Last edited Wed Dec 14, 2016, 12:48 AM - Edit history (1)
Have you heard that statement that "War is politics by other means?" Well, that means that politics is also war by other means. Expecting the KGB, or the GOP, or anyone else in power to behave by some gentleman's agreement is just not going to happen.
The presidency will be taken by the candidate with the right combination of charisma, resources, stump speech, allies, surrogates, networks, promises, and strategies, both overt and covert. This is the way it always has been, and I don't foresee it changing any time soon.
Clinton focused a lot on the resources, surrogates (though I found many of them such as Wasserman-Shulz etc. to be off-putting), and allies (though too often only the heads of organizations like unions and Planned Parenthood, while actual members enthusiasm waned). That was not enough. Her charisma was lacking, her stump speeches were more a panoply of policies than an articulation of overall vision, her networks did not reach effectively into the South or Midwest (etc.), her promises failed to GOTV, and her strategies were flawed. Trump just did better, KGB as a covert, shady, nefarious ally/network very much included.
Had Clinton done better with allies, networks, charisma, speeches, and more, the race would not even have been close. I pretty much agree with all you've said about the race being stolen in selected locations, the KGB playing media games, and that much of the GOP are criminals. Plus, the electoral college is bullshit. But a candidate's mission is to succeed in the real world: potholes, criminals, and all. That was true for the Primary (whether one believes the DNC was corrupt/unfair/biased against Bernie or not), and it was true in the General Election. Hillary used her elbows plenty during the Primary, and then bizarrely chose to run the most conventional of GE campaigns during this most unconventional of moments. Similar, biased/unfair factors will be in-play during 2018, 2020, and beyond. We can't be satisifed with just over 50%: it will be stolen by the powerful whenever the sides are that close. We need a groundswell of populism behind us, or we need to hang it up and let another Party take the reins.
Progressives and Democrats have got to play political strategy like a general would plan and impement war strategy. And the goal of a war is to win. That means winning against thieves, winning against slick propagandists, and winning against criminals. I expect and plan for nothing less, and so should you.
-app
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