2017 Democratic Thread

[BigSqwert]

Subscribed. I assume you're already subscribed to Pod Save America.

No but I'll check it out.

[Balta1701]

I hate this "purity" idea that a candidate has to have a perfect, sparkling record of liberalism or progressivism to get my vote. Elizabeth Warren has been a pretty effective legislator with respect to progressive principals over the last several years. Voting to confirm Ben Carson (who is going to be confirmed in any event) does not undo that.

 

Vox had a good read on this point. http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/201...rown-carson-hud

Ben Carson is as unqualified as any HHS director we've had. He showed no insight into the department or actual housing policy, he had no plan for the department. By any reasonable standard these should be disqualifying statements. Vote that way.

 

You may not like the "purity" idea. Deep down I don't either. But you know what just won the 2016 election? A party that purged itself of anyone who wouldn't toe the party line for 8 years. It worked. I cannot argue with the record of success that the Republican Party has with absolute opposition. They paid zero price for it and were instead rewarded with virtually everything they wanted.

 

Don't hedge on how it could be worse or how you were trying to influence things positively. We have seen how that works.

[caulfield12]

Here's the problem.

 

What are the odds that he global/foreign policy in 2-4 years from now is even more muddled?

 

It's not anything specifically about Warren, Booker or even Sanders. Other than Bernie, pragmatism is sometimes necessary. Internal conflicts are often resolved on the side of holding onto power. Profiles in Courage...or Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, just not reality anymore.

 

At some point, you have to stake a position and hold it. Obama did that on being against the war from the very beginning, and it became part of his brand. It could just as easily turned against him. It certainly was one of many decisions Hillary Clinton regretted. Yeah, you have to pick your battles, your moments. But it's easy to score points on price gouging in big pharma or criticize big banks. Nobody likes banks...not even most bankers.

 

The one thing that's obvious is that a Democrat with keen insight on the military and foreign policy is going to be increasingly critical. Obama didn't have it, and it turned out to be largely hit and miss. Nobody will be perfect, and you can argue Hillary had all the experience in the world in this area, but she never could articulate her successes and why her policies were best for the country. She never developed a new vision or strategy for world affairs, and the Benghazi debacle cancelled out any of the good she might have accomplished. Hope/change candidates almost always win in the face of the establishment unless the country is at war.

Edited January 26, 2017 by caulfield12

[Steve9347]

No but I'll check it out.

It's fantastic (formerly Keepin' It 1600).

 

Man, was Intercepted fantastic. I love that it doesn't lean either way - how f***ing interesting. Thanks for the recommend.

[jasonxctf]

Went to a county dem meeting last night. Was told that it was record attendance. Had to move the meeting into a bigger space to accommodate. First time going to a meeting like this. Actually came away disappointed. The attendees were in the mood to discuss specific ideas. Moderators wanted no part of it. Kept talking about needing to go to other meetings and pimping some fundraiser dinner. I understand it's a marathon and not a sprint but man we're party leaders tone deaf. No wonder we lose elections.

[caulfield12]

Went to a county dem meeting last night. Was told that it was record attendance. Had to move the meeting into a bigger space to accommodate. First time going to a meeting like this. Actually came away disappointed. The attendees were in the mood to discuss specific ideas. Moderators wanted no part of it. Kept talking about needing to go to other meetings and pimping some fundraiser dinner. I understand it's a marathon and not a sprint but man we're party leaders tone deaf. No wonder we lose elections.

 

Direct action/doing something to feel you're actually making a difference >>> raising money you're not even sure will be spent wisely.

 

That's why Bernie Sanders kept his donor list away from the DNC for so long. For that very reason.

[BigSqwert]

It's fantastic (formerly Keepin' It 1600).

 

Man, was Intercepted fantastic. I love that it doesn't lean either way - how f***ing interesting. Thanks for the recommend.

Not sure if you follow the guys behind The Intercept website like Scahill and Glenn Greenwald. They're definitely progressive but will not hesitate to call out bulls*** by the Dem establishment, including Obama.

Edited January 26, 2017 by BigSqwert

[caulfield12]

https://www.yahoo.com/music/madonna-banned-...-162615818.html

 

Seems like just yesterday the Dixie Chicks were in the eye of the hurricane...now back to targeting singers for being anti-patriotic, aka Anti-Trump.

[jasonxctf]

Direct action/doing something to feel you're actually making a difference >>> raising money you're not even sure will be spent wisely.

 

That's why Bernie Sanders kept his donor list away from the DNC for so long. For that very reason.

 

It's a shame. I've got some good ideas and I hope I'll get a chance to share them. Can't keep running the same plays from the 80's/90's and expect them to work today.

[Reddy]

Elizabeth Warren re: Carson --

 

OK, let’s talk about Dr. Ben Carson.

 

Yes, I have serious, deep, profound concerns about Dr. Carson’s inexperience to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Yes, I adamantly disagree with many of the outrageous things that Dr. Carson said during his presidential campaign. Yes, he is not the nominee I wanted.

 

But “the nominee I wanted” is not the test.

 

Millions of American families depend on HUD programs, including tens of thousands of families in Massachusetts. For many of them, HUD assistance is the difference between a safe, stable home and life on the street. As someone who has spent a lot of time working on housing policy in this country, my focus is on helping these families – and the countless others who could benefit from a stronger agency.

 

During the nomination process, I sent Dr. Carson a nine-page letter with detailed questions on a whole range of issues: Section 8 housing assistance; lead exposure in public housing; programs to prevent and end homelessness; programs to help victims of domestic violence; fighting housing discrimination; HUD’s role in preparing for and recovering from natural disasters; and, more broadly, the standards he will use for managing the department, including the steps he will take to protect the rights of LGBT Americans.

 

Dr. Carson’s answers weren’t perfect. But at his hearing, he committed to track and report on conflicts of interest at the agency. In his written responses to me, he made good, detailed promises, on everything from protecting anti-homelessness programs to enforcing fair housing laws. Promises that – if they’re honored – would help a lot of working families.

 

Can we count on Dr. Carson to keep those promises? I don’t know. People are right to be skeptical; I am. But a man who makes written promises gives us a toehold on accountability. If President Trump goes to his second choice, I don’t think we will get another HUD nominee who will even make these promises – much less follow through on them.

 

If Dr. Carson doesn’t follow through on his commitments, I will be the very first person he hears from – loudly and clearly and frequently. I didn’t hesitate to criticize past HUD Secretaries when they fell short, and I won’t hesitate with Dr. Carson – not for one minute.

 

I understand that some people might have made the call differently. I appreciate your making your thoughts heard. Unlike the new Administration, I don’t believe in ignoring or silencing people who disagree with the choices I make or the votes I take.

 

We’ve got a lot of nominees to consider, and a lot of places where we need to turn up the heat under the Senate Republicans. (Yes, Betsy DeVos, I’m looking at you. And Pruitt, Mnuchin, Puzder, Price, Tillerson – it’s a long list.) Either way, we need all of us in this fight. Your voices are powerfully important, and I hope you’ll keep speaking up for what you believe in.

 

Yeah. Pragmatism. It's a thing. She has my unwavering support.

[Steve9347]

I think Carson is the least of our worries.

[StrangeSox]

Wrote emails to Durbin and Duckworth this morning, will call their offices when I get back to Chicago

[StrangeSox]

Cross posting, but start now and start local.

 

https://www.indivisibleguide.com/local-acti...-action-groups/

[StrangeSox]

I

 

http://laist.com/2017/01/25/death_valley_n..._park_joins.php

[Reddy]

Contact info and scripts for calling your representatives. This site is the best:

 

https://5calls.org/#

Edited January 26, 2017 by Reddy

[DrunkBomber]

You guys having fun yet? Its nice having a President who follows through on campaign promises. First in my lifetime!

[Soxbadger]

You guys having fun yet? Its nice having a President who follows through on campaign promises. First in my lifetime!

 

Im always having fun, thanks for asking.

[BigSqwert]

You guys having fun yet? Its nice having a President who follows through on campaign promises. First in my lifetime!

 

Must be exhilarating for you to have racist campaign promises coming to fruition.

[Soxbadger]

Must be exhilarating for you to have racist campaign promises coming to fruition.

 

This line isnt going to work, it didnt work before the election, its not going to work now. If you really want to get rid of Trump, you need to stop feeding into exactly what he wants. Focus on his failures, and yes, it will take time and patience for those failures to happen. I mean its just like the his Taj Mahal casino. It didnt file for bankrupcty in the first month, it took a year.

[Steve9347]

Contact info and scripts for calling your representatives. This site is the best:

 

https://5calls.org/#

Dick Durbin's line says leave a message and then hangs up on me. Every f***ing time.

[StrangeSox]

This line isnt going to work, it didnt work before the election, its not going to work now. If you really want to get rid of Trump, you need to stop feeding into exactly what he wants. Focus on his failures, and yes, it will take time and patience for those failures to happen. I mean its just like the his Taj Mahal casino. It didnt file for bankrupcty in the first month, it took a year.

 

I don't think anything will persuade the people who are cheering on this first disastrous week, to be honest.

 

And besides, I thought "telling it like it is" was supposed to be a good thing these days? If this is what someone is cheering on, then they've got some pretty repugnant views.

 

[illinilaw08]

I don't know about "nice" as the way I'd describe it as I probably agree with less of the policy than I disagree with but this is something. After Bush and Obama, it's amazing that a President is doing what he campaigned on. GWB and BO basically did the opposite of what they ran on. Simply put, whether you like the guy or you've been throwing a pity party since last week, Trump is doing what he said he would do. Between that and Trump empowering women by having the first successful, woman-ran presidential campaign, Trump is one of in DC so far. We'll see on the policy, but it's nice to see he isn't a liar saying anything to get elected only to be beholden to special interests once elected.

 

Trump is following through on some of his campaign promises, but he has objectively been lying every time he has an opportunity to open his mouth (attendance at his inauguration, 3-5 million illegal voters).

 

Also, he really, really hasn't "Drained the Swamp," appointing career politicians, affluent donors, and Goldman Sachs veterans to his cabinet. So he has followed through on some campaign promises, but let's not say that Trump hasn't lied or backed off on campaign promises in his first days in office.

[StrangeSox]

It's also not "nice" to follow through on campaign promises that are routed in prejudice, ignorance and stupidity.

 

And seriously, the idea that trump is somehow trustworthy and hasn't been influenced by big donors is just absurd and requires someone to have basically ignored everything about Trump and his appointments so far.

[Reddy]

raBBit just said Trump's campaign empowered women.

 

That's a thing that was said.

[bmags]

If you were around for 2008, the biggest campaign discussions were around health care reform, winding down Iraq/Afghanistan wars, OBL and expiring the bush tax cuts eventually the economy died and that became the thing, . All of that happened.

 

The two big things that didn't were guantanimo and immigration reform - and even then you had dream act. You had a whole bunch of stuff passed under the Pelosi house of 08-10 that never got past senate while it was backlogged on healthcare reform.

 

The US is paying for a wall, not Mexico. He already broke a core promise.