What should the Democratic Party actually do to win back American voters?

Politics and Social Issues
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Awhile back a simple question was asked at this CFI forum (here I rephrasing the question):

What should the Democratic Party do to win back those millions of Americans they have so effectively alienated and disenfranchised?

It’s a good question and deserves an answer no one seems to have.

But I’m finally ready to give it a serious try though it will take a number of days to fully explain the full spectrum, lots of other things demanding my attention and I’m not going to take this question, turned, project lightly.
Why?
Because I come at this from experience and I personally know a sliver of the Democratic Party, it’s elected representatives and their teams of administrators that form cliques that endure election cycle after election cycle. Like a private club, one can bang on their doors as much as one cares to, but if you aren’t already “in” or “connected” or can buy your way through the door, fuk off.

{Meaning I have enough material to get this conversation going right now, so let’s do it. Nothing like a couple grandkids to stir the blood and hope, even if it’s hopeless, besides this time I might have the ram I need to a least crack their bubble. :slight_smile: }

And if not, at least I kept trying, I mean giving up is so pathetic if comfortable and easy.
Besides in the end I die and can catch up on all the lost sleep in the world, so, what do I have to lose.

August 2, 2008

Why start this blog?

http://citizenschallenge.blogspot.com/2008/08/historic-snafu-in-need-of-revisiting.html

AUGUST 2, 2008

A historic snafu in need of revisiting

Back in 2004, during the Vice Presidencial debates, the question of the moment was: America’s Right to “Go It Alone.” Cheney proclaimed: “America will not allow anyone veto power!” Senator Edwards (and by extension the Democratic Party) could respond no better than to mumble meaningless platitudes.

Why couldn’t Senator Edwards invoke the words of our United States Declaration of Independence? The last line of the first paragraph reads: “… a decent Respect to the Opinion of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to Separation.”

Our Declaration of Independence and its signers granted no one veto power, however they did recognize a higher arbiter of correctness and a requirement that they be able to justify their actions in the eyes of the world!

Why couldn’t the Democrat articulate that?

Why have we so easily misplaced our respect for the rest of mankind?

~ A historic inspiration worth recalling ~

Our Founding Fathers were all men of passionate, deeply held and defensible beliefs.

Yet, each one knew they needed the knowledge and experiences of their ideological opponents.

They allowed themselves the luxury of respecting their opponents and they appreciated that there was something to be learned from most everyone.

They had the humility to understand that no one of them held absolute insight.

And they had the integrity to be able to alter perspectives when new information justified it.

Shouldn’t all of us reacquaint ourselves with this principle?

On a pragmatic level a few things.

It begins with actually encouraging grassroots involvement.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For instance, Why don’t the Democrats have an open forum, well moderated, with a set of rules and guidelines and sticking to the rules, but beyond that open, just a Discussion Forum, with a wide variety of dedicated boards - a place where we regular democrat grassroots could reach out and communicate with to each other.

This CFI Forum would make a ready template, all it would take is the will, and not a whole lot of money in the scheme of things.

That would lead to informing those who want to be informed - people who are being ignored - the these current crowd still seems focused on cash donations, never daring ask for ideas. But that’s exactly what needs to end.

Show people how democracy works by having a DISCUSSION FORUM that demonstrates as much.

FIRST AND FOREMOST THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEED TO ENGAGE AND REINVIGORATE THEIR GRASSROOTS constituents and like minded. We need the grassroots to be networking and energizing each other, engagement, education, and help in understanding how to get our individual messages out. This is how people network and learn to care.

Unless we are changing minds, we are losing.

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I’d be happy if elected people could demonstrate they could relate to the grassroots at all. It shouldn’t be that hard.

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“be happy if elected people could demonstrate they could relate to the grassroots at all. It shouldn’t be that hard.”

Very very wishy washy. I think the stripping of corporate blood money to political parties, transparency in the source of donor money and declaring conflict of interests and recuse themselves from voting on legislation would be a good progressive start.

Passing your campaign promises is also a must

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Sure, but how do you accomplish that unless you have a strong informed grassroots demanding it?

I very much believe in the truism that: “A healthy Democracy demands and informed and engaged electorate.”

It’s something America has lost and the only real hope we and our government have is to rediscover and enliven that.

How realistic that actually is, is an entirely different question.

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I’ve been wanting to write something like this a long time now but life has been full of distractions, at least I’ve finally pound out my first draft. Sharing a looking for your thoughts, comments.

How is the Democratic Party going to start changing minds and winning over angry voters?

Why not a Democratic Party Online Discussion Platform* with a large variety of specific boards dedicated to specific topics.

People would have to sign up, prove their identity, abide by basic well crafted guidelines that have already been developed by many well-run forums, including here at CFI. Well moderated, empowering engagement, networking, education, sharing.

Imagine the Democratic Party creating a platform where motivated individuals from all over our country (I myself see nothing wrong with limiting commenting membership to American residents - or even Democratic voter if that would help gain support for actually creating such a thing) could meet and have discussions, having a legitimate place to be heard, a place for the Democratic Party to better communicate with it’s disaffected members, to inform and be informed.

I know it would be frightening for vested politicians and bureaucrats within the Democratic Party because of self-interest driven excuses. All they can focus on is endlessly begging for more cash donations and protecting their sorry arses.

But in 2022, there are powerful self-interested groups bend on destroying what vestiges remain of American’s democratic voting process. (That is to acknowledge that there has already been much damage and that perfect democratic elections are beyond our grasp - we need to fight to retain what we have without self-defeating idealism focus on the unattainable. Particularly, if current voting standards and accessibly can’t even be protected against today’s Trumpian onslaught intent on unraveling American voter rights.)

The CFI platform and architecture, even down to some of this elements I don’t like would make excellent model to build on - thus saving time and speeding implementation.

Democratic Party leaders, help American engage and connect in a constructive manner. Acknowledge that We The People have power and create avenues for that power to increased and constructively focused on winning the upcoming election.

It would be a wonderful experiment in modern Democracy that should be created and supported well beyond simply this next oh so crucial elections.

Now I can go back to bed for a couple hours. Was a very long night with a sick little bitty baby, but we got through pretty well, just the same. (For you old timers li’l B’s, little bro is just as awesome a baby as he was. ) Now that I got the above exercised from my thoughts perhaps I’ll be able to fall asleep and recharge my battery {it takes a village to raise a kid.} :wink:

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One thing I really like about the forum idea is that it could reach out to rural areas. Republicans have been very successful with that demographic. But, even before that, they already had success in infiltrating school boards and defunding education. It seems a bit old fashion, but, you know, all politics is local. It wasn’t a top-down strategy for them either, it started with a few fundamentalists who used bad history to question textbook decisions. The small town boards were not equipped to deal with it.

I am also from the land of Michelle Bachman. I know a couple of state politicians who knew her before she went national. She was one of the first totally unqualified people to get the advantage of gerrymandering. We have had some success in fixing those districts and can’t rest in that fight.

All that, but, this is one instance where I get a little tin-foil-hat-ish. Gerrymandering has gone on for decades, why was nothing done? Money in politics, same thing. Is it weakness of the Democratic party, or are they also lining their pockets by leaving these bad laws in place?

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Chomskys take

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:roll_eyes: I don’t think Noam Chomsky was referring to Desmond Tutu

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The White middle class? Dems would have to focus on the things that concern Trump fans and that would be a big 180. At this point the democrats don’t need them so the point is moot, more or less.

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I remember a study in political science about the investiture speechs ot presidential democrat candidates since WWII, since Truman.

Each speech was less and less left leaning and there is a strict correlation between this development and that of the abstention rate.

The truth is that the West left has given up the people and there needs, and others have supplied its lack. Same in France with the socialist party. In the presidential polls, as we have an election in spring, it is down to 5 %, from 20 % in the 80ths.

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Fans of a delusion narcissist, fans of Fight Club mentality, fans of delusional grifters who hate, fans of isolation and classism, fans that resent learning - Nah.

Re-education and enlightenments seems a higher priority.

All the trump thinking offer is a road to self-destruction.

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Then there’s also the fact that less and less American take part in democratic organizations, with boards where parliamentary procedures (Roberts Rules of Order) are practiced, so they don’t even understand how enlightened principled democratic politics is supposed to practiced.
All they know is Hollywood dreaming, in all its bizarre mutations.

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Because these organizations are less and less interested by tackling with their daily worries and fears. People feel that theses organizations don’t care for them and desert them. On the other side, they look for people who do and are deceived by people like Trump.

People like easy explanations, especially when they feel that they give them a direct way to solve them.

Hate is a more effective political tool than love for the demagogues.

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To me this is an easy one. Dems need to realize the Repubs are engaged in a gun fight. Stop bringing butter knives to the gun fight. And that means stop sounding like politicians. When someone asks you what color the sky is, say Blue. During a debate, when your opponent says up is down, let him have it - up is up you idiot, get your facts straight or get off the stage.

There’s a reason Dirty Harry movies are popular - You feeling lucky today punk? versus the Dem version: In terms of your emotional needs, are you/he/she/they/them sense positive today or sense unpositive?

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Another reason to have a National Democratic Party Discussion Forum, with many boards, where people can discuss these matters, while also put a little muscle behind encouraging Democratic politicians to start talking straight.

I’m as disgusted with the half measure Democrats as you are. :wink:

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Fair enough, but democrats aren’t offering anything substantial in place of that.

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Good point. Liberal Democracy is dying out not only in America, but everywhere.

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Well, don’t look now, but our Earth’s life support system is also being wrecked beyond recognition.

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Maybe whatever replaces Liberal Democracy will do a better job with climate change.

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So you like to believe. I don’t think that sort of democracy was in the U.S. It tried, but I don’t think it’s gotten started. The Conservatives have been charge all this time.