General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: If you want to lose the Millennial vote completely, nominate Hillary Clinton. [View all]Lydia Leftcoast
(48,217 posts)The Dems lost the farm vote in the 1980s when farmers were losing land that had been in their families for generations. At the height of the crisis, they had both houses of Congress and could have offered low-cost refinancing for farmers hit by the double whammy of record high interest rates and low prices for agricultural products. Reagan might have vetoed such a measure (it would have messed up the plans of agribusiness), but if so, the Dems could have said, "You would have had low-cost refinancing if it hadn't been for Reagan's veto."
But they did nothing.
Then the Republicans went all culture war on the country, and rural people thought, "They don't do a thing for us economically, but they respect our social attitudes and community attitudes."
I'm sure Millennial voters understand that the Libertarians have nothing to offer in terms of a social safety net or environmental protection. HOWEVER, Libertarians are against foreign wars (fought mostly by young people), are for decriminalization of drugs, and were against the bank bailout (which angered both left and right wingers).
The Dems need to start tackling the real issues of the day, or else they'll go the way of the Whigs. Remember the Whigs? They were the second major party until the late 1850s, but they dithered about a bunch of unimportant issues and failed to deal decisively with the issue that was one everyone's mind: slavery.
A clever political party has its hand on the pulse of the voters. The Republican Party caters to its base, flatters them, reinforces their prejudices, and does everything it can to intensify the loyalty of the mean and dumb.
The Democratic Party tells its base that they should give money and volunteer but continually disrespects them. The only reason a lot of boomers are hanging on is that they remember how the Democratic Party used to be: the party of the Civil Rights Act and the War on Poverty. But even those ties are fraying.
It's interesting that in Minnesota, Al Franken (whom the Republicans absolutely loathe) won big, because he's not afraid to fight back. (And we are not an entirely blue state; not with Michelle Bachmann being replaced by a former failed candidate for governor).