Comment Rescue: Boomer, for the love of God – wake up already
Where does this enduring fantasy that 10% of the electorate is a sober “center” that can be swayed over to the Dem side come from? It certainly doesn’t come from paying close attention to recent elections.
My view is that every election of my adulthood has been a “base turnout election” won by the candidate that was most effective bringing in new base voters and getting established base voters excited about turning out on Election Day.
Republicans seem to understand this, while Democrats remain clueless. The GOP has been able to excited their base and turn out new voters even when running terrible candidates like GWB and Trump.
But while the Republican base is catered to, the Dem base is viewed as villainous spoilers by the press and corporatists Democrats like Chris Coons. We often read stories wondering if the Dem base “too far left to win?” That story is always being printed somewhere, and yet “is the GOP base too far right to win?” is question you never hear anyone asked. Funny, that.
The popularity of Sanders and Warren should prove that there is a hunger in the country for fairness and accountability. Sanders beat Clinton in the liberal bastions of Michigan, Wisconsin and EVERY FUCKING COUNTY in West Virginia. Every county. Yes there is a hunger, and if ever a Democrat ran a real base turnout strategy, I’m sure that candidate would win 45 states. But instead we get fearful tumbling. We fret that the Democratic candidate might not appeal to some mythic “centrist” moderates that only exist in legend.
That is not to say that there are no undecideds. Sure there are a few of them. We also call them dummies. They might be “persuadable” but they are never persuaded by the rational arguments and sober mediocrity expressed by the likes of H. Clinton and Kerry.
They are persuaded by the excitement of being on the side of energetic confidence and the thought that they are joining the eventual “winner” in his/her quest.
Fortunately we have a large number of great Democrats running for office this year who are not haunted by the ghost of George McGovern, and are pursuing a base turn out strategy.
On a local level that means knocking on every door and delivering a clear, energetically progressive message that brings in new voters and turns regular passive Democratic voters into participants.
Our esteemed host wrote:
While Michigan was close, I’d point out here that Donald Trump also beat Hillary Clinton in every county in West Virginia. West Virginia was Mr Trump’s strongest state, with 68.50% of the vote, and his second widest margin. (Due to third party candidates, he had a wider margin in Wyoming.)
Democrats can win in the Mountain State, at least Democrats like Senator Joe Manchin. Bill Clinton carried the state twice.
Did Mrs Clinton beat Mr Sanders due to the interference of people like Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Donna Brazile? I guess there’s no way to know that, but it seems to me that you have ignored the elephant in the room: Mrs Clinton was the Designated First Woman Candidate, and you have to ask how many Democratic primary voters were voting for her sex rather than on policy proposals.
Bernie would have crushed Trump in WV. In fact, he will crush Trump in WV.
Yep. Remember the teachers shut down all 55 counties in WV?
Bernie has the most individual donations of any candidate along with the most money of any Democrat.
Which two occupations lead the way?
Teachers and Walmart workers.
Bernie will be Trump. Don’t talk about it too much though. Makes people mad for some reason. 🤣
I didn’t vote for Killary b/c of her sex, I didn’t vote for her b/c she was a lousy senator and a lousy Secretary of State.
HOLY SHIT, HE’S BACK!
Here to remind us all how lucky we are that trump won.
Delacrat: So why Did you vote for her? I guess confusing grammar should be expected from an idiot whose vote helped Trump win. I assume you’re on the left, although your posts are sometimes hard to parse. Your indirect vote for Trump was a betrayal of practical leftists with the sense not to cast a self-defeating vote. Sometimes you have to take one for the team.
NZ,
I did NOT vote for Killary, period.
Why didn’t you just say so? I guess you think you did, but you’re still confused. But that’s enough time on this. I’ll leave you to your purity.
This dude checks your grammar but insults your “purity”
That’s classy af
It’s not grammar, it’s syntax. And you’re never going to earn a living as an arbiter of classiness. Class warfare, yes. Classy behavior, no.
Fair. Still funny though.
I just thought a low-grade insult would fit nicely there.
But I imagine even REV held his nose and voted to stave off a MAGAT onslaught, though I might be giving him too much credit.
No need to inagine. I did vote for Hillary. I thought Trump was monumentally dangerous while Clinton was just a neoliberal crook. I don’t use my vote to make myself feel better.
That said, and I’ve said this on the podcast, if Biden is the nominee I’ll leave the line blank.
He’ll win DE going away. No impact. Same as last time (in Delaware). Biden could win the pop vote by 5 or 7 million and still lose.