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MellowDem

(5,018 posts)
Sun Feb 28, 2016, 01:27 PM Feb 2016

You want a more liberal Democratic candidate?

Well here's a reminder we are a pretty conservative country to this day, and that spills over into the Democratic Party.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/188129/conservatives-hang-ideology-lead-thread.aspx

Most Democrats don't describe themselves as "liberal", though it has been shifting that way for a while. Most of the party describes themselves as moderates or conservatives.

No liberal candidate is going to win a primary for a party with that ideological make up.

Part of the battle going forward, besides promoting liberal ideas, is just making liberal ideas seem normal and not whacky, and eventually people will think they're quite "moderate". The idea to mandate insurance to cover people with pre-existing conditions is seeming more and more "moderate" all the time for example (and yes, there are yet even better more liberal policies such as single payer that would eliminate the need, but it is getting people to think of healthcare as a right, a liberal idea). I think Sanders campaign is helping do that by simply bringing up major liberal policy goals in a country that hardly ever even hears them. But don't get your hopes up much more than that, or more positively, don't take for granted the positive aspects of this primary even if Sanders cannot win it.

And hold Hillary's feet to the fire, it won't lose her votes, and it will drive liberal ideas if we are consistent across candidates.

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You want a more liberal Democratic candidate? (Original Post) MellowDem Feb 2016 OP
This is pretty much what Sanders has been saying. HassleCat Feb 2016 #1
I don't believe we're a more conservative country. CrispyQ Feb 2016 #2
 

HassleCat

(6,409 posts)
1. This is pretty much what Sanders has been saying.
Sun Feb 28, 2016, 01:38 PM
Feb 2016

Neither party represents the people in general, the public interest, or progressive values. How long has it been since our party, or anyone prominent within our party, advanced the cause of publicly financed campaigns? Abolishing capital punishment? Massive infrastructure overhaul? A gas tax increase to repair our crumbling roads and bridges? Our president was very progressive with his health care proposal, but received no real support from member of his party. In fact, some "Democrats" were interested only in watering down the ACA to help themselves. If our party does not wake up from its comfortable slumber, we will lose many Democrats to a third party.

CrispyQ

(36,225 posts)
2. I don't believe we're a more conservative country.
Sun Feb 28, 2016, 02:12 PM
Feb 2016

I believe that is a media myth, put out by the conservative owners of the media.



I do believe that a lot of Americans fell for the media's war on the word liberal & that the democratic party did the country a huge disservice when they turned away from the word, (& eventually the policies), when Ronald Reagan started poking fun at it. Instead, the party should have stood proud & said, "Hell yes we're liberal & here's why!" And then recited the Joe Conservative essay. But they ran scared of the media. Now, I no longer think they're scared, just complicit.



The two parties have been playing this game for 35 years. Dem leadership has no one to blame but itself for the huge enthusiasm gap they have going into this election with their status quo candidate.

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