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2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumWritten in 2014: "Backing Hillary in 2016: Bad for Progressives and Bad Politics, Too"
Even more obvious today....
by John Atcheson
Published on
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Common Dreams
A closer look at the 2014 mid-term elections shows why the inevitability of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential candidate is not only ethically questionable, its bad politics as well.
Heres why.
First, it would be a mistake to think of 2014 as a typical mid-term election in which turnout favored the Republicans. The real story in 2014 was thatnone of the above won in a landslide.
This was no normal midterm slump it was the lowest turnout in 72 years (and it was lower in 1942 only because folks were a little busy with a World War).
Second, none-of the above won because voters were denied real choices: What the 2014 no-shows signaled was the growing awareness on the part of progressives and independents that government is owned by the uber-rich and corporations and that voting for Democrats doesnt change that much.
Lets face it, the Democratic Party has become a pale doppelganger to the Republican Party.
They pursue job wrecking trade agreements in secret;
they engage in foreign wars cavalierly;
they are limiting our civil rights;
they cozy up to Wall Street and the big banks;
they contribute to the grotesque income inequality that is destroying the economy both passively by not directly opposing Republican fiscal plans and actively -- by proposing their own deregulation such as repeal of Glass-Steagall.
As a result, only a little over a third of the voters showed up, and those who did were motivated by fear, greed, anger, hate and bigotry which were integral parts of the conservative campaign.
Bottom line, many progressive and independents feel like they have no real choice in elections and if Democrats dont embrace a progressive candidate like Elizabeth Warren who offers them a real choice, progressives wont show up in 2016, either.
Third, if you stand for nothing you can get beat by anything.
Quick, try to characterize what the Democrats stood for in 2014. About the only thing that comes to mind is Were not with the black guy. Ironically, whatever glimmer of good news the country had going into the election came from policies Obama pushed on those rare occasions when he wasnt preemptively capitulating to Republicans.
The thing is, for the last 30 years, Democrats have been too focused on chasing corporate dollars to formulate a coherent set of values and policies, let alone run on them.
As a result, the national debate has been framed on two nation-wrecking myths the myth of the magic markets (which states the a deregulated market will solve all problems by pure serendipity) and the myth of the bumbling bureaucrat (which comes from Reagans pronouncement that government is the problem, not the solution)
The empirical result of having these myths dominate our policy and political discourse has been to cause the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression, to create the worst disparity in income since the year prior to the Great Depression, and to turn the country into an oligarchy.
A close look at Hillary Clintons positions on trade, foreign affairs, fiscal and financial policies shows her to be in lock step with these myths.
Fourth, when offered a choice, voters overwhelmingly approved progressive ballot measures like:
increases in minimum wage;
pro-choice measures (including rejecting personhood for fertilized eggs in a red and purple state);
opposition to box stores;
registration for gun sales and transfers;
limits on fracking
These votes occurred in red and blue states; they come on top of earlier votes in three states to overturn Citizens United and they confirm extensive polling that shows the majority of the American electorate to be left of center in their political preferences on an issue-by-issue basis.
But when no one runs on progressive values, this preference cant get translated into votes for candidates, and many voters holding progressive positions simply drop out, ceding the election to the fearful, the bigoted, the greedy, the intolerant, and the passionately ignorant.
Fifth, no-choice could once again trump pro-choice in 2016 Which brings us to 2016 and Hillary Clinton, the ultimate DLC Democrat. Talk about a doppelganger take away the Party label and her positions on Wall Street, corporatism, war, trade and fiscal policy are indistinguishable from even the far right wing political spectrum.
If theres one thing this election revealed, its that being a little less insane on social issues wont cut it. Demographics may favor Democrats in national elections, but if the Dems run Hillary, progressives and many independents will once again stay home in droves. On the other hand, if they ran a progressive like Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, theyll get a record turnout, a resounding victory and a mandate for progressivism.
Yet the Oligarchy has its hooks so thoroughly sunk in both parties that another no-choice election seems inevitable.
Bottom line Theres a broad and potentially powerful progressive majority out there, waiting to be seized.
Sadly, it seems unlikely that Democrats will take advantage of that, and even less likely that a leader with sufficient charisma will emerge to lead the electorate away from the current no-choice oligarchy we live in.
If it is to happen, it requires a level of citizen activism not seen since the 60s. But dont hold your breath it looks like our modern-day bread and media circus will keep us fat and dumb, if not happy.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/11/29/backing-hillary-2016-bad-progressives-and-bad-politics-too
Published on
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Common Dreams
A closer look at the 2014 mid-term elections shows why the inevitability of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential candidate is not only ethically questionable, its bad politics as well.
Heres why.
First, it would be a mistake to think of 2014 as a typical mid-term election in which turnout favored the Republicans. The real story in 2014 was thatnone of the above won in a landslide.
This was no normal midterm slump it was the lowest turnout in 72 years (and it was lower in 1942 only because folks were a little busy with a World War).
Second, none-of the above won because voters were denied real choices: What the 2014 no-shows signaled was the growing awareness on the part of progressives and independents that government is owned by the uber-rich and corporations and that voting for Democrats doesnt change that much.
Lets face it, the Democratic Party has become a pale doppelganger to the Republican Party.
They pursue job wrecking trade agreements in secret;
they engage in foreign wars cavalierly;
they are limiting our civil rights;
they cozy up to Wall Street and the big banks;
they contribute to the grotesque income inequality that is destroying the economy both passively by not directly opposing Republican fiscal plans and actively -- by proposing their own deregulation such as repeal of Glass-Steagall.
As a result, only a little over a third of the voters showed up, and those who did were motivated by fear, greed, anger, hate and bigotry which were integral parts of the conservative campaign.
Bottom line, many progressive and independents feel like they have no real choice in elections and if Democrats dont embrace a progressive candidate like Elizabeth Warren who offers them a real choice, progressives wont show up in 2016, either.
Third, if you stand for nothing you can get beat by anything.
Quick, try to characterize what the Democrats stood for in 2014. About the only thing that comes to mind is Were not with the black guy. Ironically, whatever glimmer of good news the country had going into the election came from policies Obama pushed on those rare occasions when he wasnt preemptively capitulating to Republicans.
The thing is, for the last 30 years, Democrats have been too focused on chasing corporate dollars to formulate a coherent set of values and policies, let alone run on them.
As a result, the national debate has been framed on two nation-wrecking myths the myth of the magic markets (which states the a deregulated market will solve all problems by pure serendipity) and the myth of the bumbling bureaucrat (which comes from Reagans pronouncement that government is the problem, not the solution)
The empirical result of having these myths dominate our policy and political discourse has been to cause the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression, to create the worst disparity in income since the year prior to the Great Depression, and to turn the country into an oligarchy.
A close look at Hillary Clintons positions on trade, foreign affairs, fiscal and financial policies shows her to be in lock step with these myths.
Fourth, when offered a choice, voters overwhelmingly approved progressive ballot measures like:
increases in minimum wage;
pro-choice measures (including rejecting personhood for fertilized eggs in a red and purple state);
opposition to box stores;
registration for gun sales and transfers;
limits on fracking
These votes occurred in red and blue states; they come on top of earlier votes in three states to overturn Citizens United and they confirm extensive polling that shows the majority of the American electorate to be left of center in their political preferences on an issue-by-issue basis.
But when no one runs on progressive values, this preference cant get translated into votes for candidates, and many voters holding progressive positions simply drop out, ceding the election to the fearful, the bigoted, the greedy, the intolerant, and the passionately ignorant.
Fifth, no-choice could once again trump pro-choice in 2016 Which brings us to 2016 and Hillary Clinton, the ultimate DLC Democrat. Talk about a doppelganger take away the Party label and her positions on Wall Street, corporatism, war, trade and fiscal policy are indistinguishable from even the far right wing political spectrum.
If theres one thing this election revealed, its that being a little less insane on social issues wont cut it. Demographics may favor Democrats in national elections, but if the Dems run Hillary, progressives and many independents will once again stay home in droves. On the other hand, if they ran a progressive like Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, theyll get a record turnout, a resounding victory and a mandate for progressivism.
Yet the Oligarchy has its hooks so thoroughly sunk in both parties that another no-choice election seems inevitable.
Bottom line Theres a broad and potentially powerful progressive majority out there, waiting to be seized.
Sadly, it seems unlikely that Democrats will take advantage of that, and even less likely that a leader with sufficient charisma will emerge to lead the electorate away from the current no-choice oligarchy we live in.
If it is to happen, it requires a level of citizen activism not seen since the 60s. But dont hold your breath it looks like our modern-day bread and media circus will keep us fat and dumb, if not happy.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
http://www.commondreams.org/views/2014/11/29/backing-hillary-2016-bad-progressives-and-bad-politics-too
.....On that "citizen activism", John, we're trying!!!
GO Bernie!!
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Written in 2014: "Backing Hillary in 2016: Bad for Progressives and Bad Politics, Too" (Original Post)
RiverLover
Feb 2016
OP
When We Stand Together - No Citizen Need Settle For The Lesser Of Two Corporate Evils - Go Bernie Go
cantbeserious
Feb 2016
#1
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)1. When We Stand Together - No Citizen Need Settle For The Lesser Of Two Corporate Evils - Go Bernie Go
eom
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)2. But us "leftists" didn't vote according to a sizable contingent here and THAT'S why we lost.
The people that didn't vote we the ones that couldn't get motivated by the "not as bad as the other guy" attitude by the national leadership.
EVERY person that I know with my attitude voted.
I'm friends with a couple though who didn't vote. A cop & teacher for the mentally challenged. Coolest couple you could ever have the privilege of knowing, but they also for the first time didn't vote in 2014. For the very reasons listed here. What was the point, in their minds.
My motivation was to vote for leftist judges.
Uncle Joe
(58,366 posts)3. Kicked and recommended.
Thanks for the thread, RiverLover.