8 reasons for the left to continue working within the Democratic party

No surprise, I’m deeply disappointed Bernie did not win the nomination. I’m also disappointed by the convention which in some ways overtly sidelined the left to appeal to “moderate Republicans”. Tacking to the center is a quite standard strategy when primaries are over. Hillary would not be the first or the last candidate to do it. Back in March, I said it may not be the best strategy for this cycle, since Trump jumps about all over the place on the ideological spectrum. I haven’t seen anything yet that changes my views on the matter.

Anyway, I’m going to make a case here to continue working within the Democratic party. You may not be ready to do it today. You may not be ready to do it in November. All I’m saying is you may want to think about it.

Why?

  1. The relative ease with which Bernie leap-frogged all other candidates to capture 43% of the primary vote is encouraging. It’s a sign that the Democratic primary voter is open to left-leaning policies and candidates. None of the centrist, center-right candidates sparked any interest and numerous others self-selected out of contention assuming Clinton would suck the air out fo the room. This happened even with Bernie’s numerous alleged “drawbacks” as a candidate (name recognition, socialism, shouting, etc. etc.)
  2. Bernie showed us the right candidate will not lack funds. A candidate who sparked the interest of ordinary voters managed to raise more money, faster than the single best fundraising operation cultivated over decades.
  3. Many within the Democratic party tried to sway the primary towards Clinton. Others worked to be fair. The thumb on the scale was not as bad as many of us feared it would be. Now it is true that establishment Democrats might have been caught off guard this time and they’ll do a better job of derailing a left-wing candidacy next time. But we can up our game as well.
  4. The demographics of the result favor the left. Younger voters leaned towards Bernie by large margins.
  5. It’s abundantly clear that the electorate understands the relation between politicians and campaign contributions. And they don’t like it. Politicians who rely on high-dollar fund-raising will start with a handicap in the Democratic party. It is so damaging, the Hillary campaign had to come up with various strategems to reduce their average donation amount.
  6. Income inequality is front and center among the Democratic electorate. We need to continue pressing Democratic politicians, but they have heard the message and know it demands a response.
  7. It is actually possible for a non-hawkish candidate to be a contender for the presidency. That implies state and legislative primary contests should be well within reach for a non-hawk to win.
  8. There is a lot of work to be done to move the Democratic party towards better fair trade, fair labor, and on climate change, environmental policies with teeth to them.
  9. Building a viable third party at the national level is a long-term task. Unless you think it can succeed quickly, we will need to ally with Democrats, perhaps expanding the model the Working Families Party does.

To be effective in any sort of collaboration, it’s important not to be bothered by the slurs so many have thrown about so freely this year. BernieBros, BoBsoWhite, Deadenders, or in kos’ words “trash”. There seems to be a new one each month. Just as racists seem to never tire of coming up with racist slurs, some Democrats revel in inventing new insults for the left. It’s a waste of time to get upset over them. Michelle Obama had a good line in her speech “When they go low, you go high”. We should follow that maxim.

We need to take honest and fair criticism seriously. This, for example, is a painful run down of fumbles made by the campaign while reaching out to black voters. Read it.

For left leaning candidates to be successful, they will need to present a constructive message. Much like Bernie did. A purely oppositional message is very unlikely to lead to victory. Protest candidates require the stars to align perfectly if they wish to win.

It should go without saying that none of this “be nice” and compromise stuff applies to activists and protestors. They have no such responsibilities, but focusing on the issues they care about. And on that score, the Democratic party seems far more interested in managing the minutiae of the convention pageantry than in listening to activists. Perhaps that’s understandable in an era of TV based politics, but it was a disappointment that Nina Turner wasn’t given the speaking slot she was promised.


Part of the stage management was an attempt to drown out the chants from the Bernie camp. Look, this is all part and parcel of politics. It’s fine that people wanted to chant and other people felt it necessary to chant over them. Good, they felt the urge to.

That said, most of the Bernie chants should have been completely unobjectionable.

No More War: Shouting over this one is the weirdest thing. Are we to gather the Democratic party is for war? And what’s up with the USA chant? I understand the convention was designed to appeal to Republicans, but not that long ago we were mocking them for their relentless faux-patriotism and war lust. What just happened here? Here’s an alternative strategy to tackle this chant. Have the speaker say: “To the people saying ‘no more war’ we agree with you, war should be last resort” would have been beautiful to hear from the podium.

Trying to drown out Love is Love and Black Lives Matter also doesn’t make much sense.

And it's ridiculous to shout over Stop the TPP. This is part of the platform and a policy position Hillary has adopted. Trying to have it shouted over just provides even more fodder to the rumors that Clinton plans to reverse course on this if elected.

I can kind of understand not wanting to hear Walk the Walk and Ban Fracking Now. Those are clear criticisms.

In the end I think it boils down to this. The senior politicians and their teams who run the convention are used to operating within organizations with strict hierarchies. That’s what they do most of the year, in the US legislature, state legislatures or the DNC and state parties. There are rules that govern decorum, format, interaction, sometimes written down, sometimes not. Few people who spend most of the year in that kind of environment are going to feel perfectly comfortable with an activist protesting them. That’s just human behavior and conditioning.

I don’t think there’s a lot of value in getting worked up over it. Just continue doing what you do, and know that some Democrats know and appreciate what you’re doing:

So if you agree that there's too much inequality in our economy, and too much money in our politics, we all need to be as vocal and as organized and as persistent as Bernie Sanders' supporters have been during this election.

We all need to get out and vote for Democrats up and down the ticket, and then hold them accountable until they get the job done.

That's right, feel the Bern!

That’s Obama by the by.

Share
up
0 users have voted.

Comments

It's enabling them to go farther Right.

up
0 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

up
0 users have voted.

@subirgrewal

lunachickie's picture

who isn't already enabled by their cheating?

Seriously? No, I'm not just "deeply disappointed", I am disgusted beyond belief. And you should be, too. #overit
#DemExit

up
0 users have voted.

...we should not engage? their purpose seems evident from the start with the title alone.

up
0 users have voted.

some of us used to respect subir when he was writing on GOS.

Now, I'm done reading. Not worth a stalk of broccoli.

up
0 users have voted.
Wink's picture

Over on TOP their moto (though they don't follow their own advice, apparently) is: More and Better Democrats. "Better," once meaning "more progressive" there. Now I don't know what that means. But, for me, at least, it still is about finding and electing more and better Dems. More progressive Dems. Third Parties are horse$h!t. The Green party has been around since the late '70s and haven't gotten anyone elected much beyond County Supervisor. They get 10% of the vote here in NY. So... so, screw that. The Dem party will be here in 20 years regardless of what disenchanted Berners effort. There ARE progressive Dems out there! I know one in my CD. Instead of leaving the party I wish instead to replace entrenched Dems with progressives to get our party back. Besides... can't leave a party that left us decades ago.

up
0 users have voted.

the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

I will NEVER NEVER NEVER vote for the Clintons. Left the Democratic party when they took it over, along with Al From, DNC, Third Way. Or more accurately, the Democratic party left me, and I registered as an Independent.

I will do anything and everything I can, which, of course, isn't much to DEFEAT the Clintons.

Surprised to read your essay here. Seems a part of this attempt to get people to support the Clintons. Really, a waste of your time. NO, I will NOT consider working within the Democratic party. And, aren't you being just a bit cagey, saying "who asked you to vote for them" - if not that, then in a few words, what is the purpose of your long essay?

up
0 users have voted.

Which may be more difficult for some by a certain metric.

And, aren't you being just a bit cagey, saying "who asked you to vote for them" - if not that, then in a few words, what is the purpose of your long essay?

I was laying out reasons for the left to continue working with (from let's say the green/working family platform) and within the democratic party (by pushing more progressive candidates). It's me thinking through the case for.my thoughts on the case for working with/within the party.

up
0 users have voted.

@subirgrewal

"We all need to get out and vote for Democrats up and down the ticket, and then hold them accountable until they get the job done."

up
0 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

8 reasons for the right to continue working within the Democratic party

The Democratic party has abandoned the left.

up
0 users have voted.

Jeebus, Subir, didn't you get the point that Hillary Clinton intends to turn the Democratic party into the Republican party? This has been going on since the DLC got her husband into the White House. Now, the Clinton Restoration will complete the job. The Goldwater Girl is coming home, and she's dragging the Democratic party along with her. What was it about the selection of Tim Kaine that you didn't understand?

Democratic insiders haven't let leftist insurgent candidates win an important primary since George McGovern, and they scuttled him in the general election. The relentless, dishonest, even illegal tricks they pulled to push Bernie Sanders to the side were just more visible to us than before. "Working with them" isn't possible: they demand submission or nothing. It's time you woke up and smelled the money.

We're tired of playing Charlie Brown kicking the football. Lucy isn't ever going to leave it on the ground. It's time we found a new home, since the Democrats clearly don't want us anymore. Let them become the New Republicans. We've got other business to attend to.

up
0 users have voted.

Please help support caucus99percent!

Szaephod's picture

up
0 users have voted.

The spirit of party serves to enfeeble the Public Administration,
agitates with Jealousies and false alarms, and opens the door to corruption,
which finds access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.
George Washington

with your view. But it was a 12% differential in the popular vote and pledged delegates. That is tough to explain away.

Yes, the Dem establishment was entirely behind Hillary. Why is anyone surprised at that? She was a strong runner up in 2008 and a prodigious fundraiser. Of course they'd be behind her. Many voters expressed the sentiment that "it's her time" and I'm sure that carried to many super-delegates as well.

And Bernie STILL came super close. Up the game, find another good candidate, and they win. If the left is united and there is are a number of candidates on the center/center-right, that makes it very doable.

up
0 users have voted.

@subirgrewal

TheOtherMaven's picture

That's exactly what they DID this time. It wasn't possible to cheat Barack Obama out of the nomination (though they tried, they tried VERY hard) - he was too slick for them and too much of an unstoppable force in his own right.

So this time they dialed it up to 20 and broke the machine - and everyone who wants to see it has no difficulty seeing it.

As for those who don't want to see - "none are so blind as those who will not see".

up
0 users have voted.

There is no justice. There can be no peace.

Roger Fox's picture

up
0 users have voted.

FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.

detroitmechworks's picture

That he would play ball better and more subserviently than Hillary.

Plus, now they NEVER have to put up an AA, EVER again.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjkdynBFHuQ]

up
0 users have voted.

I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

this on this website today. I do respect you, and I love the way you write and how you communicate, but this diary just falls on deaf ears, man.

It's too soon and I'm much too pissed off to be magnanimous towards anyone asking me to give the Democratic Party another chance. TODAY IS #DEMEXIT, GODDAMNIT!

Grr.

up
0 users have voted.

I miss Colorado.

I can't help but hit send. That's just me.

up
0 users have voted.

@subirgrewal

Raggedy Ann's picture

You are choosing to hit send. No one is holding a gun to your head (correct me if I am mistaken).
Subir, we like you, but working with corruption enables corruption. We are choosing not to continue enabling corruption. That's just us.

up
0 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

Apparently holding guns to our heads was the thumb on the scale subir expected. It's the only thing left after rigging the voting machines falls shorty.

up
0 users have voted.

A 12% differential. We don't know what the real differential is, as there was so much election fraud.

up
0 users have voted.
ArizonaProgressive's picture

How can someone argue that there is a "12% Differential" when voters were suppressed?

up
0 users have voted.

You can't possibly quote 12% or any other numbers. The GOP has exit polls that match the vote. The Democrats have exit polls that were changed to match what they wanted to be reported. The cheating by the party was massive and collusion included the state parties. They stole and bought this election one vote, one delegate, and one state at a time.

Bernie supporters have been researching, documenting, and filing legal challenges to this crooked election since the first votes in Iowa. Each vote the Democrats stole, voter they disenfranchised was a slap in the face of democracy and the Bernie supporters.

Even if the party could prove that the election wasn't stolen, it would only be a baby step towards unity. The rest of my revulsion towards voting for the Clintons is the Clintons themselves. Their record speaks louder than their lies, and you can't change that. The Clintons destroyed the Democratic Party with their DLC/Third Way triangulations and policies, and they don't regret it one damn bit. Obama continued it. His smooth talking has nothing to do with the reality of his actions and policies. None of them give one damn how many people they've jailed, bombed, or robbed.

Besides jailing the bankers, billionaires, Clintons and the rest of the bought and paid for politicians, I can't think of one thing this rotting and corrupt party could do that would allow me to trust them long enough to give them my vote.

up
0 users have voted.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Dhyerwolf's picture

and it's very clear that the discrepency in exit polls is so large that it's possible given the current exit poll data we have, Bernie could have in fact had enough pledged delegates stolen from him that he would have won on that just alone (the number is close; like at max he may have gotten about 20 more delegates than needed to beat Hillary on that count).

Except they also note that Bernie Sanders may have outperformed even better if they look at the raw data (the data is partially adjusted to better match polls done before voting, which generally underrated Sanders).

And then add on media collusion, DNC sheningans, voter disenfranchisement and all the shit that the Dem establishment threw up. Imagine Iowa and Nevada didn't have the issues they had and Bernie won both those states? He would have gotten more votes on latter states solely on the basis of cracking Hillary's armor of inevitability.

Having read what I did, I strongly suspect that with all these factors added together, Bernie in fact did win the primary. That they were able to sway the vote so much just speaks to the level of their corruption. They were caught somewhat unaware this time around (after all, to our knowledge at least, this is the first time Democrats have tried mass scale fraud); it would be foolish to think that with all their access to capital and data, they would have a more difficult time next time around.

up
0 users have voted.
Wink's picture

Bernie won NY. That was stolen. Had it been reported that Bernie won NY the whole race changes. He then gets legitimate media attention. Then he gets voters in upcoming primaries to pay attention. The DNC and Team HRC stole NY becuz they could see the writing on the wall. And the news wasn't good. Bernie not only won NY, he won CA - and beat HRC. Bernie's win was stolen. So...
So, you're right. We're not that far from winning a real race. Someone will emerge in the new progressive Dem party in 2020 to unseat HRC's lame ass in a primary - and win the general. If we work it. If we whine and moan about the state of the party we won't. But it's there. Bernie proved it's there.

up
0 users have voted.

the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

If Hillary is defeated in 2020 it will be by a republican. But whoever is the candidate, he/she will be demonized and you will all vote for her anyway "because we can't let win the White House". So you will all complain, then fall in line. I see it happening now. You can't defeat Hillary by voting for her! (even "just this once")

up
0 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Wink's picture

are voting for HRC, and I would be one of the majority. A vote for HRC only rewards and encourages more of the DNC behavior that robbed Bernie. Something I could not do without hurling right there in the voting booth.

up
0 users have voted.

the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

Hawkfish's picture

Good to see you again Subir. Thanks for the link on black voters - I've often felt that was a problem everyone ignored. And I've been looking for the Trump graph for a while - didn't realise it was you.

But you need to read some stuff on the election fraud. Here are two essays I wrote on the latest paper (not academic, but well written) about votor machine hacking. Their conclusion was that it was much higher than 2-4%, and probably high enough to change the primary results. They also found evidence of pro-Cruz hacking and at least two examples of pro-Bernie hacking, so their techniques are not obviously biased.

At this point there are multiple, independent lines of evidence pointing this way. I may be able to work up another one based on comparisons of FEC donor ratios in lieu of polling data, but I'm not convinced of the strength of that approach.

up
0 users have voted.

We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.
- Greta Thunberg

Szaephod's picture

Pushing 15% in some instants, and much more in few - especially where there is no paper trail.

You know this. You've seen the studies, and the court filings, but you pretend they don't exist.

Therefore, with all due respect, I dub thee troll.

With all due respect, of course.

up
0 users have voted.

The spirit of party serves to enfeeble the Public Administration,
agitates with Jealousies and false alarms, and opens the door to corruption,
which finds access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.
George Washington

lunachickie's picture

of millions of Democrats and indies is addressed. Not until those emails are acted upon. The DNC is a crime syndicate that should be prosecuted under RICO statutes for rigging multiple elections across the country.

Sorry, there's no putting that genie back in the bottle. There is no bullshit distraction big enough to change the facts in those emails demonstrate that the Democratic National Committee stole the primary election on behalf of Hillary Clinton. And I will never, ever vote for that woman. I will work downticket for a select few Dems locally, for one more cycle, but I'm done with this party completely. You can count on it.

up
0 users have voted.

A left-leaning candidate will never be allowed to even fairly compete in the system let alone win. Besides the long, long list of why the Clintons suck and should never be allowed anywhere near public office, they stole the freaking election. They cannot be allowed to keep what they stole. If we had lost a fair election, I might open my mind long enough to listen. Under the circumstances, I'd rather Trump if that is what it takes for them to lose.

So why do you care what we think or how we vote? Why are you here? How often do you plan to come? Do you ever intend to take no for an answer? Before your unity pitch started, when was the last time you bothered to talk to us by posting here?

up
0 users have voted.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

lunachickie's picture

Do we see the poster engaging with us now, let alone before this week?

They have their orders to try and turn us. I think they're wasting their time, but whatever. It's their time to waste, I guess..

up
0 users have voted.

Since you aren't commenting, I'm not even sure if you are reading. So here is my final comment to you.

This is Robert Reich's post from FB

Excuse me while I vomit.

According to the Times, the moneyed interests have descended on Philadelphia big time. Some big donors have even been granted time backstage or in the Clinton family box with former President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton. “This is a good place to be,” said former Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, a Democrat now running for Congress, as he glided through Philadelphia’s Ritz-Carlton. “We must have set up five fund-raisers today. This is the bank.”

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/07/29/us/politics/hillary-clinton-donors....

As a protester walked with a sign denouncing big money outside the hotel, two stocky men inside were heard debating the merits of the different ambassadorships they hoped to get under Mrs. Clinton. Even a low-ranking posting meant having “ambassador” on a child’s wedding invitation, the two agreed, and would be helpful in wrangling invitations to sit on corporate boards.

Earth to Democratic leaders: The Bernie campaign may be over and Donald Trump may be the devil incarnate, but the public is still angry as hell about big money corrupting our democracy. If Hillary is elected president in November and the moneyed interests aren’t brought to heel, she won’t be reelected.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. The first thing that comes to mind is "She's a liar and fraud, and I told you so". Next, is he brain dead? The bolding is mine. This from the guy who just said we have to vote for Hillary because Trump. As if Bill won't find someone just as bad if not worse than Trump to run against them next time.

up
0 users have voted.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

lunachickie's picture

If that's true, then this poster is not posting in good faith and this is the second time now.

They should practice what they preach in their own backyard, if they're going to come post in ours, particularly if they are SINCERE.

It's so sad that my default position on that is "no, they're not sincere at all, they're just another #MillionDollarTroll for Hillary Clinton".

up
0 users have voted.
Wink's picture

nearly impossible on here to discern who is addressing whom rather than ignoring a particular post.

up
0 users have voted.

the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

TPW came up with a solution for it at their site. I'm not sure if we as a group are disciplined enough to do it. They seem to falter too.

Each comment starts with @insertname so everyone knows who is talking to whom.

up
0 users have voted.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

forced a fairly conservative Democrat in LBJ and a moderate Republican like Nixon to put some very strong left leaning economic and environmental policy into law.

From the point of view of Clinton Democrats they would have been much happier if Bernie supporters weren't even involved in the platform writing or at the convention. But if you have at least a foot inside the tent, it makes it harder for them to ignore the demands.

up
0 users have voted.
Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

I just don't think there are many takers.

This is just me, but the Democrats revealed themselves so fully on this go round with multitudes of abhorrant behavior so much so that they have no residual appeal left for me - none, nada. They pay lip service to liberals in elections and then deliver body blows or bread crumbs when in power. They're a club I don't want to belong to anymore. They are shape-shifting, Machiavellian, insincere manipulative, self-serving political monsters. I say monsters because they pretend to represent the people who most desperately need representing.

up
0 users have voted.

" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

And it wouldn't do the buyers any good. There are plenty of buyers for this Unity bullshit, but not here. The reason we're here is that we're not buying what they're selling anymore. TOP exists for the eagerly fooled.

up
0 users have voted.

Please help support caucus99percent!

it's easier to shift the ideological bent of one of the two major parties (in this case back to where it was), than it is to get a viable third party off the ground.

YMMV, and I certainly do not dismiss everyone who is frustrated and wants to work on building alternatives like the Greens/Working Families.

up
0 users have voted.

@subirgrewal

But if you look at the history of the Democratic party in recent decades, there is some point at which you are going to have to reevaluate that view. 2016 is that point for many of us. The Triumph of the Hill extravaganza just completed only confirms our impression.

Really, what do you base your view on anymore? It's a general statement that no longer applies to the particular case at hand.

up
0 users have voted.

Please help support caucus99percent!

TheOtherMaven's picture

The "Democratic" Party was NEVER the friend of the "little people" - it only served their purposes to pose as their ally from time to time.

FDR was an ANOMALY, who did NOT represent what the Democratic Party was "typically" about and had a lot of opposition from within his own party.

Anyone who thinks that the "ideological bent" of the "Democratic" Party can be reverted to that anomaly is either fooling themselves, or overtly delusional.

up
0 users have voted.

There is no justice. There can be no peace.

gulfgal98's picture

and doing so nicely. The problem is that the Democratic party as it is currently does not appear to be salvageable. They are too addicted to big money. I think I speak for many of us here. We simply refuse to continue to support a party that is so corrupt and beholding to big money. My own Democratic congress critter was freaking supporting the TPP even though she represented a district in Florida! The only way to stop abuse is to refuse to support it. Democratic party will never reform itself from within.

up
0 users have voted.

Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

I've seen enough and had enough of the Democratic Party.

up
0 users have voted.

Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
- John Maynard Keynes

Roger Fox's picture

Which is sort of what happened in the 1850's with the Whigs.

up
0 users have voted.

FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.

Lily O Lady's picture

during the primary and the convention. I realized that the Democratic Party is no longer democratic. The power elite want us to rubber stamp their policies and STFU. Any concessions they appear to make will evaporate in the name of realism.

I'm a woman in my 60s. I never imagined that I would want to break with the Democratic Party, but now I can't imagine staying. My local party would be happy to have me contribute and phonebank and canvas for Hillary, but they're still waiting for the magical flying unicorns of demographics to turn Georgia blue. Meanwhile, people of color are running for office and winning with the GOP. The mayor of my county seat is an AA Republican.

And part of the problem is that the only things Dems apparently really want anymore is power. Dems don't stand for anything other than blue and that's not even close to enough. Dems are abandoning social programs because now they don't want "free stuff." But corporations get tax breaks and free stuff all the time and the little guy foots the bill out of his pittance, but somehow that's OK.

The DNC really lost me when Rep. John Lewis eschewed "free stuff" and "didn't see" Bernie Sanders during the civil rights campaigns. I still tried to hold on by my fingernails, but I just couldn't because there was nothing left to hold onto.

up
0 users have voted.

"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

The only way you can do that is to hit them where it hurts. If we can't hurt them, we have no power. I'm done asking.


Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.
Frederick Douglass

up
0 users have voted.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Cassiodorus's picture

Then in 2004 they sold out to the Democrats and ran nonentity David Cobb, and my Green activist friend Walt Sheasby (who was part of the group that organized the "Green Alliance USA") died rather suddenly after I called 911 and the paramedics took him to the hospital. Those were game-changers. Attachment is suffering, or so the Buddhists say.

At this point I'm convinced that something is in the works. How big it will be is another question. Indeed you're right that Sanders had a lot of success running as a Democrat. The problem with your argument, really, is that Sanders' most successful act was to help a lot of people realize what a roach motel the Democratic Party in fact was. We need a realignment.

up
0 users have voted.

"The war on Gaza, backed by the West, is a demonstration that the West is willing to cross all lines. That it will discard any nuance of humanity. That it is willing to commit genocide" -- Moon of Alabama

Wink's picture

not all of us here agree on what we want to build, how we gonna build something from scratch that 500 let alone 50 million can agree on? Working Families changes alegiances every cycle, and the Greens... well, the Greens never did get off the ground. The main reason the Dem party drifted right is becuz too many voters stayed home.

up
0 users have voted.

the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

encouraged to return to the party of FDR, your argument would be stronger. At this point, many feel the Democratic Party is very similar to the Repukes. They get their money from the same sources, and, therefore have the same benefactors to please. Many seem to be thinking in terms of hooking up with existing minor parties, or starting a new party altogether. The fact that the Dems are running the least trustworthy candidate ever, makes most rhetoric for change pointless.

Personally, I'll be working for State Dem house members, as the Dems lost the house in the last election, and we really need to hold Susana Martinez back.

up
0 users have voted.

the AFL-CIO tried for years and failed? The labor federation not only failed, they had class war waged against them and organized labor is a shell of its former self.

I think you are badly mistaken and people would be wise not to take your advice in this instance.

up
0 users have voted.

"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"

Amanda Matthews's picture

AFL-CIO president swats journalist in the face with a sign for asking tough questions at the DNC

Indeed, the Democratic Party lays out an ambitious agenda of raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, making union campaigns easier, and bolstering retirement programs. But these are just promises, and Barack Obama’s vow in 2008 that he would ride to the rescue of embattled unions as president turned out to be hollow.

That includes Obama’s flip-flops on free trade, reneging on his promise to renegotiate NAFTA, and then exerting every shred of his political muscle to win fast-track approval for new trade deals like the Trans Pacific Partnership.

So I asked Trumka, “Aren’t you afraid once she gets into office she’ll support free-trade deals?” Trumka responded, “No, I’m not worried at all, she’s against TPP.”

Before I could point out that Clinton voted for or supported eight of ten free-trade deals as a New York senator, Trumka smacked me in the face with a flimsy cardboard sign, declaring, “We’re done. We’re done.”

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/07/afl-cio-president-swats-journalist-in-th...

up
0 users have voted.

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

Wink's picture

a Yuuuuuuge booth at NN16. Manned it the first day, left it empty - unmanned - the rest of the Conference. Telling, I thought. What a sorry ass organization they became.

up
0 users have voted.

the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

dance you monster's picture

The demographics of the result favor the left. Younger voters leaned towards Bernie by large margins.

Building a viable third party at the national level is a long-term task.

This only argues for getting started on that third party now. The Dems have made it abundantly clear they will never give up their right-leaning ambitions. Just look at the pivots last night: it wasn't to embrace the left.

I'm saddened to see you try this here, this appeal to us, but I get it. We'll see a lot of people doing this over the weeks to come. But our eyes were open, we saw what we saw, and most of us here are not going back. The future must look different than the present.

Safe journey, Subir.

up
0 users have voted.
Amanda Matthews's picture

group of Left-wing utopians who are not being pragmatic and are selfish and full of shit?

Serious question, not being snarky at all.

Thanks.

up
0 users have voted.

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

dance you monster's picture

As for why, well, there's a campaign on. It's not a coincidence that this comes at us now -- it's a redeploymernt of forces after an objective has been secured (and HRC's is a campaign that would appreciate a good military analogy).

As for who's doing this, maybe some are converts looking to justify themselves. It appears now to be mostly coming from people formerly supporting Bernie (which at least shows the HRC campaign realizes her supporters are not credible to make any pitch to us). And some of this will be from persons seeking an income or favor with the new boss.

My son tells me he's being deluged with these pitches from friends on Facebook, so at least it's quieter here.

up
0 users have voted.
lunachickie's picture

Don't look for consistency with past characterizations of us

That sort of highlights exactly what the problem is, doesn't it? If there was any consistency in this party, they wouldn't have to campaign for US. We used to be the base! !

Hello? Anybody? It's just like we keep saying...this party left us a long time ago. And I'm to the point where I don't even wanna hear it....

up
0 users have voted.
terriertribe's picture

We'll see a lot of people doing this over the weeks to come.

Twist the Knife has noticed. I hadn't seen this site before, but Mrs Terriertribe recommended it to me.

Edited to add: they seem a little strident to me, but I guess that with a name like that what do I expect. More heat than light on second look. Sorry if I wasted anyone's time.

Edited again: third look, strident but understandably so. YMMV.

up
0 users have voted.

Now interviewing signature candidates. Apply within.

gulfgal98's picture

Nailed it perfectly!

up
0 users have voted.

Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

SnappleBC's picture

It's worth noting that someone who gaslights you is not your friend or your ally.

up
0 users have voted.

A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is showing the movie "Gaslight" tomorrow. how appropriate!

up
0 users have voted.
Roger Fox's picture

up
0 users have voted.

FDR 9-23-33, "If we cannot do this one way, we will do it another way. But do it we will.

Wink's picture

And, I'm already sick to death of hearing how "privileged" I am that I'm able to support that rebel, Bernie.

up
0 users have voted.

the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

hellinahandcart's picture

I wasn't familiar w/ the site, so finding another Progressive site to visit is cool.

up
0 users have voted.
Not Henry Kissinger's picture

But your solutions all seem to boil down to:

I don’t think there’s a lot of value in getting worked up over it. Just continue doing what you do, and know that some Democrats know and appreciate what you’re doing:

Somehow, I just don't think that's gonna cut it.

up
0 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

detroitmechworks's picture

up
0 users have voted.

I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

divineorder's picture

up
0 users have voted.

A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

For one thing, I expect there will be some minor changes to TPP and then HRC will try to push it through again, fast-track it.

up
0 users have voted.

@subirgrewal

TheOtherMaven's picture

up
0 users have voted.

There is no justice. There can be no peace.

session and Clinton won't need to be caught in this particular lie.

The Nobel winning community organizer wants this faux treaty to pound the final nail into the working class middle income group and elevate corporations to a status greater than that of humans.

up
0 users have voted.

"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"

Phoebe Loosinhouse's picture

The Republican base is no happier about trade pacts then the Democratic base and Trump is firmly against them. If the R's try to pass the TPP, he'll be all over their asses. I also thought I caught Mitch McConnell saying it wouldn't come up in the lame duck.

up
0 users have voted.

" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "

up
0 users have voted.

"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"

lunachickie's picture

greater than Nation-States.

It's important to make that distinction. The Alternate Dispute Resolution section of the TPP will bring multi-national corporations into power, just like borders, charters and constitution/governing documents bring a chunk of land into being, defining boundaries and laws for its inhabitants.

Yes, in the end, those nation-states consist of people, but if the TPP is passed, the mutli-national corporate states will be just like countries, except they'll actually be more powerful than our very own Supreme Court if they choose to exercise that power.

up
0 users have voted.

But, it's not a given that things pass in the House. There's a lot of opposition on the left and right on the TPP.

Also, I think at both conventions you had people making it clear where they stood, and politicians quickly disavowing any intention to support passage.

up
0 users have voted.
Lily O Lady's picture

sweep her into power, that may see the TPP through. That or the shadowy corporate overlords who already own Congress. Remember after Sandy Hook when over 70% of Americans favored gun control, but Congress just couldn't find the votes. I'm afraid we're screwed. I would love to be wrong, though.

up
0 users have voted.

"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

... consists of whatever Wall Street wants, don't you? That's why they call it the Center: it's where both parties come together to agree.

The "Center" is not close to the Left. It's actually the Far Right in economic terms.

up
0 users have voted.

Please help support caucus99percent!

gulfgal98's picture

First, the Democratic party and the Clintons are one and the same. Second the Clintons are neo-liberals and Hillary Clinton has shown herself to also be a neo-conservative. This means that the Democratic party is firmly entrenched in the neo-liberal ideology. This is exactly why it cannot be reformed from within.

Over the last several months, I have been posting a series of essays on neo-liberalism in an effort to acquaint the readers here of just how devastating this ideology is. Thomas Frank has also written a book recently that explains why the Clintons, Obama, and most of the Democratic party is firmly in the grip of neo-liberalism. So far there have been eleven essays in the series and I foresee many more. My research has shown that the neo-liberal ideology is far worse and more destructive than I originally thought. But this is exactly why the Democratic party cannot be reformed from within.

up
0 users have voted.

Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Wink's picture

so we just need to replace neo libs with progressives. That's not impossible, and is favorable to any alternative. Third parties are a joke, not an option.

up
0 users have voted.

the little things you can do are more valuable than the giant things you can't! - @thanatokephaloides. On Twitter @wink1radio. (-2.1) All about building progressive media.

and engaging in the comments?
Your fear factor post of yesterday went over like a lead balloon, so is this your new tactic?
What tactic will you attempt tomorrow to convince me the Democratic Party is a righteous party to support, nurture, and CHANGE because it really, really is poised for CHANGE!?

up
0 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

up
0 users have voted.

@subirgrewal

was-for-Bernie-now-for-Hillary posts, it looks as though this is your work, and you know it.
I haven't seen any of your thoughts about the primary on the site for months.
Are you trying to get banned, or trying to get some of us banned for wondering out loud if you are a shill?
You have a snow ball's chance of getting anyone to vote for her by your posts here, and you know that, too.

up
0 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

dropped off here entirely because there were some ridiculous photoshopped images of Hillary being posted here. Turned me off and I was on DKos only. then got busy. I thought these two would be interesting to post here. That's all. It's hardly my work.

up
0 users have voted.

@subirgrewal

dropped off here entirely because there were some ridiculous photoshopped images of Hillary being posted here. Turned me off and I was on DKos only. then got busy. I thought these two would be interesting to post here. That's all. It's hardly my work.

up
0 users have voted.

@subirgrewal

So was TomP.
I used to stick up for both of you. Remember?
He doesn't post here anymore.
You took abuse there from Hillary supporters, now, you are with them.
You will have to assert new reasons for considering staying with the Dems or supporting Hillary because the folks here have already rejected them.
Or, after taking some hits, you can join us, those of us who seek honesty from the democratic process, and a better world.

up
0 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Pricknick's picture

There are rules that govern decorum, format, interaction, sometimes written down, sometimes not.

Show me any of their so-called rules that they followed and I'll show you just as many that they broke.
The democratic party is dead to me.

up
0 users have voted.

Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

Blasphemy101's picture

After spending 2 decades working to try to move this party towards FDR, the party continues to move towards Reagan. This primary showed us the Democratic Party does not want us and will rig things to make sure nothing changes. I am tired of voting against my ideals. I am tired of voting for the lesser of 2 evils. I am tired of seeing the Democratic Party turn its backs to the ideals and beliefs it once stood for. I am tired of scare tactic and "We aren't as bad as Republican". I am tired of the Democrats selling the same shit as Republicans, just dressing it in a better suit. I am really sick and tired of "No, We Can't" whenever anything even slightly progressive is introduced from them. I am tired of the Democratic Party's little game of "Bipartisanship" to allow themselves to continue pushing neo-liberalism. Screw the Democratic Party. After two decades of fighting, I am not going to fight within the party. They want my vote, they can bloody earn it back.

up
0 users have voted.

War, War Never Changes - Fallout Series

Alphalop's picture

a long time ago.

After decades of taking advantage of progressives I eagerly await, and will work towards, the death of that corrupt "Mean Girls" social club that is masking as a democratic organization.

I only got one thing to say to Clinton and the Democratic Party.

Fuck The DNC.jpg

up
0 users have voted.

"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

She even picked a right to lifer for VP.

up
0 users have voted.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Not Henry Kissinger's picture

Are you receiving any remuneration for posting these essays?

A simple yes or no will suffice.

Thanks!

up
0 users have voted.

The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?

jwa13's picture

NO MORE!!

... and BTW, get out of this place. We all left the GOS because of $hill trolls like you, and we REALLY don't want you here.

up
0 users have voted.

When Cicero had finished speaking, the people said “How well he spoke”.
When Demosthenes had finished speaking, the people said “Let us march”.

Pages