Post mortem thread. Why did we lose?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

130. The Dems should have learned from the experience of Labour in Britain

Margaret Thatcher, like Ronald Reagan, wrecked the lives of the working class in the UK and was rejected by voters in 1997 for Labour. So what did Labour do? They not only failed to undo any of the damage that Thatcher had done but also added offenses of their own, like the Iraq War, increased surveillance and heavy-handed police techniques; allowing unlimited immigration by Eastern Europeans, thereby creating competition for lower-level jobs; and in general favoring the banksters over the ordinary people.

As a result, Britain voted the Conservatives back in 2011. They're even worse than before, cutting welfare benefits, raising tuition at universities, etc.

Now two recently prominent parties are the Scottish Nationalists in Scotland, although they lost their referendum, and the UK Independence Party (UKIP), which is anti-immigration and anti-EU, with fascist overtones.

In both cases, from what I can see in the UK press and on the websites of these parties, there's a great deal of "What have you done for me lately?" in both protest groups.

The Scottish Nationalists like the fact that their part of the UK is the most politically and economically liberal, and they feel that England is a drag on them, and the UKIP are white working class people who feel ignored and disrespected. I can't really compare them to the Tea Party, since they don't have a black president to react against, but they feel downright oppressed by the Conservatives and ignored and unrepresented by Labour.

Over here, the Dems have forgotten their roots and what they stand for. It's as simple as that. They have forgotten how to appeal to working class voters with programs that really benefit them. They have forgotten how to be bold. They worry more about their donors than about ordinary people.

The best case scenario would be that this defeat serves as a wake-up call for the Dems, but I'm not hopeful. The loss of the Senate in 2002 brought us only more timidity.

If we had proportional representation here, I'd vote Green or Socialist. That's how disgusted I am with the way Democratic politicians continually buddy up to corporate interests.

If I had the ear of Democratic strategists, I would tell them to go into communities with high percentages of non-voters and just LISTEN for about a year. Contrary to the myth spread by the Beltway crowd, non-voters aren't refraining from voting because the Dems are "too liberal." After all, if they want more conservative candidates, the Republicans are available.

I firmly believe that working class non-voters fail to vote for the same reasons that educated non-voters fail to vote: they feel that politicians are a bunch of self-important egotists who are in it for the money and don't do anything that really effects positive changes in the lives of ordinary people.

The ACA? Well, it improved things for some people, but as we all know, in too many cases, it has just given people insurance that they can't afford to use, and by leaving Medicaid decisions up to the states, it made sure that people in large parts of the country don't benefit. (I hate to play "I told you so," but I told you so.)

Instead of adopting Mitt Romney's health plan, Obama and the Dems should have told the Blue Dogs where they could stuff their contributions from the insurance companies and then put single payer on the table as their first bargaining chip. Sure, the Republicans would have kicked and screamed, but I have already outlined in other posts about how Obama should have borrowed a trick from Reagan and gone on TV to appeal directly to the public, as well as mobilizing his still "warm" swarms of volunteers.

Trade agreements? Nobody but corporate types likes those. Really. Lay off already. They have devastated entire communities.

Bailing out the banks without penalty? This is one of the few issues that brought universal condemnation from both right and left in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's website. (Minnesota may be bluer than the average state, but our right-wingers can get pretty nutty and are usually racist.)

More wars? I am no fan of Dr. Phil (my mother was), but I do like one of his pet phrases. "How's that workin' for you?" Appropriate for use whenever the Republicans start saber-rattling.

Now I'm going to say something controversial, and I hope that people to whom these issues are important don't take offense, but in campaigning in red states, we need to emphasize behavioral issues less and economic issues more. For example, if a heckler brings up abortion, don't get involved in a fight about it, just say, "How is preventing abortion going to bring jobs back to your community?" and move on. Or if a heckler brings up guns, ask pointedly, "Name me one Democratic politicians who has proposed banning all guns" and then move on. Or if someone starts raging about "queers," say, "Same-sex marriage is gradually becoming the law of the land. If you don't like it, don't marry another man" (chances are likely that the heckler will be male) and move on.

The Dems need to get together and develop a unified populist message and tell their candidates in no uncertain terms that only those who support that message will get support from the national committees. Give preferential treatment to the Progressive Caucus.

When the time comes to campaign, emphasis free, open rallies rather than meetings with corporate contributors. Raise funds through fundraisers affordable by ordinary people.

Suppose you raise a million dollars with five hundred contributors who give you $2000 each at a series of rubber chicken dinners. Now imagine that you raise a million dollars with 2500 contributors who each give you $200. Which approach yields more votes? Or go into less affluent neighborhoods and run a lower-budget campaign with pizza fundraisers for $50 (taking a clue from Oregon's Peter DeFazio) or a bare bones campaign for poor neighborhoods with $5 coffee and cookie fundraisers. Remember, you don't need money if you can get the votes another way. Above all, those cheap fundraisers will put you in touch with ordinary people.