General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDoes the Democratic Party want to survive?
People have always surrounded themselves by those that they agree with. Echo chambers if you will. The rise of social media and the recognition of the power it has to affect public opinion was on show this election cycle. Yet the reason why it works, the actual problem is racism and misogyny. Men of all racial and ethnic backgrounds by and large still do not trust women with power. White women still do not trust Black women with power. 43% of women who voted voted for Trump. 55% of men. It's no surprise that Trump HEAVILY used racist dog whistles and allusions to historical Nazi language, symbolism, and events.
The fact is the "economy" is good. Yet for the average person, who can't afford a house of their own, can't afford college, can't pay medical bills, can't find a job with good benefits, can't see any hope for the future, the economy is NOT doing well. It isn't good for the majority of people. A majority of people feel better about 2015 than they do about 2025, regardless of party.
Donald Trump tapped into that fear. He tapped into the fear of uneducated white men who can't "get a woman", can't get a good job, can't move out of their parents house, who have fallen down the alt-right pipeline that idolizes men like Joe Rogan or Elon Musk. The fact is that the Democratic Party did NOT provide them an alternative vision for the future. As Bernie Sanders had mentioned, the Democratic Party has cozied up to corporations and organizations, including large unions, that don't directly benefit the average voter in their minds today.
So all Trump had to do was make them FEAR things getting worse, take away their hope for the future, and point out that none of the Democratic Party's plans actually solved any of these existential issues. And he did. So many non-political type voters stayed home. Many men of all backgrounds who are working class, middle class or poor, voted for Trump. White women voted for Trump.
The fact is that the American middle class is dead. The core of the Democratic Party does not exist anymore. The message tailored to a group that doesn't exist falls on deaf ears. If they want to solve problems, actually help voters they need to fix the problems that plague the working class today.
They need a clear plan to break up capital groups that purchase and own single homes AND apartment buildings. No business or person should be allowed in America to own more than a dozen properties. All over that limit must be sold off at a rate of no less than 10% per year, every year until they've met that limit. This must also be true for commercial properties. Office space should not be empty while people sleep on the streets.
They need a clear plan to implement single payer universal health care options that cover health, dental, and vision care for Americans.
They need a clear plan to require free voter ID cards be distributed to EVERY American. Voter registration must be automatic at 18.
Present them at the poll. Vote electronically. The voting station will provide you with a receipt with a randomized code not tied to your identity allowing you to see your vote online at any point after the polls close. Make people feel safe that their vote counts, that their voice is heard.
Mandate the solvency of Social Security. Require everyone to pay into Social Security regardless of wealth. Remove the cap. Make it a progressive tax, whereby the wealthy will pay MORE into it than the poor.
Make stock buybacks illegal (again). Companies should have to invest in their employees and infrastructure not enrich themselves.
Simplify the tax code and close tax loopholes that the wealthy use to get out of paying their fair share.
Base funding for public education on the number of students not the property values of the community.
Unforgivingly break up monopolies and non-compete arrangements between companies, including internet providers.
Raise minimum wage to a living wage and set it to increase with the cost of living.
Create a plan to actually address immigration. Legal and otherwise. 44% of farm workers in the US are undocumented. So long as people feel insecure economically this will be a major losing issue for Democrats. It's what Hitler did... Blame the "others" for your every problem. Create a classification for migrant workers whereby if American citizens are not available to employ, that they can LEGALLY be used for a farm season. Stipulate that they must pay taxes and cannot collect welfare, unemployment or other benefits (they already can't but make it clear). Stipulate that they have to pay a tax to be here and that tax will pay for services that may be needed as a result of them being here. Migrant workers should not cost the taxpayer anything. Make that clear. Then the issue no longer hurts Democrats.
Require background checks, insurance, and a license to own a gun. Tether every gun to their owner. Their owner is legally and criminally liable for any action taken with that gun. Expand the concept of gun-free zones. All federal, state, and local govt. owned property, including schools, parks, public buildings, etc. are all gun free zones. The bringing of guns into these zones leads to an immediate loss of that weapon, your license, and suspension of your right to carry for 5 years regardless of if you harmed someone or not. Private business can also follow these guidelines should they choose to.
Ban payday loans, for profit check cashing, and all similar things. No one should be profited off of for being poor or needing money early. Provide a free option like Bernie Sanders suggested at the Post Office.
Mandate that any organization calling themselves a news organization be required to tell the truth. Make them legally liable if they try to manipulate or mislead viewers.
Fix the student loan crisis permanently. Fully fund public college and trade school education through the fulfillment of their degree or certification program. It should not cost you a cent to educate yourself.
And so on.
In short, tldr, the Democratic Party needs to work for the working class. We need to defend against the fearmongering of the right wing. And we need to have clear policies that clearly fix problems. No Band-Aids. No half measures. Fixes.
Missmellyminx
(13 posts)The working class fucked itself
LisaL
(46,417 posts)Democrats are out of power.
Fearless
(18,458 posts)We must start today on local levels, then state, and then federal. We need to get honest people in the right places starting now. In every community.
Politicians work FOR people. To say that the working class failed us is wrong. The political parties failed us. I'd argue that education has failed us.
TwilightZone
(28,707 posts)There's nothing Trump can do to stop them. Check back in 2026.
atreides1
(16,344 posts)Trump is going to get his way, with the help of the courts and the congress!
I'm willing to bet that the Republicans will do away with the filibuster and just require a simple majority vote to pass everything that Trump sends to them!
Trump can do a lot because he holds all of the cards and the Republicans control congress!
The 2026 elections will just be cosplay!
Lovie777
(14,795 posts)Elessar Zappa
(15,658 posts)But as far as requiring the news to tell the truth, I doubt that would support court challenges, even liberal courts. Too many first amendment issues.
Fearless
(18,458 posts)It was the Fairness Doctrine of 1949. Of course it needs to be updated for the media of today. But it is not unconstitutional or illegal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_doctrine
Montauk6
(8,542 posts)I could be wrong.
Fearless
(18,458 posts)Or left wing for that matter. They ebb and flow every day, week, month, and year. The population is always changing and people are always changing their beliefs, sometimes hypocritically but I digress.
I agree that the Electoral College should be removed too. It was a compromise with those with power to maintain that power. Just like the filibuster. Just look at the Abortion vote in Florida. A majority want it codified into law. But it won't be because of an arbitrary rule.
TwilightZone
(28,707 posts)The standard was raised to 60% by voters in 2006.
There is, unsurprisingly since it's Florida, a goofy story behind it, involving pregnant pigs.
https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2024/11/06/florida-60-percent-constitutional-amendments-weed-abortion
Supermajorities are required in 11 states and for specific initiatives in several others.
NH requires a 2/3 vote.
https://ballotpedia.org/Supermajority_requirements_for_ballot_measures
Fearless
(18,458 posts)And that many states require it does not make it right. It's a loose fitting band-aid.
TwilightZone
(28,707 posts)It gives them an inherent advantage.
Fearless
(18,458 posts)Let them be against everything we will stand for. I count on it. Let them stick-in-the-mud themselves into oblivion for all I care.
TwilightZone
(28,707 posts)It was about opposing viewpoints on controversial issues.
It's also been dead since 1987.
Fearless
(18,458 posts)However you are incorrect. It does require the truth to be told in news media. It didn't exist to ensure that lies were told in the media. That would be counterintuitive. It existed to require that the truth was present in news media. You can't, constitutionally, ban them from lying. You can make it legally reprehensible if they do (Dominion is a good example of this). But freedom of speech should not be infringed upon.
An updated version of the Fairness Doctrine is vital to the legitimacy and viability of news media in the 21st Century.
TwilightZone
(28,707 posts)It required stations to cover controversial issues or issues of public interest and do so in a manner reflecting differing viewpoints.
It didn't even require them to be particularly fair in the first place.
A primer on the FD from FAIR:
https://fair.org/extra/the-fairness-doctrine/
slumcamper
(1,710 posts)The party has the policy ideas that, if enacted, would relieve many of the complaints that the non-higher-educated working class expresses. If laws were passed and policies actually enacted--and if we messaged, e.g., took credit--we might reclaim their favor in elections.
Unfortunately, we cling to the filibuster and drag ass (pun intended) in the Senate. Had we shown spine and engaged in policy blitzkrieg on behalf of working families in 2020-2022 when we had a trifecta, we would probably be celebrating tonight instead of facing the Christofascist and billionaire class's Project 2025.
The working middle class is PISSED. Modern-day Goths.
ForgedCrank
(2,127 posts)going to be just fine in the end.
This jackass will surely cause a lot of chaos over 4 years. But remember, most of the Republicans can't stand him either. They poisoned everything he tried to do last time (well, for the most part anyway). They'll do it again. It will bring progress to a halt, no doubt. And he will most certainly make every attempt to behave like a bull in a china shop. But in the end, we will sweep up the glass and move forward, just like we always do.
My only true fear, the only one I consider truly valid, is that of any supreme court justices retiring during his term. That is the poison that can follow us around for decades.
Jspur
(617 posts)you have been stating the last 8 years and unfortunately Bernie Sanders was the only dem that have promoted some of the ideas you have on your list.
I think ultimately the democrats have a crisis moment. This is a turning point for them. This country desperately desperately needs another New Deal type of policy. We are now in a second gilded age like we were 100 years ago. No minor milquetoast policies are going to be able to fix the major problems we have now in this country economically for the majority of people.
The problem with the democrats is they are also controlled by elite donors. To fix these problems would involve taxing their elite donors which they don't want no part of that's why I feel a lot of them secretly are not too down about Trump winning since they know he won't touch their bank accounts. I'm not optimistic the democrats will make the right decision and not listen to these donors when it comes to fixing the problems that need to be fixed.
If the democrats get back in power in '28 and decide to just continue to listen to their donors, then we are done as a country and will morph into fascist state quickly if we haven't already with Trump. There is just going to be no turning back.
This... is exactly right... "This country desperately desperately needs another New Deal type of policy."
The left was successful during that terrible economic time because it catered to the working class. New Deal type policies help voters and will draw voters to the party in this terrible economic time (for average people).
But it can't be half measures. We've seen this recently, trying to hedge your bets to appeal everyone. You end up just appealing to no one.
Nimble_Idea
(2,357 posts)LiberaBlueDem
(1,121 posts)Go Bernie, get it done
LetMyPeopleVote
(154,018 posts)Watch the video below. Tuesday's election loss was not due to a bad campaign but due to the fact that voters had a negative impression of the economy and the wrong track numbers were too high. I do NOT think that based on the polling discussed that the Democratic Party has to make drastic changes.
I am a numbers geek. While I do blame part of Kamala's defeat on sexism, I heard today a good explanation as to what one of the major reasons for Tuesday's election results on Deadline White House today. President Biden had an approval rating of around 40% and the wrong track numbers were very high. Historically, an incumbent president tends to get the same percentage of vote as their approval ratings. Here Kamala got 7% or so higher vote compared to Joe Biden's approval rating which is a testament to the fact that she ran a great campaign.
Link to tweet
.
Joe Biden did a great job on the economy and prevented a recession. However the public was still upset at the fact that food and other things cost more and they felt bad about the economy. The high percentage of people who believe that the country was on the wrong track also hurt. In effect, Kamala was facing a very high burden to overcome and was unable to overcome the feelings that the country was on the wrong track and the fact voters were upset about the economy.
EdmondDantes_
(2 posts)I would add that in addition to medical, vision, and dental coverage, it should also include mental health coverage.
But the first amendment would have a problem with the mandate news organizations telling the truth. If nothing else how does one define truth and who defines it? Would you feel comfortable with Donald Trump or his lackies define it?
The proposal about property needs clarification. When you say no business should own no more than a dozen properties, does each apartment count as a separate property or each building? Additionally the idea that a company can't own more than a dozen commercial properties would wipe out a lot of major businesses, and would that include overseas properties? AWS alone has 292 data centers. I agree that office space shouldn't be left empty, but I'm not sure that's a good way to go about it. How many stores does Target, or grocery stores have?
But yes overall there is a real need to have clear easily explained solutions and paths towards them.
Blue Full Moon
(959 posts)ibegurpard
(16,845 posts)Whether anyone agrees with them or not without colossal investments in messaging infrastructure.
Not messaging or policy but the means to get that in front of people's eyes where they actually are and through mediums they trust.
Anything else is pissing in the wind until that's fixed.
Docreed2003
(17,718 posts)bucolic_frolic
(46,736 posts)The poor, the weak, the frail. We coalesce and win elections. Then we try to level the playing field with economic populism and create feeder constituencies around that issue. Then the rich and powerful GOP elites get scared as hell and kick us out. Until Republican greed ruins the economic cycle again.
You would think either we'd get it going for a durable ideology of inclusiveness that is popular, OR the GOP would figure out how to spread the wealth. But elites inside both parties prefer to maintain their power, so the system perpetuates.
jfz9580m
(15,342 posts)Environmental issues are working class issues. Protecting the environment is not at odds with an economy that backs the working class. Poor people are most affected by ecological crises the world over. Bread and circuses is a miserable life.
wolfie001
(3,576 posts)These idiots don't understand geopolitics on a 3rd grade level and their anti-LQBTQ is showing. Overall, just counterproductive morons. That's how I see this. Not sure what the answer is but Democracy and Freedom don't appear to be on their agenda at all. "Genocide Joe"? Fuck them. Every one that used that expression.
Freddie
(9,664 posts)Abortion rights would be especially important to working class women who cannot afford a forced pregnancy.
Freddie
(9,664 posts)Like men do.
JohnSJ
(96,326 posts)campaigning on those issues.
Raise the minimum wage. Which party do you think is behind wanting to raise the minimum wage? Hint, it isn't the republicans.
Which candidate wanted to help first time home buyers. Hint it isn't the republicans, and Harris campaigned on it.
Everyone of those issues Democrats are behind, and made no secret about it.
As far as Bernie Sanders goes, he sure didn't help Harris when he went to campaign in Wisconsin, and a little reminder, Barnes was leading by a substantial margin when he ran against Johnson until Sanders came out and campaigned for him. Maybe it was a coincidence, but Barne's lead against Johnson was completely erased after that.
The hard truth is people are going to have to learn their lessons the hard way, that elections have consequences.
Remember Reagan? They pushed how things were "so good" under him.
Reagan was the first president that began to disassemble progressive taxation & safety net systems and advocated for trickle down economics and starve the beast strategies.
It was under Regan where the unions and labor, which supported him by the way, started to unravel. We will see how happy they are with trump, because they think things were so good under him. Of course forgetting his mishandling of the Covid pandemic, and blaming it on others. RFK Jr is going to be a real show stopper on that one.
His economic policies; basically codified the republican trope of "Trickle Down Economics" which meant large tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations and reduced government spending on social programs, benefiting the rich at the expense of the poor and middle class. These policies directly contributed to large budget deficits and the national debt.
It was a shit show, but that is where this all this trouble started, and labor which enthusiastically supported him paid a hard and heavy price for that.
I suspect labor will need to relearn the lessons that they seem to have forgot during the Reagan years with trump all over again.