General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Where's the concern about "turning off" minority voters? [View all]PatrickforO
(14,602 posts)Trump supporters.
Those Trump supporters who are white supremacists, white nationalists, ku klux klan, neo-nazis, nazis, aryan nations, etc. need to be exposed in the light of the sun and forced back under their slimy rocks. They are un-American and go against everything this Republic ought to stand for.
Those Trump supporters who supported him because they maybe live in a small town whose factory closed will only be saved when our party re-institutes the Fairness Doctrine, because if we really DO want to have a Republic, then as Obama told Letterman this January, we must ensure that everyone is operating from the same set of facts. It is the right-wing corporate propaganda bubble that must be burst to even render this group reachable.
As to me? I'm a new New Deal, social democrat. A progressive who believes that all of us would be better off with universal healthcare, expanded Social Security, public education extended past K-12 to state community colleges, colleges and universities, and heavier subsidies of childcare, and beefed up head start programs that can help all of our children be ready by the time they get to kindergarten.
I believe in a $15/hour minimum wage, strong unions and structured pensions.
I believe in social justice, with retraining and re-visioning for police departments, body cams they cannot turn off, dashcams on the cars. I believe in revisiting how K-12 schools are funded, and leveling out funding so inner city schools can have the same technologies and take advantage of the same educational advancements as schools serving the richer suburbs.
Enough - you all get the idea of where I stand. Now, if you're more conservative than me, fine! We're all going to be voting straight Democratic tickets come November, or at least I'm planning to. We can (and should) have arguments on policy AFTER we've taken back our republic from these robber barons.
My point is that I do not apologize for my political beliefs, for my belief in government solutions. In order for us even to HAVE the arguments on policy in a sane way, we've got to 1) get rid of Citizens United and related rulings so corporate dollars no longer corrupt those who should be representing our interests, not those of billionaires, 2) re-institute the Fairness Doctrine and get back Net Neutrality, 3) completely revisit how much we're spending on 'defense' and 'national security - there's absolutely no reason why we have to spend more than the next nine countries combined, and 4) reeducate the American people about how their taxes are (should be) spent on programs that make our lives better, since the government is supposedly 'of, by and for' us, the people. We can't just cut taxes indiscriminately and then expect the government programs we depend on to continue functioning to our benefit.
So, yeah, let's not bother right now with the hard-core Trump people, and these racist assholes? Fuck them. And I've not noticed any posts begging us to soft-pedal our positions so as not to offend some ignorant racist. That anyone should be advocating that is ridiculous.
Let's articulate our positions so that the independent voters WHO OUTNUMBER BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS can understand them and their benefits. If we take the 2016 Democratic platform, and explain how these positions are morally better than Republican ones, as well as less costly, more efficient and more fair, then we will win. Look at the candidates winning now, in these special elections. The American people have awakened.