Party Unity? It's Either That or Republican Control.

[MineralMan]

The Democratic Party has never been a homogeneous thing. It's made up of people from a broad spectrum of political, economic and social beliefs. There are some common threads, but there have always been people who vote for Democrats who fall on a long line of the left half of the political spectrum.

With another Presidential election coming up in a year and half or so, the question is, as it always is, whether we'll pull together or allow ourselves to be pulled apart. I'm not sure what will happen, but I'll be on the side of pulling together, starting now and continuing until the November 2016 election is done.

We have primary elections coming up. With luck, we'll have several strong candidates for President and excellent candidate for legislative offices, both federal and state. We'll have an opportunity to choose the candidates for the general election. Once we do, we really, really need to work to get Democrats elected. If we don't, Republicans will regain control of the whole shebang. We must not let that happen. We've seen the result of that over and over again.

[GoneFishin]

1. Agreed. So we should all agree to nominate the most progressive candidate in the Dem primary.

[MineralMan]

2. We'll vote on candidates in primary elections as each of us sees fit.

That's how we choose candidates for the general election. And this is not just about one office, either. In the general election, we vote again. Democrats vote for Democrats in the general election. The primary is where we choose candidates for that election. We may not all agree on the primary choices. But, once those are over and there is just one Democratic candidate for the general election, Democrats unite to elect the nominee. Those who do not are not actually Democrats, in the "all for one" sense. Democrats vote. They vote in every election, and they vote for Democrats. Those voters make up the true base of the Democratic Party.

Those who do not vote, or do not vote for Democrats are not really members of the Democratic party. They're whatever they are, and they have the perfect right to vote for whom they please. But Democrats vote for Democrats in general elections.

[GoneFishin]

3. Sounds like a formula for dividing the party. Are we Democrats for the people or Republicans for

corporations?

[groundloop]

4. So if you don't approve of the nominee are you willing to let repubs take control?

It sounds as though you're saying if the Democratic nominee doesn't meet your criteria then we shouldn't worry about voting. THAT is exactly what's wrong with this party, we're too idealistic (of course that's also what's right with this party).

The fact that we need to accept about elections is that NO candidate will agree with us on everything, so we have to vote for the candidate that comes closest to our views. If my choices in the general election are Hillary vs. Jeb, you can bet your ass I'm all-in for Hillary.

[Katashi_itto]

5. Run a better candidate then.

[hfojvt]

9. that's not what I do as a Democrat

and it's not what a lot of other Democrats do either.

First of all, most Democrats don't vote in the primaries. In my own county, in my own primary a mere 1,866 people voted in the primary. In a presidential year (when turnout is not 100% either) Obama got 11,072 votes and I got 9,664 votes and the Democratic candidate for Congress got 8,720 votes. Probably all of us were getting votes from independents and Republicans. And in the oft-year election, the person who beat me in the primary got 5,190 votes.

So, secondly lots of Democrats do not even vote in general elections if a Presidential race is not on the ballot.

Third, for myself, and probably some other registered Democrats, we do not always knee jerk support the Democratic candidate. I hope lots of other voters are also NOT rabid partisans, even if they are registered with a party. I have been a precinct man since 2004 (except for 2008-12 when I was county treasurer), but I am still not a knee-jerk or rabid partisan. I evaluate candidates on a case by case basis. Usually the Republicans are so bad that I could not possibly vote for them - but not always.

What you describe is not a base - merely a rubber stamp. Me, I might not always vote knee jerk, but I have given a fair amount of time and money to Democratic candidates over the years and spent an even larger amount of time and money running for office as a Democrat myself.

Unless they are doing so as a mole (and some do register in the other party to vote for the worst candidate in the primary), then people who are registered as Democrats ARE Democrats, whether they vote the way you like or not.

[Jenny Red Eye]

6. Agreed. nt

[Xyzse]

7. You'll have me in the General Elections

In the Primaries, I feel like I am all but useless.

I will be trying to help Donna Edwards as much as I possibly can though.

[Orsino]

8. Their party unity is bought with a lot of filthy money.

Reason is going to be a poor substitute.

[randome]

10. If you hold out for perfection -or near perfection- you're behaving robotically, IMO.

If you don't push for the best you can because you want better, you are taking the easy way out, IMO. Because it's so HARD to work with what you have. But that's how things get done in the real world. We all do the best we can.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]