Why the obsession with "complacency"?

[betsuni]

I keep seeing warnings about being complacent. Do I think Clinton will win the election? Yes, I do. Does that mean that at the first sign of autumn I'll crawl into my hibernation cave and not come out to vote in November, and before I retire to the cave tell all my bear friends not to vote either because I think Clinton will win? No, it does not. What's this complacency business?

[auntpurl]

1. I don't think they're speaking to us, particularly.

We spend a good deal of time on a political message board; we're already active in politics. But the Democratic base is notoriously difficult to corral into actually voting - look what happens in midterm years. Whereas the term "broken-glass Republicans" exists for a reason. I think it's just a reminder that we need to do everything possible to GOTV and help Hillary's campaign.

[Cha]

2. I've been seeing it too, betsuni.. And, responding with..

"We're not complacent".. We and Hillary are working like we're 20 points behind!

[betsuni]

4. Yes, Hillary is always fighting -- no "annointed" crap! (Where does that even come from?)

[Cha]

5. File that under "memes that didn't work"

[NurseJackie]

8. Still seeing references online to "kissing her ring" ...

... from typical haters ... so it's very smart of Hillary and her team to campaign the way they have. Those spreading and perpetuating those "annointed" and "royalty" memes aren't going to stop.

[Cha]

9. They're shallow and Ridiculous!

They can spout "anointed" till kingdom come.. doesn't stop Hillary. And, just made them look petty.

And, we know who we're talkin' about.

[treestar]

12. and while not saying she should be anointed

at this time, there does not seem to BE anyone else who would make a good POTUS. Not one of the Repubbies, or Bernie. I suppose MOM would have been good but he got so little traction.

It shows how loyal Dems are to Hillary. Kerry could have run, I suppose. Biden, a lot of them could have run but preferred not to even go against Hillary. Shows they think she would be such a good POTUS>

[Cha]

14. It just worked out the way it was suppose to.. and I'm so grateful for

everyone who's helped her along the way.. and that definitely includes President Obama and VP Biden!

treestar~

[beachbum bob]

3. democrats of a history of complacency, more so in off-presidential year elections

but if the news media saturates the air waves for 3 months of an impending clinton landslide, we could be in real trouble...I rather see the media maintain this is "close"......line

[betsuni]

6. But this a presidential election year. I don't think Democrats will hibernate if the media,

which everybody knows are wrong about everything, predicted a landslide. Still don't get it.

[Tatiana]

7. Selection 2000 and Al Gore or Selection 2004 and John Kerry.

It never should have been that close to begin with.

[treestar]

10. It is a form of creating fear, uncertainty and doubt

Like we could lose if we don't panic or don't think Trump will win. Some people seem unmotivated unless they feel like Trump is going to win.

[writes3000]

11. Correct. But it's not motivating for other people. It depresses them.

I don't understand why people just can't say "Great news! Let's keep working hard!"

[treestar]

13. Exactly!

[Demsrule86]

15. It is an attack of sorts...good news is met with 'we must not get complacent' and

usually, some 'fact' that disqualifies the good news...but the bad news is met with hand-wringing and hysteria...with a touch of I told you so...I don't know how it is intended or what causes it (residue of a bitter primary perhaps?) but it sucks all the joy out of good news if you let it. I won't. I think Hillary will win too. But I WILL WORK MY ASS OFF WITH GOTV. I know that hate sells and that Trump was underestimated by a dozen GOP politicians.

[DemonGoddess]

16. to take away our JOY at having a woman for a nominee

I do think that factors in.

But that's okay. Hillary is working and will continue to work like she's way behind, we who support her will do the same.

Me, I don't want just a victory, because like you, I think she'll win. I want a LANDSLIDE.

[JSup]

17. I remember a teacher telling me once:

"Republicans lose motivation to vote if they think they're going to lose and Democrats lose motivation to vote if they think they're going to win."

I've noticed a trend recently to brand anyone with concerns as though they are a concern-troll and acting as though their feelings are invalid. We're supposed to be liberals and progressives, not cons that think how people feel doesn't matter.

Can we not use fear of infiltration to invalidate peoples' actual feelings? Concern trolls are pretty obvious.

[stopbush]

18. It's lazy, ineffective hand wringing that puts the focus in the wrong place.

To me, it's like a football team going into a prevent defense when they're up 40-20, only to lose 40-41. The focus needs to be on winning this election, not on not losing the election.

Harping about not being complacent needs to be replaced by our making gains in the down-ticket contests. If we're focussed there, winning the presidency is a done deal. If we concentrate on not being complacent about the presidential race, we remain stuck on square one.

Taking care of fundamentals is important, but we need a broader vision this year. 2016 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make major gains across the board.

Carpe diem!

[BobbyDrake]

19. I call this phenomenon "Concernucopia." The abundance of overflowing "concern" that isn't real.

As others have pointed out, its intent is to demoralize.

[betsuni]

20. And, by the way, not everybody has the personality to talk to people on the phone or in person

to GOTV. Even if I lived in the U.S., I couldn't do it. People hate me! I hate myself! Why should I feel guilty? Am I responsible for everyone else's vote?

[nadine_mn]

21. There are a lot of "eh, I guess I'll vote Hillary" voters

People who aren't thrilled about her, but will vote for her. Remember before all this Trump nonsense, everyone was so sure it was going to be Clinton v Bush, that no one could come close to challenging them.

The reality is that several people on the left have a negative view about Hillary. Decades of right wing smears have seeped into the collective conscience. Ezra Klein has a fantastic article in Vox about what he calls the "gap" - the perception America has about Hillary vs how people who actually know her and have worked with her feel.

But think about W's elections...each time sane ppl thought no way he could win..so I'll vote Nader or sit out because Kerry is meh. Normal ppl think the same way about Trump...no way he can win, Hillary is so much more qualified than he is, it will be a landslide... And so some think because it's a shoo in, they will vote their "conscience" (Stein..ick..or write in). I argue with friends about this all the time...no no no, get out and vote Clinton.

We here on DU aren't complacent, but a lot of people are...for goodness sake America as a whole is...look at how low our voter turnout is, even in election yrs.

[Orsino]

22. Being excessively or insufficiently happy triggers alarm bells.

Beware calling victory either inevitable or too much at risk is probable cause for stop-and-frisk. Celebrate responsibly, Citizen.