How should we deal with Democrats who cross the party divide?

[Meldread]

Since the election, most of the leadership in the party has fallen all over themselves to show their "reasonableness." I have seen Democrat after Democrat come out and talk about how they plan to work with the Trump Administration in areas where there is agreement. However, this ignores how Republicans have acted over the past eight years with Obama in the White House. Even in areas where there was explicit agreement, they ran in the opposite direction. I remember early on in Obama's Presidency roughly seven Republican Senators were sponsoring a "PayGo" bill. They were sponsoring the bill in response to the Stimulus package. Obama reached out, embraced PayGo, and immediately they all abandoned it.

I mean, holy fuck, look at what they did to Charlie Crist in Florida for fucking hugging Obama, or how ballistic they went when Chris Christy accepted Obama's visit and Federal support after Hurricane Sandy. Just fucking touching Obama was enough to get a Republican expelled from the party.

Now, look at us. Look at the party and the leadership in the aftermath of this election. Ask yourself this question: How would Republicans have acted if they had won the popular vote by nearly 3 Million Votes, lost the electoral college by a mere 80,000 votes across three states, and there was clear evidence that the Russian government intervened to aid the Democratic Party candidate. Add to this that the candidate is putting together one of the most extreme cabinets in history, and just for fun, the candidate's personal business interests makes the candidate so ethically compromised that just taking the oath of office should provoke a Constitutional crisis.

Would Republicans be falling over themselves to grant such a Democratic candidate legitimacy, or would we have already progressed to open warfare by this point? Donald Trump spent YEARS doing everything he could to delegitimize Obama by advancing a conspiracy theory around his place of birth. Why are we so eager to help him become legitimate? Why are we not demanding Trump make concessions in his nominating process since he lost the popular vote by such a large margin? Why is the fight to flip electors left to small (but patriotic) outside groups? Why is there not open warfare over the fact that the Republicans purposefully held open a Supreme Court seat so that they could fill it?

Imagine how the media would react if we held open a Supreme Court seat so that we could fill it. Imagine how the Republicans would react!

Why are we not fighting? How should we deal with Democrats who cross the party divide to make nice with Republicans and Donald Trump?

[Feeling the Bern]

1. Same way we did with Lieberman, Zell Miller, Ben Nelson, Bill Nelson and the other Blue Dogs

Goodbye! Go become Republicans since that's your loyalty anyway.

[world wide wally]

2. Like the famous Teabagger strategy: Primary them!

[TeamPooka]

3. Yup. Democrats need to start fighting Republicans the way Republicans fight Democrats.

[msongs]

4. for your reading enjoyment: forming a democrats' "tea party" to resist trump

a few pages long but worth the read:

"A practical guide to resisting the trump agenda"

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DzOz3Y6D8g_MNXHNMJYAz1b41_cn535aU5UsN7Lj8X8/preview#

[TreasonousBastard]

6. A lot of good stuff, but it's important to remember the message in there...

"We are NOT the tea party."

[Granny M]

9. Great tips in this guide.

I live across the pond in Ireland, but I have forwarded this guide to a friend in California.

I have no tolerance for "respecting the Office" platitudes. Resist, resist, resist, EVERYTHING that bastard tries to do. Including any wars he will gin up - resist strongest then. No platitudes about respecting the troops, because what they mean is, never criticise the Commander in Chief. I won't stop criticising him, ever.

[Meldread]

12. This is fantastic. Thanks for posting this!

It's good to see that some people out there at least are attempting to come up with a plan.

[susanna]

5. "to aid the Republican party candidate" is what I think you meant. n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

7. The first thing to realize is that we are NOT them...

We have the tougher job by trying to reach the higher aspirations and ideals of the public, while they simply appeal to its baser instincts.

We preach love and good works, while they appeal to selfishness and hate. They do have an easier job when it comes to riling up the masses.

We do NOT want to fight them by becoming them. We do not want revenge on our "enemies"-- we want progress on our terms.

So, whaddawe do? First thing is to agree on some basics. Abortion and social security are easy ones, disarmament and the death penalty not so easy to gather around. But, do find some essential things that we can get public support for. And explain in simple terms why they should support these things.

In the long run, the hate and spite on the other side will turn against them. But, as has been said, in the long run we are all dead.

And stop this idiotic infighting among ourselves. Their greatest advantage is that they have a unified message while we argue over stupid stuff. I lost count of the "Coalition for..." things that were three people who just couldn't get along with other organizations fighting for the same thing.

[pnwmom]

8. +1000. nt

[Meldread]

13. So, go high when they go low?

It appeals to my own moral impulses to go high when they go low. However, this:

So, whaddawe do? First thing is to agree on some basics. Abortion and social security are easy ones, disarmament and the death penalty not so easy to gather around. But, do find some essential things that we can get public support for. And explain in simple terms why they should support these things.

...is not a plan. This is what we stand for--we can stand for anything we'd like. If we continue to lose it won't matter. That's the problem. We can engage in fluffy feelings that make us feel morally superior, keep our halo's nice and shiny, meanwhile, they are winning and pushing forward with an agenda that is the complete opposite of what you just outlined.

One of the fundamental problems that we face is that we feel bound by norms and rules. Republicans do not. Look at what Republicans are doing right now in North Carolina after losing the governorship as an example. Look at how Republicans refused President Obama's nomination to the Supreme Court as another example.

What would you rather have: clean hands or a liberal Supreme Court? Clean hands or control of the Presidency, House, and a Filibuster proof Senate--and Democrats willing to ram their agenda through no matter how loud Republicans howl?

We know the choice that Republicans have made, because they have already shown us.

[TreasonousBastard]

14. There's little doubt in my mind that anti-Obama sentiments were racially based...

it was in my lifetime that there were "whites only" diners and civil rights workers were hung in the woods. This sort of institutional prejudice does not go away easily, and Obama in the White House was an open wound.

But it is going away. And making fools of ourselves over it is not going to make it go away any faster.

Without Obama in office, they have nothing to fight any more but empty air. Fat chance they will get too far with the rest of their agendas, most of them anyway.

[Daxter]

10. With ruthless aggression

We need to be as unforgiving, relentless, and tough as they are. No backing down in debates or shouting matches. Berate then with facts and don't stop until they are out of office.

[zippythepinhead]

11. hell yes

Dam the torpedos
full steam ahead.