Are Democrats trying to lose?

I know this question has been asked by bloggers before, but now even Vanity Fair is asking if the Dems want to lose in 2020.

Some names, like Gillibrand and Harris, may have some promise. But the rest may as well have been grown in a lab by Republican scientists in order to guarantee a Democratic defeat.

The Dems problem goes far beyond potential 2020 candidates, which are increasingly made up of billionaires.

It recently occurred to me that both political parties primarily exist to do harm to their own voting base.
Republican policies target their own voters for economic destruction, while Democrats lead to charge for deregulation and FTAs, thus crippling the working class they pretend to represent.
This makes the political partisans the most masochistic people out there.

While Republicans have a ready-made scapegoat in Trump for when things go wrong, and they most certainly will, the Democratic establishment appear single-minded in a quest of self-destruction.

Like Inspector Javert or, perhaps more appropriately, Wile E. Coyote, the Democrats remain fixated on getting their man, Trump, and proving wrong the voters who elected him. At first glance, the daily drip of new and shocking revelations over Russia looks like a mounting shadow over the White House, and it very well may prove to be its undoing. But the instant scandal—it seemed to start the minute Trump was declared president-elect—also threatens to further decimate the Democratic Party. And Democrats don’t seem to know it.
To those with a bit of distance from cable news—that is, every sane person in America—Democrats seem to be replaying the exact strategy that lost them the last election. What, pray tell, is the Democratic Party’s message otherwise? That they don’t like Russia, except when they did? That they believe Russia is the biggest national security threat to America, except when it wasn’t? Democrats appear to have spent about two minutes trying to figure out why the voters of Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and, very nearly, Minnesota rejected them only a few months ago.
...What did the Democrats do to rebuild the faith and trust of the “forgotten” voters they still seem to have trouble remembering? They doubled down.

Since the election defeat, Democrats are dropping in the polls and an overwhelming majority of the public thinks the Dems are out-of-touch.
Are the Dems responding to these alarming trends by creating an actual governing agenda that would give the struggling working class a reason to vote Democratic? Nope.
It's all "Scary Trump!" all the time. As if President Pence would be a significant improvement.
Why don't the Dems appeal to the working class with an agenda to meet their needs? Because that would conflict with the real Democratic base - comfortable suburbanites.

Pitching one's campaign at anxious white suburbanites with catastrophically mistaken notions about government financing rules out actually fixing most of the crises facing the country. It means running on fiddly little tax credits and pointlessly means-tested small-bore programs, just like Hillary Clinton did.
...As famed Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg argues, Democrats have a working-class problem — of all races, not just whites.

2016_election_night_survey.jpg

Both parties have completely abandoned the economic concerns of the working class, but a case can be made that only Republicans care about the working class' cultural concerns.
The Democrats cultural agenda increasingly matches the cultural interests of the affluent.

This affluent base can embrace the progressives’ social agenda — meeting the demands of feminists, gays and minority activists. But they are less enthusiastic about the social democratic income redistribution proposed by Bernie Sanders, who is now, by some measurements, the nation’s most popular political figure. This new putative ruling class, notes author Michael Lind, sees its rise, and the decline of the rest, not as a reflection of social inequity, but rather their meritocratic virtue. Only racism, homophobia or misogyny — in other words, the sins of the “deplorables” — matter.
The Washington Post, owned by Jeff Bezos, the world’s third-richest man, reflects this socially liberal, but oligopolistic, worldview. Last spring, Bezos worked assiduously to undermine Sanders’ campaign, then promoted Clinton, and now has become a leading voice in the anti-Trump “resistance.” The gentry wing of the party, which dominates fundraising and media, as the opposition to Sanders reveals, likes its money. The tech community is famously adept at avoiding taxes.

The Dems like to richsplain to the working class peasants because that's how their wealthy donors think.
Whether they honestly believe that minorities don't put much importance on economic issues is neither here nor there.
HispanicIssues.png

“The importance of jobs is consistent with what we’ve been seeing for a long time as the most important problem across the board – ethnicity isn’t that relevant," Lonna Rae Atkeson, a professor of political science at the University of New Mexico, told Fox News Latino.
"The thing about the economy for everyone, it’s a doorstep issue. You walk outside, and you can see what’s happening to people and see how it affects you,” she said.

It's in the interests of the elite that us working class peasants continue to focus on our superficial differences, rather pay attention to the other 99% of our lives that we have in common, such as getting a job and paying the bills.

When it comes to ethnicity, African Americans were much more likely (50%) to be concerned about economy/jobs compared to whites (29%), Hispanics (34%) and Asians (45%).

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of the 'somewhat/much more' graph. Can someone please explain?

I do comprehend, like most people, that both parties are the enemy of the people's well-being.

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Orwell: Where's the omelette?

thanatokephaloides's picture

@jim p

I'm not comprehending the meaning

of the 'somewhat/much more' graph. Can someone please explain?

The survey question was:
"Please tell me which you agree with more, even if neither is exactly right."

The statements compared were:
"The economy is starting to get to full employment and a lot of people are finding jobs that pay more." and
"Jobs still don't pay enough to live on and it's a struggle to save anything.".

The graphed data breaks down who agreed with what -- agreeing "somewhat" or "much more" -- by the categories indicated.

n.b.: This is an old pet peeve of mine. It's a statistical research firm using a weaselly-worded question to try to include as many participants from as many different categories as possible. You can eventually get to the "meat and potatoes" of the issue, but you've got to work to get there. It's always been my contention that a straightly worded, "do you agree, yes or no?" type question would work better, but that's just me, I suppose.....

Wink

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

@thanatokephaloides numbers are the main break; within those two, the darker shaded number is "much more" and the lighter shaded "somewhat" areas would be the main number minus the "much more" if that number had been placed on the graph. Thanks.

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Orwell: Where's the omelette?

Pluto's Republic's picture

@thanatokephaloides

It's always been my contention that a straightly worded, "do you agree, yes or no?" type question would work better, but that's just me, I suppose.....

In the US, we govern on the curve.

That how we turn a polarized, dead-in-the-water, two-party government Into the glorious consensus of Western-style democracy.

Drink!

Apparently, we also use too-small, unreadable charts to explain what's going on.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato

If action had been immediately forthcoming on our part in relation to the warning signals of climate change, we might have been able to have acted so as to restore some kind of peace with the earth.

Future generations

By dint of the inheritance of the Modernity, future generations will not be bequeathed the means of handling the radical change demanded of humanity in the Anthropocene.

Thus, it is as if we are condemning future generations to proceed along a trajectory that has been pre-determined for them and that cannot be interrupted:..

https://logisticsofreligionblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/05/notes-on-face-a...

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Martha Laning re=elected at head WI Dem Party despite 2016 losses. Huh?

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O.k. When is the next meeting for the revolution?
-FuturePassed on Sunday, November 25, 2018 10:22 p.m.

snoopydawg's picture

@WIProgressive
which saw the republicans re-take the house. The democrats sighed in relief because they were running out of excuses for why they couldn't get their legislation passed. And of course, it gave Obama the excuse to hide behind their obstruction. Don't forget that they wanted him to be a one term president.
Anyone remember when he said that he would rather be a one term president and try to get his legislation passed than be a two term president that didn't even try? Looks like he chose the second option. He pre-caved or gave the republicans more than what they were asking for.
After Trump was elected, many democrats said they were willing to work with him. And work with him they have. The only cabinet member who they fought against was DeVos.
Yep, even Ben Carson was qualified to be the head of HUD in their minds.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg I've wondered who DeVos offended to become the token member of the shit list. For instance, I remember a certain alleged progressive saying Trump was entitled to his picks justifying passing Carson through while on the other hand saying she was "deeply troubled" by him. I'm assuming if I followed the money, I'd find the answer.

Great response, btw.

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Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

@snoopydawg
I think he got HIS legislation passed, except for the Grand Bargain and that's on the Tea Party. He didn't get OUR legislation passed and never intended to.

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snoopydawg's picture

@FuturePassed
He let the republicans block him from passing anything that would help us lowly peons.
After reading the article Obama: the Hollow Man which had much of his earlier history, I wonder how he could baffle us with his bullshit like he did.
Watching as the democrats confirmed the most unqualified persons for their cabinet positions, the blinders should be off even the members of DK. How they can justify what the democrats did is just as baffling. Good lord, have they lost all of their thinking skills?

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

GreatLakeSailor's picture

@WIProgressive
...lost three elections in a row and the state rank & file didn't kick him out. He eventually resigned.

I dunno how the WisDems could be more pathetic, but I'm sure they'll find a way - likely several ways.

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Compensated Spokes Model for Big Poor.

TheOtherMaven's picture

They're so out of it and so far behind the curve that they have little of value to add.

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

@TheOtherMaven
but if even they can spot a bunch of losers, then they've got to be losers.

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Sister Havana's picture

Terry McAuliffe? No thank you! Rahm Emanuel? Good G_d, no! Andrew Cuomo? MAKE IT STOP!

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That the 60swas about young people saying that their parents were immoral, and their parents refused to give up immorality, so they resorted to violence. Today the working poor are saying that the rich are corrupt and the wannabe rich have responded by calling the working poor immoral. It stopped working, so now they're resorting to authoritarianism.

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On to Biden since 1973

Raggedy Ann's picture

in 2018 when they will be unable to win any houses of congress due to their deafness. They've got 28 months to get a message out that might prevent this from occurring.

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"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

dervish's picture

@Raggedy Ann The beltway consultant class will still do fine. The only trick will be how to flirt with the donors effectively enough to make them give up more of their money.

DC isn't much more than a giant strip joint.

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"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."

Raggedy Ann's picture

@dervish
dervish. Not allowed on a Monday, Monday.

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"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

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Raggedy Ann Don't worry. The Department of Homeland Security now controls our election infrastructure. I'm sure things will be arranged nicely.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Raggedy Ann's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
The fantasy was working for me today.;)

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"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

Alligator Ed's picture

Who here doesn't know Democrats are paid to lose?

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Lily O Lady's picture

@Alligator Ed

Westworld.

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"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"

@Alligator Ed I have known for over 3 years that both parties are in heated agreement about the basic issues and play games around the margins.

And by saying that they are paid to destroy politics is an insight that I will have to think about

Thanks

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@Alligator Ed You gave the answer. They are paid to loose.

In other words, democracy is only acceptable if it can be controlled by those already in power, and the essence of this control is to ensure that the conditions benefiting the powerful are not seriously threatened. This condition has not gone away. American democracy remains in a cage, which means “we the people” — and our will to create a better world — also remain in a cage.

But all of these extraordinary efforts to keep democracy caged make me believe that the country — and the world — are on the brink of profound change. Most of us want a world free of poverty and war and would vote for its creation if we could.

Fitrakis and Wasserman make the following recommendations: “We need to win universal automatic voter registration; transparent voter rolls; a four-day national holiday for voting; ample locations for all citizens to conveniently cast ballots; universal hand-counted paper ballots; automatic recounts free to all candidates; abolition of the Electoral College; an end to gerrymandering; a ban on corporate money in our campaigns.”

This is how it starts. Let democracy out of its cage.

An article by a man who posts often on commondreams.org, Robert C. Kohler

Strip and Flip: Democracy in a Cage

He bases the article on two Columbus Ohio activists who have written 6 books on elections. Here is a longer review of their book.

Book Review: Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman, THE STRIP & FLIP SELECTION OF 2016: Five Jim Crows & Electronic Election Theft

Several years ago they were personally barred from posting on TOP/DK -- they didn't want to hear about election integrity. When I brought it up, I was zapped with CT - conspiracy theory.

They are dupes of the system at TOP, they don't want to know, but they are not getting paid for it.

Did you hear that some were mean to Hillary??

For shame! For shame!

Did you hear that there has been a coup in the USA?

Not on TOP/DK

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Alligator Ed Not sure if they're paid to lose,or paid to lose sometimes and win sometimes, in order to preserve the illusion that everything isn't rigged.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Alligator Ed's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal Some insiders have said that the parties take turns losing. Look at the Importation of Foreign Pharmaceutical Act which went down in flames because 13 Dems voted against it. Apparently the PTB let Cory Booker change his vote to favoring the act because there were already enough Dems on board.

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@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal win or lose, either way they get paid. Pull the lever of power, lobby the lever pullers, it all pays pretty well.

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For me they range from making me puke to wallpaper. I think that Obama used up the hopey-changey thing and no one will believe a Democrat again about bringing economic justice. Given that, the Republicans stand supreme with Middle America as having a lock on their social values. Take a look at the electoral college breakdown last year. I think that is the baseline for the future. It is beyond belief that the Queen of Evil is thinking of a re-run. Middle America believes that she and her husband are repulsive. I can't get that vision of the Clenis holding a bullhorn illegally too close to a polling place in MA during the primary election. He got away with it. Heh, the powerful can do anything in this country and get away with it. Deleting 30,000 emails after getting a subpoena? No problem.

Tulsi Gabbard for President! I got an email from her about war in the ME. She was exactly right on on this issue, anti-war. She's an Iraqi war veteran. I got an email from my pretty boy Democratic Congressman, Seth Moulton. I responded asking him for his position on Syria. He responded that he strongly supports Trump's bombing of Syria. He's a modern version of John Kerry, a Harvard grad born with a silver spoon in his mouth and also an Iraqi war veteran, but didn't seem to learn much. He wants to move the Democratic Party to the Right and position himself as the spokesperson to bash Trump. He has a huge war-chest, getting massive corporate donations, second largest of all politicians in MA, and he's a first term Rep. Watch out, "some say" that he has bigger ambitions.

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Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.

snoopydawg's picture

This sentence says it all, doesn't it?

This makes the political partisans the most masochistic people out there.

I can't believe that I played the game for as long as I did. I should have stopped being a democrat after their betrayal in 2006. I did stop after Obama's in 2008 when he put the same people in charge after they crashed the global economy.
Yes, I think that they don't care if they lose. They know that they can make more money in the private sector. They have to give up their power though. After they get that, I'm sure it's hard to give up.
This new McCarthyism is sad to see so many democrats going along with it. What sounds will we hear when that falls apart? So many people have bought the propaganda and they have put so much energy into being upset with Russia for interfering with the election. And Trump having ties to them.
Funny how no one mentions the deals that Hillary got for the Russians and Boeing. Or the other deals she did with Russians. My bad, right wing talking points. Smile

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg is sinking, they aren't all that damned dumb, and they're just trying to get their own safety nets without any regard for anyone else. Divide and conquer has worked oh so well for them. All of them. Grifters to their cores.

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Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

Bollox Ref's picture

of Byzantium.

You can shout all you want, but the result is always an emperor and an empire.

(Edit)

I meant to add..... does it really matter if the D's want to win or lose? The 99% lose, regardless.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

thanatokephaloides's picture

@Bollox Ref

We're being reduced to the Blues and Greens of Byzantium.
You can shout all you want, but the result is always an emperor and an empire.

Nika! Nika! Nika!

Wink

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

TheOtherMaven's picture

@thanatokephaloides
until Theodora talked some steel back into his spine, and he ordered out the troops to put down the revolt - very bloodily.

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

thanatokephaloides's picture

@TheOtherMaven

Nika Revolt *almost* ran Justinian out of town until Theodora talked some steel back into his spine, and he ordered out the troops to put down the revolt - very bloodily.

You're right, of course.

The Nika Revolt is as close as it ever came to the Roman People taking control of their nation. And it still failed.

So why did I remind us all of it?

Because Her Heinous is no Theodora. For that matter, Herr Chump is no Justinian, either. We may yet have a chance to nika this one!

Wink

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides