Dragon
Senior Member
- Sep 16, 2011
- 5,481
- 588
- 48
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.
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.