Just a quick FYI about "the base"

[Steven Maurer]

Anyone who needs to be "excited" or they'll refuse to vote for the Democratic nominee against Trump?

ISN'T THE BASE

They have no moral authority over the Democratic party. So do not speak of them as such, or give anyone who threatens people with refusing to oppose Trump in the general any special regard in terms of their primary choices. In fact, do the opposite. Because frankly, these kind of people are more likely to drive away more people in the general election than they attract.

Thank you for your attention.

[crazytown]

1. And if they stay at home, we lose.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/03/12/4-4-million-2012-obama-voters-stayed-home-in-2016-more-than-a-third-of-them-black/

[Hortensis]

7. Those who'd stay home are NOT THE BASE, though.

Simple as that. Our party serves the beliefs and wishes of the large, diverse majority coalition who are our proud base.

Who thinks that pandering to the whites who OD'd on equality and voted for Trump's racism and misogyny would have been a good idea? That would have required betraying our base, ourselves, which is to say all of America.

Who thinks we should have caved to the kind of people who could think Democrats protecting Obamacare from destruction and refusing to nominate a socialist who couldn't win the GE justified turning the nation over to the Republicans? Some did and are now promising to do it again even while children far too young to understand cry hopelessly in prison camps.

Liberal principles of government of by and for the people, of equality, human rights and progressivism are very real. We are the diverse coalition of agreeable, respectful people who do our best to serve all. Our duty not just to ourselves but to all is a real thing.

People with the character and judgement to BE the Democratic base cannot degrade our principles and goals pander to those who lack commitment to them. Much less those willing to blow up the nation out of spite if they didn't get their way.

[crazytown]

23. A third of Obama voters who stayed home in 2016 were African American.

(that was the linked article) Not the base?

[Hortensis]

24. YES! Those who don't reliably vote Democrat are NOT

the base. It's not a skin color thing, it's a commitment thing.

People of all colors who believe in what we stand for and reliability vote for it ARE the base. It's why we're called the base instead of the flippers.

[crazytown]

25. If the base are those who vote

then you have stripped the word base of any meaning - it is an empirical artifact.

This is not the way the GOP understands it's base - abortion / immigration / gay scares to turn out the base.

[Hortensis]

29. You need to remember that today's Republicans don't represent

their voters. BOTH the Tea Party and Trump were REBELLIONS of the base against the leadership. Further, its base has shrunk as the party has become more extreme. The conservative party's instability and fluidity of beliefs reflects the lack of an intellectual basis for conservatism. Thus to be "Republican" becomes whatever the current leadership says it is, as we see with Trump and McConnell.

The liberal Democratic Party's comparatively much larger, stable base of voters is very different. Our intellectual heritage predates our nation and arises from the Age of Reason, the Enlightenment. We've had some influxes of conservatives different periods as our nation has grown, which have pulled us temporarily off track, but today we still essentially stand for the same liberal ideals and goals that we have all the way back to the Democratic-Republican Party founded by Jefferson and Madison.

What's shocking is that so many people here don't know what those are. Thomas Jefferson stated some of our bedrock beliefs at the beginning of the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,...

Lincoln called it "government of the people, by the people, and for the people" and worried that it could vanish from the earth if the conservatives of those days prevailed. Nancy Pelosi once again pledged our commitment that that would not happen.

[KitSileya]

41. And the demolishing of the Voting Rights' Act had nothing to do with that?

Please don't malign our wonderful African American voters - 93% of African American women voted for Hillary. Too many who didn't vote didn't do it because they didn't want to vote for Hillary or because they "stayed home" - they weren't allowed to vote. I recommend you keep abreast of the work of Stacey Abrams and Eric Holder, who are addressing the GOP attacks on voting rights and democracy.

[Cha]

2. I agree wholeheartedly, Steven!

The Democratic Base is actually our POC community. They're our most loyal and wisest Dems, imv.

I'm betting they're going to GOTV for our Dem Nom no matter who.. like most of us.

We sure as shit won't be voting 3rd damn party or sitting home. Not after the 4 years of trump's vile shitshow.

[betsuni]

3. K&R

[MattInMN]

4. Great message.

Telling independents and occasional voters to eff off.

[Demsrule86]

8. We need to cultivate new voters...all these folks do is let us down when it matters...sorry, they

are not the base...many are not even Democrats. Vote Blue or get lost.

[Demsrule86]

32. We shouldn't count on them...they have let us down repeatedly and we sure as hell shouldn't cater to

them.

[NurseJackie]

20. Why spend TONS of effort and time trying to persuade unreliable voters...

Why spend TONS of effort and time trying to persuade unreliable voters who only crave attention and validation... and who STILL would not be a loyal and reliable voting bloc? At best, a very very small return on the investment... a one-time vote (maybe, if that even) that's done under protest and with great resentment... and someone who'll continue to need coddling and validation every four years.

all these folks do is let us down when it matters

Exactly right! It makes much more sense to spend HALF that effort and time and get TENFOLD the reward and benefit in NEW voters who are excited to participate AND VOTE for Democrats.

[The Mouth]

28. Sometimes it seems like people *ASSUME* that we are *OWED* these votes

just because, well, we're Democrats, and Trump is, well, pretty much in opposition to everything we stand for.

But you are right:

NO ONE OWES ANYBODY ANYTHING.

No candidate is 'owed' a vote, they have to EARN it.

Our nominee 'deserves' nothing that they don't work their ass off for. We don't deserve a Democratic President if we don't not only VOTE but work the phones, walk precincts, drive people to the polls, make sure everyone we know is registered.

We seem to think that just because we don't like Trump that we are doing some big godamned favor to our fellow humans by proudly proclaiming we will vote against him, or even making witty posts or sharing funny/scathing memes; JFC, some people are acting as entitled and Don Jr.

One is owed *NOTHING* that one hasn't worked for (outside of basic constitutional rights), particularly the votes, trust and enthusiasm of their fellow citizens (and/or the President of their choice) that they haven't worked their butt off for.

Any candidate that doesn't address the needs of *EVERYONE* and court *ALL AMERICANS* doesn't deserve to be nominated- or win.

IMHO "the Base" are the people who *will* vote blue, no matter who. God bless 'em, but we need more than that. For all the hyperventilation regarding Hillary getting a few million more votes, many times that didn't even vote. Reach those people, or we lose.

[Demsrule86]

33. Then I guess if they feels that they don't 'owe' the Democratic party support or loyalty...than

they are Republicans...screw them. They are not and never were on our side...just like to foment division and help Republicans win. They are not and can't keep calling themselves the base as they are no such thing...the base are the yellow dog folks who vote blue no matter who...and are working the GOTV teams.

[The Mouth]

35. They are not the base

My definition of 'The Base' is the people who will vote blue, period', as you correctly note. But man it seems like a LOT of people just assume that our candidate is owed the votes of anyone and everyone who isn't a full on fascist; that bubble is gonna kill us.

The Base alone is not enough to win.

[Demsrule86]

37. After the primary, a aDemocrat should vote for the Democrat period...

No message voting and all the other BS that I have seen. Time to stop
enabling Republicans.

[TheRealNorth]

31. Talking like that about people isn't going to make them vote Democrat

There are many reasons why people don't vote, among them...

1 restrictive voter registration laws
2 people working multiple part-time jobs don't necessarily have the time to wait in line for 2+ hours to vote
3 indifference
4 Transportation

Rather than get frustrated about why people don't vote, we should be trying to figure out ways to lessen and remove those barriers. It's not easy, because the Republicans know that the more barriers they erect, the lower the turnout.

[The Mouth]

36. But insulting and bellittling them and calling them ignorant fascists

is going to work this time!!!

[NurseJackie]

6. You are ABSOLUTELY correct. The "base" are loyal Democrats who...

You are ABSOLUTELY correct. The "base" are loyal Democrats who... donate, volunteer, canvass... who always support DEMOCRATS and who ALWAYS ALWAYS VOTE!!

There's a certain subset of far-left fringe voters who seem to believe that the word "base" means "most left". It doesn't. They're fooling themselves.

Because frankly, these kind of people are more likely to drive away more people in the general election than they attract.

Yes... that subset generates so much negativity. Negativity generates apathy. Apathy discourages voter turnout. Low voter turnout gives Republicans a chance to steal the elections.

[Demsrule86]

9. +1000 Great post! Every word is true. I see the same faces at the meetings and the fund raisers...

we are the base. Those on the far left need to win people over with hard work, a great boots on the ground outreach and a convincing message...not take potshots at our candidates. Also people flipping blue seats is not impressive. We already have those seats...how about flipping GOP seats for a change? I am progressive and agree with most progressive policy. However, without the ability to win, it doesn't matter what policies you advance.

[BlueMississippi]

11. The far left also doesn't understand that politics is a game of consensus building

and "my way or highway" doesn't work.

It is all about compromises and reaching the middle ground where there is broadest support.

[NurseJackie]

13. I could only shake my head in absolute disgust and contempt...

I could only shake my head in absolute disgust and contempt whenever I encountered folks who seemed to think that it was somehow "honorable" for a politician to end up with NOTHING (zero accomplishments, zero progress) rather than to be willing to find common ground and at least make SOME progress.

These folks boast about personal purity because they "refused to compromise". For some bizarre reason, they place higher value in their own vanity than they do in ACTUALLY MAKING PROGRESS (even if it involves compromise, and even if they don't get everything.)

It is all about compromises and reaching the middle ground where there is broadest support.

You're absolutely correct. The "all or nothing" mantra benefits nobody. Failure is NOT a virtue, no matter how often anyone says it is. A half a loaf is always better than an empty plate.

[Act_of_Reparation]

12. Wanna know what generates apathy and negativity in me?

People who use the term "far-left" unironically on a liberal web forum.

[NurseJackie]

15. Denying that the fringe left exists serves no good purpose.

Wanna know what generates apathy and negativity in me?

Well, that's a start. Admitting one's shortcomings is a path to improvement. I guess anyone who wants to participate on ANY web forum at all needs to have thick skin. Hang in there. I think you'll survive.

People who use the term "far-left" unironically on a liberal web forum.

Denying the truth serves no good purpose.

It also serves no good purpose for anyone to go about saying untrue things like: Democrats are "ideologically bankrupt". It's also NOT TRUE that Democrats are "feeble". It's NOT TRUE that Democrats are "corrupt". It's NOT TRUE that the Democratic party is an "absolute failure". It's NOT TRUE that the Democratic party is "the party of the one-percent". It's NOT TRUE that the Democratic party is the "party of the elite". It's NOT TRUE that there's "no difference between Democrats and Republicans." It's NOT TRUE that Democrats are "do-nothings". It's NOT TRUE that the Democratic party "doesn't care about climate change." It's NOT TRUE that the Democrats "focus too much" on diversity. It's also NOT TRUE that people who the refuse to vote for an African-American because of his skin color "aren't racists". It's also NOT TRUE that the Democrats who "are very big into diversity" aren't "particularly sympathetic" to the working class.

Those things only serve to benefit Trump, the GOP, and Russia. Why would anyone want to do or say things that dissuade others from supporting Democrats?

[Act_of_Reparation]

18. I don't deny the existence of a disaffected subset.

I criticize your use of GOP Newspeak to describe them.

[NurseJackie]

19. Irrelevant. Nobody said that you denied anything.

I don't deny the existence of a disaffected subset.

Irrelevant. Nobody said that you denied anything.

I criticize your use of GOP Newspeak to describe them.

Dismissing obvious truths by labeling them in that manner does not make them any less true. It's not my job to flatter or coddle anyone who desires to harm the party with their lies, smears, attacks and distortions. The vanities of those who hate the Democratic party, and who have a dangerous desire to "destroy to rebuild" the party are of no concern to me. (think: "Justice Democrats" and their associates, and Cenk Uygur, and Susan Sarandon, among others)

"GOP NewspeakGOP," eh? Oh brother! GMAFB!

[Act_of_Reparation]

21. Yeah, nobody said that.

[NurseJackie]

22. Thank you for having the courage to admit it.

[NurseJackie]

17. And then... there's the horseshoe theory thing.

I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, but I don't want to go into too much detail about it (for obvious reasons.) It's easily found in a google search... and many who find themselves at the two extremes are truly offended by it. Oh well.

Anyway...

[BlueMississippi]

10. k&r nt

[Funtatlaguy]

26. After his performance today, I really don't think he will run in 2020.

He’s getting more unhinged by the day.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

27. The Democrat 2020

[peggysue2]

30. x 1000

The Democratic base is:

Vote Blue No Matter Who

Because to quote one of our candidates: "Donald Trump is an existential threat to the country."

And if you want to be excited? Go to a damn amusement park. Because this isn't about a tingle, a shiver, a thrilling moment. This is about saving the country from a bunch of fascist knuckle draggers.

This is about survival. Or not.

[FiveGoodMen]

34. We all know what's Arabic for "The Base" right?

[Steven Maurer]

39. We're not the Republican base either N/T

[Gothmog]

38. The most important thing is beating Donald Trump

I want to nominate the candidate who is best able to beat trump. Beating trump is the only thing that really matters. I will support and vote for the nominee of the party. We must beat trump

[melman]

40. "these kind of people are more likely to drive away more people"

What makes people that can be driven away any more worthy of attention than people that need to be excited?


I mean, if they can be driven away by what other people do then surely they're not serious about getting rid of Trump.


And people that aren't serious about getting rid of Trump can't be part of the base. By your own definition.


So why should we worry about these people?

[RandiFan1290]

42. Yep, we remember the PUMA crowd. nt

[Steven Maurer]

43. True enough, but it was hardly only them. N/T