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Richard's avatar

Yes, Democrats need a platform that isn't obsessing 24/7 about the Bad Orange Man which is what the talk about democracy is. I was appalled to find out that another No Kings day is planned. Be a big rally for The Groups. The demographics of Harris voters more closely resembles the Dole coalition than any other grouping at the national level. Republicans are over that and Democrats need to be too.

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ban nock's avatar

I didn't read any meat to this argument. The Democratic Party wants rural and working class voters, so what. What exactly is the Democratic Party offering in return? There is a similar essay up at the top of the opinion page at the NYT today, so what.

That Socialist running for NYC mayor at least has some concrete plans on offer. I might not agree with all of them but at least he is stating specific policies. Last week in an interview with David Leonhardt, Elizabeth Warren said Donald Trump ran to the left of Bernie Sanders on economic issues "left left, left"

Leonhardt: No, he ran to the left of Mitt Romney on economics.

Warren: Are you kidding? He ran to the left of Hillary Clinton. He ran to the left sometimes of Bernie Sanders. Come on. He ran left, left, left on the economy.

All these grandiose plans on winning back Hispanic and working class voters fall flat when they aren't attached to specific policies. How are we going to make it possible for people to hope their kids have a better life? How will we encourage people to have families and children instead of incentivising single parenthood? Where is the plan for a better life?

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Betsy Chapman's avatar

There is only confusion sown when democrats use the wrong word. To say “our democracy” is being destroyed by Trump, aren’t you really saying ”the progressive agenda” is being destroyed by Trump? Everyone knows Trump was duly elected by the majority of voters.

Clear communication will help “Democrats’ number one electoral problem: their appallingly dismal reputation in rural and small-town America.”

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MG's avatar

Clear communication about what specific policies? The Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP)? The $2B in financial relief that would only go to Black farmers?

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Kathleen McCook's avatar

The way Dems handled primaries in the last election soured many Democrats--keeping RFJjr off ballots, not even having primaries in Florida. (The Florida Democratic Party submitted only Biden as a candidate on November 30, 2023, effectively cancelling the March 19 primary) I think Delaware did as well.

The Democratic National Committee and Clear Choice Action used so much against RFKjr-lawsuits, FEC complaints, challenges to ballot access petitions. I was an early supporter of RFK for the Democratic nomination and saw my party making that activity moot. The intra-party fighting made it clear that the DNC had their candidate and no democratic process would change it.

Seeing this level of manipulation was discouraging. At state levels there was not much democracy in the primary process.

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Richard's avatar

Not new. They did the same to Bernie, twice. He was more compliant than RFK though. Pretty much ran Tulsi off too.

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Kathleen McCook's avatar

True, RFK fought harder and people know about it more. I saw the same at county level.

An outsider (not a DEC insider) got no support in primaries--not even candidate forums.

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