Thursday Open Thread [5.22.14]
“With Tuesday’s primaries reinforcing the strength of the Republican establishment, House Democrats are reassessing their electoral strategy based on a major internal research project that shows their candidates stand a better chance when they portray Republicans as uncaring toward working-class Americans while they continue to back policies favoring the wealthy and corporate America,” the New York Times reports.
“Democrats could build on this distrust, the research showed, by emphasizing support for policies such as equal pay for men and women, ensuring that corporations pay a fair share of taxes, and increased job opportunities in the United States.”
For a decade now, we have shouted and screamed that the Democrats must embrace the income inequality issue. For a decade now, polling and other research has shown it is a winning message. And for a decade now, Democrats are still undecided on whether it will play right. A campaign with a focus on income inequality should be a given, and bedrock foundation of every single Democratic campaign. It should not be the subject of a reassessment.
We are stuck with this cowardly Democratic establishment.
How can you make income inequality an issue when you have Democrats like Carney, Carper and Coons carrying water for the 1%?
You can’t. So it is back to “at least we sound a little less awful than Republicans” strategy.
#killmenow
I think we will look back on the PA primary as the turning point. Alyson Schwartz was the Dem establishment candidate running to the center and playing footsie with Republicans, but she got blown away by Wolf running unapologetically to her left. True Wolf had a ton of cash, but I guess that’s what it took to break tne mold. And then there was the LG nominee Stack boasting about how his grandfather in Congress voted for the original Social Security and minimum wage laws.
Of course we will see how this plays with Pennsyltucky in the general but I have a feeling it will be the new normal for Dems. It’s about time.
As noted many Dems are 1%’ers, but so was Roosevelt, it should not matter. I suspect the underlying cause is, wait for it, money. In this age of the big money political donor their probably careful not to offend or threaten the people who can write them big checks. But I certainly agree, income inequality can win big for the Dems, even in the south.
but she got blown away by Wolf running unapologetically to her left.
Did he? I paid very little attention to the PA race and saw none of the ads. But the reason I ask is that a friend of mine in central PA who is pretty much a wingnut, took to Facebook to ask her republican friends to write in Wolf’s name for the primary this week — anything to get rid of Corbett. So I’m wondering how his running to the left syncs up with a small part of the GOP asking people to write in Wolf’s name.
Your a liberal A-hole. Explain in detail how Carney, Carper or the hippy in the WH would achieve this?
No or little education equals = NO JOB.
Jason330 says:
May 22, 2014 at 12:30 pm
How can you make income inequality an issue when you have Democrats like Carney, Carper and Coons carrying water for the 1%?
You can’t. So it is back to “at least we sound a little less awful than Republicans” strategy.
#killmenow
This was an interesting read, if anything, because it describes a few people I know: I’m not a Democrat. I’m an anti-Republican. The end proofs of the GOP damage to the country are quite good.