DL Open Thread: Thursday, November 7, 2024

Filed in Featured, Open Thread by on November 7, 2024 17 Comments

I think Bernie Sanders got it right:

“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” the Vermont independent said in a statement Wednesday. “First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and Black workers as well. While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.”

Sanders, who just won reelection to another Senate term in Vermont, didn’t sound optimistic the party brass would heed his calls though. “Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign?” Sanders asked.

“Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing? Do they have any ideas as to how we can take on the increasingly powerful Oligarchy which has so much economic and political power? Probably not.”

Hmmm, could this be why, say, the Working Families Party succeeds, at least in Delaware, more than the traditional political parties?

I have another thought as well.  Any of you who made it through ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ knows that the Vance who wrote the book did a lot of ‘victim-blaming’, a stance he completely abandoned once he decided that politics was in his future.  I think that the resentment that the R ticket cultivated  resonated with voters.  As in ‘My life sucks.  Yours should too.’  Ours most certainly will.  Randy Newman wrote a song about it:

Delaware Will Have Two Special Elections.  Sarah McBride will get sworn into Congress before the Delaware General Assembly convenes in January, and Kyle Evans Gay will be sworn in as Lt. Governor on January 21.  Since Bethany Hall Long will be the acting Governor starting on January 7 (that’s when Carney is sworn in as Mayor of Wilmington), she will almost certainly issue the writ for the special elections.  I expect that both elections will take place during the Joint Finance Committee hearings that run from the end of January through mid-March.  I don’t know whether they will be held on the same date, or on different dates, although my guess would be that they would both be on the same date.  Parties designate the nominees for these special elections, and the RD’s and/or city wards play a key role in recommending the nominees. I’m glad that the Special Elections aren’t taking place in December (and, yes, we’ve had Special Elections in December), because, let’s face it, we are, as Chuck Berry wrote, Too Pooped To Pop:

That’s it for today.  Still trying to figure out what a Fascist era Open Thread should be, or if it even should exist.

What do you want to talk about?

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  1. nunya says:

    George Frankel’s county council president signs have been stamped in black with “Senate 1” in recent days, so I guess he’s running for that seat? I’m supporting someone else and I surely hope she breaks through. She’s the type of progressive fighter than SD 1 needs.

    • Think I’m supporting the same candidate that you are.

      Feel pretty hopeful/confident.

    • Pole says:

      Frankel can have signs but the party will choose the nominee, so kind of a waste. This is where inside baseball becomes important. Personally Frankel strikes me as a builder backed guy so I take a pass.

      When are other names being floated?

  2. mediawatch says:

    Saw some Frankel signs the other day but was moving too quickly to catch the change.
    Good that he believes in recycling. Bad that he looks like a serial candidate in search of a job.

  3. Arthur says:

    One of the biggest problems the democratic party had over the years was trumps continuing fascination with celebrity, so who were the main voices endorsing kamala? celebrities. I agree with sanders and what i see mostly around social media is that the average person a) doesnt understand the ebb and flow of the economy or inflation and think it can be fixed in an hour (it will be fixed and will be fixed during trumps first year and he will say he did it and people will believe it) b) the real middle class, not from NY or CA are hurting the most and they see billions going to fight a war that doesnt affect them and that is triggering for them (and i think they are right to an extent) c) making a big deal of paying off college loans (yes i understand how the payoffs work) but the average blue collar worker, of which there are more and more becuase less people are going to college and learning a trade are angry that someone who chose to take the loans are now not having to fulfil their obligation. I think in the last year of the campaign the optics of what the dems did didnt resonate with the average person – the people they are supposed to represent. they wanted to be the party of celebrities, immigrants and democracy. the problem is they lost every one of those categories.

    • I thought, but didn’t mention, that the Harris focus on celebrity could backfire. You know, the ‘beautiful people’ vs. the real folks out there.

      • Joe Connor says:

        I did too but they did one thing that I thought was cool. There were celebrities in the lines but I know a fair number of DJ’s and they hired and deployed a bunch of local DJ’s as well

  4. puck says:

    “it will be fixed and will be fixed during trumps first year ”

    Fix what? Republicans have the advantage of inheriting a Democratic boom, as usual. With the current full employment, the only way to go is down. As far as prices, the antidote to inflation is anti-trust enforcement, but Republicans will do the opposite. Of course, union-busting will help cool wage inflation.

  5. Countycounty9 says:

    I so agree with Arthur, Chris Matthews was so correct in his interview on MSNBC. I have said it on here, but the working class feels so unappreciated.

    • puck says:

      “the working class feels so unappreciated.”

      Because FOX and Russian news feeds told them they were unappreciated and that it was Biden’s fault.

    • Alby says:

      And they will get what they voted for. If they’d rather have appreciation than higher pay, well, now you understand how companies buy off employees with a fancier title and no raise.

  6. Countycounty9 says:

    I am not going to argue on here. I am a true-blue Democrat, but my members are hurting and yes, they want higher wages. Sorry to inform you about this. They are hurting at the food stores is all we hear. I cannot wait to listen on here, how we are going to do affordable housing lol. I know the answer but already in my district the most liberal people are telling me not in my back yard. So we are not helping the working class. I am not going to debate with anyone. Well because you have all the answers but come to a civic meeting with me and listen. You might even say oh wow.

    • Alby says:

      Why would I argue with any of that?

      I hope you don’t think it’s arguing to point out that nothing the Republicans have proposed will fix any of that.

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