Electoral Vote has a good piece talking about the importance of Democrats taking a stand on big issues. They chastise a recent column by Chris Cizzilla titled “How Democrats are handing Donald Trump a viable path to a second term”. Cizzilla claims that it is dangerous for the Dems to support the “Green New Deal” and late term abortions (in the case when the fetus is not viable or the mother’s life is in danger). Cizzilla doesn’t want the the Democrats to endorse any policy that the Republicans might use against them in the next presidential election.
Electoral Vote points out that this is exactly the attitude that has people fed up with the Democratic Party status quo – they are afraid to stand for anything even remotely controversial. And they point out that the Republicans don’t need any real reason to attack the Democrats – Trump has demonstrated again and again that he will simply make something up when he wants to attack the Dems.
I’ve been watching AOC, and I have to say that while I don’t agree with many of her proposed policies, I find her “damn the torpedoes” approach very appealing. It feels good to have Democratic politicians who aren’t afraid to stand for something.
8 Comments
I have always seen politics as a pendulum. And the pendulum has been stuck on the far right for some time now. And it’s past time for the whole thing to re-adjust to something closer to the middle. That begs the question, what is the middle? I’m sure my middle is further left than most. And most assuredly not as left as some. So these ideas coming from the younger group are wonderful to see and hear as far as I am concerned. I was just a little too old to have been a hippy, but mentally that is who I am and, in general, I have not moved my ideas and ideals in these last decades. I won’t live to see the pendulum swing as far as it needs to go, but I’m happy knowing there is a chance for it to happen. I think it is the only way this country will survive.
I was reading something a few weeks ago (I can’t remember where) that pointed out that our country has started to go seriously off the rails several times in its history. But that helped mobilize everyone, and some of the best progress we have had took place in the aftermath of our worst times. I hope that tendency is still true today.
I don’t think the country itself has swung as far to the right as you seem to think. It is just that the right purposely bought up as much of our media as it could and used that to push a self-serving agenda for the rich. But what we are seeing now is a growing dislike of large corporations. For example, look at the current backlash against large US tech companies (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google — the FAANG companies).
And let’s hope that the pendulum swings faster than you think it will!
Why would Democrats be guided by Chris Cillizza — on anything?
IK, when state legislatures are mostly in the hands of the right, when the judicial has been loaded with the right, it no longer matters what the rest of the country wants or needs. It’s going to take a long long time to change all that. I saw where Utah, of all places, voted to expand Medicaid, (I think it was Medicaid), but the legislature and the governor decided to ignore the vote and do as they wish. I live in Missouri and that happens almost every election cycle. There are more blues than reds in this state but because of the way the legislative lines have been drawn, the power lies with the reds. So little that we vote for ever gets done.
I’m part of an insurance company’s online group of seniors, mostly seniors, and the company questions us about our wants and needs as far as our medical insurance goes. There are lots of discussions and I am constantly amazed at the push towards making people think that corporations have a heart, are caring, are looking out for you, and I’m even more amazed when I continue to see the responses to these questions by my fellow members. “I love the way my insurance company has my best interests at heart” or similar responses. NO THEY DON’T!!! I never miss a chance to bad mouth any of these so-called caring companies. People are so easy to fool or so it seems, that the brain washing that has been done will take a long time to correct. Most can’t even admit they have been mislead.
Someone finally discovered something positive about Trump
https://www.theroot.com/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-republican-party-1829146749/amp
Good read. Thanks Dave for posting the link.
It said alot of things that I have felt and observed for a long time. All the way back to the eighties in fact.
Good article Dave TN. I bookmarked it so I can read it again. Thanks.