Admittedly, I have been pretty hard on the Democratic Party in the last few posts. To be quite honest, I didn’t set out to be this negative, but as I looked into the party — and more information became available as time passed — it made me angrier than I’d thought it would. However, I still have the same purpose and getting through the most painful parts of the series allowed me to look into the future of the Democratic Party.
Now, it is obvious that the Democrats have an uphill climb. They need to contend with the deficits they have with the Republicans — in terms of the number of seats held by members of each of the major parties, and in terms of money. Also, the Democrats have to deal with infighting among people in their ranks and resolve the ongoing war the party has with the left.
It’s that last part that has hurt the party most of all. But more importantly, it has hurt Americans. And this is the fight that will perhaps decide the Democrats’ fate in — in more ways than one.
Since my last post in this series there have been some positive developments to discuss. But there are also some things I believe will help Democrats and progressive to capitalize on this momentum and make even more gains in 2018 and beyond.
Is There a Progressive Movement Within the Democratic Party?
Yes and no. While there is a lot of activity among Democratic voters and left-leaning activists, but not everyone is on the same page.
LA Kauffman, a longtime grassroots organizer, offered an optimistic outlook on what Democrats call the #Resistance against Donald Trump. She positively described the Women’s Marches, which was organized via social media (namely Facebook) and occurred on the day after Trump was inaugurated. Kauffman credited the resistance for fueling the “impressive wave of progressive electoral victories” in the week of November 5-11, 2017 and “stalling or derailing key parts of Trump’s agenda, most dramatically the Republican attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.” She also pointed out that over 6,000 resistance groups have sprung up since November 8, 2016, which far outstripped the 800-1,000 Tea Party groups that sprung up since 2008.
Kauffman expressed some concerns, though. For one thing, while it was impressive how women had taken a lead role in most of these groups, white women have led the charge and it remained to be seen if there would be any intersectionality in the protests. Second, while some groups were closely aligned to state and local Democratic Parties, many more groups were not. Those groups might be seen as threats and thus meet resistance from party’s national apparatus.
For the sake of this discussion, I have to note this: While I agree with some of Kauffman’s points, we differ on how we define the #Resistance. I feel the “movement” is separate from the grassroots movement on the left.
The former is being loosely led from the top down.
The latter is largely being led by the “Bernie Sanders wing” of the Democratic Party.
Grassroots movements need to be led from the bottom up, and I would credit them more for some of the positive things that happened on the left this year.
What Are Some Progressive Groups and PAC’s Doing?
Outside of a few groups tied to the Democratic Party’s donors and longtime Democratic politicians, there are three groups of note that have sprung up since 2016. Some of these groups were made to take out specific incumbents in the Democratic and Republican Parties. The movements include #WeWillReplaceYou, Brand New Congress, and Justice Democrats.
Brand New Congress
Brand New Congress is a progressive organization founded by former Bernie Sanders on April 25, 2016. The organization was built with the goal of supporting candidates who have no political experience and support a progressive agenda, regardless of party affiliation. While allies of Sanders planned to gather in Chicago in mid-June 2016 to present the “People’s Agenda,” the founders of Brand New Congress pushed ahead to capitalize on the momentum and enthusiasm created by Sanders’ presidential campaign.
Brand New Congress has a platform which tackles issues in the following areas:
- Mediare for all
- Tax Reform
- Foreign Policy
- Women’s Rights
- Criminal Justice Reform
- Fixing Our Economy
- LGBTQIA Rights
- Immigration Reform
- Voting Rights
- Environmental Protection and Renewable Energy
- Getting Money Out of Politics
- Veterans
- Education
- Protecting the Bill of Rights
The biggest challenge that faces this group might be the fact that it will be hard to find Republicans to sign on since the party isn’t so receptive to progressive ideas. However, Corbin Trent, a former Sanders staffer, said Republicans are needed to make the idea work and that there were overlaps between Sanders platform and tea party conservatives. Additionally, Trent said that Trump’s candidacy showed that many conservatives were also concerned about money in politics.
Justice Democrats
Justice Democrats is another progressive organization. It was founded on January 23, 2017 by The Young Turks founder Cenk Uygur (pronounced as “Jank YOO-Gur), with the help of former Sanders staff members. This organization has the goal of replacing certain “corporate” Democrats and Republicans while supporting others who promise not to take corporate cash.
The Justice Democrats have a 20-point platform which lines up with the progressive movement in the United States.
- Pass a constitutional amendment to put an end to Washington corruption and bring about election reform.
- Re-regulate Wall Street and hold white-collar criminals accountable.
- End billionaire and corporate tax dodging, fix the system to benefit middle-class and poor people.
- Defend free speech and expression.
- Oppose bigotry.
- Make the minimum wage a living wage and tie it to inflation.
- Ensure universal healthcare as a right.
- Ensure universal education as a right.
- End unnecessary wars and nation building.
- End the failed war on drugs.
- Create the new “New Deal.”
- Create the renewable energy revolution.
- Block the TPP and all outsourcing deals that will further damage the middle-class.
- End Constitutional overreaches.
- Ban arming human rights violators.
- Enact common-sense gun regulation.
- Ensure paid vacation time, sick time, maternity leave, and childcare.
- Abolish the death penalty.
- Defend and protect women’s rights.
- Enact police reform.
Recently, it was reported that some of the Justice Democrats were cut off from NPG VAN, the noted voter file service the Democrats have been using for the past few years. While this is a setback, it was to be expected since the new crop of candidates consists of “insurgents” who want to take over the party.
We Will Replace You
WillWillReplaceYou was founded by a group of progressive activists from the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign staff, the environmental movement, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the DREAMer movement. It seeks to put pressure on Democratic members of Congress who aren’t sufficiently opposing Donald Trump. In extreme cases, like Joe Manchin, the group will work hard to primary Democrats.
WillWillReplaceYou is a hybrid political action committee. In that capacity, it can directly communicate with political campaigns.
The group does not depend on conventional means to raise funds or promote candidates. Instead, its apparatus is based online and the group’s ability to help in specific areas is determined by how much aid it receives.
Additionally, while those who work for the group may belong to other groups (including the NAACP), the members of the staff are each working on a personal basis.
Is There an Opening for Democrats?
There might be a few, but it depends on what self-described liberals, progressives, and populists do with their opportunities. While there has been a lot of doom and gloom this year, there have been positive developments for the left that could carry it to victory in 2018. However, they may be little room for error.
1. Good Returns
Tuesday, November 7, 2017 was an important day for Democrats and progressives across the country. There were a couple of gubernatorial races, 8 mayoral races, local and special elections, and a few measures up for consideration. The outcomes in select states had some bearing on how the two major parties, the Democrats and Republicans, would proceed for the 2018 midterms while presenting a chance for progressives to affect policy in the future. On the whole, the day was very good to the Democrats and progressives.
Gubernatorial Races
In New Jersey, Democrat Phil Murphy faced off against Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and in Virginia, Democrat Ralph Northam was running against former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie. Both races served as a test of Trump’s popularity and platform as the Republicans tried to promote anti-illegal immigrant policies and the Democrats promoted anti-Trump agendas.
Murphy defeated Guadagno in New Jersey’s gubernatorial election. Murphy was leading Guadagno 55% to 43% with 58% of the precincts reporting.
Murphy, a 60-year-old former Wall Street banker with no prior political experience, won in part because of his progressive platform. He embraced unions and promoted things like a $15 minimum wage, legalizing marijuana, gun control, and higher taxes on the wealthy to improve the state’s economy.
Near the end of the race, Guadagno, the Lieutenant Governor, tried to promote Trump-style politics. She started out talking about property taxes but moved toward immigration while saying that her Democratic opponent would turn New Jersey into a sanctuary state. Yet that was ineffective, as this race was more of a refendum on Gov. Chris Christie.
In Virginia’s gubernatorial election, Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, defeated former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie. Northam will replace outgoing Democratic governor Terry McCulliffe.
This election was seemingly a rebuke of Donald Trump and his brand of politics. While Gillespie won the Republican primary against a far-right candidate, he decided to embrace Donald Trump’s politics down the stretch. In particular, Gillespie said he would crack down on Latino gangs and protect Confederate monuments. That seemed to have no effect, as Northam won comfortably.
Mayoral Races
There were mayoral races in Atlanta, Boston, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York City, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Charlotte, N.C. The biggest race might have involved NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio, who was seeking re-election.
Special Elections
There was at least one special election in the state of Washington, where Democrats hoped to flip a legislature. There were also legislative races in Virginia, with phenomenal results for Democrats. Here are some highlights.
Connecticut
DSA member Charles Decker won his election to represent the Ninth Ward in New Haven.
Georgia
Democrats took two statehouse seats that had been vacated by Republicans. Deborah Gonzalez, one of the Democrats, won even though her opponent has a $200,000-$55,000 fundraising advantage.
In Atlanta, populist Vincent Fort fell in the first round. Conservative Mary Norwood and Democrat Keisha Lance-Bottoms will advance to the runoff.
Massachusetts
In Somerville, JT Scott and Ben Ewen-Campen of the Democratic Socialists of America defeated long-time incumbents for seats on the Board of Aldermen.
Minnesota
Andrea Jenkins won her race for the Minneapolis City Council and became the first transgender African-American to win office in a major American city.
New York
In Brooklyn, socialist Jabari Brisport lost his race against a Democratic incumbent. Despite the defeat, he won more votes than any other third-party candidate running in the city.
New Jersey
Sheila Oliver became the state’s first female Africa-American Lieutenant Governor.
Ohio
Will Petrik, Jasmine Ayres, Erin Upchurch, Amy Harkins and Abby Vaile, who were from the Yes We Can Party, lost their bids to replace incumbents Priscilla Tyson, Shannon Hardin, Mitchell Brown, Michael D. Cole, Ramona Reyes and Dominic Paretti for seats on the city council and school board in Columbus.
Pennsylvania
In Pittsburgh, Mik Pappas defeated a Democrat to become the 31st Magisterial District Judge. The Democrat had held that position for 24 years.
In Philadelphia, lawyer Larry Krasner, who was backed by the DSA, won his race to become the city’s District Attorney.
Tennessee
Socialist Seema Singh won her race for a seat on the Knoxville City Council.
Virginia
Democrat Justin Fairfax was elected as lieutenant governor. He became just the second African-American to hold statewide office since Reconstruction.
Democrat Lee Carter defeated Republican incumbent Jackson Miller for a seat on the state House of Delegates.
Democrat Danica Roem, an openly transgender candidate, defeated Republican Bob Marshall, who sponsored a “bathroom bill” in the state legislature and refused to refer to Danica Roem with an appropriate pronoun.
Chris Hurst flipped a House seat that was held by a Republican.
Democrats closed 32-seat gap in the House of Delegates. There will be recounts to determine whether Democrats will now control the legislature.
Washington
Jon Grant, a socialist, lost in his race for a seat on the Seattle city council.
Also in Seattle, “the most business-friendly candidate” won in the mayoral race.
State Measures
There were at least 3 big measures in Maine, New York, and Ohio.
In Maine, voters approved a measure to expand Medicaid coverage to about 70,000 residents. Republican Gov. Paul LePage had vetoed previous attempts to increase coverage that had passed the state legislature. The vote marked the first time a state approved such a measure via referendum and it made Maine the 31st state to expand Medicaid coverage. The vote also presents a path forward for other states, like Utah and Alaska, in 2018.
In Ohio, another measure related to health care was on the ballot. Voters were to decide whether the state and its agencies should pay the same or lower prices for prescription drugs as does the Veterans Affairs medical system. Unfortunately, the referendum was defeated after the pharmaceutical industry spent $60 million to defeat the measure.
2. Republican Foibles
In certain respects, the Republican Party is coming apart at the seams and the walls are closing in on Donald Trump’s administration.
- Trump, who took a number of Republicans away from Congress, has been feuding with other Republican lawmakers and those connected to the intelligence community.
- Roy Moore, who won the Alabama Republican primary, is under fire due to numerous allegations that he molested teenage girls years ago. One alleged victim presented a yearbook signed by Moore with a signature that closely matches a recent one of his.
- All of the Republicans who won special elections have to run again next year. One of them, Greg Gianforte, has shown a disdain for the press. As a matter of fact, the Republican plan for 2018 is to attack the press.
- The Republicans failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act at a time when more Americans support universal health care. They are also trying again to repeal the ACA with their tax plan. Speaking of …
- The Republicans are also trying to pass a “tax reform” bill that will punish the less fortunate while giving the wealthy and corporations more unnecessary tax cuts.
- Republicans are also failing on issues like Internet Privacy and net neutrality.
The problems the Republicans face might be due in part to the #Resistance against Donald Trump. In some respects, that it true considering how Democrats banded together in terms of fighting against the ACA repeal (with some help). They were also able to slow down the process for Trump’s cabinet nominees by using cloture.
Regardless, the bulleted points are all areas where the Democrats can hit the Republicans in 2018. Democrats need to stay on the ball and offer better alternatives, especially against a party that doesn’t believe in a living wage or cannot say whether people deserve to eat.
3. Trump’s Falling Popularity
Trump was never really popular, only garnering approval ratings as high as the mid-40’s.
But the trends in his approval ratings might present an opportunity for Democrats.
In late March, Trump’s approval rating fell to 35% according to Gallup’s daily tracking poll. Trump’s highest approval rating was 46%, came just after his inauguration.
In two April polls (ABC/Washington Post and NBC/Wall Street Journal), a historically high number of Americans disapproved of Trump’s performance during his first 100 days. Compared to past presidents (and George W. Bush), Trump lagged far behind the 69% approval since these types of polls were first established, with only 42% approval according to the ABC/WaPo poll.
However, Trump’s support among those who voted for him was strong. Of those polled by ABC and The Washington Post, 96% said they would vote for him again. Only 2% in that same poll said they regretted their choice. In both polls, a majority of Republicans approved of Trump’s job performance.
According to an ABC/Washington Post poll conducted in early November 2017, 65% of Americans believed that Trump accomplished little or nothing as president. After his first 100 days, 56% of Americans thought so.
Also, Trump’s reached a low net approval rating of -22%, which was the lowest net rating since these types of polls were started in 1946. Trump joined Gerald Ford as being the only two presidents to have negative net ratings so soon in their tenures.
Here is his approval rating for the last two days:
Additionally, Trump may be losing support in the states he won. However, that news should be taken with a grain of salt. Democrats still need to compete.
4. Putting Democrats on Notice
If the Democrats are going to make any headway moving forward, the party has to get over its own stubbornness and contest more areas. In order to do that, Democrats would be well served to learn from all elections held this year and deploy a 50-state strategy once again.
Contesting More Elections
In many elections, many seats go uncontested. According to Adam Myers, a political science professor at Providence College, around 35% of state legislative seats go uncontested every year. In 2016, half of the Senate seats were up for grabs, but there were uncontested seats in 9 states.
The Democrats are currently looking to flip some seats, but they are primarily looking in suburban areas that are usually contested. They might be able to make up some ground by visiting other areas and finding some diamonds in the rough. Otherwise, they run the risk of ignoring and abandoning people who might want to help the party and fight against an insane, right-wing agenda.
Overcoming Stubbornness
In the March poll I cited earlier, the Democrats received low ratings overall:
- Only 26% of respondents described the party as cooperative, while 74% did not.
- Only 28% of respondents described the party as effective, while 72% did not.
- Sixty-four percent of respondents described the Democratic Party as stubborn.
- Fifty-eight percent of respondents described the party as weak.
To many observers, the centrist Democratic Party establishment would prefer to keep all the power at all costs, even if it means losing to Republicans.
If the Democratic Party/Democratic National Committee would do a better job of reaching out to people to the left of them and embrace populist candidates, it will be successful in 2018. Alternatively, these populist candidates should prepare themselves to fight without institutional help. The latter will apply most of the time.
As I mentioned before, the DNC chair race in late February 2017 was proof of this dynamic. This dynamic has also played a role in DNC politics and the recent elections.
During the DNC Chair Race
Those pushing Tom Perez argued that he and Keith Ellison were basically the same. That begged the question of why Perez was pushed to run in the first place.
It was clear what Obama was doing by pushing Perez, who had served in the Obama administrations as a Labor Secretary. Perez has some progressive credentials through his work in the Obama administration but Ellison expressed a greater desire to bridge factions within the party. Perez, on the other hand, would keep the donors and the Clinton wing happy.
Within the DNC
The organization showed its hand once again after progressives were being purged from leadership roles. While the DNC might tout that it still has a very diverse cast of at-large members, the fact remains that Barbara Casbar Siperstein, the first transgender DNC staff member, was fired for not supporting Perez during his campaign for DNC chair. James Zogby, an Arab American, was fired for his past support of Bernie Sanders.
During the 2017 Elections
It was clear who Perez and others in the Democratic establishment supported and who it didn’t. Earlier this year, only Jon Ossoff and Archie Parnell were given significant attention by the DNC and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. And just this month, a number of progressive candidates ran without the party’s support.
One example a progressive who made waves without the Democratic Party’s help is Lee Carter in Virginia.
Carter, a 30-year-old former Marine, won the seat with a lot of help from his “friends” (the local Democratic Party and the D.C. chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America). Jacqueline Smith, a 22-year-old leader of the D.C. chapter of the DSA, served as Carter’s basically no help from the state party or Democratic National Committee. In fact, he had to pay the party $13,000 for mailers.
DNC Chairman Tom Perez’s silence about Carter was extremely telling. Perez called into Chris Hayes’ MSNBC show to talk about Democratic victories in the state of Virginia on November 7. The chairman talked about candidates like Danica Roem, Elizabeth Guzman, and Hala Ayala, but he did not want to talk about Carter, even when Chris Hayes brought him up.
Carter, a 30-year-old former Marine, was inspired by the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders. Carter unabashedly ran as a socialist, even though his Republican opponent tried to compare him to Mao, Marx, Lenin, and Joseph Stalin. Carter was focused on the issues that were most important to voters.
How Carter ran showed how progressives could run without the help of the Democratic Party. After a time, Carter stopped reporting to the House caucus after several information security breaches. The state party also wanted editorial control of his campaign. That Carter ran without help from the establishment is embarrassing to Perez.
What Are the Issues Democrats Need to Focus On?
I don’t care what donors like Stephen Cloobeck say, the party needs to “run to the left in order to be successful.” The party wants to present itself as a home for self-described liberals and progressives, so it would only make sense for the people to actually appeal to them.
The problem isn’t that the Democratic Party is “too liberal,” but that it isn’t populist enough. Yes, the party also needs to appeal to independents and gain some support from Republicans now and then. However, the party should not take great pains to appeal to Republicans. Good policies will attract some by happenstance.
With that in mind, here are what I think are the top 7 issues Democrats and progressives should focus on for the following elections.
1. The Environment
This might not be “my” issue or most people’s issue, but the environment is the most important issue. We have to take care of it because without it, we are nothing. Also, environmental concerns overlap with employment and health concerns. Excellent campaigners must ties these things together.
Democrats must also talk to their constituents about the Trump administration’s assault on the environment and science. Trump moved away from the Paris Agreement, but that’s a surface issue.
This is more pressing:
Trump has the worst Environmental Protection Agency chief in history in Scott Pruitt, who aggressively sued the EPA when Obama was president. Under Pruitt, EPA funds have been wasted to soundproof a room so he could talk to industrial reps in private, studies have been scrubbed from the EPA’s website, and many environmental protections has been relaxed.
Additionally, Trump has rolled back Obama-era rules pertaining to the environment, via executive order. Some others have been subject to congressional review.
All of this presents an immediate and long-term danger to residents and their future children. We are not making progress on improving or water systems. We are not working on improving air quality. And we are not doing anything to help residents who live near plants that produce harmful chemicals and improperly dispose of them.
Democrats need to mention this now and often.
2. Health Care
This may be the leading issue today given how tense the fight over the Affordable Care Act has been this year. So, the issue has fallen into the Democrat’s lap. However, they would be wise to present a plan for universal health care. The ACA would eventually fail, even without Trump defunding it. Now, we need an even better national health plan that provides care for all Americans without bankrupting them.
3. Jobs
There are four areas Democrats should focus on:
- Wages
- Guaranteed Employment
- Green Jobs
- Unions
About Wages: People need to work and make a living wage. Productivity has gone up but wages have not increased to reflect that. This is why the Fight for 15 has become so intense.
Another consideration is how a raise in wages helps the economy. For many years, we have bought into an ideological argument that lower wages for certain jobs save jobs and lower costs for everyone. However, a 2016 study found that over 78 years, the number of jobs has normally increased whenever the minimum wage was raised. Also, when workers make more money, they have more money to spend and become more independent.
About Guaranteed Employment: While training programs might be nice, they need to be married to guaranteed employment programs. One way to create more jobs would be through public works programs, including infrastructure projects.
About Green Jobs: This is where the environmental concerns meet the need the jobs and training programs. Americans need to be weaned off fossil fuels. At the same time, we need to offset the loss of energy jobs in states like West Virginia. Part of the answer is a “Green New Deal.”
People will need to be trained to work for alternative fuel companies and to build instruments for converting clean fuels to energy and using those fuels efficiently.
Unions: Strong unions are important for protecting worker rights and are thus vital to any meaningful worker movement. Democrats should embrace unions and help them fight against the “Right-to-Work” laws which were meant to lower wages across the board.
All of these are winning positions.
4. Education
This might not seem like a winning issue for Democrats who want to appeal to conservatives, but it could appeal to most Americans overall. Postsecondary education is important. Not only it is important for building credentials, but for preparing for the workforce. However, this education should not be prohibitively expensive.
Most Americans believe that college should be affordable. According to a 2016 poll, two-thirds of Americans felt postsecondary education should be free for everyone and three-quarters felt that education should be free for people who otherwise couldn’t afford to pay.
But before most students can go to college or attend universities, they will need to be prepared for in elementary and high school. This is a difficult topic, but there needs to be an ongoing dialogue within communities and nationwide about how best to proceed and to get children to care about gaining knowledge.
5. Economics & Relieving Personal Debt
This is related to education, jobs, and military service. Without gainful employment, people will not be able to pay off their personal debt and be independent.
Democrats need to present a great plan for relieving student loan debt. That should include lowering interest rates and debt-forgiveness programs.
Democrats also need to present a plan to tackle predatory lending. Predator loans hurt millions of Americans, including Trump voters and thousands of former military personnel.
Banking laws will need to be reformed to deal with both these factors. Nothing short of a new Glass-Steagall should be proposed and the Consumer Protection Bureau needs to be preserved.
6. Money in Politics
This is a big issue and one that leading Democrats have bumbled time and again.
When Democrats are asked about corporate donations, they recoil and insist that they need the money to keep up with Republicans. And when the Democrats don’t ignore the topic altogether, they might say that donor money will not affect their votes or policies — although the money does affect policy more often than not.
Here’s the deal:
When voters who care about money in politics complain about it, they want to know that politicians and civil servants are accountable to the people. They have a point because officials could be bought off if the price is right.
Democrats need to be honest with voters and have integrity. Voters shouldn’t be asked or told that they should settle for less. This isn’t a game.
7. Good Foreign Policy
Democrats can attract socially conscious voters with the right foreign policy platform. And I’ll give you a clue: Russia ain’t it.
Let’s push the Russia probe aside for a minute and look at U.S. foreign policy. Currently, the United States is militarily involved in a few countries, including:
- Afghanistan, where we have been for 16 years
- Iraq
- Syria
- Pakistan
- Niger
- Kenya
- Yemen
- Somalia
Obama extended the wars we were in to most, if not all of these countries and Trump has ramped up the violence. While Obama pulled back in the latter part of his administration, Trump gave drone authority back to the CIA and increase carpet bombing. He even carried out a mission that Obama wouldn’t have approved earlier this year.
This is bad foreign policy as it is.
On top of that, Trump has been saber-rattling with Kim Jong Un and bumbling the situation with Iran by moving away from the nuclear agreement.
About the Russia Probe
Even if the Russia probe is heating up and there have been some real bits of information uncovered recently, the premise of the investigation is leading Americans to a dangerous place.
Also:
Most Americans do not care about it and part of the motivation behind it is to make money, regardless of the electoral outcomes for Democrats.
While I want to know who tampered with our elections — because I do believe they were tampered with — the investigation needs to be open and should focus on more potential threats, foreign and domestic. This investigation isn’t normal in that a definite crime was committed but it’s more like a “suspicion in search of a crime.”
What makes this worse is the involvement of the U.S. intelligence community. These agencies have lied to us about many things and are rife with blood-thirsty agents who have little regard for human life or the Constitution. This is especially true of the CIA. That they are pushing for this probe should have us all asking questions.
For instance: What should we do if there is proof that the Russian government directly interfered with the 2016 presidential election? Is the answer war? And if so, should we be fighting against another nuclear power — over an election?
No one has given me an answer.
The Thing that Ties All of These Issues Together: Class
The Democrats need to use good identity politics in order to reach the people who need the most help.
This topic deserves its own post, but I will just say that I agree with anyone who sees most identity politics as bad. That’s true because when we look around us, we can see how people use differences in order to divide. On the flip side, people can use what they have in common and/or specific concerns communities have to craft the right messages. And different people each need a message that gets people to participate in their communities.
One of the areas Democrats need to focus on is class. That was what Democrats did 50 years ago and it worked well. The party needs to get back to that because there is a class war going on. It feeds into all the issues I listed above — even foreign policy, when you consider who fights in our wars and what awaits them when they get back home.
Democrats also need to have an honest discussion about race and use class issues to appeal to voters across racial lines. There are many poor whites who have some of the same problems as black voters and these groups would be better served to see each other as allies. Progressive politicians and activists in the Democratic Party must make this case.
And Who Should the Democrats Run in 2018 and Beyond?
I can’t answer that in a small space and this post has already run long, so I will save that for a side post. But in short, I will again point to the populists who just won as being the future of the party — should they succeed and/or Democratic leaders take them under their wings.
Conclusion
That was a lot to process and recent events forced me to change my post, but we’re getting closer to the end of this series. Yes, I will include an afterward.
I will need to take a detour and discuss some declared and potential candidates for upcoming years. Then I will share my verdict on the Democratic Party.
Shmaltz and Menudo 