Democratic politicians have rarely represented Democratic voters less

Perhaps the all-time peak of Democratic misrepresentation was when President Wilson got America into WWI after campaigning on how he kept us out of the war.
However, the present Democratic Party is trying to rival that level of misrepresentation.

A new poll released by Gallup on Wednesday found that 61 percent of Democrats nationally opposed the strikes, with just 33 percent expressing their approval. (The remaining 6 percent said they weren’t sure.)
By contrast, only five Democratic senators have come out in opposition to the attacks, according to a tally compiled by FiveThirtyEight. The top-ranking Democrat, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), called punishing Syria’s Bashar al-Assad “the right thing to do.”
Meanwhile, House Democrats have been equally willing to give Trump’s strikes bipartisan cover.

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If you are under the impression that Democratic voters oppose the strikes because of partisan reasons, you would be wrong. Consider this Washington Post poll from 2013.
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Democratic voters have consistently opposed bombing Syria.
The flip in sentiment has been almost entirely with Republican voters, who have fewer firm values and are more loyal to their party's brand.

Now 86 percent of Republican voters back the strikes, compared with the just 22 percent who did so in 2013.

So it's not a matter of Democratic politicians misreading its base. It's a matter of simply not caring.

“We are calling on all congressional leaders to call for emergency deliberations on Trump’s illegal escalation in Syria. Anything short of that will show that Democrats are completely out of touch with the base of their party,” said Murshed Zaheed, political director at CREDO Action, a left-wing grassroots advocacy organization, in an interview last week.

That's not to say that sections of the Democratic base aren't vulnerable to selling out core values in exchange for brand loyalty.

In August 2013, Obama threatened to launch airstrikes against Syria. Polls showed that 40 percent of Black Americans would have supported such an airstrike, compared to only 38 percent of Whites and a smaller percentage of Hispanic Americans. This was the first poll in the history of polling in which more Black people were for a warlike action than White people. Obama had his effect.

As you already know, Syria is only one of many issues that the Democratic establishment has divorced itself from it's progressive base.

The Democratic Party’s delusional optimism, failure to adopt good policies, reliance on admonishing President Donald Trump, and confluence with wealthy and corporate donors prevents the enactment of the radical changes that Democrats need to rebuild their support. Though the party’s establishment has relied on identity politics as a public relations tool, it hasn’t attracted more diverse voters—even the ones Democrats arrogantly believed would overwhelmingly support their candidates.

“The first major party female candidate for president, running against a notorious misogynist, captured the Democrats’ lowest share of female voters since 2004,” wrote Musa Al-Gharbi in Alternet. “Contrary to the emerging Democratic majority thesis, there does not seem to be any demographic category with which Democrats are progressively improving. However, there are lots of them on the Republican side.” Al-Gharbi cited that, based on the New York Times‘ exit poll data, Democrats have lost support with virtually every voter demographic since 2008: Hispanics, blacks, millennials, low-income voters, and Independents. All of these groups have decreased their support for Democrats by several percentage points, despite the fact that nearly every state in the country is becoming more diverse.

While some have opted to support Republicans or third parties, others have been driven to apathy by a Democratic Party that is out of touch and has consistently failed to deliver.

That's not something you will read about on TOP.

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If there’s one lesson Europeans can glean from their allies across the Atlantic, it’s that bullets can be dodged, but not indefinitely. As we are learning the hard way, necessary reforms are challenging to enact. Avoidance, though, will only succeed in feeding anger and despair. The longer the voices of the desperate go unheard, as just so many silently falling trees in the forest, the more piercing their cries will be in the end.
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thanatokephaloides's picture

While some have opted to support Republicans or third parties, others have been driven to apathy

..... or distraction, or suicide, or ......

by a Democratic Party that is out of touch and has consistently failed to deliver.

Bad Bomb

That's not something you will read about on TOP.

NO lie there!

Diablo

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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

JekyllnHyde's picture

A recipe for spectacular electoral success!

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A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma

propaganda really gets underway. Funny thing about Iraq.

http://reason.com/poll/2014/10/16/poll-reveals-americans-supported-iraq-wa

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Amanda Matthews's picture

pound sand by Bill Clinton's 'New' Third Way Neo-liberal Democratic Party. I have been able to dispassionately watch both sides of the American political system try to out-connive, out-lie, out-slander and out-libel each other while at the time putting the screws to the overwhelming majority of the people in this out-of-control country. And watching their faithful fans twist and contort the truth to justify it all has been actually frightening at times. They don't mind tossing around lies themselves. It's not something that the American public would ever expect or tolerate happening in this country when I was young.

Both sides are beating the war drums. It's quite dramatic too. The Clinton Creature calls for bombing Syria. Trump happens to bomb Syria . Trump fans are ecstatic and are impressed with his attempt to grab a little respect as a war prez. And the Clinton Creature uses it as a way to try to score points against Trump by bringing up saving babies and his immigration policies. That's really fucking disgusting. No problem with Trump killing people with bombs (she does have experience in this area as I recollect) but she does see an opportunity to use the dying for political point scoring and she hops on it. And her fans support her blood thirst and her hypocrisy. And make excuses to justify it all. I have no doubt they're going to drag this old war whore out of the political garbage dump where she was deposited last November and recycle her foul old hide for another go at it in '20.

What I see as the most disgusting display of political gaslighting I've ever seen by the Dims is sending Sanders and Perez out on the road to see if we're all fucking stupid enough to crawl back into the veal pen. It's one of the most arrogant and insulting bits of political chicanery I believe I've ever seen. They've got the old man out pandering for them while they dismiss him AND his political agenda outright. (Actually they hate his supporters, but they have votes and money so WTF? They don't really care for him either.) They think the sight of Sanders tagging along after Perez will make us all forget Perez was in on the Nevada plan to make Sanders look like a racist (and his supporters as well). Now that's what I call 'chutzpah', to borrow a term.

EDIT: added the word public.

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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

@Amanda Matthews And this is occurring after Bernie supporter Ellison was defeated.
And Bernie is gonna convince anybody that the Democratic party is headed left?
Because of what wins? What trends?

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

snoopydawg's picture

@on the cusp
agenda to bring people back to the party. He has to know how so many people feel that he betrayed them when he folded before the convention after promising us that he wouldn't.
And especially after the Obama/Clinton coup of the DNC when they installed Perez as the head of it.
And he damn well knows that they rigged the primaries to make sure that Hillary won it.
He also has to be aware of what the DNC did to his candidate Thompson when they didn't back him financially and otherwise.
If I can see that they have no intention to change, he can see that too so what the hell game is he playing?

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

@Amanda Matthews

... I have no doubt they're going to drag this old war whore out of the political garbage dump where she was deposited last November and recycle her foul old hide for another go at it in '20. ...

Well, lookie here at what poll I just found in my inbox. (I didn't want to respond, but had to vote NO!!! on the Mad Bomber being 'The Rightful President' and the freaking questionnaire that I was 'selected to answer' [by dint of looking before deleting] made it evident that they ARE indeed trying to swop Hillary for Trump.)

is Hillary the RIGHTFUL President? [☑︎YES // ☒NO]

The following sponsored email was sent to you by AlterNet on behalf of NDTC:

24-HOUR FLASH POLL
EXPIRING SOON!

Do you think Hillary Clinton is the rightful President of the United States?

YES >>
NO

FACT: Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by over 3 MILLION votes.

FACT: Russia RIGGED our election to help elect Donald Trump.

FACT: Trump’s ties to Russia have been under FBI investigation since JULY of 2O16.

Look, we need to hear from our top supporters RIGHT NOW.

Let us know: Do you think Hillary is the Rightful President of the United States?

http:// go.traindemocrats.org/Rightful-President

Thanks for your quick response,

National Democratic Training Committee

Pitchforks at the ready, fire them torches up! (Just let me get the vomiting done first.)

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

Amanda Matthews's picture

@Ellen North
right after the midterm election. The 'left' will never change. Selling us out is where the real money is.

I've seen Gavin Newsom's name mentioned lately. I don't know too much about him so I need to do some more research. He's California's Lt Gov, which isn't a whole lot of experience but compared to the current crackpot-in-chief, experience is hardly a factor any more.

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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

@Amanda Matthews
He's a neoliberal with strong identity politics credentials.

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Amanda Matthews's picture

@gjohnsit
Thank you.

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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

snoopydawg's picture

@Ellen North
so damned mind boggling, but I see comments that Russia interfered with the election and Trump is Putin's puppet and Hillary won the popular vote. Big deal that she won the popular vote but still lost the election. How many times has this happened in the 45 presidential elections?
And it doesn't matter that she got more votes because that hasn't been how our elections have been decided. It has always been the electrical college that decides who becomes president.
Look at how many times Bernie got more votes than Hillary, but because of the delegates Hillary won the states. I bet her supporters don't remember that.
The Trump has been under FBI investigation is another stupid statement. Hillary was under investigation too for things that could be proven.
If Comey, Lynch and Obama had followed the laws then Hillary, Bill and a lot of other people would have been prosecuted.

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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

The Big Lie relies on repetition, which is why they continue bald-faced lying to people who they know, know better. Not sure how that works when it generally just pisses people off, but 'legalizing' the use of government propaganda against its own people likely involves some form of brainwashing, which may work on some better than others.

As we know, the Republicans were effectively brainwashed by what was once just 'right-wing hate media' using carefully created excesses of fear and hate which can shut down reasoning faculties and allow an absolute and unthinking acceptance of contradictory facts, as well as changes in perception and apparently even result in false memories being created. And, of course, brainwaves also change when watching television, perhaps making it easier to suspend disbelief while watching a movie - or a series of slanted/falsified newscasts or political discussion.

Once the Clintons lured away many of the Republican corporate/billionaire big donors, the same corporate culture further permeated the Dems and the same brainwashing symptoms seem to have appeared in more Dem voters, which is hardly surprising.

Even apart from the fact that remaining (and still shrinking numbers of) Dem voters tolerating/denying the pathology involved would likely share that pathology, be rabidly partisan and/or be too terrified to admit to themselves that their government has been captured by hostile and destructive self-interests, that there is no actual small-d democratic party to vote for and no real electoral choice for the public, and so will fight to keep themselves blinded and convinced that, indeed, their lives will improve this time with this Dem candidate, because the alternative - as essential as it is to recognize the truth - shoots them down from 'exceptional' to utterly helpless pawns of a ruthless predatory infiltration of governance with, we are told, no mechanism for change other than mass revolt, since all branches, including the Supreme Court judiciary, have been corrupted.

Is there really no mechanism for change remaining within the system, or is this more propaganda historically promoted?

The more enlightened of America's Founders had to fight hard to, for example, have the Bill Of Rights included within the US Constitution - and despite this having essentially been ignored throughout America's history, it still forms the basis and direction of (much-warped by bad judgments) American law in the direction of serving and protecting the public interest and of the guaranteed protection of, specifically, inalienable citizen/human rights which can never be removed or suspended by anyone for any claimed reason, barring such necessary limitations as those applied to convicts imprisoned in order to protect society from those who would harm them.

And that is why the corporate politicians and their paymasters wish to 'adjust' the Constitution in order to delete citizen rights and to 'legalize' their abuses. Otherwise, if the US Constitution was 'merely a piece of paper', why should they bother even considering altering it to suit themselves/their funders?

Could Americans sue to have regime change and free and fair elections in an international court, on the grounds that none of their Presidents has, and few of many other representatives of the people have, qualified for their public office due to breaking his Oath of Office, where s/he must swear to uphold the people's Constitutional rights in order to qualify at all?

They provably haven't been doing their jobs - just doing a job on everyone else.

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

the largest identity group in the nation; not to mention why Dems won for years. It is bizarre to go to Dem websites these days as workers are disparaged and war is praised and our own threat to peace -- to the point of backing genocide in Yemen -- isn't even mentioned.

I'm pretty sure I saw a poll that had it that self-ID Dems are fewer than Rs at this point.

It's like D leadership are all on some kind of take, er, drug.

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Orwell: Where's the omelette?

is the (almost certainly) apocryphal story about the poll taken in 1973 where 90% of people claimed that they voted for McGovern. I don't see this as any sort of a revelation; people commonly fail to admit to a mistake, especially if they now believe that it was a mistake.

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On to Biden since 1973

support for attacking Syria was strongest among Democrats. This might have been an anomaly caused by Democrats believing Obama and Republicans automatically opposing him, but it's also possible that the Republican base's isolationism could make them a potential ally.
Yes, the stereotypical violent bigoted Republican exists, but I also think that Bernie has proven that there are what I call good government conservatives, and they are not knee-jerk irredeemable.

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On to Biden since 1973

note the Trump tweets

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