Dems didn't take voters for granted, voters took Dems for granted

[Pototan]

The Democratic party has been the party for 3 generations that has brought prosperity and freedom to Americans. It was FDR and the Democratic super majority that created Social Security and the programs of the New Deal that saved this country during the Depression years which came as the result of Republican's failed fiscal policy. It was these years that the government protected labor unions and their members.

That middle class prospered into the fifties. It was the Democrats who gave us Medicare and Medicaid under LBJ as well as the civil rights act and the voting rights act. It was a Democratic and Liberal Supreme Court that gave women control over their own bodies. It was the same Supreme Court that protected workers' rights against unfretted "right to work" laws. Affirmative action, gay rights and Obamacare, all advances in helping Americans gain additional freedoms, prosper and remain healthy.

The Democratic Party has never taken its voting constituency for granted. It's quite the opposite. Our voters have thought that all these rights could never be taken away. Well, think again. Every one of those hard-earned rights, including the Democracy our grandfathers and fathers risked or gave their lives for, can cease to exist.

If the people who have benefited the most from the over 90 years of Democratic policies hand the government over to those who have battled us, all of us, every step of the way, you will learn how hard it was to win those rights. And it just may take another 90 years to win them all back.

[Bucky]

1. Ugh, stupid voters. They're the worst.

[Pototan]

4. Not stupid, uninformed.

[Think. Again.]

8. And misled, otherwise known as "lied to".

[Pototan]

11. If they knew their history, they wouldn't believe the lies.

As I said, uninformed.

I don't believe I'm any smarter than the average American. It's just that I work a little harder to find the truth.

[Iris]

18. No surprise that university history depts are disappearing across the country

[Captain Zero]

52. Labor history classes taught by the unions to workers disappeared long ago

I would be surprised if any union does it still.

[Iris]

54. That's a shame

[FalloutShelter]

26. Both-siderism in the MSM has poisoned

political truth, leading most voters to believe that both sides are equally corrupt or, worse... worthless.

[flying_wahini]

35. I dunno. I know a lot of stupid people and almost all of them are MAGAS.

[speak easy]

2. Roe v Wade was 7 - 2 Republicans.

[Pototan]

5. Pre Federalist Society

Last edited Thu Mar 28, 2024, 06:53 AM - Edit history (1)

When Republicans appointed qualified jurists. Earl Warren was an Eisenhower appointment.

Those days are gone. That's why in my OP I referred to that court as "Democratic and Liberal".

[RandySF]

3. We're a coalition party

Last edited Thu Mar 28, 2024, 08:06 AM - Edit history (1)

and as such we tend to prioritize different issues. However, I wish Dem voters as a whole can be more patient. Some people were upset by Obama's lack of progress between November 2008 and January 2009.

[Think. Again.]

10. Patience might not be wise...

...when the opposition is actively trying to kill you.

[Amishman]

21. This is something we really need to remember more - we are not and will not ever be all on the same page internally

I'm a Democrat because this is where I fit best of the various options - but I don't fit perfectly with our party and I'm not much of a progressive.

Currently there is a lot of tension between our progressive wing and our more moderate wing - in a way it parallels the rift in the Pubs between their remaining 'normal' / old school Pubs and Trumpism.

[CrispyQ]

25. I think this sums it up perfectly & is a great message for young & new voters.

[NanaCat]

40. And even in marriage...

More damage has come from people thinking that finding the one is the secret to a successful marriage, but a successful marriage comes from both sides working at it. Finding the 'one' only makes the work a bit more tolerable.

[betsuni]

6. Thank you. Dems-corrupt-take-for-granted-ignore-everybody BS attacks are despicable and stupid.

For some fantasy revolution. Ridiculous.

[Pototan]

7. Thank you for your Rec.

[betsuni]

9. Yes. I really HATE the BS attacks against Democrats as not "progressive."

Will never forgive or forget.

[Think. Again.]

12. "Hate" and division WITHIN the left is probably not a good thing right now.

[betsuni]

13. I don't hate Democrats, don't accuse them of BS corruption or genocide or other BS. I'm a Democrat, the base.

I hate anyone who hates Democrats. Boo hoo. Weaponizing "progressive" and "establishment" and "elite" as attacks against Democrats is despicable and only helps Republicans.

[Think. Again.]

14. I absolutely agree...

...I've seen some very aggressive anti-Progressive sentiment lately, it only helps the rightwingers.

[NanaCat]

41. It's done far less damage

Than the attacks of progressives on the rest of the party. 2016 made that clear, once and for all, although the purity lefties have a long history of cratering the party, all the way back to 1968.

[Think. Again.]

43. Yeah, I agree, being more hospitable to Progressives....

....would definitely strengthen the party and grow our numbers at the voting booth.

[AverageOldGuy]

15. GREAT COMMENT!!!

I live in a rural Virginia county that goes 65-35 Republican, but in Presidential elections has gone over 70% for Trump.

A group of us who represent 9 counties in our area write letters to editors that are published in our regional newspapers. We have all but taken over the letters page of several papers.

I am forwarding this comment to my letter-writing colleagues and with your permission, we would like to use your ideas in our future letters.

I tell MAGAts the same thing -- Democrats are responsible for ALL THE PROGRESS OF THE 20TH CENTURY. Problem is, they are so bedazzled by Trump and his bullshit, and so ignorant of our history, it has no effect that I can see. Maybe some will sink in.

Meanwhile, THANK YOU for this comment.

[Pototan]

16. I would be honored if my ideas were used in your letters.

That's exactly why I post on this site.

Thank you for your compliments.

[TeamProg]

17. KNR

[Joinfortmill]

19. Amen. We're in a dangerous moment. Vote.

Just vote.

[2naSalit]

20. And we...

Collectively as a species, don't have another 90 years.

[IronLionZion]

22. We need voters to turn out and vote Dem

scolding them is not going to motivate them to vote Dem

[Pototan]

33. I am not "scolding" voters

I'm trying to wake them up.

In the end, after an election loss, it's not the party that suffers. It's them.

[NanaCat]

42. Tell the unicorn wishers in the party that

Because this post is nothing compared to the damage the unicorn element of the party has done with their constant attacks on good Democrats for not being 'pure' enough for them.

[Johnny2X2X]

23. This is the post of the year

The Democratic Party is the party of the working class. On every issue the working class cares about, The Democratic Party has fought for them.

[617Blue]

24. Great post.

[Mysterian]

27. The founders had faith in the "genius of the people" to maintain the democracy they created

I believe their faith will be proved correct in November.

It's just a shame the compromises they made included undemocratic mistakes such as the electoral college.

[Happy Hoosier]

28. IMHO, a combination of a false sense of security and privilege are at play.

Lots of folks have assumed that whoever was in power didn't matter THAT much. They believed basic Constitutional protections covered them. Then came Dobbs.

And plenty of people are protected by privilege. Lots of my friends are white, upper-middle class people. I think they have the sense that no matter what happens, they can continue on with their luives, and that's likely true in MOST cases. But many of us have daughters, or kids who are LGBTQ+... and suddenly, they are realizing that maybe they can't take basic protections for granted.

My LGBTQ+ friends have largely NOT lost sight of that, though a few are "radical" and have flirted with "far left" candidates or movements. These are mostly people who haven;t realized that the guardrails are being dismantled.

[appmanga]

29. And that is the plan

The Democratic Party has never taken its voting constituency for granted. It's quite the opposite. Our voters have thought that all these rights could never be taken away. Well, think again. Every one of those hard-earned rights, including the Democracy our grandfathers and fathers risked or gave their lives for, can cease to exist.

The overall mission of The Federalist Society stooges that sit on the current Supreme Court is to undue all decisions that emanated from the Court's 1960s doctrine that the Constitution bestows to the public a right to privacy, a finding that came out of the decision in Griswold v. Connecticut. All rulings that are the progeny of Griswold, which included Roe v. Wade, are in the rifle sights of today's Court.

In my mind, there's nothing that's a more emblematic ideal of America than the right to be left alone in the pursuit of our happiness as long as that pursuit doesn't infringe upon someone else's. If you ask any person on the street "Is privacy important to you?", how many times do you think you would hear "No"? The idea of politicians in robes who's primary work is to satisfy theocratic-based philosophies via the law is what's un-American.

There's the possibility another two Supreme Court vacancies will occurs within the next four years. If we make the same mistake of not going all-out to keep a Republican from being the one to fill those seats, we're guaranteed a Court that will undue protections for contraception, IVF, same-sex marriage, and other rights that came from the concept and acceptance that we are entitled to privacy, something that could only offend the zealot or authoritarian.

[Talitha]

30. K&R

[The Mouth]

31. The voters owe the party *nothing*

Any politician or political party is *entitled* to absolutely nothing.

The only thing 'the voters' owe any politicians or group thereof is not stringing them up from lampposts without a trial.

This 'entitlement thinking' is exactly how the Brits got Thatcher and we got Trump; believing that just because in the distant past (meaning more than 6 months) you did something for the voters you are 'owed' being re-elected or having your candidate win. No public figure 'deserves' anything more than a fair trial in a court of law. A politician serves at the pleasure of the public, not as a result of great things they, or their party, previously did. It's not fair, but it's the job, those who don't like it are free to find other employment.

A party is only as good as their worst candidate, a politician is only as good as their worst scandal or dumbest statement.

No one likes to be taken for granted, indeed many people will suffer the most grievous abuse as a result of spurning otherwise good people who do.

Complacency and/or self-satisfaction is suicide. As every rock band or actor knows, you are only as good as your last performance.

[Pototan]

32. Disagree

If the Democrats lose elections, the voters suffer, not the party. Women lose the right to control their bodies. Workers lose the right to organize. Minorities lose the right to vote. The vulnerable lose their health care. LGBTQ community lose their rights.

[The Mouth]

38. That doesn't mean the Democratic party is OWED their vote

People do stupid shit that is against their best interests all the time.

You owe me nothing, I owe you nothing. I vote Democratic because the Republicans are batshit crazy, even though I hate some of the arrogant dimwits in my state legislature, the alternative is worse.

Stop supporting entitlements of people to whom we owe nothing. They get a salary for serving, that's all any politician is 'owed'. Fail to do you job, you should lose it.

The sheer complacency of a lot of my representitives is sickening. Better than nutcase fascism, but more like choosing between spoiled chicken with dogshit and ground glass vs polonium and cyanide.

[Pototan]

39. Well, allow Trump cultists to win elections and

you lose your rights.

"Democrats may disappoint you, but Republicans will destroy you".

[The Mouth]

47. It's up to the voters

not me or you.
I hope Democrats win because for the most part the Democratic platform will generally result in a better country.

If the party can't get its shit together, and that includes inculcating in candidates and organizations that ***those who take voters for granted drastically increase their chances of losing*** then that's on the leadership of the party. All I can do is vote blue. Sometimes I've got to hold my nose (especially here in California where the party is deep into hubris) , but as we all agree the alternative is vastly worse.

[Pototan]

49. No kidding

It's always up to the voters. But sometimes they get it wrong. Really wrong.

Link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_1932_German_federal_election

[The Mouth]

50. So you like democracy except when you don't?

Gee, where have we heard that before?

[Pototan]

51. I love Democracy

but the voters cannot avoid their responsibility when they get it wrong.

I lived through defeats. Bush v. Gore and the Reagan years. I accepted it. Even though we disagreed on policy, no one questioned the candidates' love of America and our Democracy.

I'm just pointing out that voters have voted Democracy out of their country and ushered in Dictatorships in other nations. Some Americans think it can't happen here. I want to remind them that it can. Trump is not unique in world history. He's just unique to this country.

In a Democracy, voters can vote to end that Democracy. I'm just pointing out that that's a pretty bad idea.

Do you think that's a good idea?

[The Mouth]

55. I think it is what it is.

I think we'll survive Trump, but *only* because he's too immature and impatient. If he had merely *acted* as presidential as anyone before him, he would have won 2020; it was only because he has the emotional self-control of a badly raised 6-year-old that enough people were worried to show up and vote against him.

My understanding of what being a 'Republic' means is that should function as *exactly* the kind of bulwark against a dictatorship that we both see is needed, particularly in this era of ever-increasing social media, AI deepfakes, and such. In other words some things that simply *cannot* be changed in anything other than a very long and very difficult amendment process. The irony is that the Republicans are just as anxious to dismantle the Republic as anyone on the left.

You can't have a true Democracy the way some seem to want it without the danger of a simple majority turning it to tyranny; you can't have a Republic without some things, however repulsive, that are effectively nearly impossible to change. I think we are trying to find a balance and it's harder than it's been since the very violent and chaotic elections of 1820 and 1824.

Winston Churchill's quote "The best argument against Democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter" comes, sadly, to mind.

Voters as a whole are pretty much going to ask 'What have you done for me LATELY'. Democrats either need to have clear, concise, SIMPLE bullet points, or lose.

[Pototan]

56. As long as everyone votes with their eyes wide open

and are willing to live with the consequences.

[The Mouth]

57. As we agree on, the genuine problem is that *everyone* has to live with the consequences

[Pototan]

58. Well, the consequences won't be the same for everyone

They will be quite different for me. I am a 71-year-old white American citizen, married for 20 years to a 68-year-old Filipina and we have no children. I am retired in the Central Philippines and live on a 25-acre (wife's) family estate with my wife. There are 4 houses on the estate, each owned by a sibling. I have more than ample income, quite a nest egg. and no bills. I hold a 13a Philippine visa (kinda like an American green card). My house, pool and all the extras cost me about $275 K USD. To duplicate in the US, it would cost about a million and a half.

I paid my political dues working as an officer for a labor union in Massachusetts for 25 years and a total of 50 years working in Democratic politics in the state (Commonwealth). When I retired, Massachusetts had every Congressman, Senator, Statewide office and super majority in both branches of the legislature. It has voted blue in every Presidential election since 1988.

I feel comfortable that I've done my part. I am now a voice with a half century of experience warning from a safe distance.

Just thought I'd let you know.

[NanaCat]

44. Well, okay, you don't owe the party anything

But they in turn don't owe you anything, either. It does work both ways.

What too many of the 'I'm owed, I owe nothing' unicorns forget is that politics has never been about who owes who what. It's about people with similar interests and outlooks teaming up to affect policy in a way that they both want. As with all groups, it isn't all give on one side and take for another; both have to give as well as take, if they expect to succeed.

So go ahead and think that you can do all the taking and none of the giving. Just don't think that the party will be interested in doing for you if you won't do for them in return. All they really ask is that you think about someone besides yourself, get off your bum and vote. And too many of the 'I'm owed, I owe nothing' unicorns can't even be arsed to do that much.

[The Mouth]

46. I didn't say I was owed anything, either.

The party owes only one thing: to select and support candidates that will at least *try* to legislate in a manner somewhat close to the party's principles. That is the only reason to support the party; it's good enough, but the party isn't like some fucking sports team or religion where I have some emotional attachment to a person or an image.

The *only* legitimate reason for anyone seeking or having power is to do the greatest good for the greatest number, anything beyond that is bullshit fanboi garbage. I support Democrats and the Democratic party because I think that, for the most part, the party's platforms will lead to more benefits for more people than those of the Republicans.

[senseandsensibility]

34. K and R

I noticed that there is no link, so I assume you are the originator of this post, and I want to compliment you both on the content and the style!

[FakeNoose]

36. We can count on the Democrats to vote - it's the independents that we need to convince

Chump won in 2016 because he snagged too many of the independents right out from under us. That can't happen again.

[NanaCat]

45. No, we can't count on the Democrats to vote

Democrats routinely under-perform with voting. Unlike the GQP, too many Democrats won't vote if they don't get the exact pony they want. The GQP don't care about the pony--they care about getting the R in office, no matter what. Even if it's a dead horse, they'll vote for it as long as it has an R by its name.

[The Mouth]

48. 'Democrats fall in love Republicans fall in line"

When Democrats show up to vote, we win.

Every independent I know hates both candidates for president, the entire election comes down to' will they vote AGAINST Trump or AGAINST Biden'

[Pototan]

53. Both siderism

That will be the epithet on the gravestone of American Democracy.

Obama, Clinton and Biden. They're all left of center-to-center Democrats. Bush, Romney, McCain were all right of center-to-center Republicans.

Trump is an avowed Fascist. Evidenced by the fact that every Democratic President and Presidential nominee still alive supports Biden. Not one Republican President or past nominee supports Trump.

[DownriverDem]

37. Totally agree

This was all part of the repub plan even though some of the players have changed. 40 years of talk radio domination & Fox News have convinced many to see mostly darkness. They want total control. Google Project 2025 for their end game.