posts)To my mind, the root cause of our maladies is too much corporate money in politics and not enough citizen involvement. Reverse Citizens United and other like rulings, and dramatically reform campaign finance laws, and we are in position to solve about 90% of the problem. We won't though, unless all of us begin showing up and arguing our positions. Sure, I won't get everything I want. I know that. But if 'me' becomes 'us' and 'we' are now holding our electeds' feet to the fire, then my point is we'll be a lot better off.
As to the big tent point you make, my issue with it is that the Democratic party used to represent the people, but somehow around the early 90s, it began representing the so-called 'creative class,' a socially liberal and affluent group. So I see much of the policy of the Democratic party now as having betrayed me, my family and our kitchen table issues to Wall Street, the MIC and other global corporations.
Honestly, Crow, I don't think a person can embrace the neoliberal philosophy (deregulate, privatize and gut the New Deal programs - basically Naomi Klein's 'shock doctrine' capitalism), and be a Democrat. That's why there's a big fight brewing between the new dealers like me and the Third Way people. It really is a battle for the soul of a once-populist party.