To my fellow Democrats, it's time to get our act together. This cannot be overstated. The Constitution and the government of, by and for the people that was established after ratification in 1788 is in danger of being destroyed by a political faction that has kidnapped and subverted the larger part of one of our major political parties. George Washington warned us of the danger of partisan politics in his farewell address, something which most Americans have since ignored.
But the danger has already presented itself. It has built a following based on ignorance, selfishness, fear and bigotry, and it has succeeded in finding the weaknesses in a system built on a foundation of guaranteed individual rights and purely democratic values. In fact, some of the safeguards put in place by the founders, originally for the protection of the constitutional democracy from becoming an imperialistic monarchy have played a role in their own weakening, and we can only hope that the creeping fascism now aimed at destroying our constitution and the liberties it guarantees has been caught in time, put in check and will be stopped before it can do further damage.
I'm just a grass roots Democrat. I volunteer to help out, I contribute as much as is possible for me to do on my income, and I spend some time writing pieces for The Signal Press, with the hope of contributing to party unity and party victories in elections, encouraging the 2,500 or so readers who visit here each month and offer back their encouragement. So what I'm offering here is heartfelt conviction. I am well educated, deeply involved in politics, know what is going on and desire to see our political party come to its largest majorities in the House and Senate, because I know that when we are in charge, the people benefit from it, and it's what's best for our country in terms of preserving and protecting the rights which the constitution guarantee to every individual, as well as keeping the country strong in the face of its enemies.
The goal is to win across the board in November. It's to win as many elections as we possibly can, from the Presidency on down.
We're Not a Party "In Disarray"
It's heartwarming to see the disarray going on in the House of Representatives on the other side of the aisle. With the slimmest of majorities, under a Democratic President, the GOP can't hold it together. They have no leadership ability, they have sabotaged their ability to govern with their inability and their prejudices. Democrats need to cash in this gift of political capital in every way.
That means our party leadership needs to tighten things up and work with everyone to unify the party. I sympathize with most of the causes that get reactions, draw attention and start protests. But the people who do this need to keep from elevating the importance of their cause over the importance of all other causes. Anyone who comes from a progressive viewpoint, regardless of where it falls on the spectrum needs to understand one basic truth.
Their cause is dead if Trump wins.
Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib has passionately taken up the cause of the Palestinian people of Gaza. I respect her position, and as an American and a Democrat, she has every right to publicly protest, hold her position and influence the government in her direction. But, she is where she is because of the Democratic party, and she is part of it. She needs to understand there's a way to go about protesting without rupturing the unity of the party. To me, it seems that the Democratic party leadership in the House needs to get a handle on this. It does not seem to me that she understands the manner in which she is making her protest will not change government policy. And if her protest causes Biden to lose the election, then that's a fatal blow to her support of the Palestinians, and to anything else she hopes to accomplish as a member of Congress.
Encouraging Democratic primary voters to cast an "uncommitted" primary ballot is, frankly, going way too far to make her point. That's not the way this party handles its internal differences of opinion, and it will be counterproductive to any negotiating strength the Biden administration has with the Israeli government to bring about a solution, especially one that would satisfy her and her supporters. The fact is that Tlaib and pro-Palestinian progressives in the Democratic party need the support of the leadership. They need to do a better job of handling this if they want to have an impact and influence on the administration on behalf of their cause. They can't elevate the value of their single issue over the whole party agenda, any more than the party should minimize theirs. This needs to work.
Let's Show the Country How a Real Political Party Should Work
Though we have two major political parties in this country, only one is still functioning as a political party, believing in principles of negotiation, compromise and mutual benefit of the American people. The GOP has adopted a "winner take all" perspective, a selfish, "our way or the highway" approach that has led us to this point, where the whole idea of constitutional democracy is in danger, because they no longer understand cooperation for mutual benefit, and they don't want to.
Individual rights can be provided without interfering with someone else's individual rights. I'd like to see the Democrats who are further to the left work to incorporate issues and interests from those who feel they are outside the margins, and will vote for someone like Jill Stein. While Stein may align with their views, other than express them, she is powerless to do anything about it. She stands zero chance of being elected. But there is a chance that she could draw enough votes away from Joe Biden to hand the election to Trump, just like she did in 2016. And just like Rashida Tlaib, the chance of her supporters in the Green Party having any voice in government at all after that is less than her chance of winning the presidency. Zero.
Frankly, I have a difficult time understanding the point of the Green Party. Most of their agenda is also included in the Democratic party's agenda. They're more intense and extreme in some areas, which is neither an insoluble problem for resolving with Democratic leadership, and could be an advantage in helping get some things done. The fact that a group of seemingly well-informed, well-educated voters on the left side of the Democratic party don't see themselves as a possible contributor to the loss of an election that dooms their own causes is a bit troubling, though, as is Stein and some of her politics, including her fascination with, and admiration of Vladimir Putin.
So how about the Democrats developing a platform and a narrative that welcomes the groups on the left, including the Green Party, and neutralizes the threat of an electoral college disaster in swing states. It's not that we're ever going to get any votes by appeasing conservatives anyway. Trump is alienating a good segment of his own party who will, at the very least, stay home on election day. We might as well go after the liberals with whom we're comfortable and who will actually vote for us at the end of the day when they're included and respected.
"Time to Fight Dirty"
Rachel Bitecofer's Tough Love Lesson for Democrats
When Democrats go off the rails in political campaigns, its because they lose control of the narrative. We tend to be policy wonks, while Republicans beat the drum of a social agenda based on false information and run on personality. But Democrats have, for the most part, had some pretty clear sailing through political waters since the 2018 election, especially when we've been able to communicate our message.
"Shape the electorate and meet voters where they are." Rachel Bitecofer, who has been spot on as a political analyst in this century, points to the strategy that has brought Democrats through unprecedented political wins over the past six years, based on controlling the narrative. She suggests turning Republican political strategy around, and using it against them. And when Democrats have followed her advice, they win.
I'd suggest our party leadership take a close look at her new book, "Hit 'em Where it Hurts," and follow her advice which has worked. Democratic party policy, as far as it benefits the people, is always a winner. But the problem is that politics is no longer a debate over the finer points of policy. With most of the political debate controlled by very biased, right wing media sources, and the think-tank institutions and their donors who support it, the Republican side of politics simply attacks candidates and focuses on the negative.
There are some issues which Republicans have gift-wrapped and given to Democrats to use against them in full scale attacks. Bitecofer points out two that have given Democratic candidates in swing states considerable traction, enough to win elections. In Arizona, for example, Adrian Fontes ran for Secretary of State against Mark Finchem, an actual participant in the Trump Insurrection, making that the central issue of his campaign, and won by a bigger margin than the other Democrats running for statewide office. In Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer focused her attacks on Tudor Dixon's extremism with the unpopularity of the Dobbs decision, and also won big. Rafael Warnock ran directly against a high profile Trump endorsee, and won re-election to a senate seat for the second time in just two years, also in a swing state.
Democrats, in each of those examples, controlled the narrative. And they won in swing states carried by Biden just two years before, by even larger margins. From someone who really has a knack for getting the political predictions right, unlike most pollsters, this is the advice we need to take to a big win in 2024.
I'm an Optimist, but I'm Also a Realist
So maybe a small, amateur blogger, who does his part to help Democrats win, has something worthwhile to say after all. We're going to win in November, because a majority of Americans are well informed enough to know what's at stake. We're going to win because our party candidates and strategists are smart enough to figure out how to get the message across to convince voters. And hopefully, our leadership, which includes those in the Biden Administration and in Congress, are willing to work to keep petty bickering in check and focus on what is the real danger.
And we'll all be voting for Joe Biden, who will be the only candidate running whose election will prevent America from falling into a totalitarian abyss.
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