Pundits say Dems need to reach out to the White Working class but do we really want to?

[Trumpocalypse]

Coming from the White Working class, I know many of these people. They are good hard working people.

But they continually vote against their own economic interests by voting for Republicans. In the 80s they were called 'Reagan Democrats' and voted for him despite his economic policies which hurt them.

Why?

Simple. The right has done a great job of fooling these people to blame their lot in life not on the powerful who are really responsible but on minorities instead. Remember Reagan's 'Welfare Queens' act. They right tells the that they didn't lose their job because the greedy owners moved the plant to China to pay slave wages; it was because immigrants stole their jobs or taxes were too high supporting all those lazy people on welfare and food stamps or because their corrupt union leaders sold out to the Democrats. You child didn't get into college, not because the GOP defunded public schools but because of affirmative action. And so on and so on.

The right, especially Trump, has done masterful job in conning these people by playing on their prejudices and bigotry. In the 80s the issue was abortion, now it is Muslims, Mexicans, LGBTQ rights, etc.

So the real question is, should the Dems try to pander to these people?

[Dem2]

1. It's not pandering

To return to lunch pail issues that have traditionally been part of the Democratic platform.

[Trumpocalypse]

3. Very true

But many of these people are not voting because of those issues.

[Dem2]

7. It's the job of the politician to rally people

Into believing what they're saying is what's important to them. If Hillary wasn't able to do that, or was overconfident and didn't feel it was necessary, then perhaps her approach was not the right one?

[delisen]

10. Gore and Kerry then also failed -and did so when Democrats filled far more seats. Systemic problem.

[Dem2]

14. Some people lack charisma?

I do believe the message needs to be more populist versus believing demographics will solve all problems. "Writing off" any group of voters isn't necessarily a winning strategy, which applies to the most recent election. Not that interested in looking at previous losers though, we need to look forward and win the *next* election.

[JI7]

23. so Obama lacks charisma also ? since he also lost their votes

[Dem2]

51. Obama lost?

Uhm, OK - it's not about "winning" those voters (whatever "those voters" even means), it's about winning those who CAN be influenced ot change their mind. Black/white "block" voter thinking definitely contributed to the loss this past fall, can we agree on that?

[JI7]

87. nope Obama lost the white vote . he won based on huge non white turnout

And it was before court struck down voTing rights

[delisen]

41. Forget "charisma", forget "populism" We have an unaddressed systemic problem.

Focus on the systemic. Our world is too complicated for the old fashioned popularity contest or encouraging the electorate to think of politicians as rock stars and the electorate as a fan base.

Washington's ardent fan base wanted to crown him King; fortunately he was wise enough to reject that offer.

You think George H W Bush was charismatic? You think George W. Bush was charismatic? The former won one election; the latter won two. The former survived Iran-Contra scandal, and was able to get into office and pardon the bad actors who could testify against him.

Charisma was not the secret of their success.

[Dem2]

52. Republicans as examples?

Bill and Barack had tons of charisma and just enough populism to win. F*** how the other side wins, this is how we've won.

[brooklynite]

54. GHWB and GWB -DID- have charisma...

...compared to their opponents.

[karynnj]

84. Not all election years are equal

I think 2000, 2012 and 2016 were years where either party could have won; 1992 and 2008 was a pretty sure thing for the Democrats and 2004 was a pretty sure thing for the Republicans. 1996 is harder to read - Dole was an awful candidate, but the country was at peace and economically thriving. You can also credit Clinton as having become popular enough to win. Obama is a phenomenon and he likely won a bigger landslide than any one else would have in 2008 and his charm made 2012 easier for him. Both 2000 and 2016 were close -- and I think Clinton baggage was a factor in both going to the Republicans rather than the Democrats.

Although charisma does play a role, I can not think of a year where the condition of the country did not determine the result more. Not to mention, different issues being important might favor different people. I do not think Bill Clinton would have won in 2004. That election was all on national security and the Republicans raised the terror level whenever Kerry started to gain traction. Kerry actually had credients or being among the first to warn about non state terrorism. A Governor of Arkansas with far more baggage than Kerry would have had a harder time than he did against a President at 39% approval with a flaky third party candidate mainly hammering the President. Had 2004 looked like a likely Democratic year, Hillary Clinton would have probably run. There were more than one Clinton fan I knew, who saw a silver lining in Kerry losing and could not understand why I didn't.

I also think that what Kerry lacked was media enthusiasm for him - not charisma. You might note that Kerry won both the LT Governor and Senate nomination against the media favorite. He also was certainly not the media favorite in the 2004 primary. Not to mention, he used his eloquence and presence to lead one of the most peowerful antiwar efforts against Vietnam. All that suggests that he had and has personal charisma -- and accounts of his time as Secretary of State show it as well.

[crazycatlady]

37. At that point, ticket splitting was more popular

It is at a historic low now.

[Trumpocalypse]

12. The problem is

that the GOP has done this by playing to their fears and prejudices.

[Dem2]

19. That's what politicians do

Democrats just need to refine their message. We all know Hillary would have won if she simply put another, what maybe 10-15% of her focus on blue collar issues facing rural America.

[JI7]

27. calling for a ban on refugees and attacking black lives matter

might have helped with those voters .

[delisen]

44. and if Comey had on Oct surprise lie, or the govt revealed the Russian Connection or

if the Democrats had not over 1000 seats between 2008 and 2016-with big time loses in the "white, blue collar population states or if Democratic purists had not wanted to send a message by voting 3rd party, or if some Sanders backers hadn't voted for Trump, or if we had fought voter suppression with vigor for 8 years, or if we were prepared for the Health Care legislation backlash.........

So in short, the blame the candidate position is an old-fashioned "cop out."

Time to address the real world.

[Dem2]

50. I think the candidate has the most power to change the dialog

I hate to say this, but Rump did it through populist BS, I'm not saying she had to be as extreme, but I am saying that we could have won and the candidate has a lot to do with helping that along. Bill and Barack appealed to enough of the type of voters we're talking about here to win.

[delisen]

70. Each had a far stronger Democratic apparatus- Dems lost all over in 1994 and 2010

2010 had a greater influence in decimating the party because it coincided with re-apportionment but 1994 brought the Republican Contract with America.

Were all the Dems who lost in Wisconsin, for example, bad candidates? Were all the Republicans who lost great candidates?

What about the inability to even win a recall election against unpopular Walker. even with huge turnout.

This "we had a bad candidate who did not appeal to the blue collar voter" excuse is just an excuse to avoid acknowledging societal change.

Ask 3 different democrats who the blue collar voter is and you get 3 different answers.

Reminds me of "If I just dyed my hair blonde", or If I just didn't say what I think and agreed with him" maybe he would like me better and not kick me.

[JTFrog]

20. She was able to. She won by millions of votes.

Despite Comey. Despite gerrymandering. Despite Bernie's team hacking. Despite Russia hacking and interference. Despite Crosscheck. Despite Bernie Bros and the far left plastering the Internet with Putin's propaganda RT.

All of this constant we need to do this and that is just bullshit. We won the election. The fuckng GOP stole it with Russia's help.

How does pandering to the racist misogynistic assholes fix any of that?

[Dem2]

53. There's a lot of us older white guys who live here in the 'burbs who are very liberal

Some of the ones around here are childish and feel like a politician should address them directly - ask for their vote as it were. I don't need that convincing, but it's not pandering, it's called "a winning strategy".

[JTFrog]

63. Ok. Way to ignore everything I typed.

We had a winning strategy. The GOP stole the election with the help of the Russians.

So, how does your "winning strategy" of pandering to racists and misogynists deal with the reality of what happened this election season? It doesn't. That's how. It's just an excuse to bash Hillary.

[Dem2]

65. I'm angry too

It's not going to solve anything, however.

[kydo]

66. JTFrong, word up. Exactly what I think

Hillary won. The russians and repugs stole it. We do not and should not pander those idiots that actually voted for orange man. It's time rural america get off it's pity pot and join the real world. They got to figure out themselves before we can even start to understand them.

The way I see it, those type of people really don't like what they see in the mirror so they blame it on someone else, and then want everyone to feel sorry for them and understand them, while doing nothing to help the situation other then whine.

I feel sorry for them. But I will not change my morals to make them feel better. I am really just not all that fond of racists, bigots, liars, etc., especially the ones that whine about being oppressed.

[JI7]

24. lunch pail issues ? these people vote on their bigotry

And Obama also lost their votes.

[Miles Archer]

72. Trump voters bought his pitch hook, line and sinker...

...and that was pandering.

There are some "issues" the Democrats aren't going to touch, like "building a big, beautiful wall that Mexico will pay for" and the travel ban.

But everything else without a racist / homophobic / xenophobic tinge to it?

The Democrats need to speak directly to Trump voters, and that is not an option, it is a necessity.

The only "promises" he is keeping is deregulating everything and putting more money in the pockets of millionaires. That's it.

It's like your a parent, and your kid fucks up. A good parent will find a way to say to the kid "Hey, you fucked up," that won't inflict lasting emotional scars, and they do not address the kid in the future as "Hey, how's it going today, you fuckup?"

I think the Democrats need to say something along the lines of "Here's what you voted for, and you didn't get it, did you?"

And from that point on it needs to be a clear plan of action. I don't know how much of what is being put into place right now can be easily erased in the future. One thing Paul Ryan is trying to do is bullet-proof every inch of his agenda so it can't.

I don't think Trump voters need to be coddled or "understood" past the point of knowing that the "alt-right" isn't America, and families having access to jobs and health care is. That and the fact that the planet will not replenish itself if you strip away all environmental regulations, and no matter how much they revere Saint Ronnie, trickle-down economics is horseshit. Millionaires are not going to take those tax cuts and "create jobs." Never have, never will.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. We should welcome all people who value freedom, liberty, and equality.

And put a "not welcome" sign for those who don't.

[Trumpocalypse]

5. True we should

But should we pander to those who don't?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. I edited my post for clarity.

[rug]

4. Working class issues do not boil down to elections.

It is only one, and not the most pressing one.

[delisen]

8. We can't reject our human rights values in order to attract emotion-based voters-it won't work.

[logosoco]

9. Is it pandering to try and educate people?

Is it pandering to get out there and spread the facts?

Would it be pandering if the Dems. stand up and say about the Repubs: YOU ARE LYING!

If that is pandering, then yeah. But I don't think telling the truth is pandering.

[Trumpocalypse]

13. Dems have been trying to do that since Reagan

and it really hasn't worked for the most part.

[logosoco]

18. And yet, since Reagan we have had more Dem. presidents than Reps.

so maybe it is going better then we think!

I think what the dems. need to do is quit pandering to corporations! Get back to being the party for working people.

[JI7]

25. it is the party of working people. POC are working class also

[delisen]

15. Agree. The idea that it is acceptable to lie to voters needs to be challenged.

Many Trump voters have stated that they weren't taking Trump literally-those voters weren't conned---they were buying an attitude or identifying with it.

A perhaps equal number did take him literally. Forcefully pointing out the lies of Trump and Republicans can change the voting decisions of these people.

[Occulus]

49. Pointing out his lies to them will have the exact opposite effect

It will mean, from their perspective, that they bought a lie, they are easily led, and they will only become hardened against those telling them that.

The mindset were dealing with won't accept the truth because doing so involves admitting their own character faults.

[msanthrope]

36. No, but it is arrogant. Why do you presume to educate others? nt

[logosoco]

46. When they are being fed inaccurate facts?

When they are being told that the "other" people in the same working class are their enemies?

This is what they need to be educated about. Is that arrogant? To want to show people that the things the right has been telling them all these decades has been a lie. Is that arrogant?

[dawg]

11. What does "white" have to do with it?

See, that's where I have a problem.

Of course we should continue to reach out to working class people. We have always done so.

That's why we keep pushing to raise the minimum wage.

That's why we fought hard for the ACA.

That's why we are so fierce about defending Social Security and Medicare.

But what issue, specifically, do we need to reconsider in order to be more appealing to "white" working class people? And what is it about their "whiteness" that makes them so different?

[delisen]

31. Their identify "people who look like them" and the historical "face"

of leaders in America as white men. The history texts they read tell the story of America as a white man accomplishment. If they go to Statuary Hall in Congress they see statues of mostly white men-the people who built America, The implicitly accept the concept of evolution and think of themselves as part of a hierarchy with males achieving dominance over them as alpha males who are bigger, better, stronger than they are----but think they themselves are at least on the mid to upper rungs of the ladder because they are white and male. They know their, may strive to achieve a higher rung, and may hope their children will achieve more.

They think white males keep society orderly, do their part, are responsible citizens, build and defend the country and possible see the country as failing because there are now foolish barriers to their achieving.

In short the country country is crumbling because the social order that made it great is crumbling.

the old proverbs are instructive "Man does not live by bread alone" and Without a Vision the People Perish.

People are not just economic units, producers, consumers of good and service.

[dawg]

35. Yeah ... I don't think we have anything to offer to people like that.

They are a lost cause.

[elehhhhna]

40. The loudest must obnoxious die-hard cReeps I know

Are older white guys whose racism was unleashed when Obama was elected. Their shit media scares them and lies to them and they're now suddenly big victims. Such b.s.

Eff them.

[Vinca]

16. Pundits should say the white working class needs to wake the fuck up and watch, listen and

read something other than far right propaganda. The same dopes who voted for Trump are going to be front and center whining because their kids are dying of cancer and they can't pay for it.

[cheyanne]

17. what does pandering mean in this context?

Here is legal definition of pandering:

Pander. To pimp; to cater to the gratification of the lust of another. To entice or procure a person, by promises, threats, Fraud, or deception to enter any place . . .

These people were lied to for 2 generations and when the economic meltdown happened, it only confirmed for them all that the right wing nut jobs had been telling them. It will take a lot to change someone's world view.

Trump will help us make them realize that our policies will help them. Many of them are beginning to realize Obamacare works for instance.

We need to make it clear the damage that Trump is inflicting on them and give them the example of resistance. Not pander.

[JDC]

21. Sorry, but our policies have been reaching out

Forever and a day - And they choose to ignore them or that fact. It's time for tough love, not nurturing.

[dalton99a]

26. Democrats have always emphasized issues that affect all working people, regardless of color.

[JDC]

28. Yes. That's is 100%. And they get spat on for it

It's a bizarro world.

[DefenseLawyer]

22. Is it pandering to have a genuine concern for working people and to tell the truth?

That's my formula for appealing to "the working class" and I don't consider it pandering.

[Trumpocalypse]

30. But Dem policies are better for the working class yet

they choose to vote for the GOP instead. The pandering is what the GOP does by demonizing minorities.

[delisen]

32. No the truth is not pandering.

[DefenseLawyer]

90. It was a rhetorical question

But thanks.

[Ilsa]

29. Another point to be made: immigrants didn't "steal" those jobs without

every last bit of manipulation by employers who got H1b visa limits changed, or just hired lower-skilled workers without verifying their legal status.

I would ask those people complaining, "if you were out of work and allowed to take a job in Switzerland that paid a 10% less or 20% less and you lived in a nicer place, wouldn't you take it? Then why blame the immigrant going to a place to make a better life for his/her family? It's the employers making this happen.

[Orrex]

33. Pundits can go fuck themselves

They were, by and large, 100% wrong about every single aspect of the election, and we're supposed to trust their sage advice now? Fuck them!

What all of them are conveniently overlooking is that Clinton won a huge popular majority and would be in the Whitehouse now if not for an anachronistic quirk of a bullshit outmoded electoral system.

Fuck the white male working class. I don't care if they voted for Obama twice and for Kerry and for Gore. They decided that a racist rapist with no experience was the best choice, so they can go fuck themselves.


Let us instead reach out to the working class in general, especially women and minorities. But there is no reason to reach out specifically to the white working class male snowflakes who've cast their lot with an national embarrassment bent on destroying the country to the enrichment of himself and his family and his cronies.

Let the white male working class reach out to us after they've realized the abominably self-destructive stupidity of their votes, once they realize that their sweet, high-paying union jobs aren't coming back under a Trump administration or under any regime led by Republicans.

Until then, fuck them.

[beachbum bob]

34. conservatives keeps the debate on guns, abortion, and bigotry...democrats usually suck

at countering with an economic message that doesn't smack of pure socialism....which doesn't play well with the working class voters conservatives win over time and time again. A complete overhaul is needed in messaging.....

[MineralMan]

38. What would you suggest as an alternative plan, then?

Of course we need to reach out to those voters. We need to reach out to voters in all groups. We don't need them all, but we sure as Hell need more of them that we got in November.

We cannot have a majority until we eat our vegetables, you see. It's funny how that works, isn't it?

[jalan48]

39. How about just calling it working class? That's who Democrats have traditionally appealed to.

Indivisible-right?

[Iggo]

42. Fuck pundits. (n/t)

[truebluegreen]

43. Maybe we should do what Hillary did instead

and reach out to moderate Republicans.

[KPN]

45. Isn't that what brought us here? Not just in 2016, but over the past

25-30 years? We've pandered to money.

[truebluegreen]

48. That was actually my point.

Shoulda added the sarcasm thingie.

[KPN]

64. Ha! No, I shoulda picked up on that!!!

[Orrex]

59. And she only came away with a 3M majority in the popular vote

If they revise their strategy, it will likely be to reach out to more of those accursed moderate Republicans in electorally vulnerable areas.

[truebluegreen]

61. ...

“For every blue-collar Democrat we lose in western Pennsylvania, we will pick up two moderate Republicans in the suburbs in Philadelphia, and you can repeat that in Ohio and Illinois and Wisconsin.”

--Chuck Schumer, at a forum hosted by the Washington Post, July 2016

[Orrex]

62. Oh, I'm not saying that it's smart.

Schumer is the broken moon-dial who's right once a month.


But I fear that they'll re-apply that same failed strategy the next time around, unless some drastic change is made by then.

[mountain grammy]

47. Here's my theory..

Many people have deep seated prejudices, but manage to "go along to get along," but, give them a racist and a racist agenda to vote for and they'll do it. I don't think they're the majority, but there are enough of them and, with all other factors, especially election rigging and fraud, and a complicit corporate media, they've managed to put a racist in highest position of power. They had already taken over the House and Senate, and none of that was fair or democratic, but they denied the legitimate president and his suppoters their constitutional choice for a vacant SCOTUS seat.

[Metsie Casey]

55. Yes, but educate

Them about the sort of propaganda you mentioned. Focus on the truth, not bullshit. E mails, Benghazi, blah blah blah, bs. It's big money greedy big business that is the problem.

[drray23]

56. Its very hard to reach some of these people.

The democrats are not only batting against the gop politicians, they also have to deal with 40 years of indoctrination by the rw talk radio and media apparatus.

The republicans recognized very early (around reagan years) that messaging was key. Even bad policies did not matter if you could control the message.

We democrats have not kept up with this. The Trump presidency seems to be changing that. Many more people are getting involved and using social media to fight back the messaging war. Ratings for shows like joy reed or rachel maddow are going up sharply.

My hope is that we will start reversing the course. I think it will most likely happen first by getting new voters to the polls instead of convincing those already far gone. The rest will follow.

[Yo_Mama]

57. If Dems don't have a good economic message, we're a minority party.

So yes, we do. We need to reach out with a strong economic message. That is traditionally Democratic and no assault on our values.

If we don't, we're sunk, because the fact is that Trump is having and will have some economic success; Dems cannot be seen to be antagonistic to that.

That's just the way it is. Every single person trying to explain the majority of the losses in the last election as being due to racism/sexism/homophobia is really the enemy of Democratic electoral gains. Every person saying we don't need to change a thing is digging a grave for the Democratic party in too many counties. These are counties that we can't afford to write off in 2018.

The reality is that the Democratic party got trolled in the last election by its own internal blindness. We could not win a presidential campaign running on an election message of a wonderful economy when the US had been in industrial recession for over a year. We never had a fucking chance.

It was a terrible, willfully blind campaign, and it hurt us up and down the electoral ladder in the areas strongly affected by that production recession.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=cZCv

[delisen]

71. So how did you lose all those Democratic seats between 2010 and 2016?

Why was Obama pro-TPP an you against?

Did he see the bigger picture about China and the Pacific. Did you notice it or disagree. If you agreed did you get the word out.

The Democratic Party isn't stopping you.

Do your thing. We will notice if you succeed and will follow your winning formula.

[aikoaiko]

58. "Reaching out" / "pandering" unless you've got nothing to offer

I think Democrats have a lot to offer but we need to do a better job of doing it.

[caroldansen]

60. Youre absolutely right.Brilliantly said.So let's get the young people educated so they

vote democratic.

[Adrahil]

67. This isn't a mystery.

Just do a little research on the Southern Strategy.

[uponit7771]

68. Those "pundints" ignore Russia

[Starry Messenger]

69. Who is "we"?

If these are your neighbors and this is your priority, then by all means, use your time on that.

I live in CA, and we fought like hot death to stop fascism, and I am not surrounded by these "good people" who voted to fuck the rest of us. So I don't have to waste my precious political oxygen on this. I don't think the DP as a whole should either.

I am donating my time and meager resources to support people who worked to actually save humanity, not to doom it. I am donating to organizations to help elect more Black women to office and to protect the vote for women of color.

[bettyellen]

74. I feel strongly this is a task only for those Dems who are less fucked by the GOP

The white men who can relate to/ will be more respected by these voters. Like it or not, we women and POC are not going to reach them nearly as effectively and honestly after being exposed to their bullshit for the past year I just couldn't. In general men are doing less activism and maybe this is something that would inspire them to be more active and that's great. But a big no to pushing the platform away from SJ and reproductive rights issues.

[Starry Messenger]

75. I completely agree, 100%.

[bettyellen]

81. I see a lot of "we should" and yet when I look at protests and volunteers - like the lawyers

At the airports when the immigration ban came out- I see easily 65-75% women. and I'm not talking about the Women's March either.
Years ago I spent a month helping someone interview human rights activists abroad- they were 90% women and it wasn't until the end of the month that I actually noticed that. It came up over coffee and the women confirmed what I hadn't realized- all the men we interviewed were paid heads of organizations, not one foot soldier. And the victims of the human rights violations we were talking about were overwhelmingly focused on men.
Since then I've noticed this is a pattern.
Men have to take on more of the heavy lifting. One reason that "WWC" voter doesn't respect us is he's not literally seeing himself well represented on our side. That needs to change.

[spanone]

73. 'pundit say..' Bwahahahahahahahaaaaa

[kimbutgar]

76. The white working class rethugs are so brain washed, I think they are almost a lost cause

They have high mortality rates, when ACA goes away they will die off sooner. Now I do not wish for anyone to die but actions do have consequences.

[Eyeball_Kid]

77. Maybe "reaching out" to Trumpy Fanboys should first be something like:

Look at what you fucking did, you assholes!

Now that's a nice, conciliatory gesture. Then after the Fanboys and girls swallow that mushy lump in their throats and say, "Uh, yeah, we really fucked up," we can get down to business.

[Historic NY]

78. They already beginning to figure it out....

all by themselves. Now let them get to the job Trumps is creating....as for immigrant stealing their jobs not many of them, would get out of bed to clean toilets at Trumps hotels or pick beans in Trumps Gardens.

[Eyeball_Kid]

79. This stuff, this kind of discussion, reflects both the dangerous and the good.

The Republican Party is NOT protecting and defending the Constitution. That's the dangerous part. It's their BEHAVIOR that tells the story of malignant neglect. We should not presume innocence. This is not a trial. This is real observations in real time.

The opposition-- the resistance-- has grown and a majority of the nation is angry at what can variously (for me, definitely) be called a coup. Millions are now awakened and are paying attention. We see what's happening. And that's the good part.

[Bettie]

80. Here's the problem, speaking as a white woman

To "reach out" to the white working class you need to abandon outreach to people of color.

To "reach out" to the white working class, you need to abandon outreach to people who are not Christian.

To "reach out" to the white working class, you need to abandon outreach to people who are not straight.

Because the simple and unpleasant truth is that their racism and hate is taught to them, they hear it from the pulpit every Sunday and they like it because it makes them feel that even if their lives suck, they are superior to others.

I know these people, I grew up among them, I live among them and they no longer feel the need to hide their hate under a pleasant mask.

Some are reachable, but a large number, a majority are not. They simply cling to hard to a belief that they are the only hard working people who exist and that they are paying for everyone else.

[Doreen]

82. Are they so flippen arrogant to think THEY are

the ONLY white working class? What about the white working class who did no vote for that idiot because they KNEW what he was going to do? I have met a lot of white working class who voted for Hillary. I live in a red count and there are still people who saw through him. In other words we ARE reaching out to the white working middle class, just not the ones who voted for him.

[GitRDun]

83. There is no reaching out to fundamentalists

They will always find a reason to dismiss facts, logic. Until they can shed their bigoted arrogance, nothing can be done about it.

[Kimchijeon]

85. Working class

overall is the largest demographic. I actually think just focusing on the working class, period makes far more sense than "middle class" this and that. (Maybe a lot of working class folks mistakenly think they are middle class? Or wish they were?)

I wouldn't say reach out to the bigot segment per se, just Working class, period. Seems logical to me.

[Dan]

86. My opinion

Let the GOP have their voters - because if you do the math, we really don't need them.

We should explore major outreach programs to educate, support and encourage the non-voters to start taking an active role as Voters.

Screw the GOP and their enablers.

[Blue_true]

88. You make a good point. I think GOP like Kasich and maybe Flake get it.

But the rest of the GOP don't. Kasich is freaking out about the number of Independents. Most Independents reject the GOP message, but many have not fully embraced the Democrat's vision. Millennials are more likely than not to be Independents, most believe in social justice and world peace, most don't vote. We need to focus on talking to people that will listen to our message with an open mind, not the Trump voter who votes republican until they get screwed so bad that they stop voting. Screw the Reagan democrats, those people went republican long ago, Reagan's core message was one of barely concealed racism, sexism and hostility toward LGBTQ people and poor people - anyone that embraced that is no one that we should cater to.

[Softail1]

89. can't believe it's even a question!

really?..I mean,REALLY? of course we should try to convince people our way is the better way. Lots of these folks are ripe for the picking, but to ignore them is to keep losing election after election....sheesh..

[Lee-Lee]

91. Dropping calls for bad gun control policy would win back enough of that demographic

To return Democrats to control of both houses of Congress and the Presidency for decades.

But that will take many in the party understanding life and culture in the rural areas of America and looking outside their urban bubbles.

[TheFrenchRazor]

92. it's the economy, stupid; this is not a WWC issue, but one that dems do not focus on nearly enough.