Democrats' newest midterm pitch: A crackdown on corruption

[brooklynite]

Source: Washington Post

Democrats are preparing to highlight allegations of corruption surrounding the Trump administration — and a legislative agenda to prevent future abuses — as they continue rolling out their party platform ahead of November’s midterm elections.

The first planks of the “A Better Deal” platform, released last year, focused on the party’s economic agenda. Now, with questions about pay-to-play politics swirling around President Trump and his current and former aides, Democrats are set to introduce anti-corruption proposals Monday billed as “A Better Deal for Our Democracy.”

According to a senior Democratic official familiar with the announcement, the new agenda will include proposals that would eliminate loopholes that allow lobbyists and lawmakers to buy and sell influence without the public’s knowledge. The message: Elect Democrats in November to “clean up the chaos and corruption in Washington.”

One proposal — which would tighten the federal laws governing lobbying disclosures and foreign-agent registration — responds to the apparent sale of influence by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer. According to recently disclosed financial records, Cohen earned millions of dollars from companies that wanted to secure access to Trump’s inner circle in the early days after his 2016 win.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/05/21/democrats-newest-midterm-pitch-a-crackdown-on-corruption/

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I think this is a terrible approach. None of the DOZENS of House and Senate candidates I've talked to say that voters care about this; they want to talk about jobs, healthcare, education, and economic issues that affect THEM.

I have a meeting this week with DNC leadership, they'll be getting a grumpy message from me.

[NewJeffCT]

1. That's a good one

I think the Democrats should have a short list of easy talking points. But, knowing Democrats, they'll mess it up somehow

1) Repeal the Trump/Ryan tax scam
2) Raise the Minimum Wage
3) Save Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid
4) Common Sense Gun Laws
5) Combat Corruption

Knowing Democrats, they'll give us a 20 paragraph list of issues they want to address.

[dalton99a]

4. +1

[Nitram]

10. I agree, New.

[NewJeffCT]

14. Thanks

and, leave the basic items vague - so, a senator or rep in a blue district can call for stronger gun laws versus a Democrat running in a red district/state may go for improved background checks and closing loopholes.

[Mojo2]

2. Not a platform that is going to motivate the casual voter

We all know Trump is a crook, and sure it would be great to take over the house to put a check on him, but I doubt this gets the casual voter motivated to get out and vote. I would like to see something more concrete and substantive, such as how the working families are going to benefit by voting DEM in Nov, how are we going to enrich their live and those of their children.

[NewJeffCT]

15. the key is motivating our side to turn out

too many democrats and progressives stayed home in 2016 or voted 3rd party. Some due to actual voter suppression (making it harder to vote) or through being targeted online by various groups with nefarious intentions.

While some Democrats may have voted for Trump, he won by motivating those poor rural white Republicans to get out and vote for him when they had not voted in years - they did not like Romney nor McCain.

[SWBTATTReg]

3. Need to constantly put the repugs on the defensive (they are pretty well are

now due to RUMP's running off the mouth so much), but need to be aggressive and think of the voters and their pocketbooks, e.g., hammer repugs on non-existent tax cuts, hammer repugs on lessening of environmental protections (lessening these protections would led supposedly led to lower costs for consumers), hammer repugs on rising costs due to trade wars put in place by RUMP and his mouth, and constantly keep hammering them/repugs (along w/ the ignorant and obnoxious behavior of RUMP ... I'm sick and tired of this sideshow).

Also, numerous conflicts of interest and ignorant behavior by Pruitt thinking that he is a king, etc. and way overspent funds allocated to him for idiotic stuff. I'm sure other conflicts of interest exist too, just too many to list here quickly, and basically, this is somewhat a repeat of the Teapot Dome scandal...

[Auggie]

5. "I think this is a terrible approach" -- totally agree

[elleng]

6. I agree it's a terrible approach,

WE care, but how many others of The People DO?

[bronxiteforever]

7. I disagree. Scott Pruitt is a poster boy for the GOP

Taxpayers get corruption . They get

Pruitt spent $36,000 on one military jet to New York in order to catch a $7,003 flight to Rome;
In Rome for two weeks in June, he used $120,000 of taxpayer money on fancy hotels and restaurants and private Vatican tours, while meeting with a Cardinal accused of sexual abuse;
Pruitt’s team proposed buying a $100,000-a-month charter aircraft membership so he could take unlimited trips in a private jet when he was traveling for official business.
Pruitt has spent $3 million and counting on a 24-hour security detail of the type none of his predecessors have had;
He installed a “cone of silence” special phone security booth in his office that cost almost $43,000;

http://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/388583-keeping-pruitt-could-cost-gop-congress-trump-in-the-fall

And Ryan Zinke is right there using the National Parks as his personal resorts for contributors.

[brooklynite]

9. Find me a candidate who says voters are saying this is on their mind.

[bronxiteforever]

12. I believe it depends what district you are talking about.

In Pennsylvania in the collar counties surrounding Philly, I believe the below statement written by the Hill article author holds true. But if it is the sole attack for the House I would agree that it won’t work. But this year, as Perez as stated, the control of Congress starts through Pennsylvania Congressional elections. The counties surrounding Philadelphia have many suburban voters, who detest the Cheeto crony cabinet and support environmental policies along with gun control. But all politics is local.

“This combination of direct personal corruption and undermining of environmental protections with huge costs of public health seems almost calculated to offend moderate voters Republicans needs to hang on to power. The attack ads will write themselves.”

But what is the platform you suggest?

[Nitram]

8. I think this is an excellent platform.

Couple that with campaign finance reform, tightening conflict of interest regulations, and adding regulations requiring financial disclosure documentation from presidential and other political candidates.

[dembotoz]

11. yeh the when they go low we go high worked out so well for us last time....

[haele]

13. Whatever works for the voter in a particular district or state is what will work.

In districts/states where the voters are comfortable, fighting Mafioso style white collar corruption may be a winning strategy.
In heavily military/retiree locations linking Trump and the GOP to the Russians and other foreign entanglements may be a good strategy.
In economically hard hit, saving the safety net would be a good strategy.
In a minority/majority, pointing out where white supremacy is blocking progress might be good strategy.
And a mixture of all of the above may be a good way to win - so long as there is a coherent policy behind it.

All politics is local. And a successful candidate can win if s/he can provide the people who are going to vote for her/him a clear differentiation and positive way forward when everyone else is pushing fear or complacency.

Haele

[dajoki]

16. We need to come up with...

a catchy phrase, something that sticks, something easy for voters to get on board with. And we also must play dirty, even more than the r's do.

[LiberalLovinLug]

18. This

But they can't seem to ever understand the importance of the first point.
....that droning on and on about legalities and corruption is meaningless to a population conditioned that everyone in Washington is compromised, and any Republican network guest can defang that in a minute, by simply pointing out some obscure rare Democrat case and say..."what about Dems?"

And think they don't need to stoop to the second one.
....That voters will just see how wonderfully straight arrow they are and respect them all the more for 'going high'. But all it does is put them on the perpetual defensive, where they spend all day long reacting to the lies and slander from the other side, instead of initiating it themselves to put R's on the defensive.

What they need is a bold, dare I say radical, platform. Medicare for all. Basic background checks for guns, maternity leave, minimum wage to $15. Come up with catchy tag lines for all of those issues, and distribute it to all Democrats to repeat repeat repeat on every talk show. Meanwhile show some damn passion, get kicked off of a network show for swearing on air, do something to show people how angry we all should be. Call them traitors, liars, the made in American Mafia. Make the Republicans have to come on air stuttering in disbelief at what they have been described as and have to defend themselves.

That slow death of the Democratic party when under Obama we lost so many seats, but hey, at least we knew we were the nice guys.

[onetexan]

22. yep, at this point the gloves need to come off

we're dealing with a mob family and their enablers

[DeminPennswoods]

17. I think plenty of people are appalled at the antics

of Trump's family, Pruitt, Zinke, DeVos, Carson and more. Personally, I'm fine with this plank of the mid-term platform.

Dems like Conor Lamb are already focusing on social security, medicare, medicaid, etc.

[rockfordfile]

19. We have to rid ourselves of the corruption. We have one of the most corrupt "Presidents" in the WH

Drain the swamp.

[stuffmatters]

20. The Republicans are running wild without any oversight & making everybody less safe,less free

And working Americans, we taxpayers, are footing the bill for this Reckless Regime of the Rich as they loot our country destroy our freedoms , our health,our democracy.

Every candidate has run against "the corruption"in DC. That is just "sameol" even in the most corrupt administration in American history.

What is new is that there is no oversight.Use examples that matter...like Republicans repealing Net Neutrality, or their Tax Cuts for the Richest with Trillions (8O% to foreign companies) of our hard earned taxpayer dollars,or their overthrow of our national protections for clean air and clean water, or their agenda to repeal Roe vs Wade AND our Social Safety Net if they continue to control our government without any constitutional checks and balances.

The Republican Government has no oversight; their greed and corruption has no opposition as long as the Republicans & their Koch Brothers Overords control all three branches of our Government.

[Terry_M]

21. No no no no no no.... no...

I really really hope they've tested this for effectiveness in swing states. I can see the message playing well with some of the base, but my gut tells me this is not going to help outside of the base in which case this is just a waste of time - there's gotta be better messages out there that will get more people to the polls.