This is why Trump voters call Democrats far left evil socialists.

[shockey80]

We gave them social security, medicare, medicaid, healthcare (Obamacare), unions, workers rights, minimum wage, 40 hour work week, overtime pay, unemployment insurance. Dam, we are evil.

I wish you could see me in action when I talk to a Trump voter. It is a thing of beauty. They go silent.

[TwilightZone]

1. That assumes they know or understand anything about history.

That would be a poor assumption.

[DemocracyMouse]

24. That's why we need to return to TRADITIONAL Democratic values

To have a humane infrastructure with that beautiful list above.... PLUS a standout public education system.

But one thing Dems can do to help bring confused Republicans on board is this: all that great infrastructure is FOR THE PURPOSE of REAL FREE ENTERPRISE... for small businesses and freelancers to have a fighting chance against large corporations which are getting unfair advantages like massive tax breaks for oil co's, corporate real estate getting 10 year tax abatements to dump corporate housing on poor and middle class neighborhoods, and tax havens and loop holes every which way.

In other words true free enterprise, not socialism for the wealthy. Democrats MUST SAY THIS or get flooded with shrieking accusations of "communism" or "socialism" (and without knowing the difference bettween socialist and democratic socialism).

[qwlauren35]

33. Careful on that one.

Democrats gave us Jim Crow. Democrats made sure that domestic workers and farmers were not eligible for social security because those were the primary jobs of black folks in the 1940's.

Let's face forward, please.

[DemocracyMouse]

37. Good points! I was kinda referring to FDR's New Deal, a more recent tradition

[Farmer-Rick]

57. Democrats also gave us civil rights that the GOP is destroying.

[TheFarseer]

65. I saw on YouTube the other day

A montage of Rightwing talking heads talking derisively about Civil Rights as if it is a given that it was BAD for black people. They truly live in a different world.

[mikeysnot]

59. Conservative rascist DINO's

gave us Jim Crow, then they became Dixiecrats.

[GB_RN]

64. A few did

Like Strom Thurmond. Most held on to being "conservative Democrats" until the 1960s, when the Civil Rights Act was passed, and then Nixon and his "Southern Strategy". Then, they became Republicans. Guys like my old senator, may he rot, Jesse Helms, was one such asshat. The coded, dog whistle shit, which Reagan completely mastered (welfare queen, eg) was explicitly designed to lure in those racist bigots, and turned the Republican Party into the RepubliKlan Party.

[SergeStorms]

36. Or socialism.

They have no idea how much "socialism" touches their lives every day, and how much they depend on it. I'm not saying full blown socialism is the way to go, but it creeps into our lives more than we'd like to admit. Even the stupid Trump clan would be forced into taking stock. Well..............maybe.

[ooky]

2. Making a Trump voter go silent is like taking candy from a baby.

I always start with "how do you know?" and then it's all downhill from there for the Trump voter.

[CentralMass]

3. Great points shockey80 and they are being chipped away at

I think that the party has lost touch with those roots. We are told that change is not possible. That we need maintain the staus quo to win. The interest and well being of the people in this country are not driving policy.
IMO this is why Bernie Sanders is seing such a surge of support. We need to shift the focus of fixing the country to the bottom up instead of from the top down

[KPN]

10. Spot on. Hell, even tRump was a rejection of status quo.

In my view, the surest way to defeat in November is “status quo” real or perceived. We can debate all the causes and whether or not it, or a specific candidate, is in fact “status quo”, but perceptions coupled with past performance are what really matters.

[PETRUS]

4. Capitalism would be a lot less popular in the US...

...if our forebears hadn't been willing to put their lives on the line going up against Pinkertons, police, and the National Guard.

[Laelth]

5. You rock. Here's more truth for you to use in educating the public.

-Laelth

[shockey80]

6. Thank you. I have been a New Deal Democrat my whole life.

I know the truth. I speak the truth. I am not fooled.

[Laelth]

26. Keep fighting the good fight.

I know you will.



-Laelth

[smirkymonkey]

7. +1000

[Laelth]

31. Truman was a REAL Democrat. n/t

-Laelth

[KPN]

12. Bookmarked that. Thx!

[Laelth]

14. You're welcome. n/t

-Laelth

[Wellstone ruled]

17. And Harry made this statement while

Joe McCarthy,Roy Cohn and Richard Nixon as well as the Hearst Newspaper were calling him a Commie.

[moondust]

28. There it is.

Keeping it handy for the coming Republican Red Scare Campaign 2020.

[Laelth]

29. Sweet. Keep fighting the good fight.

-Laelth

[El Mimbreno]

58. Give 'em hell, Harry!

This goes on our local party website!

[Laelth]

60. Excellent! n/t

-Laelth

[Cartoonist]

8. And when they lose all that

They will blame it on the Democrats.

[Laelth]

15. Admittedly, most Americans take liberal government for granted.

Tragic, but true. All we can do is keep fighting the good fight.



-Laelth

[RAB910]

9. They don't need a reason to hate

Trump's entire cult is built on exploiting pathetic loser's hatred and jealousy of various groups of Americans

[Woodycall]

11. The Republican Party...

has been targeting those that fall to the left on the IQ bell curve for 40 years! When you don't know anything to begin with, you're liable to believe anything...

[johnthewoodworker]

13. Racism and hatred are the main motivations for a lot of republicans.

Reason and rhetoric don't go far against those twins.

[Pepsidog]

16. That's the approach I take with the ignorant Trumpers. Show them how much they rely on the so-called

socialism they fear so much.

[certainot]

18. i hope you preface your responses with: "Well, that's what came out of limbaugh's ass, but...."

or the less provocative but applicable to all republican lies and misconceptions "Well that's what Limbaugh said 1000 times but it's ....." etc

it gets right to the root of the problem the last 30 years - they're all dittoheads now

[NoMoreRepugs]

19. Ran into a MAGA hat wearin fellow dog walker

this afternoon coming in other direction loudly talking to person with him about how young people support Bernie because they want EVERYTHING for FREE. I am not a Bernie supporter but I did have to say with EMPHASIS “Do you really believe that??” - while making sure I got close enough so he could read the ACLU logo on my hat. He mumbled something unintelligible and went in the other direction. Have to say - it felt great to defend someone who for me is a stretch to call a Democrat but still gets some cover from our big tent.

[dchill]

20. Social security and Medicare are hoaxes!

[Kablooie]

21. Yes but they are anxious to lose social security and Medicare.

Until Democrat’s can promise that they will always be hated.

[mpreorder]

22. I really wish I could see you in action...

I struggle when I talk to them (about politics), the intelligence level seems that of a fish sometimes, but these are the folks I play poker with, and politics aside, are pretty nice guys.
I've been reading DU since the Bush years, but haven't really posted much. I've often thought that DU could do better in the sense that there should be a group detailing the talking points, and importantly the way to talk to them that actually work when talking to the right. Instead what floats to the top is, and please forgive me, the hate and the anger. Occasionally there's a story about a republican switching sides that makes it to the front page.

For example, one of the things I've read that seems to work is not challenging their "facts", but asking for the sources so you can see it yourself. On a rare occasion the individual will seek it out to give to you and learn the true or truer story while doing so. If the left can multiply that 100,000x, then do it again, then some real progress will be made.

Take Bernie right now. At the poker table the other night the talk was about how horrible socialism is. I simply said something along the lines of..." there are plenty of aspects of socialism in American today, like the military and social security. But don't believe me, you can google this and check for yourself".. One of the far right admitted he heard something similar. Expose the normal for what it is and describe it in terms of a political system. Most people can't even define what socialism is, they just know it's bad because...fox news.

[Shermann]

27. About those "facts"

The trouble with this approach is you are typically given a weak argument to start with. Then you debunk it. Then another weak argument. Lather, rinse, and repeat. Gullible but fatigued spectators will think all these weak arguments add up to a strong argument and glaze over.

To counter this, I demand the adversary lead with their strongest argument.

[handmade34]

45. good tactic

[not_the_one]

61. excellent post

and a LONG overdue WELCOME to du.

We have let the lies be repeated for so long, without effectively countering them, it almost seems impossible to break through.

Democrats, and the Democratic Party, need to really concentrate on the truth, and getting it out there. EVERYONE supports Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, sick time, 40 hour work week, minimum wage, etc. And they have no idea they are supporting a form of benign socialism.

We need to start with "SOCIETY". Society is ALL of us. The American Society.

Social means, of a community, relating to a society.

In any society there are some who do better, and some who don't do so well. Social safety networks are systems put in place, by the whole society, to help those who aren't doing so well. They tend to be paid for more by those who are doing well, than those who aren't. There may be many who don't NEED them, but they are to help us ALL, the SOCIETY.

Our social safety networks ARE Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, sick time, 40 hour work week, minimum wage, a REALLY LONG LIST of various forms of assistance.

The problem is that when one mentions "socialism" they are thinking the of the actual definition: "social ownership of the means of production and workers' self-management of enterprise, including the political theories and movements associated with such systems". And THAT definition, rightly so, conjures up all sorts of negative connotations. Those against any form of socialism (pitched as the poor living off of the rich) take delight in equating it with communism. Wrongly so, but it works in tainting ANY socialism assistance.

That is in contrast to capitalism, which has become the American holy grail. We KNOW the negatives of that particular economic system. It is the personification of the 1% vs the 99%.

The problem there is that they can't comprehend of a combination of the two, which is what democrats should be promoting.

And we aren't doing a good job of educating the people of the differences.

It IS possible to produce slick, informative ads that people respond to. Look at Bloomberg's ads. Why can't the Democrats do the same? Bernie is going to have to do just that, if he has any hopes of winning.

[randr]

23. Gospel truth

How the American voters do not see these things, which so many take for granted, as what really make America Great!
I suggest we steal Make America Great by announcing at every occasion what it is that makes America Great.
The American workforce and the benefits they have earned and paid for that separate us from the rest of the world.

[vlyons]

25. I don't exist with their labels

nt

[moondust]

30. That's why Republicans have to cheat

and rely on racism, xenophobia, unbridled greed, and other diseases to "win" rigged elections.

[jimlup]

32. And this is why we should run Bernie Sanders

We're going to get called communists anyway so why not go all in? This is a joke... but seriously folks - it has a grain of truth

[CaptYossarian]

34. When I talked about starting a union, you'd think I ran over their dog.

Brainwashed Stockholm Syndrome idiots.

[krny9]

35. Well there is a quote that goes with this

"Arguing with an idiot is like playing chess with a pigeon. It'll just knock over all the pieces, shit on the board, and strut about like it's won anyway." - Anonymous

[Permanut]

38. If I were a right wing wacko..

I would show them a thing or two. I would refuse to use those socialist public roads, for example.

[orwellsighs]

39. Don't forget the VA healthcare and disability.

Pure socialism. They’ll never admit it, though.

[SMC22307]

40. The Democratic Party needs to drill this into voters' heads.

Same with historic stock market performance -- better under Dems.

[Mersky]

41. Reminds of a guy who said he hated Obamacare, but liked the ACA

[rickford66]

42. I asked a young 30-ish conservative to name one thing Republicans did for the average American

He answered Social Security

[JHB]

44. Did you leave him as the pile of goo that he so obviously is?

I'm not sure I could remain civil in the face of such epic dumbfuckery.

[rickford66]

53. Three of us clued him in.

This was several years ago and I had only met the person that day at lunch. But I've met others since then that are completely ignorant of well known facts. It's an uphill battle.

[JHB]

43. They call us those things because there's no forum they hear day in and day out...

...that spells out how that view is a pile of horseshit.

The Right has created their own bubble-network of sources to repeat their propaganda.

The MSM has adopted the Right's terminology because pushing back would be "liberal bias".

And no one to the left of Atilla the Hun with deep pockets has invested in media to push back on the RW's pervasive redefinition of the terms we use to talk about political matters.

[czarjak]

46. DAMN! Man.

[James48]

47. One problem.

All of those are “the culture of life”.

Dems have now also become the party of abortion.

We need to be a party of inclusion, that also recognizes those with the values of right to life.

I’m a pro-life Democrat. Just like millions of others- who wants our party to be the big tent where you can support all those values, and still support life.

I will go so far as to agree that government has no business dictating laws around abortion. We can both agree that woman need support services, birth control, and if that fails, prenatal care, adoption assistance, assistance for medical coverage, child care, family leave, and pre-school care. All these supports and more- ARE democratic values.

But please DONT say abortion is a democratic value. Leave it at saying - abortion is something we all agree is NOT the governments business, that it is ok to have differing opinions on abortion, and that everyone hopes that abortion is rare, is a last resort and not a first choice, and that we all can do what we can to support women in making those most difficult decisions.

Can we PLEASE do that? It will make a huge difference.

[ibegurpard]

48. You don't have to think abortion is OK

You just have to recognize that every situation is unique and therefore we cannot impose blanket legal restrictions on it. It sounds like you do. I have no problem with that.

[ck4829]

49. K&R

[Magoo48]

50. Being called a Socialist by a party of Fascists is a complement.

That said, I’m sorta fed up with the traditional “ists” and “isms” and am looking for a courageous, hard worker. I see those qualities in Liz and Bernie and that’s why I support them.

Vote blue no matter who.

[BlueJac]

51. K&R

[GoCubsGo]

52. I hope you also point out to them that Dear Leader is a wholly-owned subsidiary

of a former KGB agent. You know...one of those commie Russians they accused us of loving for decades.

[Lady_Chat]

55. Wish our candidates would point this out more. Thank you so much for doing it!

[Farmer-Rick]

56. Don't forget child labor laws

The conservatives went around saying factories were made for children and children were made for factories. Can you say cheap labor?

[maxsolomon]

62. "They go silent" sounds like you're browbeating them.

Do you ever get agreement? Or just silence?

[C Moon]

63. My neighbor is a truck driver. He has anti-Democratic Party /Pro GOP signs all over his garage.

He's always bragging about how much time off he has accrued; how he gets double time on holidays; etc.
But, if the GOPutin keeps it up what they're doing now, they'll eventually be taking all that away, Mr. Neighbor.