"Back to the center, Democrats"

[Nia88]

Centerist democrats is what lost the election. Clinton didn't go progressive enough. That's why the base wasn't energized. Bernie energized the base because he was pushing true progressive policies.

Its one of the reasons why Obama voters ( like myself) were dissapointed in some of his decisions. Obama didn't go left enough.

Democrats have been catering to the right for too long. One thing I'll give to the republican base, is that that they don't compromise on their agendas and policies. Democrats need to stop being nice and become aggressive progressives. When they win the 2018 elections they need to be pushing through progressive legislations instead of being centrist.

Well, as I mentioned, this piece will be mocked and ignored by the party.
.

The reson why mocked is because democrats have been on the center. They haven't gone left. Obama never even went left. Hilary Clinton is clear Centerist democrat which is why she failed her base. Many of these democratic politicians are. Being in the center is what has killed the party. Its time to go back to the left or they'll lose again in 2018 and in 2020.

 

[ClosedCaption]

You mean...voters? Your solution is that millions of people should ignore what they believe for your sake?

Sounds reasonable.

LOL, pay no attention to what has happened to you for the last 6 years.

Lol, pay no attention to what has happened to you for the last 6 years.

I no longer play the game son, it's all a game being run on everyone. But in case you haven't noticed your Party has been decimated.

Yeah yeah, but next time instead of the typical doom and gloom talking points try to address anything I've said if it's not too hard.

It was addressed son, you've seen annihilation for 6years running. Your "beliefs" are failing you. Worse yet you're too dense to understand that you're being played.

Beliefs don't change because of political losses. Beliefs don't change because you lose...that's why they are called beliefs, silly.

 

[Thinker101]

Centerist democrats is what lost the election. Clinton didn't go progressive enough. That's why the base wasn't energized. Bernie energized the base because he was pushing true progressive policies.

Its one of the reasons why Obama voters ( like myself) were dissapointed in some of his decisions. Obama didn't go left enough.

Democrats have been catering to the right for too long. One thing I'll give to the republican base, is that that they don't compromise on their agendas and policies. Democrats need to stop being nice and become aggressive progressives. When they win the 2018 elections they need to be pushing through progressive legislations instead of being centrist.

Why not, we know how much libs enjoy burning and destroying the same cities they live in.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

that doesn't answer my question who do you think they should nominate?

Jim Webb was a good candidate for the Dems.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Hillary lost because she took the center/right position on trade.

 

[williepete]

Want to get this voter back? I know an easy place to start.

 

[Thinker101]

LOL, pay no attention to what has happened to you for the last 6 years.

Lol, pay no attention to what has happened to you for the last 6 years.

I no longer play the game son, it's all a game being run on everyone. But in case you haven't noticed your Party has been decimated.

Yeah yeah, but next time instead of the typical doom and gloom talking points try to address anything I've said if it's not too hard.

It was addressed son, you've seen annihilation for 6years running. Your "beliefs" are failing you. Worse yet you're too dense to understand that you're being played.

Beliefs don't change because of political losses. Beliefs don't change because you lose...that's why they are called beliefs, silly.

That being said....I do believe Democrats lost, so get to the back of the bus.

 

[Mac1958]

Centerist democrats is what lost the election. Clinton didn't go progressive enough. That's why the base wasn't energized. Bernie energized the base because he was pushing true progressive policies.

Its one of the reasons why Obama voters ( like myself) were dissapointed in some of his decisions. Obama didn't go left enough.

Democrats have been catering to the right for too long. One thing I'll give to the republican base, is that that they don't compromise on their agendas and policies. Democrats need to stop being nice and become aggressive progressives. When they win the 2018 elections they need to be pushing through progressive legislations instead of being centrist.

Well, as I mentioned, this piece will be mocked and ignored by the party.
.

The reson why mocked is because democrats have been on the center. They haven't gone left. Obama never even went left. Hilary Clinton is clear Centerist democrat which is why she failed her base. Many of these democratic politicians are. Being in the center is what has killed the party. Its time to go back to the left or they'll lose again in 2018 and in 2020.

I know that's the prevailing opinion of progressives, but I think they've turned off a lot of people, just as the piece describes.

I sure miss the 90's.
.

 

[JoeMoma]

Personally, I was hoping for someone like Jim Webb, Evan Bayh, Blanche Lincoln.

I'm sure you're not thrilled by them. And not to worry, I have no doubt this article will be mocked and ignored.
.

blanche lincoln? a conservative democrat from arkansas.... really?

As I said, I knew you wouldn't like them.
.

what is the difference between her and hillary clinton to you?

The most important difference - knowing how critical image is in contemporary American politics - is that she is significantly more likeable.

A moderate Democrat gets in, carefully and incrementally moves things in their direction, gets some legislative victories and then more electoral victories. Kind of like the 90's, the last time this country was really purring.

Instead, the "Progressives" annoyed everyone around them, and we have Trump.
.

yeah the 90's were great who was president back then?

And Trump's platform was more like Bill Clinton than Hillary Clinton's. HRC was running away from many of the policies implemented during her husband's time as president. Being tough on crime, deporting illegal immigrants, etc. Bill used even used the phrase "make America great again" as part of his campaign.

 

[MisterBeale]

Why identity politics couldn’t clinch a Clinton win

"For Clinton, the adversary was Trump, but it was also, as the campaign developed, the “basket of deplorables” who backed him. While Clinton claimed she meant only a subset of Trump’s white working-class supporters, her charge was taken — with some justice — as applying to the group in its entirety. So instead of creating a majority that included her base plus a significant slice of potential Republican voters, Clinton defined her coalition against them. (Many liberal pundits reinforced this perception by repeatedly characterizing Trump’s voters as poorly informed and racist, even though in 2008 and 2012 many of these voters backed Obama.)"

For 8 years Obama was in office and for nearly a year that he was running, millions of good, decent Americans were branded as racist if they voiced/penned opposition to his leftist, collectivist, hive mentality. The coastal elites were not to be questioned by flyover country rubes. This was shoved down our throats 24/7/365 by the MSM and Dem party hacks. It got old and predictable. Worse, it is now set in the minds of many Democrats that anyone questioning their side is a racist. Game, set, match.

Over time, we deplorables went silent. What's the use in offering your opinion when you KNOW you are going to be called a racist, the discussion is over, the haughty leftist declares victory and you are slandered. I saw it time and time again at work, neighborhood parties, BBQs, restaurants and bars. When anything Obama came up, people just went silent. This silence began to simmer and seethe.

I hope I am proved wrong but I don't see leftists changing their spots. They've become too used to shutting down discourse with the race card. Debate skills on the left have atrophied because of this as can be witnessed here at USMB. It's just too easy to call someone a racist, turn and walk away in self-proclaimed victory.

We need a vibrant, active Democrat party. Competition is healthy. You can't expect to win over voters by insulting them. Forget about moving to the center for now. What needs to be done first is to stop alienating those in the center.

Whadda ya? A racis?

 

[williepete]

Jim Webb was a good candidate for the Dems.

"The center has been carved out".

 

[MisterBeale]

Centerist democrats is what lost the election. Clinton didn't go progressive enough. That's why the base wasn't energized. Bernie energized the base because he was pushing true progressive policies.

Its one of the reasons why Obama voters ( like myself) were dissapointed in some of his decisions. Obama didn't go left enough.

Democrats have been catering to the right for too long. One thing I'll give to the republican base, is that that they don't compromise on their agendas and policies. Democrats need to stop being nice and become aggressive progressives. When they win the 2018 elections they need to be pushing through progressive legislations instead of being centrist.

Right, right, you need to be more aggressive, like those folks out at Berkley.

 

[Richard-H]

The whole left/right metaphor has it's limitations. If the Democrats are to start winning again, it isn't as simple as saying 'move to the center'. On some issues they'd benefit by moving to the center, but on others by moving to the left.

They'd better start recognizing the issues that matter to the vast majority of Americans and emphasizing those issues. They'd also better start recognizing the issues that repulse the majority of Americans and abandon those issues.

Third, they'd better realize that most of their leadership is tainted - they'd best retire those people and get some young blood in the leadership. It seems that they have quite a lot of young talent that is perceived positively by the general public (except RWNJs). They got to get rid of the dinosaurs that lead their party.
The 1960s are long over!

 

[Mac1958]

that doesn't answer my question who do you think they should nominate?

Jim Webb was a good candidate for the Dems.

I would have donated and volunteered.
.

 

[Richard-H]

Centerist democrats is what lost the election. Clinton didn't go progressive enough. That's why the base wasn't energized. Bernie energized the base because he was pushing true progressive policies.

Its one of the reasons why Obama voters ( like myself) were dissapointed in some of his decisions. Obama didn't go left enough.

Democrats have been catering to the right for too long. One thing I'll give to the republican base, is that that they don't compromise on their agendas and policies. Democrats need to stop being nice and become aggressive progressives. When they win the 2018 elections they need to be pushing through progressive legislations instead of being centrist.

Republicans don't compromise on their agenda and policies when they're campaigning and/or in the minority.

As soon as they hold the majority, they start tripping over each other - can't seem to get anything done.

Perhaps that's because they'll say ANYTHING to get elected, but they know that what they've preached would be a disaster if implemented.

 

[williepete]

Democrats need to stop being nice and become aggressive progressives.

Here's a good example of a (probably innocent) messaging faux pas. You might be too young to have carried away lessons from the Cold War but for many in the Western World, the past aggressiveness of progressives carries a negative connotation that will not sway voters to your side.

 

[Richard-H]

There seems to be two parts to liberalism:

1. Social liberalism
2. Economic liberalism

The social liberal agenda, manifesting as 'identity' politics repulses many, many Americans.

The economic liberal agenda, manifesting as Sander's style populism, attracts many, many Americans.

Remember when the Democratic party was the party of working class Americans, not the party of gays, feminists, immigrant rights, black activism and gun control?

 

[JoeMoma]

The whole left/right metaphor has it's limitations. If the Democrats are to start winning again, it isn't as simple as saying 'move to the center'. On some issues they'd benefit by moving to the center, but on others by moving to the left.

They'd better start recognizing the issues that matter to the vast majority of Americans and emphasizing those issues. They'd also better start recognizing the issues that repulse the majority of Americans and abandon those issues.

Third, they'd better realize that most of their leadership is tainted - they'd best retire those people and get some young blood in the leadership. It seems that they have quite a lot of young talent that is perceived positively by the general public (except RWNJs). They got to get rid of the dinosaurs that lead their party.
The 1960s are long over!

So are the 1990s.

 

[Richard-H]

Democrats need to stop being nice and become aggressive progressives.

Here's a good example of a messaging faux pas. You might be too young to have carried away lessons from the Cold War but for many in the Western World, the past aggressiveness of progressives carries a negative connotation that will not sway voters to your side.

Che Guevara was not a progressive by a long shot. Not even close. He was a militant nut job.

All your cold war brainwashing did is to make a false association between progressives and communist nut jobs.

 

[williepete]

All your cold war brainwashing did is to make a false association between progressives and communist nut jobs.

I'm not the one who is brainwashed. I lived the Cold War and had the honor of interacting with many defectors from "progressive" dictatorships.

Just can't help insulting those who have different perspectives. That's how you got Trump. Insult away. You don't know me or anything about me. You have no facts so you have to make it personal and insult me. That worked great in 2016. Keep it up.