What do the pundits mean when they say the Democrats need to re-invent themselves?

[coolsandy]

Do they mean Dems need to become radical progressives? Do we throw away decades of fighting for power to be able to address the needs of minorities, women, immigrants, the disabled, gays, the aged, workers? Do they mean that we focus mostly not he issues that concern white males and their wages and education?

Otherwise our re-invention makes us Republicans.

What I see is that we are weak to toot our own horns about our history, good and bad. But there is much more good that we did than bad. There is a lot to be proud of. We have to stop allowing rich white men to write the only history taught in schools. We have to stop being afraid of taking a STRONG stance against the proliferation of guns throughout our society. If that is what re-invention means I am all for it.

[samnsara]

1. probably said by the same folks who forgot WE WON by 3 Mil votes!!

...and the election had severe foreign influence.

...Hillary won.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

10. We seem to keep winning the votes

but we keep getting shut out of our proportionate share of the power by Republican f**kery one way or another. And, in the case of last year's election, meddling by Russia.

[ismnotwasm]

2. Its Same people who ignore the actual pary platform

And the actual work Democrats are doing

[spanone]

3. I don't hear them talking about how republicans completely ignored their 'autopsy' of 2012

and won in 2016

https://www.politico.com/story/2016/03/donald-trump-gop-party-reform-220222

[world wide wally]

4. They mean we have to start cheating too

[Freethinker65]

5. Nothing. They and the GOP have been responsible for defining the Democratic Party for years.

The Party does not need to reinvent itself. The Party needs to take control of defining itself before others (the pundits and GOP) do it.

Some examples. The Democratic Party is not weak on terrorism (we are not the Party suggesting to cut funding for security, we are not the Party that diplomatically has alienated former allies, Osama Bin Ladin still alive?, etc.). The Democratic Party is not the tax and spend Party (take a look at deficit spending under Republicans, take a look at whose taxes get decreased, etc.). The Democratic Party is not anti-family values (access to healthcare and education and housing, family leave act, children’s nutrition programs, fair pay and increase in minimum wages, consumer protection laws, etc.). The Democratic Party is not anti-military (the Party always votes for better healthcare, pay, and access to education, better protection equipment, for our military and their families, etc.).

When the opposition can convince enough voters that the Democratic Party is weak on terror, taxes and spends, is anti-family, and is anti-military and adds the equally misleading/downright false taking away your gun rights, taking away your bibles, flaunting alternative lifestyles, and supporting abortion on demand, it is amazing we have done as well as we have in previous elections.

Now that the GOP controls all three branches of government, we are screwed. Perhaps finally enough voters will see what the GOP really stands for?

[Wounded Bear]

6. They don't have to mean anything...

they just have to read the teleprompter.

[Blaukraut]

7. The Democratic party has had the same core principles since FDR

It has only evolved over the decades to be more inclusive and mindful that equal rights for everyone really does mean everyone. But that's now called Identity Politics, I guess.

[kydo]

8. Generally two things.

1. A gopper/rethug did something bad and needs cover, to which a pundit will gladly supply by saying some broad statement about dems and then they go to break.

2. Slow news day and they are tired of the gopper/rethug scandals, so they try to create ones for the dems to show equality.

[hatrack]

9. It means they've run out of substantive issues to talk about . . .

Or have chosen to focus on the food fight du jour.

Policy? Bo-ring!

[crosinski]

11. I do think we need to remind people of what we stand for.

Everyone used to know that Democrats supported worker's rights, voter's rights, social programs, fair treatment under the law, etc., but after thirty years of right-wing propaganda people have forgotten. I'd like to see some effort put into educating people about what we stand for now, in today's terms.

I completely agree that we suck at tooting our own horns! And we fight each other, and are too damned independent to organize well .... geez ... we're a mess. But, we're the good guys. We didn't sell out the nation to our enemies in the name of greed. We used our government to create programs and write laws that help people live better lives. This is the side I want to be on.

Maybe right now, we need to stand firm around our core values, which are always for the equal treatment and betterment of everyone. How we reach those goals is up for argument, and oh how we love to argue, but our core values remain solid.

[meow2u3]

12. The pundits want rethugs to frame the narrative about Democrats

1) We must never fight back or stand up to GOP slander.

2) We have to accept that rethugs are supposed to commit massive crimes against the Constitution with utter impunity and keep our mouths shut if we object.

What else do the pundits expect of us? To turn ourselves in to be hanged?!