General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Meet Bernie Sanders' 2018 challenger [View all]Ken Burch
(50,254 posts)We need to keep reminding people that we stand for better things, and part of that is actually trying to win the argument on the issues, rather than settling for the path of least resistance.
President Obama did some excellent things, I voted for him twice and I deeply respect the man.
Unfortunately, what he seldom seemed interested in doing(especially in the 2009-2010 era, when we had a real chance to solidify a long-term progressive realignment)was challenging the right-wing narrative on the issues, challenging the right-wing implication that they had a special claim on "Americanism", that the voters who backed the right were American and the rest of us aren't. It often sounded as though he and the rest of the party leadership kind of accepted the Republican idea that Dems had no right to win elections and no right to govern as though our victories count as much as Republican victory do.
What we needed to do, and what we will need to do if we ever get another Democratic president and Democratic congress at the same time(and if the GOP hasn't found some way between now and 2020 or maybe 2024 to make it constitutionally impossible to do anything progressive, which is something they have a real possibility of achieving) is to OWN it when we win an election...to claim the right to set the narrative, to message strongly on the idea that we have a mandate and the right to implement the program we were elected on...and that OUR voters and our views are as legitimate a part of the spectrum and as American as the voters and policies of the right.
When we win, we need to govern as though we don't have to defer to our opponents.
And if there are places where we have to nominate moderates, then at least we should get a commitment from those moderates that they'll leave it at voting against progressive legislation, rather than threatening to filibuster it unless it is watered-down to nothing.
It's not as though we can only get a majority in the House or the Senate by promising to make that majority live at the mercy of an obstructionist minority within.