The lost Democrats

[Chris]

So what do Democrats stand for?

The lost Democrats

What does it mean to be a member of the Democratic Party? What do Democrats believe in 2017? I have no idea. Do you?

Republicans, for good or ill, know what they stand for: on economic issues, an interminable litany of libertarian lite clichés; in foreign affairs, recklessness and posturing adventurism; on the so-called social issues, a holding pattern in which something is opposed half-heartedly until it's inexorable.

What about Democrats? They are not, as Dana Milbank recently suggested, "socialists." No one in the party is clamoring for the nationalization of industries. Even single-payer health care, which is about as left-wing in practice as Lee Kuan Yew, is a fringe issue in the party of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Sen. Bernie Sanders, despite his self-designation as a "democratic socialist," is nothing so much as a throwback to the party of FDR.

It would, in fact, be a gross exaggeration to call the Democrats left-wing. The Democratic Party is, vaguely, a pro-business, pro-free-trade, socially moderate, hawkish entity.... When my Marxist friends told me that from their perspective the only meaningful difference between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was that the former was a credible opponent of free trade, they were on to something.

Insofar as it has stood for anything in my lifetime, the Democratic Party has defined itself against its opponents....

...There is an upside for Democrats, however, namely that a party that is ontologically parasitic on the unpopularity of another can technically never run out of things to be against....

Too bad that isn't the same thing as winning House seats.

[Trish]

One of the criticisms I had about the democrats during the campaign was this very issue in addition to the fact that I believed the democrats were allowing the republican party to frame their narrative. The democrats have the same old talking points and they still haven't learned it isn't resonating with many sections of the country.

I know I've made this point in the past but I'll resurrect it again. The coal issue: The democrats continued to harp on renewable energy. The people interested in energy were primarily pro coal which means the democratic message was "you're going to lose your job". They should have framed it in a way that would resonate with the pro coal audience and spoke to the health issues and creating other job or educational opportunities for their children so they wouldn't be forced to work in coal and be exposed to the health issues the parents were exposed to.

I don't know what their platform is or whether it's any different from what they've said in the past.

[Kalkin]

Democrats stand for PC thought policing, high taxation, and unchecked immigration.

[Mister D]

When my Marxist friends told me that from their perspective the only meaningful difference between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was that the former was a credible opponent of free trade, they were on to something.

That was a great line not least because it's true. There is nothing genuinely "left wing" about the Democrats.

[Chris]

One of the criticisms I had about the democrats during the campaign was this very issue in addition to the fact that I believed the democrats were allowing the republican party to frame their narrative. The democrats have the same old talking points and they still haven't learned it isn't resonating with many sections of the country.

I know I've made this point in the past but I'll resurrect it again. The coal issue: The democrats continued to harp on renewable energy. The people interested in energy were primarily pro coal which means the democratic message was "you're going to lose your job". They should have framed it in a way that would resonate with the pro coal audience and spoke to the health issues and creating other job or educational opportunities for their children so they wouldn't be forced to work in coal and be exposed to the health issues the parents were exposed to.

I don't know what their platform is or whether it's any different from what they've said in the past.

I would certainly agree Hillary let Trump frame her narrative.

[Trish]

I would certainly agree Hillary let Trump frame her narrative.

she let Bernie frame her narrative also.

[Chris]

she let Bernie frame her narrative also.

True. Which is the theme of the OP, as a true Democrat she defined herself in terms of who she opposed.

[Trish]

True. Which is the theme of the OP, as a true Democrat she defined herself in terms of who she opposed.

Well whodathunkit. It took me a couple tries but I got there. Please let D know that I can be taught. hahahahahaha

[Dr. Who]

One of the criticisms I had about the democrats during the campaign was this very issue in addition to the fact that I believed the democrats were allowing the republican party to frame their narrative. The democrats have the same old talking points and they still haven't learned it isn't resonating with many sections of the country.

I know I've made this point in the past but I'll resurrect it again. The coal issue: The democrats continued to harp on renewable energy. The people interested in energy were primarily pro coal which means the democratic message was "you're going to lose your job". They should have framed it in a way that would resonate with the pro coal audience and spoke to the health issues and creating other job or educational opportunities for their children so they wouldn't be forced to work in coal and be exposed to the health issues the parents were exposed to.

I don't know what their platform is or whether it's any different from what they've said in the past.

It's always a mistake to hit people over the head with things and then tell them to just suck it up. It's basically saying, you aren't going to vote for me anyway, so too bad for you. The Democrats got too arrogant and this was their election to lose, to begin with. Their biggest mistake was running Hillary. She has way too much baggage to win a majority and she didn't really try to appeal to the working class.

[Dr. Who]

True. Which is the theme of the OP, as a true Democrat she defined herself in terms of who she opposed.

That's a pretty common theme in politics, hence all of the attack ads, mores the pity. I think people are getting really sick of it.