Democratic Party 2017 and beyond

[Hodor]

Tom Perez elected new DNC chair.

Lots of chatter about how centrist Democrats are still bitter towards Bernie and his supporters. Knowing that some Sandernistas feel the same way towards the Hillary faction, unity might be very difficult to come by.

[Hornsby]

Tom Perez elected new DNC chair.

Lots of chatter about how centrist Democrats are still bitter towards Bernie and his supporters. Knowing that some Sandernistas feel the same way towards the Hillary faction, unity might be very difficult to come by.

Keith Ellison is going to be the Vice Chair of the party, so there's an immediate gesture that the party is going to do everything in it's power to remain consolidated. Ellison isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's a pretty good politician, and he knows a united Democratic party is vital for the next 4 years.

[GwynnInTheHall]

Keith Ellison is going to be the Vice Chair of the party, so there's an immediate gesture that the party is going to do everything in it's power to remain consolidated. Ellison isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's a pretty good politician, and he knows a united Democratic party is vital for the next 4 years.

If they make Vice Chair an actual position within the DNC, with some kind of importance other than an appeasing gesture, it might go farther toward uniting the party. Sanders still maintains the party cannot continue with politics as usual and I'd imagine Ellison shares that mind set.


I'm curious to know why you don't think Ellison is too bright, care to expound?

I've already seen backlash on social media from some on the Left of Center, Sanders Campers and Anti Hillary folks. It's going to take quite a bit to get them in camp and from my perspective, they are vital to party success.

In any case, the next year should be very interesting indeed with everything that's currently in play both Right and Left.

[Hornsby]

If they make Vice Chair an actual position within the DNC, with some kind of importance other than an appeasing gesture, it might go farther toward uniting the party. Sanders still maintains the party cannot continue with politics as usual and I'd imagine Ellison shares that mind set.


I'm curious to know why you don't think Ellison is too bright, care to expound?

I've already seen backlash on social media from some on the Left of Center, Sanders Campers and Anti Hillary folks. It's going to take quite a bit to get them in camp and from my perspective, they are vital to party success.

In any case, the next year should be very interesting indeed with everything that's currently in play both Right and Left.

Yeah, I've covered Ellison for years, back in the days when he was in the Minnesota State legislature, and he would almost always be the one to keep asking obvious questions long after an issue was decided. Other pols would sigh, some in the press would roll their eyes, but he never wavered. Maybe he just wanted to make SURE that he understood the issue thoroughly, but some thought that it was simply a ploy to get more camera time. But regardless, he had the good fortune, and political smarts to put himself in the position that he's in today...a fairly high profile guy in the party.

Hard to say where the party will eventually go, but I do feel that everyone is going to put away their knives for a good long time to get control back from Trump and the GOP...

[swampdragon]

We should try to steer some the DNC banter from the Trump thread to here-

My question for Sanders supporters who don't want to support the democrats is to read the platform of the DNC published last summer and say what they agree and disagree with it

It is long but maybe perusing the table of contents could be enough to start

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/papers_pdf/117717.pdf

[Teenwolf]

Apologies for hi-jacking the Trump thread, I'll keep this over here.

This is a possibility, reasonable and thoughtful, however I think you are again, underestimating Sanders and his supporters/influence.

Look at the number of delegates he got in the primary even after the crap the DNC pulled. The vote for his choice to lead the DNC got almost half the votes even with several establishment Dems threatening to leave the party if Ellison was elected. And Sanders isn't alone in the party should he choose to fight the direction it's going. His vote isn't the only hit the party would take and it's already losing votes to red state Democrats who are vulnerable.

Keep in mind that the GOP looked upon the tea party in the same manner and we've seen the disruption they have caused.

I do believe that both sides of the party need to move together in order to remain feasible.

However, as long as the mainstream members have attitudes like and treat Sanders and his supporters in the manner lucky exemplifies, the greater the possibility of a permanently fractured party.

100% agree.

The youth vote, the non-voting bloc, these are the biggest makeup of the future Democratic vote. Hillary crushed Trump in fundraising, and it didn't help her one bit! It may have even hurt her, by making her seem desperate and beholden to corporate money, since that became one of the biggest narratives of the campaign. The whole false equivalency BS that went on needs to end, as people saw Trump/Hillary as two sides of the same coin. Start making concessions to bring the Bernie bloc and the centrist Libs together... Make a deal with Bernie where you agree to end the Dems acceptance of super PAC funds in exchange for Bernie jumping back on board. This is my hope, to see the Ellison/Perez sides come to a resolution over ending corporate funding as a means of standing up for an ideal that people will vote for en masse. This should be simple arithmetic.

[Hodor]

We should try to steer some the DNC banter from the Trump thread to here-

My question for Sanders supporters who don't want to support the democrats is to read the platform of the DNC published last summer and say what they agree and disagree with it

It is long but maybe perusing the table of contents could be enough to start

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/papers_pdf/117717.pdf

It is long, but I don't think it's the What that separates the factions but the How.

For example, Sanders supporters want living wages immediately and without compromise. Clinton supporters want them but are willing to take incremental advances and will horse trade to get them.

I know the Clinton way is how politics works, but that's what Sanders is trying to change.

So from my perspective, we are in general agreement on What we believe in, but far apart on how to achieve it.

Then there's the whole issue of the DNC and it's role/method of advancing the platform and politicians.

And finally the ethical issues it's struggled with in the recent past which include the PAC /Super PAC issue among other things.

[Redbirds Fan]

Apologies for hi-jacking the Trump thread, I'll keep this over here.



100% agree.

The youth vote, the non-voting bloc, these are the biggest makeup of the future Democratic vote. Hillary crushed Trump in fundraising, and it didn't help her one bit! It may have even hurt her, by making her seem desperate and beholden to corporate money, since that became one of the biggest narratives of the campaign. The whole false equivalency BS that went on needs to end, as people saw Trump/Hillary as two sides of the same coin. Start making concessions to bring the Bernie bloc and the centrist Libs together... Make a deal with Bernie where you agree to end the Dems acceptance of super PAC funds in exchange for Bernie jumping back on board. This is my hope, to see the Ellison/Perez sides come to a resolution over ending corporate funding as a means of standing up for an ideal that people will vote for en masse. This should be simple arithmetic.

This would be an idea I think Bernie would consider pursuing...jumping back on board in return for the Democrats saying goodbye to PAC money. But here is my question once again...what makes you think that would bring the Berners back on board? They didn't follow Bernie after the 2016 primaries.

What makes you think they won't hold out for other planks? Anti-fracking? $18 minimum wage? Term limits? Nobody, not even Bernie, speaks for them or can agree to anything for them. As you say, it should be simple arithmetic. 2016 proved that is isn't. Perez and Ellison took about two seconds after the election to figure out they needed to work together. They have the perspective of time and experience to know that the party isn't irretrievably broken.

[Hodor]

Because again, in luckys mind we're all ridiculous and unreasonable and take things to the extreme.

And again, it's Democrats like lucky that make Sanders supporters want to tell the mainstreamers to go piss up a rope.

[swampdragon]

and I agree with both you and lucky

For example, Sanders supporters want living wages immediately and without compromise. Clinton supporters want them but are willing to take incremental advances and will horse trade to get them.

How do you propose to do things without compromise?

[Hodor]

and I agree with both you and lucky

For example, Sanders supporters want living wages immediately and without compromise. Clinton supporters want them but are willing to take incremental advances and will horse trade to get them.

How do you propose to do things without compromise?

I think there are some things you can't compromise on, like ethics and integrity. I didn't mean to intimate that compromise was impossible, but it has to be compromise without capitulation.

It's a matter of creating a relationship based on trust and respect and once that is accomplished, then and only then can compromise occur.

As you can see, we've quite a bit of work to get to the foot of the mountain, let alone start to climb it.

[Hodor]

So Sanders comes out to say that the Democratic Party needs a total transformation.

Looks like battle lines are being drawn.

[cardboardbox]

So Sanders comes out to say that the Democratic Party needs a total transformation.

maybe he should join the party and change it?

[Hodor]

maybe he should join the party and change it?

You really haven't been paying attention

[cardboardbox]

You really haven't been paying attention

no I dont keep up with all the sanders news but isnt he a socialist who caucuses with the democrats?