General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Krugman is correct but he's not right! He is brilliant on economics, naive on GOVERNANCE! [View all]shcrane71
(1,721 posts)It's been difficult to convince more centrist-minded friends and acquaintances that they shouldn't support their friend or colleague running as a Republican. I can understand their disdain for voting straight-party lines, and belief that they should vote for the right person for the job.
Fast forward to the 2010's elections that were a bitter pill for Liberals and Progressives, but there is a silver lining. Walker's et.al. "mandate" governance illustrates how much can get done (and damaged) when enough like-minded people are in control. A disillusioned progressive citizenry isn't necessarily bad. There's still huge support for a public option and single payer health care initiatives. A disillusioned electorate tells politicians who didn't fight for these two crucial fixes to many Americans problems that there's still work to do. Individual politicians who are too compromising should find themselves at a loss to more liberal candidates.
If Dems don't fight to common sense things that virtually, every small-business person will admit to needing (i.e. public options, debt forgiveness for underwater homes, ending the credit crunch for small businesses), then a disillusioned base may become an apathetic base, and then Dems need to find a better candidate to connect with the people.
Diligence.