Nex Year's Election Depends On The Democrats

[Dragon]

The Democrats have a CHANCE to win next year's election big, comparable to what they did in 2008. I don't think they'll pull it off, but there is a chance.

The strength of progressives, particularly those who are part of the Millennial generation (currently age 29 and younger), has shown itself in the last three elections (perversely in the last one) and in the Occupy movement.

In 2006, the Millennials came out to vote, and Democrats retook Congress.

In 2008, the generation organized and worked and voted for Obama and the Democrats, and they won big majorities and took the White House.

Over the next two years, the Democrats let their young supporters down and hewed to the corporate line. Millennials, and the left generally, boycotted the 2010 elections and threw it to the Republicans deliberately (in a move I opposed but couldn't stop), as a way to "send a message" to Democrats.

This year, the left's dissatisfaction with the Democrats has emerged in the Occupy movement (which I wanted to happen LAST year but to no avail).

This gives the Democrats an opportunity, IF they can rise above theiir corruption and incompetence enough to take advantage of it.

The mistake on their part (which there's good reason to expect, unfortunately) would be for them to be cautious and misread the nation's mood as conservative. Tacking a moderate line in campaigning and, more important, in actions between now and Election Day would lose the Democrats' potential constituents, confirming the judgment of 2010 and throwing a second election in a row to the GOP. If that happens, radicalism in this country will increase, and we could actually face revolution.

But if the Democrats take a progressive line and push for actions to benefit the 99% instead of the 1%, they can win as big a victory as they did in 2008, or bigger.

There is nothing whatever that the Republicans can do to win this election. It doesn't matter who they nominate for president, how they campaign, or what actions Republican politicians take between now and election day. The only way the Republicans can win next year is if the Democrats throw it to them by misreading the people's wishes.

Which may happen! There is certainly precedent. But the election is the Democrats' to lose.

 

[editec]

I doubt many people will vote D based soley on their promises.

The former Ds and Indis who put the Ds over the top in 2008 just won't vote in large enough numbers if the economy is still on the skids.

Money talks, bullshit walks.

 

[WillowTree]

So. it sounds as if youse realize you gots yerselves a big fat cup o fail..

 

[Dragon]

I doubt many people will vote D based soley on their promises.

The former Ds and Indis who put the Ds over the top in 2008 just won't vote in large enough numbers if the economy is still on the skids.

Money talks, bullshit walks.

Well, I don't think it's as simple as your second paragraph, but I agree the Democrats need more than BS. What we have is a young generation that is driving these changes, and in 2008 a lot of young people naively supposed that electing heavy Democratic majorities was all we needed. They now know that they were wrong.

I was really annoyed in 2010 by the movement to throw the election to the Republicans. What I wanted to see was something like Occupy instead, pushing the Democrats in the direction they needed to go. My sense was that if we just boycotted the election, the Dems would take the wrong message from that (and I was right). But we seem to be doing the right things now.

It remains to be seen what the Dems will do. I'm not tremendously optimistic about that, based on past performance. But they CAN win big next year if they get their heads out of their asses. It's their election to lose.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

The Democrats have a CHANCE to win next year's election big, comparable to what they did in 2008. I don't think they'll pull it off, but there is a chance.

The strength of progressives, particularly those who are part of the Millennial generation (currently age 29 and younger), has shown itself in the last three elections (perversely in the last one) and in the Occupy movement.

In 2006, the Millennials came out to vote, and Democrats retook Congress.

In 2008, the generation organized and worked and voted for Obama and the Democrats, and they won big majorities and took the White House.

Over the next two years, the Democrats let their young supporters down and hewed to the corporate line. Millennials, and the left generally, boycotted the 2010 elections and threw it to the Republicans deliberately (in a move I opposed but couldn't stop), as a way to "send a message" to Democrats.

This year, the left's dissatisfaction with the Democrats has emerged in the Occupy movement (which I wanted to happen LAST year but to no avail).

This gives the Democrats an opportunity, IF they can rise above theiir corruption and incompetence enough to take advantage of it.

The mistake on their part (which there's good reason to expect, unfortunately) would be for them to be cautious and misread the nation's mood as conservative. Tacking a moderate line in campaigning and, more important, in actions between now and Election Day would lose the Democrats' potential constituents, confirming the judgment of 2010 and throwing a second election in a row to the GOP. If that happens, radicalism in this country will increase, and we could actually face revolution.

But if the Democrats take a progressive line and push for actions to benefit the 99% instead of the 1%, they can win as big a victory as they did in 2008, or bigger.

There is nothing whatever that the Republicans can do to win this election. It doesn't matter who they nominate for president, how they campaign, or what actions Republican politicians take between now and election day. The only way the Republicans can win next year is if the Democrats throw it to them by misreading the people's wishes.

Which may happen! There is certainly precedent. But the election is the Democrats' to lose.

You're as ignorant and out of touch with reality as they come. Obama is vastly unpopular. The economy is in the shitter with no signs of improvement and nobody is buying into the "it's Bush's fault" mantra anymore. He has no record of accomplishments to run on other than ObamaCare which a majority of the nation didn't want and still wants repealed. He is a sorry, sorry failure of a president and makes Jimmy Carter look like Abraham Lincoln. Obama will drag down the whole ticket with him.

The OWS movement is over. The only ones still hanging around are the lunatic fringe elements who have engaged in violence and vitriol. The approval rating of OWS has plummeted with the American people. It will be a non-factor in next year's elections.

Sure Obama could get reelected and it's possible some gains could be made in the House by the Democrats, but that's mainly due to gerrymandering in the recent redistricting. The Republicans will hang on to the House and will win a majority in the Senate, that I know for certain. As for Obama, it's 50/50 at this point at best, but even some Democrat strategists are beginning to publicly express their doubts in his reelection chances.

You guys were given a historic opportunity to govern and you choked worse than the Red Sox this summer.

 

[LordBrownTrout]

Its gonna be musical chairs between the two pitiful parties every two,four years as longs the economy stays in the gutter.

 

[Dragon]

You're as ignorant and out of touch with reality as they come. [snip]

I hold the views I do in part because I know things that you don't. Both the Obama campaign of '08 and the Occupy movement arose out of on-line roots. If you are not tapping into those roots, you don't understand either one of them. (And I'll bet you never saw either one of them coming, did you? Be honest now.) I on the other hand predicted Occupy, or something like it, over a year before it happened. I knew how much strength there was on the left. I knew we were going to see protest movements on a grand scale. You would have laughed at that prediction -- many on the right did when I made it -- but I was right.

I'm still a part of that on-line community, and I can tell you it's as strong as ever. Watch what happens. Occupy is far from over. There is a lot more to come. You can take that to the bank.

 

[LordBrownTrout]

Very few relate to the occupiers.

 

[Dragon]

Very few relate to the occupiers.

You are mistaken. Right now, after an INTENSE media campaign of lies and distortions attempting to portray the movement as full of violent anarchists, support for the movement itself remains nearly as strong as opposition, and agreement with its issues commands a huge majority.

Over the winter and next spring, you're going to seem some new tactics from Occupy. The tactic of camping out on public land has about outlived its usefulness and there are on-line voices in the movement saying so. One thing that's likely to happen is occupation of repossessed, empty housing. Another is of course the Occupy convention in Philadelphia next year.

The main thing is to keep the public focused on the issues of the movement instead of on peripherals, and that requires constantly creative, new and innovative approaches. I'm only saying what's being said by many online, and that will translate into action.

If you're not part of or at least monitoring the online center-left community from which Occupy springs, you can't get a realistic picture of what it is, who is involved in it, or what strength it has. It's not going away.

 

[blastoff]

Dragon reminds me of the type of "new" characters that started showing up on message boards I frequented about this far out from the '04 and '08 presidential elections. Infiltrators who took various means to sell the left's message, subtly at first but more stridently as the elections got closer. And more and more of them showed up as the months ticked off. Then shortly after the elections...poof, they were gone.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

I hold the views I do in part because I know things that you don't.

That will never be the case, ever.

And if you people truly believed the bullshit you're out there peddling you wouldn't be standing behind Obama. He is one of the biggest corporatist presidents we ever had which is why the only people who take you guys seriously are yourselves.

 

[del]

Very few relate to the occupiers.

You are mistaken. Right now, after an INTENSE media campaign of lies and distortions attempting to portray the movement as full of violent anarchists, support for the movement itself remains nearly as strong as opposition, and agreement with its issues commands a huge majority.

Over the winter and next spring, you're going to seem some new tactics from Occupy. The tactic of camping out on public land has about outlived its usefulness and there are on-line voices in the movement saying so. One thing that's likely to happen is occupation of repossessed, empty housing. Another is of course the Occupy convention in Philadelphia next year.

The main thing is to keep the public focused on the issues of the movement instead of on peripherals, and that requires constantly creative, new and innovative approaches. I'm only saying what's being said by many online, and that will translate into action.

If you're not part of or at least monitoring the online center-left community from which Occupy springs, you can't get a realistic picture of what it is, who is involved in it, or what strength it has. It's not going away.

so instead of squatting on public property, they'll squat on private property.

that'll make a difference.

 

[OODA_Loop]

But if the Democrats take a progressive line and push for actions to benefit the 99% instead of the 1%, they can win as big a victory as they did in 2008, or bigger.

yes the problem was the past 4 years were not liberal enough

need more entitlement to close the deal

 

[kiwiman127]

So. it sounds as if youse realize you gots yerselves a big fat cup o fail..

Actually, I don't think the GOP is doing itself any favors by constantly siding with the wealthy and Corporate America in the face of flat wages, no jobs and a very aware and disgruntled Middle Class.
Perry's, Cain's and Ryan's tax plans call for lowering taxes on the wealthy and increasing taxes on the Middle Class. I don't think those sound bytes and facts will sit with the largest voting block America has.
Also based on the record low public opinion has on Washington overall, I wouldn't want to be an incumbent next year.