Democratic Party needs a total housecleaning
The Democratic Party establishment got almost everything wrong.
The Democrats have been swept from power at every level.
Normally that should mean a housecleaning. Everyone should be fired.
So why isn't there a full-fledged rebellion in the Democratic Party right now? Where is the questioning of strategy?
How can there still be denial that the Democratic Party establishment was completely and utterly tone-deaf to the mood of the country?
“A vote for Hillary is a vote to surrender our government to public corruption, graft, and cronyism that threatens the survival of our constitutional system itself,” Trump told an Arizona crowd on Oct. 29. “What makes us exceptional is that we are a nation of laws and that we are all equal under those laws. Hillary’s corruption shreds the principle on which our nation was founded.”
His hyperbole and crassness drew broad condemnation from the media and political elite, who interpreted his anger as an acknowledgment that he was about to lose. But rather than alienate his gathering army, Trump’s antipathy fed their resolve.
He had an unwitting ally. “Hillary Clinton was the perfect foil for Trump’s message,” says Steve Bannon, his campaign chief executive officer. “From her e-mail server, to her lavishly paid speeches to Wall Street bankers, to her FBI problems, she represented everything that middle-class Americans had had enough of.”
The message Trump delivered to those voters was radically different from anything they would hear from an ordinary Republican: a bracing screed that implicated the entire global power structure—the banks, the government, the media, the guardians of secular culture—in a dark web of moral and intellectual corruption.
It seems that if you want any sort of intelligent analysis of the election you have to go to Republican sources because liberals have proven themselves unable for honest, critical self-reflection.
All blame for their failures has been heaped upon the undeserving public that didn't buy what they were selling.
And this is scary, because it means that Democrats will be unable to learn from their mistakes.
It mean that the Democrats failure in 2016 will be repeated in 2018, 2020, and on and on until they finally get over themselves.
Sometimes who lost is more important than who won. Let's review who lost the election:9. Bonus loser: Fake Progressives. Fake Progressives are perfectly fine with soaring inequality and corrupt governance, as long as everyone's public utterances are politically correct. So the oppressor class is acceptable as long as they speak respectfully while stepping on your neck.
Real Progressives see jobs and community as solutions, not welfare and central planning. Real Progressives see the eradication of warmongering Imperial pretensions and corrupt pay-to-play grifting as the essential projects of liberty and democracy.
If you look at TOP, fake progressives are still in control despite their total failure.
Democrats are still lost in a Funhouse House of Mirrors of Identity Politics, where everywhere you look reality is grotesque and distorted, and what pseudo-reality is reflected depends on the direction you look.
For many years, the U.S. — like the U.K. and other Western nations — has embarked on a course that virtually guaranteed a collapse of elite authority and internal implosion. From the invasion of Iraq to the 2008 financial crisis to the all-consuming framework of prisons and endless wars, societal benefits have been directed almost exclusively to the very elite institutions most responsible for failure at the expense of everyone else.It was only a matter of time before instability, backlash, and disruption resulted. Both Brexit and Trump unmistakably signal its arrival. The only question is whether those two cataclysmic events will be the peak of this process, or just the beginning. And that, in turn, will be determined by whether their crucial lessons are learned — truly internalized — or ignored in favor of self-exonerating campaigns to blame everyone else.
Comments
White women not voting for a white woman is
obviously racist and sexist with added jealousy.
Or
White women perfectly understand the hollow prefabricated construct that Hillary is?
it all came down to integrity for me...
This white woman didn't want to aid and abet criminal activity in our government at any level, and especially not in the white house.
Hillary's gender or platform did not factor into my vote, because after she failed to meet my essential criteria for integrity she was no longer qualified by my standard.
I vote for #2.
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
We know Hillary.
We have seen literally dozens of her, in PTAs, church groups, and so on. We have dealing with the fallout of their malign influence for years. We were on to her.
Mary Bennett
Bingo.
They all want to blame someone else.
It's a rigged election, because who could possibly vote against that great bastion of sweetness and light that is Hillary Clinton?
From Jeffrey St. Clair's Facebook profile:
“One of the things I love about the American people is that we can hold many thoughts at once” - Kamala Harris
What's risible is...
Koskateers claiming that:
- A vote for Jill Stien was a vote for misogyny.
- Bernie Sanders would have lost because he honeymooned in The Soviet Union. (Which is a lie). Yet the FP is file with 'SEE - Trump really is Putin's Puppet!!11!'
Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?
They are already at it.
The only people to blame for the loss are those who didn't support her.
The denial is too deep for my chore boots.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
Yes. How can these
people, after years and years of defeats, possibly think that they have any worthwhile or useful knowledge at all about elections.
The dems have been losing since the '80s, yet the failed leadership insists it is not their fault.
Haven't these people done enough damage? They need to be gagged.
Out with the Clintons, the Obama's, the Rhams, Feinstein, Schumer, Reid, Pelosi, and the rest of the dinos. They brought about the demise of the dem party.
And now I hear people are urging Michelle to run!! Good grief -- if we can't get rid of these people, then a 3rd party is the only way.
dfarrah
They will not clean house, as long as they can hide the roaches.
Under a nice thin veneer of social issues.
The veneer was pulled back and we saw them ALL this election... and what are they doing? Trying to stick the makeup back on with some nice safe protests... (Pigs weren't even using riot gear against them, which shows how planned these were. If it had been REAL, they would have been using their MIC toys.)
It's a lost cause until we can beat back the CorproDems. Unfortunately, there's always more roaches to step on.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Agree, the DNC owns this debacle.
They ran an establishment candidate in a change election. I didn't have the heart to post this over there, but they need to see it.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqaXFlfMH5Y width:500 height:300]
We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.
The entire dem leadership, and
not just the DNC, is responsible for this debacle. You can thank BO, the Clintons, and the rest of the dinos who decided, after Carter, that the dems needed to be repubs.
dfarrah
A housecleaning?
If the Democratic Party were a house, it would be one that was built on quicksand, riddled with termites, and filled with poisonous vapors. I have a hunch that something a little more drastic than a housecleaning would be required to set things right. Perhaps something along the lines of one of those mini-nukes that the defense establishment now seems so eager to start building.
And even though the DP's manifest defects are widely recognized, who exactly is going to direct this big cleanup effort? Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and Donna Brazile? With maybe an assist from Barack Obama on his way out the door? The sad fact is, the people in control of the party really don't see any major problems. The Democratic Party can still be successful in its primary mission without controlling even one branch of government. That mission of course being graft, graft, and more graft.
What you will see is a lot of lofty rhetoric, a few cosmetic and meaningless "reforms", and a lot more business as usual. It's not exactly like we haven't watched this movie before.
inactive account
Right.
This is pretty much the end of the discussion.
“One of the things I love about the American people is that we can hold many thoughts at once” - Kamala Harris
Excellent comment, mouselander--quite a way with words! EOM
Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.
Thank you
I appreciate the compliment.
inactive account
It doesn't seem like the Democratic Party is very
Democratic. Is there a mechanism for us to vote the feckless leadership out?
Good luck with that
The leaders of the House and Senate are of course chosen by their peers. As for the Democratic National Committee, according to Wikipedia:
Generally the DNC members merely rubber stamp the President's choice for DNC chairperson, assuming the party is holding that office. I suppose theoretically an aroused grassroots movement could overthrow the currently sitting state chair and vice-chair in certain states by taking control of the state central committee, but as a practical matter negotiating King Minos' labyrinth blindfolded, with the Minotaur hot on your heels, would probably prove to be a far easier task.
The people who hold the real levers of power in the Democratic Party - which obviously includes industry groups, lobbyists, billionaires, etc. - like the party fine just the way it is, thank you very much, and they've gone to considerable lengths to ensure that any "reform" efforts will ultimately amount to no more than ineffectual fiddling around the edges.
The DP is definitely not the least bit motivated to look out for the interests of people like me, and for my part I feel similarly unmotivated to expend any effort in an almost certainly futile effort to craft a silk purse from a sow's ear. To those who feel so inclined, I truly do wish you luck, as you will most surely need it.
inactive account
A bulldozer is needed
not a housecleaning. Condemn it and demolish it and haul it to the dump where it belongs. Just read that Obama last gasp will be spent pushing though the TPP. There is nothing at all worth recycling or salvaging. It's owned lock stock and oil barrel by the global 1% and it is so bad it's not worth it to even try to repossess it.
Complete Change In Dem Party Staff, Fundraising and Media...
I agree, virtually completely, with the basic statement that the entire structure and status quo of the Democratic Party needs to be dismantled and then rebuilt. Period. Nothing less than that will suffice for it to reclaim its relevance in this country, going forward. I could talk/write about this subject 'til the cows come home, but for now, let's start with something we can directly affect, from day one...or, alternatively, make a quick determination that it's such an ingrained part of the "basic problem," its flaws (understatment) need to be publicized for what they, indeed, are. I'm talking about my latest, substantial comment over at Daily Kos, earlier today (there were two, very slightly different versions of it)...
Yeah, let's start with THIS....
And, for the record, I feel there's about a 1% chance that this'll have any impact, but that's okay. It's "the effort" that matters. (Without spending any significant time doing it, it's time to pump up the volume as far as addressing the legitimacy of Daily Kos supposed raison d'etre.) Whatever ends up happening--or not happening--as a byproduct of this truly simple effort, the results from it will most certainly be positive for all reading this, as long as there's a focus on the substance of the message contained in the blockquote, above. Long story short: It's time to start a public discussion about the specifics mentioned above, either there or elsewhere; or, even better, everywhere.
"Freedom is something that dies unless it's used." --Hunter S. Thompson
Keith Ellison
Is running for DNC chief. Bernie mentioned it in an interview today.
I've no idea how exactly chief is determined - anointed? Vote? But at least we've got a berniecrats name in the hat.
Yes. Remember this?
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHkPadFK34o]
I sincerely doubt dems can reform themselves
But Ellison in charge at the DNC would be a great start.
I'm done with even the
useless lame Progressive Caucus. WTF have they done to stand up to the Obama administration? they fold like a cheap tent when ever push comes to shove. Sorry as much as I respect bobswern I want nothing to do with dkos or the Democratic Party. This is a non partisan site right? Is it nothing more then the far leftie segment of dkos who need a place to take pot shots at the creepy partisan brainwashed Dem. equivalent of Red State? If so I'm gone daddy gone.
I have voted Democratic every election since I was of age and that's a long long time. I did balk at Clinton's second term election and wrote in Jerry Brown. He too turned out to be a rat bastard corporate Dem. machine pol who worked hard to implement privatized prisons for profit and is a fracker. What is wrong with people that they cannot see beyond the thoroughly corrupt anti-democratic duopoly.
Get real 'I'm not ready to make nice' with either of these complicit parties from hell. It's the classic definition of stupid. Did anyone here including bobswern read about the Poesta group? Jeeze they are the Democratic equivalent of the Koch Bros. and their lobbyist clients include PBS fer gods sake. How can citizens rebuild this mockery of a representational democracy when the pump don't work cause vandals took the handles.
The so called progressives we elected aided and abetted this. 'Victories for compromise' and caucusing with the thoughtfully rotten to the core 'New Demorat's' won't cut it at this point in history. We need to stop thinking this complicit binary choice is all that we as humans are doomed to operate under. Nothing is static or inevitable especially politics. Open your minds and hearts people and quit thinking this is the only reality. Expand your horizon's beyond the red and blue bs.. It's going down and fucking good riddance.
hopefully this will include the so called progressives who enable this farce of democracy and then tell me this is democracy. Greenwald is right, so is Naomi Kline the Davo's set who are bloody war criminals and own and run the Democrat's did this. Including Bernie and the spineless Dem. pols who are so called progressives. they are part of the problem and have nothing to do with any meaningful solution.
You know the Demorat's ought to 'obstruct' the Trump administration as they don't have 60 votes but will they? I doubt it they will once again 'reach across the aisle' and the mad kabuki show will continue. The Obama administration has radicalized me right back to where I started from. What a long strange trip it's been. so fuck the Dems. and especially fuck the Good Germans that post on dkos and the want to be CIA dude ex-Republican wanker who owns the place.
I just heard that Leonard Cohen died. I find this way more depressing and sad then The Hairball getting elected instead of The Mad bomber. Thanks Lenard you did good....Everybody knows that the dice are loaded.
For the record...
...everything I've ever had to say about Daily Kos I've done AT Daily Kos. I don't do it from afar.
"Freedom is something that dies unless it's used." --Hunter S. Thompson
Per PBS, the DNC chief is technically determined by a vote
However, if there is a Democratic President, it will usually be by appointment. They would be smart to pick Ellison, but since when do Democrats pick the smart choice?
Source: http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/blog-post/debbie-wasserman-shultz...
Got a link for that post? I would really be interested to see
how they react to the TRUTH over there. It's an important truth that they need rubbed in their faces. KOS is a lost cause. He's so desperate to save his meal ticket he proposed that Sanders run the DNC. Now, that's a 15 on the hypocrisy scale. And the scale only goes up to 10.
I've had to face the fact that there are some people who just won't or don't learn from experience. They were told this would happen. And now they're **shocked** that the Clinton creature went down in flames.
Switch out the word 'employees' with 'members' and this is what you get over there...
So many over there are clueless and unable to learn from their mistakes.
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
Here ya' go...
http://www.dailykos.com/comments/1594337/64310027
"Freedom is something that dies unless it's used." --Hunter S. Thompson
Thank you.
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
Dear Sweet Whatever You Hold Holy - I have to take my hat off
to you for going over there and even trying to talk to those people. I got halfway through that thread and my head started to hurt from all the stupid. Those people didn't learn a damn thing and all they can do is blame everyone else for their and their candidate's failure.
Now people are talking about running Michelle Obama. WTF???
Anyway kudos for your attempt to educate those people. And thanks for all the info that you bring to us here. I'm glad you post here as well as over at DKRAP.
I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks
Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa
In politics it's on steroids
People rise to the level at which they are incompetent - and then are boosted to the next level, and the next, and the next, until they fail so spectacularly that no one in their right mind can deny it.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
Wow, interesting
Hey there bobswern, another familiar name over here. Nice to see.
It was not obvious to me that Kos was on the payroll in some way until May when he went on his Bernie is trying to disenfranchise minorities kick. I just assumed it was ads and content that he was trying to generate. This is the first I have heard of payments. Is it just a lack of transparency that is the concern? Where did the $1-2 million figure come from?
Love ya, mean it
Orange State's gross income was approx. $2mm per year...
...approximately 4 or 5 years ago. The following year (I believe it was 2012/2013, although I could be off by a year, give or take) it shot up to approx. $5mm. During that interim, Kos and Will Rockafellow, Managing Director of Kos Media LLC (the general corporate arm of the company) were hosting "Ask Me Anything" blogs at DKos, and I discussed this with both of them at the time. Additionally, based upon public statements from Markos and Will, I learned that approx. 1/3 of their revenue had been coming from ad sales, but ad sales--as was the case throughout the Internet--were tapering off, and they announced that they were "replacing their ad sales revenue with revenue from a ramped-up email/mailing list business (among other sources)," which was already lucrative and had been bringing in a few hundred thousand dollars per year (already). So, do the math, taking into consideration the numbers that I've just noted, above (including the fact the DKos revenue has more than doubled since then; and, as of this writing, it may have tripled during these past few years), and the basic fact that Daily Kos' largest chunk of their list sales business, BY FAR, is coming from the DSCC, DCCC, and the DNC, in addition to the consultants and assigns working with those organizations; not to mention all of the Democratic campaigns and related business organizations (and their affiliates and assigns) referred to Kos Media LLC by the DSCC, DCCC, and the DNC.
"Freedom is something that dies unless it's used." --Hunter S. Thompson
I will just leave this here. (violent)
I prefer a reboot to a house cleaning
The house itself has to be rebuilt.
House cleaning was when the Dixiecrats were shown the door.
The New Democrats are a mutation that cannot just be cleaned.
The political revolution continues
The Greenwald article should be...
Required reading for every 'Democrat'.
Democrats, we tried to warn you. How is that guilt and shame working out?
Side comment
Just for some entertainment rewatch the Clinton concession speech and ignore everything except for the expression on Bill Clinton's face as he listens behind her. It is the proverbial picture worth 1000 words. Bill looks like he just received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Private jets are expensive, and my guess is that the Clinton foundation will not be receiving many contributions in the future. It could very well be that the party is over as far as the Clintons are concerned. An extra added benefit for a person like myself who values JUSTICE.
The selfless generosity
of many wealthy CGI donors is very likely to be directed, um... elsewhere, in the very near future.
native
Why are you promoting the Democrat Party? GO GREEN!!!
Let's leave the corrupt-to-the-bone Democrat Party behind and now that we have time, really build the Green Party liberal coalition without ANY of the corrupt DNC baggage?
“I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell.”
― Harry Truman
Housecleaning starts from the ground up
There is, but it has its teeth gritted and a smile glued on, and is moving in, one low-level party office at a time. Or, we hope, a bunch of low-level offices, starting this December.
IDK how your state party works, but in Washington State, precinct committee officers (PCOs) vote for party officials at the legislative district and county levels. The last election cycle for PCOs was in August. A whole bunch of Bernie supporters who were active in the party at the local level ran for PCO -- there were many many unfilled PCO slots, so most of us ran unopposed. We've been doing PCO work -- voter registration, GOTV -- plus helping with organizing events, doing IT,... Democratic politicians are starting to know who we are, and know we're doing the party's work.
So, the party organizations in WA have their biennial reorganization meeting in early December, at which county-level party officers are elected. After that come the legislative district reorg meetings, at which LD-level officers are elected. And the new Berniecrat PCOs will be voting. We don't yet know if we have enough votes to tip the balance and elect Berniecrats to most county and LD offices. If we don't get every office on this cycle, we'll need to recruit more Berniecrats for the next cycle.
Among the officers elected at the LD and county levels are representatives to the state central committee. The central committee elects its own officers and representatives to the DNC. It will take a while for the change to filter up.