Democratic (Party) Direction

The U.S. Democratic Party fucking sucks. It is the party of superficial representational politics, wall street, and gradual deregulation, and the only reason I vote for it is because it's better than the party of racism, big oil, and rapid deregulation. And it's the party of smug shits who think they are "the smart people" and whose whole lives have been an exercise in resume building. I don't blame people for hating Democrats, because I hate Democrats even as I vote for them. They suck, and they only still exist because the other party sucks worse.

They're also not good at being a political party, or at seizing, holding or wielding power. They seem like they aren't even sure they want to govern. Again, their existence is only justified by the other party being worse.

Bringing this informative twitter thread over here - it was linked in response to AOC's comments on ground game in her NYT interview:

The comments @aoc is making about Democratic ground-game weakness are being dismissed. I have seen, up close, exactly what she is talking about.

— Richard Cooke (@rgcooke) November 9, 2020

and Soto commented :

I can confirm Cooke's tweet thread anecdotally. Three Thursdays ago, I drove to what I thought was Daniella Levine Cava's Coral Gables office. It wasn't -- it was an unfurnished office of a state senator. Taken aback, I asked the college-aged volunteer (the only person in the office) for correct directions. It took five minutes of her thumbing through her phone.

I mean this year in particular the Biden campaign basically BRAGGED about not having ground game. And I know COVID made for an exceptional situation, but it's not the first cycle where we've seen Democrats insistently over-rely on media buys etc. Honestly how fucking ridiculous is it that the REPUBLICANS ARE BETTER AT SOCIAL MEDIA THAN DEMOCRATS! How can that even be?

Honestly maybe Democrats should listen a little more to the person who came out of nowhere to dethrone their presumed successor to Nancy Pelosi. Maybe she does actually know what the fuck she's talking about re ground game. And I know she does, because I witnessed it first hand, her operation was incredible.

COVID seems like a pretty weak excuse for the lack of ground game - a two minute chat outdoors masked is pretty low risk, if your argument is that the fate of humanity hangs in the balance of the election.

If they aren't knocking on doors in Georgia, they don't really want to win.

100%, and I also wouldn't underestimate the way perceived overreaction to COVID hurt democrats. Granted that GOP went WAAAAAAY too far in the other direction.

In seriousness, I think the fact that Biden beat Bernie in spite of his "ground game" led to party overconfidence that ground game was irrelevant or something. And what they failed to realize is that ground game is why a socialist senator from a tiny state who probably shouldn't have a chance actually gave A-list democratic candidates a run for their money twice.

Not sure the Democratic party has a persistent ground-game "machine" outside of South Carolina. Decades of right-to-work laws have decimated the labor movement which used to form the core of the ground-game. The GOP played the long game there.

a two minute chat outdoors masked is pretty low risk

One is, but a hundred a day? When only some of the people who open their doors to chat with you are going to have masks on?

I get why they don't think it's a good idea to do it.

Osita Nwanevu argues that the left needs to start organizing immediately:

Activists need to devise strategies for shaping the policymaking process in the interim, as bleak as things seem—to plan not only for the next two to four years, but the next two to four months. It should be obvious by now that direct action, on a scale and at a pitch this country hasn’t seen in half a century, will be absolutely critical. Climate, health care, inequality, immigration, policing, reproductive freedom, the American war machine, labor rights, our civil and democratic rights, the power and perversity of the Republican Party as an institution: Each of these issues should be met with a wave of organizing inspired by our remarkable past decade in mass protest, which culminated dramatically with the demonstrations against the killing of George Floyd earlier this year.

today i have come to terms with the fact that i do not, at core, believe in the democratic party or its platform. i'm going to register with the dsa instead as soon as i can pony up $45.

Osita otm as usual

good for you map!

osita nwanevu is always otm

yeah, i’m out. I made good on my promise to vote for Joe if GA proved to be a swing state, and I’m going to be canvassing w my friend Jessica for the special election but that’s it. last election I support any candidate at the federal level who doesn't loudly and unequivocally support Medicare For All, GND, $15 min wage, etc.

same as it ever was

https://www.ebb-magazine.com/essays/the-false-hope-of-a-biden-presidency

it’s completely opaque what the “democratic party” even means because, on paper, it means the Democratic National Committee, which is a relatively inept and toothless organization

then there’s the DCCC and DSCC that work with house and senate campaigns, and the DLCC which theoretically helps with state legislature races, and so on until you get to the state parties. they all coordinate to some degree, but with differing goals and very questionable outcomes

living in a state without the critical mass to have an effective state democratic party means it’s just a shitshow of coordinating with whoever is in charge. cynically, I think the only way things are going to work well is to boost the influence of national politicians who have a strong shared platform, whether it be those the Justice Democrats PAC has endorsed or others, and try to stir up a solid base

again, regrets about the Obama campaign apparatus just falling to the side after 2008/2012 and his complete lack of guidance when he was the de facto head of the DNC that led it to be just a shambles

in the uk you can actually join a political party. you pay dues. you can then attend interminable local ward meetings in church basements to debate eligibility for treasurer.

Democratic Party is any faction, bloc, and influence not identifying as GOP. It's the only coalition party.

Accordingly, The Guardian has already called on Biden to ‘reassert America’s role as the global problem-solver’ because under Trump ‘the “indispensable nation” disappeared when it was needed most.’

Pretty sure the Guardian meant climate change and fighting the virus.

not feeling optimistic about Biden’s plans to address climate change here :(

Frack Em In The Leg Biden I call him

Biden needs to change his climate and energy plans so that none of it applies in West Virginia, maybe Manchin will get on board

You kid, but I've seen it pretty convincingly argued that the old-fashioned system of "I will do something very nice for your state in exchange for you vote," while in its way kinda corrupt, also helped the federal government move forward on pressing problems even when no one party controlled all three branches, because there were individual incentives for lawmakers that cut against naked partisan warfare

I wasn't really kidding!

Buying off Manchin would be absolutely necessary, one way or the other. Unfortunately the other likely obstruction (Sinema) seems to more ideological and less craven than Joe M.

'Pork barrel spending'/deficit hawk shit undermined that system - the government spending $40mn dollars on a dam in wherever looks like a boondoggle from afar but up close it's jobs and improvements that people can see and touch courtesy of the government. It was overpriced but screw the deficit.

Perhaps huge and targeted "opportunity zone" business tax incentives and retraining/education credits for states adversely affected by the inevitable death of coal could turn Manchin.

DOUG JONES pic.twitter.com/Fg4KFgjGzp

— Cooper Boyar (@cooperboyar) November 10, 2020

Everyone says his name like MIKE JONES right?

who?

yes xp

A reply to that Richard Cooke thread:

Here's Collin Peterson's (30-year incumbent of MN-7, who lost this cycle) online "ground game": a Twitter account that's been moribund since 2018, and a Facebook account that didn't even make a single GOTV post. pic.twitter.com/6u1iIzJhyQ

— Colin McMillen, Ph.D. (@mcmillen) November 9, 2020

(click through for more)

just gonna leave this here:

NO, DEFUND THE POLICE AND MEDICARE FOR ALL DIDN’T LEAD TO DEMOCRATIC LOSSES IN THE HOUSE

Peterson repped the area where my wife grew up and her mother still lives, dude is a DiNO through and through according to them.

yeah I don't think he's a good example, it's impressive that he was able to win in 2016 and 2018

He was one of only two House Ds to vote against impeachment, and the other (Jeff Van Drew) promptly switched parties.

the corn vote
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/Crops_County/cr-pr.php

what about it?

outside of a few mid-sized conservative population centers, there are huge house districts that mostly roll on with incumbents for decades with little campaigning and the only main issues are adhering to some sort of vague rural-centric set of social values and making sure the national farm subsidies programs keep going

I think democrats could do well with a rethinking of the subsidies and disaster recovery programs to incentivize small farmers — that is, people who still have family farms and thousands of acres, not the consolidated corporate-owned farms with tens of thousands of acres. But if you look at someone like Steve King, who only got bounced from running for re-election after his inability to shut up about his racist feelings made his DC coworkers unwilling to publicly work with him, then you realize it’s mostly about not rocking the boat and just punching in the correct votes and being a known name.

The democrats have a uphill battle in these districts and *not campaigning* might be how Peterson held on to that position for so long, by not cementing an association with other democrats and reminding people that (D) after his name was supposed to mean something. A lot of people in farm country like to think they’re nonpartisan and are willing to vote for the right guy, and oddly enough, they were voting for Peterson so that kept up the charade. This election cycle, people cared less about that and they decided to vote straight ticket

Yeah, Peterson's loss wasn't due to anything he did or didn't do. It was just a function of increasing polarization, esp. rural/urban. Like, I'd be shocked if Manchin ever gets re-elected again, no matter how much he panders to the right.

Rural/urban polarization seems like the whole story and I haven’t the foggiest notion what rural people want or need or are like really so I hope someone does.

From what I can tell of polling rural voters would like a reactionary New Deal - socially conservative, anti-immigration, better healthcare, rural jobs/infrastructure investment. No idea how you square that circle with a socially progressive party aside from crossing your fingers that economic populism gets them to ignore their deeply ingrained social beliefs.

Will they accept train stations

rural jobs/infrastructure investment. No idea how you square that circle with a socially progressive party

there's tons of stuff that would be a huge help to rural areas, related to infrastructure, upgrading internet access, clean energy, and especially the grid.

no idea what their opposition (or anyone's...) is to the first two, but they can't support clean energy and a smart grid because climate change is a hoax and because they think america's energy future is clearly in extracting more oil and gas

upgrading internet access

it’s called “moving to parler” iirc

The same rural/urban divide occurred before 1932, but it took the Depression and FDR to create a coalition. COVID should've been our moment.

Isn't (deep red) West Texas still the top wind power generator in the country. I dunno, sell clean energy without mentioning climate change, just pure pork.

I'm curious about rural views on immigration. I would think that farm owners would favor it (farm labor). But I don't know how significant a block of voters actual farm owners that employ immigrant labor make up.

no idea what their opposition (or anyone's...) is to the first two, but they can't support clean energy and a smart grid because climate change is a hoax and because they think america's energy future is clearly in extracting more oil and gas

Another thing that can be helpful will be the end of dumb trade tarrifs that hurt the agricultural populations.

Also, I wonder how popular that specific viewpoint of america’s energy future being oil/gas is beyond coal country?