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lancelyons

(988 posts)
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 06:40 PM Jan 2017

What went wrong with the Democratic Party? Three big failures that led to the current debacle

To an extent that is rarely true of an opposition party, Democrats can claim a mandate of resistance. Donald Trump lost the popular vote by a large margin, he’s incredibly unpopular and the Republicans have broken norms around using any tools available to gum up the opposition party’s agenda. In a welcome development, Democrats have largely avoided their classic debate about whether they should throw women or people of color under the bus in order to remain electorally competitive (though some pieces in this genre have slipped through).

But while “resistance” is a welcome posture for Democrats, it’s one that very few have clearly defined. Most autopsies have focused on Hillary Clinton’s campaign failures and messaging, but these are ancillary to the more structural failures of the Democratic Party over the last few years and offer only limited help to understand what’s coming next. Next week, I’ll discuss some principles for Democrats going into the future. But before Democrats can go forward, it’s worth understanding what’s been going wrong.

Mistake 1: Focusing on Perception, Not Power

Throughout Barack Obama’s time in office, Democrats have proved incapable of fighting back against Republican subterfuge because of their commitment to “respectability politics.” For example, James O’Keefe released a selectively edited video which he claimed showed that ACORN (a nonprofit organization that organized, mobilized and advocated for low-income communities) had advised him on how to buy a house and use it as a brothel. Rather than rallying in defense of ACORN, “an overwhelming majority of Democrats” voted with Republicans to cut off funding for an organization that had been “instrumental” in campaigns for living-wage ordinances, increasing the minimum wage and ending predatory lending.


http://www.salon.com/2017/01/08/what-went-wrong-with-the-democratic-party-three-big-failures-that-led-to-the-current-debacle/

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What went wrong with the Democratic Party? Three big failures that led to the current debacle (Original Post) lancelyons Jan 2017 OP
There is only one thing that went wrong in the 2016 presidential election and had little to do with Trust Buster Jan 2017 #1
The op tells precisely why so few people voted. They gave up on the democrats. George Eliot Jan 2017 #2
Sorry, I'm not buying it. You didn't have to be a fan of the Democratic Party to know that Trump Trust Buster Jan 2017 #3
This is about more than just Trump. It's about Republicans controlling... SMC22307 Jan 2017 #5
That can happen via gerrymandering and voter suppression uponit7771 Jan 2017 #8
fine, but stomping our feet and screaming "not fair" isn't gonna fix it. Even if it's not fair. Warren DeMontague Jan 2017 #9
You're right, I advocate doing something strange.. very strange like ... calling the capital police uponit7771 Jan 2017 #10
I guess. Warren DeMontague Jan 2017 #11
OK, how are we going to win back anything if Russia can hack every election?!? Are they going to ... uponit7771 Jan 2017 #12
They didnt hack the election, they hacked the DNC's email. Warren DeMontague Jan 2017 #13
If DU people are poorly informed, we are lost. Thanks for good arguments. snowy owl Jan 2017 #23
There isnt any evidence, I've seen, that they hacked the physical vote count. LenaBaby61 Jan 2017 #36
it's tough to prove a negative. Warren DeMontague Jan 2017 #38
when was there ever any meaningful search for this evidence? nt TheFrenchRazor Jan 2017 #45
Please read the report, they hacked the state and local election board in serveral states and that uponit7771 Jan 2017 #41
..which report? Warren DeMontague Jan 2017 #42
really? the intel report uponit7771 Jan 2017 #43
OK, how are we going to win back anything if Russia can hack every election?!? LenaBaby61 Jan 2017 #34
+1 uponit7771 Jan 2017 #44
we need all paper ballots, all hand-counted, all the time. it's not that hard. nt TheFrenchRazor Jan 2017 #46
While I think the article from the OP makes many good points... Garrett78 Jan 2017 #17
maybe, yes. But it's undeniable that the electorate in general is trending in certain directions. Warren DeMontague Jan 2017 #22
WA isn't so safe. Our state house has several blue dog Dems-we pay the price by getting little done. snowy owl Jan 2017 #24
Not at this magnitude. SMC22307 Jan 2017 #15
Agreed. Big changes are necessary and it isn't personalities. Policies have to change. snowy owl Jan 2017 #26
Messaging needs to improve and we need to put up a better fight. SMC22307 Jan 2017 #48
Yup. Agreed. nt riderinthestorm Jan 2017 #47
Thanks. I'm glad someone else on this board... SMC22307 Jan 2017 #49
+1 uponit7771 Jan 2017 #7
+1000000 JHan Jan 2017 #33
You should read the whole piece lastone Jan 2017 #35
4: Taking the West Coast for granted & ignoring cannabis/treating the issue like a big joke Warren DeMontague Jan 2017 #4
We fucked up on this issue bravenak Jan 2017 #27
Yup! A poster here mentioned Florida and medical Marijuana NWCorona Jan 2017 #31
I think part of the problem is, these beltway conventional wisdom consultants are largely Warren DeMontague Jan 2017 #37
We are always late to the damn party bravenak Jan 2017 #39
4: Minimize effect of comey, russia and voter suppression in analysis and blame the victim uponit7771 Jan 2017 #6
The points raised in the article have to do with the Republican Party's ability... Garrett78 Jan 2017 #25
Dems play too nice--even the Pres. who I still greatly admire/respect played too nice with the GOP. LenaBaby61 Jan 2017 #40
Good (albeit embarrassing) article. I'm still miffed about what was allowed to happen to ACORN. Garrett78 Jan 2017 #14
Me, too. And remember the black official that Obama fired without knowing full story. snowy owl Jan 2017 #28
Oh, So Now Salon's Concerned Me. Jan 2017 #16
I disagree with some of the narratives that have followed the 2016 election. Garrett78 Jan 2017 #18
I Respect Your Point Of View But Think They Have A Lot Of Nerve Me. Jan 2017 #20
I think purists who discard the good for the perfect can be problematic. However... Garrett78 Jan 2017 #32
You're blaming Salon? Enough with blame. snowy owl Jan 2017 #29
First Off Me. Jan 2017 #30
Mistake 2: Unrequited Bipartisanship SMC22307 Jan 2017 #19
The few holdout pragmatist seem to think repeat failure is an option. Rex Jan 2017 #21
 

Trust Buster

(7,299 posts)
1. There is only one thing that went wrong in the 2016 presidential election and had little to do with
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 07:07 PM
Jan 2017

the Democratic Party. The greatest threat of our time spent 18 months on the campaign trail attacking practically every demographic in this country while lying all the way. Yet, 46% of eligible American voters couldn't be bothered to perform their civic duty. In my opinion, the main problem does not exist within the Democratic Party. The problem is that so many of our fellow citizens care so little that they couldn't be bothered to vote even as a mad man threatened their country. We have an American people problem folks. The denial can no longer be sustained.

George Eliot

(701 posts)
2. The op tells precisely why so few people voted. They gave up on the democrats.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 07:15 PM
Jan 2017

In my view, that's what this post is trying to lay out.
Lectures on one's civic with won't bring them bsck.

 

Trust Buster

(7,299 posts)
3. Sorry, I'm not buying it. You didn't have to be a fan of the Democratic Party to know that Trump
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 07:20 PM
Jan 2017

represented an existential threat unlike anything we've witnessed in our time. The 46% of eligible voters that could not bring themselves to confront this threat let our country down. This election was a referendum on the state of the American people IMO. We received our answer.

SMC22307

(8,090 posts)
5. This is about more than just Trump. It's about Republicans controlling...
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 07:40 PM
Jan 2017

statehouses and executive mansions at record levels. This just didn't happen in November 2016, it's been building for decades. It's about North Carolina going completely red in 2012 -- first time in over a century. Same with Kentucky now. Pay attention, people, there are more than presidential elections...

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
9. fine, but stomping our feet and screaming "not fair" isn't gonna fix it. Even if it's not fair.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 07:51 PM
Jan 2017

I don't understand the petulant insistence that there is NO ROOM for improvement in our party, its approach, its leadership. Obviously we can do better.

Look at Florida. Florida passed a medical marijuana amendment with over 70% of the vote, an initiative that Debbie Wasserman Schultz (the public face of the DNC) spent the past several years railing against, working with Sheldon Adelson to stop, etc.

You think that hurt us in Florida? I do.

We can't fix gerrymandering if we don't control those statehouses to begin with.

uponit7771

(91,355 posts)
10. You're right, I advocate doing something strange.. very strange like ... calling the capital police
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 07:53 PM
Jan 2017

... on Mitch McConnel daily ...

that's above and beyond not approving shit.. I mean don't even approve toilet paper... shut everything down

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
11. I guess.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 07:55 PM
Jan 2017

Still, we need to win back some of those statehouses.

My humble suggestion to anyone that will listen, is we look to states where Democrats keep winning, and ask "what are they doing differently"?

uponit7771

(91,355 posts)
12. OK, how are we going to win back anything if Russia can hack every election?!? Are they going to ...
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 07:58 PM
Jan 2017

... hack less cause MiniPootin is in office?!

We're fucked, might as well start burning shit up to bring attention to this

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
13. They didnt hack the election, they hacked the DNC's email.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:02 PM
Jan 2017

There isnt any evidence, I've seen, that they hacked the physical vote count.

LenaBaby61

(6,991 posts)
36. There isnt any evidence, I've seen, that they hacked the physical vote count.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 09:48 PM
Jan 2017

I don't see any evidence stating that the ruskies didn't use some type of cyber-technology to tamper with voting machines in just enough places to make sure Hillary lost MI, PA. FL., WI. even though all over this country Dems were being cross-checked, voter purged and voter suppressed and voter disenfranchised to death.

IMHO, tRumputin and ruskies had EVERY base covered.

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
38. it's tough to prove a negative.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 09:50 PM
Jan 2017

But I do think we had problems in the Rust belt that weren't coming from the Kremlin. Our Party people on the ground were sounding alarms for months.

uponit7771

(91,355 posts)
41. Please read the report, they hacked the state and local election board in serveral states and that
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 10:45 PM
Jan 2017

... is interference enough for a re-vote

LenaBaby61

(6,991 posts)
34. OK, how are we going to win back anything if Russia can hack every election?!?
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 09:36 PM
Jan 2017

THANK YOU

We can get out and march/protest (Get arrested and called terrorists and fined per a tRumputin DOJ ), vote en MASS, phone bank (Which is what I did until blue in the face and until I couldn't put off oral surgery any longer just before November 8th), donate (Did that too when I could), register people to vote, and even "dance" so to speak until the walls come tumbling down in the streets...

BUT....

What do we DO if the ruskies can once again cyber-hack not only red states but next time BLUE states also" What do we do WHEN the GOP can voter suppress/voter depress, voter cross-check, voter purge on STEROIDS in 2018/2020 and is also ENCOURAGED and HELPED BY A tRumputin DOJ?



Garrett78

(10,721 posts)
17. While I think the article from the OP makes many good points...
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:20 PM
Jan 2017

I'm not sure there are lessons, per se, to be learned from CA, OR and WA. Those of us on the West Coast have Democratically controlled state legislatures and Democratic governors, but that's largely because progressive-minded people choose to live here. I'm a Midwest transplant myself.

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
22. maybe, yes. But it's undeniable that the electorate in general is trending in certain directions.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:37 PM
Jan 2017

One area in particular is marijuana legalization- across the board, in state after state, it is increasingly popular. But our beltway leadership is stuck in this fucking loop from 2004, where they think they need to appeal to "values voters" and "soccer moms". It causes them to reflexively ignore questions of personal, individual freedom or treat them like a joke. And because of that, we end up ceding voters to the Libertarian Party, which strikes me as the height of fucking stupidity.

snowy owl

(2,145 posts)
24. WA isn't so safe. Our state house has several blue dog Dems-we pay the price by getting little done.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:45 PM
Jan 2017

Big money behind Republicans here and red Eastern WA.

SMC22307

(8,090 posts)
15. Not at this magnitude.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:11 PM
Jan 2017

Democrats now fully control a pitiful SIX states. When are people on this board going to admit there's a problem?

Obama carried NC in 2008. NC hated Obamacare and voted in Republicans in 2010. I blame Obama and the entire Democratic Party for not *selling* it. A Republican governor then won in 2012, while Obama lost. NC went fully red for the first time in over 100 YEARS. In 2016, North Carolinians booted McCrory (R) for Cooper (D) over HB2 job (and basketball tournament) losses. Meanwhile, Trump won -- BIG -- over Hillary. Republicans eliminated straight-party voting, and it bit them in the ass as far as the governorship... at least there's that. Where was the Democratic Party?


SMC22307

(8,090 posts)
48. Messaging needs to improve and we need to put up a better fight.
Wed Jan 11, 2017, 12:55 AM
Jan 2017

Did the Democratic Party smack down Sarah Palin as she went on her granny-killing-Obamacare tirade? No. Ticks me off to this day.

SMC22307

(8,090 posts)
49. Thanks. I'm glad someone else on this board...
Wed Jan 11, 2017, 12:58 AM
Jan 2017

sees that there's a problem. So much time maligning one Bernard Sanders, when the Democratic Party is crashing and burning all around. Full control of a measly six states... it should never have gotten to this point.

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
4. 4: Taking the West Coast for granted & ignoring cannabis/treating the issue like a big joke
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 07:29 PM
Jan 2017

where have we performed well as a party, even in off years? THE WEST FUCKING COAST.

NWCorona

(8,541 posts)
31. Yup! A poster here mentioned Florida and medical Marijuana
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:58 PM
Jan 2017

And the effect of DWS's stance against it. It's something I didn't think about before.

Warren DeMontague

(80,708 posts)
37. I think part of the problem is, these beltway conventional wisdom consultants are largely
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 09:49 PM
Jan 2017

products of a bygone era, like the 80s and 90s when we got hammered on this "values" crap. Look how long it has taken us to finally push back on the fucking drug war. For years we had pols who tried to out-do the GOP in terms of racking up higher and higher mandatory minimum sentences for dangerous 'crimes' like smoking a joint.

Another good example is marriage equality. Round about 2004, we had members of our party falling all over each other to "protect traditional marriage". Even if that was where the votes were, then- and I still say the power of the "values voter" was overestimated even then- the problem with not displaying leadership even when it is politically inconvenient is, it looks worse when you finally come around to do the right thing.

It's another reason I like Newsom, even though I originally thought he was an overly-slick Marina yuppie; because he actually led on these issues when the "smart political money" said "you can't go there".

 

bravenak

(34,648 posts)
39. We are always late to the damn party
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 09:55 PM
Jan 2017

We get scared that cons might say mean shit about us so we wilt like tired roses. Half the states will legalize before the party backs it.

I thought the same about Newsom, he seemed like a techy elitist. But he's cool.

Garrett78

(10,721 posts)
25. The points raised in the article have to do with the Republican Party's ability...
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:46 PM
Jan 2017

...to engage in voter suppression and racial gerrymandering. If Democrats were winning more House and Senate seats (at the state level and the federal level) and stopped playing nice with the devil, those things would be more difficult to pull off.

The article also points out that Comey is in the position he's in because of the willingness of Dems like Obama to play nice with those who have no intention of returning the favor. The same goes for not making a bigger stink of the Russian hack back when we first learned about it, which was well before the election took place. Had the situation been reversed, you can be sure Republicans would have been up in arms...they wouldn't have worried about giving the appearance that they were trying to impact the election result.

LenaBaby61

(6,991 posts)
40. Dems play too nice--even the Pres. who I still greatly admire/respect played too nice with the GOP.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 10:07 PM
Jan 2017
"The article also points out that Comey is in the position he's in because of the willingness of Dems like Obama to play nice with those who have no intention of returning the favor. The same goes for not making a bigger stink of the Russian hack back when we first learned about it, which was well before the election took place. Had the situation been reversed, you can be sure Republicans would have been up in arms...they wouldn't have worried about giving the appearance that they were trying to impact the election result."

All of THIS ^^^^

Fight, fight, fight and not roll over should be at the top of the Dem bucket list leading up to 2018 and beyond....but...

I'm Not sure of what Dems can do, especially if voter suppression/voter disfranchisement and ALEC are all "encouraged" to reach epic levels by 2018 with help from a tRumputin DOJ, and if the GOP expands upon the Senate with that 60 Seat PLUS majority, we're in trouble the likes of what we've never seen before as a political party, and that's 2 years before 2020 arrives.

Garrett78

(10,721 posts)
14. Good (albeit embarrassing) article. I'm still miffed about what was allowed to happen to ACORN.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:07 PM
Jan 2017

Grow a spine and stop kowtowing to those who have no intention of compromising.

And not even putting forth a candidate in a district that was won by Clinton is just pathetic.

snowy owl

(2,145 posts)
28. Me, too. And remember the black official that Obama fired without knowing full story.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:48 PM
Jan 2017

She was invited back because her farm policies were fair and people let him know? Oh. So many mistakes.

Me.

(35,454 posts)
16. Oh, So Now Salon's Concerned
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:14 PM
Jan 2017

After how many Hillary bashing pieces they published by so called writers with an agenda? Now they think they should tell us what went wrong and what Dems should do.





Garrett78

(10,721 posts)
18. I disagree with some of the narratives that have followed the 2016 election.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:26 PM
Jan 2017

Such as the "working class whites/economic messaging" narrative and the "anti-establishment" narrative. Those narratives collapse under the weight of facts and critical thought.

However, the article from the OP makes a lot of really good points. Points that directly impact, among other things, the Republican Party's ability to engage in voter suppression and racial gerrymandering. The article is less about Trump vs. Clinton and more about the state of the Democratic Party nationwide.

Me.

(35,454 posts)
20. I Respect Your Point Of View But Think They Have A Lot Of Nerve
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:32 PM
Jan 2017

They and H.A. Goodman did far too many hit pieces on HRC and by extension, the party for them to now think they have the right to a say. There seems to be a lot of that going on lately.

Garrett78

(10,721 posts)
32. I think purists who discard the good for the perfect can be problematic. However...
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:58 PM
Jan 2017

I'm not sure the likes of Salon had much impact on Trump's electoral college victory.

snowy owl

(2,145 posts)
29. You're blaming Salon? Enough with blame.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:50 PM
Jan 2017

Only intellectuals read Salon. Intellectuals didn't vote for Trump.

Me.

(35,454 posts)
30. First Off
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:55 PM
Jan 2017

I believe it's my option to blame if I so wish

And second...it is my opinion that you are off the mark where Salon is concerned

3. A post blaming blame...really?

SMC22307

(8,090 posts)
19. Mistake 2: Unrequited Bipartisanship
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:26 PM
Jan 2017

Oh, Lordy, how many times on this board were Obama, Pelosi, et al. criticized for that?

....

The failure of Democrats to realize how deep the Republican commitment to opposing their agenda runs has led to strategic errors. Take the earliest battles of Obama’s presidency, when he extended a hand to House Speaker John Boehner, only to have Boehner leave the table at the last minute. Or granting concessions (more than $1 trillion in spending cuts, with no tax increases) to the Republicans during the high-stakes debt ceiling negotiations in 2011, which only emboldened Republicans to pursue the tactic again in 2013. As the Onion perfectly satirized, “Obama: Debt Ceiling Deal Required Tough Concessions by Both Democrats and Democrats Alike.” In a Health Affairs article, Helen Halpin (who advised the Obama administration on the development of the Affordable Care Act) and Peter Harbage note that Sen. Max Baucus spent “months” trying to forge a bipartisan bill, sapping precious time that Democrats simply didn’t have.

This flows from the Democratic desire for bipartisan policy, but also from a technocratic disposition. Many liberal commentators are holding up Trump’s support among beneficiaries of the Affordable Care Act to claim that the idea that policies would become entrenched is fundamentally wrong. In fact, it’s right — the problem is that ACA was not properly designed to mobilize political support for it. The administration failed to use the exchanges to register voters (as they were required to by the National Voter Registration Act). Where the Medicaid expansion passed, it did indeed mobilize turnout.

Research is further establishing the feedback loop between progressive policy and Democratic vote share, not debunking it. The fallacy lies in believing that programs will simply mobilize people by dint of their existence. In reality, of course, most Americans aren’t schooled in policy. Institutions like unions and community organizations (like ACORN) traditionally mobilize these beneficiaries. Social Security privatization didn’t work because groups like the AARP have cropped up to defend these benefits.

....

http://www.salon.com/2017/01/08/what-went-wrong-with-the-democratic-party-three-big-failures-that-led-to-the-current-debacle/
 

Rex

(65,616 posts)
21. The few holdout pragmatist seem to think repeat failure is an option.
Sun Jan 8, 2017, 08:35 PM
Jan 2017

Thankfully they are on the way out.

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