How to fix the Democratic Party

[NoCalMike]

I think the bigger problem facing Democrats is that they are pretty much running against a political party with no actual policy agenda.  They are running against populism and slogans. The GOP is all messaging and zero substance.

 

I see the current GOP as 3 main factions:

 

-- The classic conservatives who have become further right-wing in the last 20 years, but overall are the recognizable ones.

-- The Wall street hucksters.  These are the ones who will go along to get along as long as their taxes are low, regulations are slashed, and the cash keeps rolling in.

-- The Trump cultists. This is the new breed that include the Q-anon people and other conspiracy theory 24/7 folks. The ones who are never based in reality on anything.

 

Somehow every election cycle the GOP manage to get those three factions united.  The middle group is the easiest because they know that as long as they can maintain their wealth and influence, actual policy doesn't effect them very much. 

 

[Kosher Ham]

Does the right not do that? 

[China]

Dianne Feinstein to step down as top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary panel

 

Sen. Dianne Feinstein plans to step down as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the next Congress, after facing blowback from progressives for her handling of Amy Coney Barrett's contentious Supreme Court confirmation hearing.

 

Three people familiar with the matter told POLITICO, which Feinstein soon confirmed.

 

“After serving as the lead Democrat on the Judiciary Committee for four years, I will not seek the chairmanship or ranking member position in the next Congress,” the California Democrat said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to serve as a senior Democrat on the Judiciary, Intelligence, Appropriations and Rules committees as we work with the Biden administration.”

 

Feinstein added that she planned to focus her attention on combating climate change and the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Members of her own party had expressed concern before Barrett's hearing that the 87-year-old wouldn't be aggressive enough. Her approach to the battle over filling the seat left by the late Ruth Bader Ginsberg soon confirmed many Democrats' fears, particularly after she praised Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for his handling of the process and gave him a hug at the conclusion.

 

Shortly after the hearings, several liberal groups called on her to resign from her position. One of those groups, Demand Justice, applauded her decision to step down.

 

"This was a necessary step if Democrats are ever going to meaningfully confront the damage Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have done to the federal judiciary," said Brian Fallon, executive director of Demand Justice. "Going forward, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee must be led by someone who will not wishfully cling to a bygone era of civility and decorum that Republicans abandoned long ago."

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

2020 meltdown leaves Iowa Democrats on edge

 

Aside from ousting Donald Trump from the White House, the story of the 2020 election has an unhappy ending for Democrats. They failed to win back the Senate, nearly lost the House and fell short in statehouses all across the country.

 

But from the botched caucuses in February to the party's wipeout on Election Day, nowhere was more miserable this year for Democrats than in Iowa. Long a focal point of the party's political universe, Democrats there are now on the brink — their losses up and down the ballot in November have made the state’s first-in-the-nation caucus status more precarious than ever.

 

“There’s a lot of soul searching going on in Iowa right now,” said Sean Bagniewski, chairman of the Polk County Democrats. “It looks pretty dire for the next couple of years.”

 

The hits started early, with the caucuses, and are still coming a month after the election. Earlier this week, state officials certified Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ six-vote victory over Democrat Rita Hart in the state’s open 2nd Congressional District — making it one of two House seats that flipped to GOP control this year. If that excruciatingly narrow result withstands a challenge from Hart, it will leave Democrats with just one of Iowa’s four House seats.

 

That’s on top of Trump trouncing Joe Biden in the state, Democrats failing to dislodge GOP Sen. Joni Ernst and Republicans expanding their majority in the legislature. This month, the party is expected to release an audit of the caucus fiasco, just as Democrats begin to look ahead to the midterms and the presidential nominating calendar for 2024.

 

If it was only that Democrats in Iowa had a difficult caucus or suffered down-ballot losses, it might not have been so bad. The party did poorly in congressional and legislative races everywhere. But Iowa, because of its coveted place ahead of all other states in the presidential nominating process, had more on the line than any other state. And expectations in Iowa were unusually high after Democrats flipped two House seats in 2018 and Democratic voter registration shot up ahead of the caucuses, briefly surpassing Republicans for the first time in years. Biden appeared competitive enough there early this summer that Trump aired defensive ads in the state.

 

It would have been easier to forget the handling of the caucuses — where an app failed, results were delayed and initial reports appeared to contain errors — had Democrats taken out Ernst or had Biden turned Iowa blue.

 

Instead, Biden lost the state by more than 8 percentage points, with Trump carrying all but six of the state’s 99 counties — just as he did in 2016. Ernst clobbered Theresa Greenfield by nearly 7 percentage points, freshman Democrat Rep. Abby Finkenauer lost her bid for a second term and Rep. Cindy Axne, the only successful Democratic House candidate, barely held onto her seat.

 

“I’m tired of being a Democrat,” said Chris Ad****, chairwoman of Democratic Party in southwest Iowa's Page County. “It’s just exhausting.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[@DCGoldPants]

[Momma There Goes That Man]

When you finally discover your dream job

[NoCalMike]

The Democrats as a party need to stop being hung up on labels.   Progressive, moderate, centrist, leftist, Democrat-socialist.  SHUT UP WHO CARES.  It's about the policy and it seems like on a lot of the policy most of the party is actually in more agreement than not, 2 Senators not so much at the present time....ugh.

 

Paid Family Leave.....EVERYONE wants it.   How do you not pass something everybody wants to see passed?  Only the Democrats manage to not pass stuff that is popular across the board between both parties voters.

 

The Democrats need to stop watching right-wing media and worrying about being called socialists.  It is played out and nobody cares.  What people do care about is when you campaign on passing specific legislation and 10 months into your Presidency your own party can't even pass it despite having a majority.

 

When right-wing media says the Democrats are for the elites and have abandoned the working class, they are half-right.  Is it in the most disingenuous? Of course, because the GOP was never for the working class in the first place, but the Dems are in a constant state of ping-ponging their platform and policies due to being a party of reacting instead of acting.

 

Biden campaigned on popular legislation, and even as it has sit dormant for 10 months, it is still polling with the majority of Americans, however the longer it sits there, the longer the right-wing has to dissect and come up with new ways to lie about it, thus chipping away at the support from voters in the other aisle.

 

I guess I am just in disbelief that they are on the cusp of once again screwing everything up after they were handed a majority for the second consecutive Presidential win. 

 

[tshile]

3 minutes ago, NoCalMike said:

I guess I am just in disbelief that they are on the cusp of once again screwing everything up after they were handed a majority for the second consecutive Presidential win. 

Yeah. Sorry to break it to you but the Dems are a mess. 
 

Remember. Biden started his presidency pushing for bipartisanship

 

theyre not even playing the same game as the republicans. They sure as hell are not playing a winning strategy. 

[NoCalMike]

2 minutes ago, tshile said:

Yeah. Sorry to break it to you but the Dems are a mess. 
 

Remember. Biden started his presidency pushing for bipartisanship

 

theyre not even playing the same game as the republicans. They sure as hell are not playing a winning strategy. 

 

They are ineffective legislators no two ways about it.  Only the Dems can campaign on legislation people want, get the majority needed to pass the legislation.........yet still not pass the legislation.   I am not happy at all about their oncoming demise, but it will be warranted if they don't get things done, and fast.

Edited November 3, 2021 by NoCalMike

[mammajamma]

7 minutes ago, NoCalMike said:

The Democrats as a party need to stop being hung up on labels.   Progressive, moderate, centrist, leftist, Democrat-socialist.  SHUT UP WHO CARES.  It's about the policy and it seems like on a lot of the policy most of the party is actually in more agreement than not

completely agree. for whatever reason, these establishment dems keep forgetting that their policies (for the most part) are backed by the majority of the country. even more so when you explain them to people (ie. Bernie getting applause on Fox News after explaining M4A). instead, they keep getting scared of getting called marxists on fox news. who cares, that's a very loud minority that's screaming that crap

 

definitely need some new blood in the leadership that's not afraid to take chances (and can actually stay on message for once)

[NoCalMike]

2 hours ago, mammajamma said:

completely agree. for whatever reason, these establishment dems keep forgetting that their policies (for the most part) are backed by the majority of the country. even more so when you explain them to people (ie. Bernie getting applause on Fox News after explaining M4A). instead, they keep getting scared of getting called marxists on fox news. who cares, that's a very loud minority that's screaming that crap

 

definitely need some new blood in the leadership that's not afraid to take chances (and can actually stay on message for once)

 

Right and I think the more sobering fact is that a lot of Dems are being funded by the same donors who send money to the GOP and because so many districts, cities, states etc etc are purple these Dems constantly get scared of their endess contributions going away.  With Manchin & Sinema they aren't even hiding that fact currently, but there are plenty of others as well.  

[NoCalMike]

Well at least Biden just came out and said the right thing which is the American people want them to get things done, and the lack of that is what led to the Virginia result.  Even if that isn't 100% true when it comes to Virginia specifically (a combo of a lot of things to be fair) it is still the right thing for Biden to say publicly to try to push the process forward.  He knows the situation and that the writing is on the wall if this stuff doesn't get passed.

[TheGreatBuzz]

3 hours ago, NoCalMike said:

 

 

Paid Family Leave.....EVERYONE wants it.   How do you not pass something everybody wants to see passed?  Only the Democrats manage to not pass stuff that is popular across the board between both parties voters.

 

 

 

Sometimes the Left also thinks their proposals are more popular than they are.  For example, the above statement.  I’m not for it, at least as it is being proposed.  And I know I am not the only one.

[88Comrade2000]

I knew someone had created this thread. I couldn't find it, when I created my Fight Dems thread.

 

The Dems have alot fixing to do.

[Momma There Goes That Man]

2 hours ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

Sometimes the Left also thinks their proposals are more popular than they are.  For example, the above statement.  I’m not for it, at least as it is being proposed.  And I know I am not the only one.

 

Why?

[Captain Wiggles]

2 hours ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

Sometimes the Left also thinks their proposals are more popular than they are.  For example, the above statement.  I’m not for it, at least as it is being proposed.  And I know I am not the only one.

 

Uh except it's insanely popular. Like 80%+ of likely voters are in favor of PFL.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/2021/6/7/22380427/poll-paid-leave-popular-democrats-republicans-covid-19

[PeterMP]

10 minutes ago, Momma There Goes That Man said:

 

Why?

 

Most people agree with family leave.  The issue becomes who and how to pay for it.

Big picture, many democratic ideas poll well.  Unto you start adding in details.

 

And then just because people support it, that doesn't mean it is something that is going to decide their vote.

9 minutes ago, clietas said:

 

Uh except it's insanely popular. Like 80%+ of likely voters are in favor of PFL.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/2021/6/7/22380427/poll-paid-leave-popular-democrats-republicans-covid-19

 

The poll appears to be specific for being sick with Covid-19.  Not a long time thing.

Or for things like essential workers.

 

 

Edited November 4, 2021 by PeterMP

[TheGreatBuzz]

6 minutes ago, Momma There Goes That Man said:

 

Why?

 

Why don’t I support it?  Short version; I don’t like the idea of free leave to those that choose to expand their family while those that don’t choose to end up pulling extra weight at work in their absence.  It is not fair, especially if my tax dollars are going to support it on top of that.

 

5 minutes ago, clietas said:

 

Uh except it's insanely popular. Like 80%+ of likely voters are in favor of PFL.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/2021/6/7/22380427/poll-paid-leave-popular-democrats-republicans-covid-19

 

Get looking more down the articles as well as looking at national polls.  The article you posted only polled “battleground states.”  And support there drops to 69% when asking they are fine with their taxes supporting it.  68% support both maternal and paternal leave.  

 

Point is that, like so many other topics, a broad statement gets lots of support but once details start being asked, it becomes less popular.  I’m not saying it doesn’t have majority support but that is a far cry from “EVERYONE” supports it.

[Captain Wiggles]

Never said EVERYONE supported PFL. Just that it was resoundingly popular among Democrats n Republicans. 🤷‍♀️ Ya know because yeah Democrats proposals are actually quite popular. 😉

[TheGreatBuzz]

1 minute ago, clietas said:

Never said EVERYONE supported PFL. Just that it was resoundingly popular among Democrats n Republicans. 🤷‍♀️ Ya know because yeah Democrats proposals are actually quite popular. 😉

 

Right.  NoCalMike did.  That is why I quoted him and not you.

[Captain Wiggles]

1 minute ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

 

Right.  NoCalMike did.  That is why I quoted him and not you.

 

Ya quoted me butt ok whatever. 👍

[thegreaterbuzzette]

Simple solution : expand FMLA to cover all entities and make it paid. 
 

everyone wins. 
 

you get your family leave to have a kid. And @TheGreatBuzz and I both get to take 12 weeks paid leave for me to get new Tatas. 
 

vote for me 2024!

[skinsmarydu]

Doesn't PFL extend beyond maternity/paternity leave?  I thought it also covered caring for a sick family member? 

 

[TheGreatBuzz]

5 minutes ago, clietas said:

 

Ya quoted me butt ok whatever. 👍

Not the post that said EVERYONE supports it.

 

1 minute ago, skinsmarydu said:

Doesn't PFL extend beyond maternity/paternity leave?  I thought it also covered caring for a sick family member? 

 

Are you asking about current policy or proposed policies?

[NoCalMike]

Ok I was using "EVERYONE" as hyperbole as I don't think there is much of anything literally everyone supports, but when you have support across the political aisle for something....during this political climate? You best not waste it.   That was the point I was getting at.

 

And the taxes question, well nothing gov't funded happens without taxes, so I guess that just comes down to personal preference on what tax revenue should/shouldn't go to.  I am guessing most people will say  no to anything that is funded by taxes until they see the benefit trade off and then it suddenly seems like a good deal. 

 

I also like the idea of just expanding FMLA to cover child birth/bonding for the 4-12 weeks. 

 

Edited November 4, 2021 by NoCalMike