The next election cannot primarily be Democrat vs Republican...

[kentuck]

Because if it is, Democrats rank lower in the polls than Donald Trump. Trump and the Republican propaganda machine have effectively and successfully torn down the Democratic Party name. We cannot expect the Party to become "popular" before the next election. That is not rational.

What is it really about?

It is about constitutional government and the rule of law vs authoritarianism and tyranny. That is the battleground on which we must fight. That is how we must define this battle. We have to be the Party that preserves our Constitution and fights for the prize much bigger than a political Party.

The divide and conquer strategy has been very effective for them. We do not have the luxury of fighting on their ground by their rules any longer. The stakes could not be any higher.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. I sure hope people are preparing for the likelihood

That the election will be interfered with by military and National Guard presence anywhere and everywhere Democrats vote. That we certainly are not counting on the election.

And if people are still not willing to vote for a Democrat to get rid of fascism, then none of this other stuff matters.

Campaign and vote and do all of that at the same time what do we do when it’s almost certain that he will use armed forces against us?

[kentuck]

3. The latest I have heard is that Trump is going after "mail in voting"...

He said, Putin told him that was the best way to rig an election. I guess he didn't tell him that Putin supported "mail in" voting in Russia??

Once again, he is planting the seeds of doubt in our electoral process.

[Eliot Rosewater]

7. Well overnight that means every red state will eliminate Mail in voting

But only in the districts where Democrats vote heavily. We can expect that to happen instantly. 😡

[EdmondDantes_]

2. That didn't work in 2024

It's even less likely to work in the next elections. Because once you've said the world is going to come to an end if x happens and it doesn't, people are less likely to believe you the next time.

[kentuck]

5. People are seeing armed and masked agents drag people from cars and beat them into submission...

...and I would point out, we did not have that before the last election. My only point is to not make Democrat vs Republican the primary reason to vote. Just my opinion.

[Eliot Rosewater]

8. Wait is the person you're responding to alleging that

Your comments and maybe mine and others about how bad things are is ridiculous because the world isn’t coming to an end?

Where in the fuck am I?

[EdmondDantes_]

22. We had the Muslim bans, January 6th, etc

The national guard and ICE stuff sucks, but is still limited. We have historically won on appealing to hope, not doom and gloom. Bill Clinton the man from hope. Obama hope and change. JFK's campaign song was High Hopes and he was all about the new frontier. FDR the New Deal. Biden Build Back Better.

Harris on the other hand was not going back, Hillary Clinton I'm with her. Kerry let America be America again from a poem talking about how America has always been a country of division. Nothing aspiring to our best and positive change.

On the other hand, how many people here complain about getting constant sky is falling campaign donation emails? I stopped opening Red Cross emails because every time was an urgent crisis to donate blood.

Harris using your same approach didn't work after everything we know about Trump. She brought in Republicans to make the end of democracy point and lost. Is it different next time? Maybe, but history suggests that doesn't work on people likely to vote Democratic.

There's also that in terms of psychology hope is more likely to lead to lasting positive change. If you screw up on your diet telling yourself that you suck doesn't help. If you say I made a mistake but I have things to work for, which is more likely to get you back to making healthier choices? I'm a type 2; diabetic, when I have a bad day blood sugar, stressing about it makes the next day worse. On the other hand, if I eat better, drink water, meditate, my blood sugar is better.

[kentuck]

23. I respect your opinion...

...but what could be more "hopeful" than saving our Constitution at this time. Or we could pretend that it is not under threat? We have to be straight with the people of this country. Our liberty and freedom depends on it. Our "hope" is that the American people will choose constitutional democracy over the tyranny they are now witnessing.

[Oopsie Daisy]

4. Oh good grief. "Democrats rank lower than Donald Trump" ... yeah, let's all spread that around!

>> Trump and the Republican propaganda machine have effectively and successfully torn down the Democratic Party name.
Actually, it's not just the "Republican propaganda machine" that continues to spread the lies that "both parties are the same" along with the lie that "Democrats are cowards and have no backbone" or the lie that "Democrats are corrupt" etc etc. That shit was really amplified with the "leave it blank" and the "undecided" campaigns.

Actually, the only thing that's "not rational" is the premise that this is entirely the work of the GOP, when the treachery and betrayal and LIES of others is ignored (or in many cases, amplified and spread.)

>> The divide and conquer strategy has been very effective for them.
It's been very effective for disaffected and resentful folks who promote third party voting or who (in spite of their declared allegiances and registrations) refuse to endorse, campaign for, or even vote for our party's nominee/s.

This is just, yet another, post among many that take delight in shitting on Democrats and the Democratic party by portraying us as "worse than the GOP" or "more hated than the GOP" and promoting the false idea that "Democrats are incompetent" and that we're "not rational and don't know what we're doing".

Please. Stop. This serves no good purpose.

[kentuck]

6. Keep doing the same thing you have been doing but expect different results?

The definition of insanity.

[Oopsie Daisy]

16. You mean like shitting on Democrats? Or spreading lies Democrats are corrupt or that both parties are the same??

Yes... I agree. That is totally insane and only serves to benefit the GOP.

Why do it? It doesn't produce "different results"... it only hurts and divides. It makes voters stay away from the Democrats... so WHY KEEP SHITTING ON DEMOCRATS??

Please. Stop.

[kentuck]

17. Nobody is "shitting" on the Democrats.

We are trying to help the Democrats defeat the "Nazis" that have taken over our streets and our government. There is no "politics" as usual. Wipe that from your mind.

[Oopsie Daisy]

19. Su-u-ure! Ri--i-ght! Promoting the lie that Democrats are more hated than Trump... oh that's SO HELPFUL!! 🙄

Please, just cut it out. There are other ways to help WITHOUT shitting on Democrats. For future reference, whenever someone has a campaign idea or an election strategy, it's better to just offer the idea and/or strategy WITHOUT setting it up by telling lies that denigrate our party. Let's "wipe that" instead, okay?

[kentuck]

24. If you lose an election...

...where your opponent is a 34-time convicted felon who tried to overthrow our government with a coup, then it is hard for me to believe that you are a "popular" political Party. Something needs to be fixed. If your horse cannot beat an old swayback mule, then I don't think you are ready for the Kentucky Derby?

[Oopsie Daisy]

25. Shitting on the Democratic party is NOT the way to convince people to support the Democratic party.

We lost an important swing state because someone thought that shitting on Kamala Harris was the "thing to do" ... by encouraging her constituents and others across the state to vote "Uncommitted".

Comparing Democrats to "swayback mules" is shitting on the party. Stop shitting on Democrats. Stop trying to convince people to NOT vote for Democrats and then blaming the Democrats.

[sheshe2]

28. SHE HAD ONLY 107 DAYS TO CAMPAIGN!

TSF has been 'campaigning' for the last 9 years!

[Oopsie Daisy]

34. And we have a group of folks who are perpetually unhappy with getting 80% of damn-near perfection...

... and because they want primp and preen and get all wrapped up in virtue signaling... they just can't help themselves in CONTINUING to shit on Democrats and the Democratic party. They want to PUNISH and SABOTAGE Democrats and the Democratic party.

Some folks are obvious with their contempt (ie: voting "Green" or trying to start their own "People's Party"... Nina Turner, I'm looking at you) and others try to be more subtle with their constant accusations that someone is corrupt, or that because a janitor at a pharmaceutical company donated to Harris... then the accusations fly that she's "beholden to Big-Pharma" ... bullshit!)

The all-or-nothing crowd or Democratic Party saboteurs and other Third-Party voters seem to be content with NOTHING because they get to continue their nonstop chorus of complaints rather than (ahem) actually making progress and THEN continuing from a new position that's closer to the goalposts than previously. The goal, it seems, is not to actually MAKE PROGRESS (in spite of the moniker) but to display to the world their own credentials of purity.

All I'm trying to say is that for those who choose to intentionally sabotage Democrats... they should remember that the world doesn't revolve around them, and that the main concerns should be for everyone else... and the most vulnerable among us. Perfection is a nice goal... but in the real world, it's okay to "settle" and to "compromise" as long as we're closer to "perfection" than we were before.

That's all. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? I don't know why these simple ideas and concepts make people so angry sometimes. It's... weird.

[sheshe2]

35. Well said.

And then there are the calls to primary Jefferies and Booker because they declined to endorse a mayoral seat. Booker was praised for his 25 hour floor speech and now vilified.

I am a Democrat and support Democrats, always have and always will.

[maxrandb]

30. Just a slight modification to your excellent post

- "Trump and the Republican propaganda machine have effectively and successfully torn down the Democratic Party name."

They don't need their propaganda machine, because some fucking "so-called" Dem voters will do a good frickin job of tearing it down for us.

Had a good conversation with a friend of mine. It basically centered around a common "norm" in today's American politics.

- If a MAGAt dipshit voter has one fucking nano-cell of racism, fascism, misogyny, hatred and white supremacy in their fucked-up soul, they will vote for the Retrumplican ticket...hell, in most cases, they'd also gladly send their underage daughters to "model" for the orange fuckstick.

- If a Democratic and progressive voter can get 80% of what they want, they'll vote for some 3RD party loser, or stay home, BECAUSE THEY THINK 80% isn't "good enough" to have...hell, in most cases, they'd also encourage EVERYONE they know to do the same.

How many people are going to get murdered in the fucking streets of America, because 80% of progress isn't good enough?

[betsuni]

36. I saw a strongly worded email from a Both Sides leader yet again blaming Democrats for Trump.

"As our major institutions collapse, the Democratic leadership offers nothing more than tinkering around the edges and defending the status quo," that despite his policies, "Donald Trump has become the agent of 'change.'" Then the long list of American problems the Democratic Party has always had policies and goals for, but in this imaginary world Democrats think these goals are too radical, are terrified of them, have no idea that economic inequality exists, pal around with oligarchs who bribe them and they have to do everything they say and be immoral and corrupt forever and ever.

Then the part where the majority of Americans agree with the policies and goals of the strongly worded email author (when you have the same goals but need to crate division and hate, attack Democrat's character, lie), including "many of the working people who have fled the Democratic Party for Trump because he promised to bring massive change." Left and Right populists will join together against the 1%. No mention of voting for Democrats.The people will rally. That is the political revolution.

Uh, what's the message here? What's the point?

[Oopsie Daisy]

37. Saboteurs never accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions (or in-actions).

I remember the wife of a prominent liberal politician publicly proclaiming that "it doesn't matter who you vote for as long as you vote" (this was, of course, to provide cover for individuals who voted for Stein. --- It was DISGUSTING! Did she ever take responsibility? Did she ever apologize? No and No. --- But she has deleted the tweet, I believe.

Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! (even though folks like that have no shame!)

[Ping Tung]

9. The Democrats should play to their strengths on issues.

The environment, jobs, the economy, peace, foreign policy, allies, health care, abortion rights, human rights, political integrity, compassion, tolerance, just plain human decency.

These are all wining points. Stop apologizing for them to win the MAGa votes. Start appealing to the decency of most people.

[JI7]

10. People that vote on issues like this already vote democratic

There are people that vote based on their resentments.

People didn't vote for Trump becsuse they thought he was great on human rights. They voted for him because they looked forward to seeing him hurt people they hate.

[Ping Tung]

11. You have to appeal to those who don't vote or don't vote for the brand just because it's the brand.

The independents, the mixed bag citizens, the non-voters. The middle.

[JI7]

13. Those issues are already associated with democrats and people that care for those things

already do vote democratic.

Those that didn't do not care for those issues.

[Ping Tung]

20. My solution is to brag about their achievements. Yours?

[betsuni]

33. Then they're scolded like Biden was, "It's not good enough for him to rest on his laurels."

When Democrats talk of their achievements they're scolded for thinking they've done enough when they think no such thing. That's what happens when incrementalism and compromise (the way government works) is demonized and people told an all-or-nothing revolution is the only way to make change (purity test).

[leftstreet]

12. Yet they didn't turn out for Harris

You're absolutely right, they already vote that way. Until 6+million of them didn't

Were the policies not enough? Too weak? The wrong ones?

Who knows

[JI7]

14. The 2020 Biden voters included some misogynists

that would not vote for a woman to be President. It also included many people that voted based on Trump's failure in dealing with covid.

Without Covid they might have just not voted. Remember there were also lockdowns so many people were at home.

[leftstreet]

15. No, I said Harris

The 2024 election

[JI7]

18. I know, but you mentioned the ones that didn't vote

and i was mentioning why they voted for Biden in 2020 but not for her in )2024.

[leftstreet]

21. Oh, duh

my bad !

[senseandsensibility]

26. I think the main reason the Dems score low on popularity

(and the R's aren't much higher) is because their own voters are disatified with their response to trump. Unlike R's they do not follow a party leader blindly. So when almost all R's dislike the Dem party and a big majority of D's do as well for completely different reasons, you're going to get bad numbers. What it doesn't mean is that Dems will vote Republican. It means that if Dems fight harder (and they are) we will win back the disgruntled Dems who are lowering these numbers.

On a completely different note, glad to see you back and posting, kentuck!

[Wiz Imp]

27. Democrats lead in Generic Congressional vote polls.

They are in significantly better shape polling wise than the party opposing the President has typically been at in the midterm elections.

https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/democrats-lead-house-generic-ballot

Democrats ahead of normal midterm position, lag 2018

At 43%, support for Republicans is down nearly 5 percentage points from the start of the year. Democrats have increased their support by two points, from 43% on President Donald Trump's first day in office to just over 45% now.

Currently, Democrats lag behind their position at this point in the 2018 and 2006 midterm elections. But they are outperforming where the average “out-party” — the major party that is not in control of the White House — has been at this point in the cycle over the last 5 midterms.

From 2006 to 2022, the out-party was, on average, tied in the generic ballot in late July of the year before the midterm. Then, on average, that party gained 6 points in generic ballot polls over the following 16 months:

2022: Out-party: -4 (won by +3)

2018: Out-party: +6 (won by +8)

2014: Out-party: -3 (won by +6)

2010: Out-party: -4 (won by +7)

2006: Out-party: +5 (won by +8)

Average: Out-party: +0 (won by 6)

Today: Out-party: +2.3

To get a rough idea of what Democrats need to win the U.S. House next year, I have simulated several thousand alternative 2024 election outcomes based on two variables: (a) how many seats Republicans in Texas manage to gerrymander away from Democrats, and (b) the size of the Democratic share of the national House popular vote next November. Under the current map, a 2.5-point win translates to a 5-point swing since last November, and Democrats winning 222 House seats. At 8 points — the size of the 2018 "blue wave", Democrats would win 237 seats.

Some recent generic ballot polls:

Quantus Insights 8/11 - 8/13 45 42 Democrats +3
Economist/YouGov 8/1 - 8/4 44 38 Democrats +6
CNBC 7/29 - 8/3 49 44 Democrats +5
Yahoo News 7/24 - 7/28 46 39 Democrats +7

[LeftInTX]

32. Thanks for this!

Voters are fickle and I figured they would come around.

[GoodRaisin]

29. There needs to be a loud, clear message on making America affordable again.

Economics will play heavily on the next election, remembering that Trump broke his promise to bring down prices.

[betsuni]

31. Punch Down Blame Democrats Party! Punch down from the Right, punch down from the Left.

Politics has turned into a uniquely American identity lifestyle religion-like ignorance war.

The Democratic Party is a normal political party, members normal human beings trying the best they can to improve American lives. Trying to pass legislation and govern while everyone else is off having emotional melt-downs about the fictional cartoon villain Democratic Party they've created.

Used to be that occasionally an entertainer was elected to office and then have to learn to be serious, now everybody elected to office has to lean to be entertainers.

[Emile]

38. K & R