Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Cleaning My Own House

Daughter is flying in tomorrow to visit until Wednesday. Bob and I are excited she is coming.

Lest you think I talk only about the GOP I thought it appropriate to point out some areas in the Democratic party that could soon be troublesome.  Hopefully by the time daughter leaves and I'm back to blogging, I'll be able to move on from politics and get a life.

1) Democrats do not have high voter turn out in mid-term elections. They tend to turn out for Presidential elections and then go away for four years. This is a big problem. If this happens in 2018 as it did in 2010 and before that in 1994 we will be in very big trouble.  1994 brought us Newt Gingrich, 2010 brought us the Tea Party.

I'm not sure the reason for this but I suspect it may have something to do with the high minority vote in the Democratic party. Perhaps minorities have not been properly educated on the importance of mid-term elections. Heck, whites apparently haven't been educated either. Whatever the reason, Republicans do a good job getting their voters out every two years. Democrats desperately need to work on this issue and do it soon.

2) I am very concerned about 2020 for Democrats. We simply must not run Hillary again. She has high negatives now but she'll have ever higher negatives by 2020. She has perhaps lucked out this time by running against Donald Trump but we must not take that chance in 2020. Who do you see waiting in the wings who might be ready by 2020?  That concerns me a lot. Shame on Democrats for not doing a better job grooming future candidates.

3) I was very pleased to see the top layer of the DNC resign. Republicans might have fared better if that had happened to the RNC a few years prior to this election. I see this as a plus, a time for Democrats to get their act together by 2020 with new people and hopefully new ideas.

4) The Bernies may not go away. Time will tell but it looks to me like they're about the business of changing the Democratic party and this election will not be forgotten. I spent some time researching this issue today. Remember when the Republican Party thought that little bunch of noise makers called the Tea Party was no cause for concern?  Think about the same for Democrats and Bernies.

It has been my experience that all fundamentalism, right as well as left, all comes from the same root. One is no more destructive than the other. Democrats need to heads up and not ignore the Bernies.

Finally, my question is this, if the Republicans continue to move to the right and Democrats continue to move to the left how will we ever have a government that functions?

15 comments:

  1. I do believe that most Americans are closer to the center than either party understands.
    We need to oust the tea party faction through paying better attention to mid term elections, as you suggest.
    The Bernie supporters need to feel that they have had some impact, but from talking to my son, it seems that what they really want is to do away with the twp party system and completely change how we run elections. I don't see that happening. I also don't see this country embracing socialism.

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    1. It will be very difficult to change from a two party system. Berries, I believe, are a long way from having the political strength to pull that off, and the same for socialism. I can, however, buy into other things they support.

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  2. You can see that there is a very simple solution. It's just to get people to buy in and work together

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  3. I agree about Americans being more to the center than either party cares about. Especially the Repubs seem to play to the fringes with Trump. And the far left seems to play to entitlement....for votes. I read that what really drives the far right is strictly abortion and gay marriage. They fret over these two issues far more than the economy, national security, jobs and of course most deny climate change. And they deny it just because democrats say it's true and their bias against the left overrides the conclusive evidence that it is a "real" problem for the future. And the far left thinks everyone is entitled to all things free (education, medical, retirement benefits etc.) without thought or reason what this would cost or that people feel better about themselves if they have control and responsibility for their own lives to a good degree...left brain..right brain. I'd love to see an in depth study of why the two differ so much.

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    1. I see the far right as driven by an extreme desire to control, also power, and authority. Abortion & gay marriage are simply push button issues used to inflame the party base.

      I don't believe the left wants all things free. That is a myth produced ay the right. To believe that you have to first believe people are basically bad and out to cheat the government. I don't believe that.

      I see the two parties this way.
      Republicans see money first and then people.
      Democrats see people first and then money.

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  4. I agree that most Americans are more in the center than the politicians, who basically push the agendas of their big donators. We HAVE to overturn Citizens United to turn this country around vi getting big money out of politics. I also agree that the Tea Party obstructionists have to have their hold on the Republican party broken so we get people in who want to compromise like both parties used to do when our government actually worked.

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    1. I agree about Citizens United. Personally, I believe the Republican Party has an awful lot of work to do before it returns to a functioning party. I keep thinking they're going to see the handwriting on the wall and begin moving toward center again but it doesn't look like that's happenining. The seem to continue to but their heads into a brick wall.

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  5. I have heard this statement one too many times, Mary:

    "And the far left thinks everyone is entitled to all things free (education, medical, retirement benefits etc.) without thought or reason what this
    would cost or that people feel better about themselves ..."

    I cannot speak for all liberals, but as a liberal whose political views are far closer to Bernie's than to Hillary's (even though she is whom I supported as a realist), I can say I am not calling for everything free for everyone. I don't see anything about democratic socialism that means that.

    I worked for and contributed to my retirement benefits. I see my children not even given that kind of opportunity. My children did, as did I, finish college with debt to pay off. It was not crippling debt. It seemed possible to pay off. My grandchildren may not have that opportunity because the costs are now so prohibitive. And I am thankful for Medicaid because as a teacher I saw hard working but low paid families in need of medical care for their children.

    It's about reasonable access, a chance at life, hand-up vs. hand-out.

    And while I am on my soap box, will someone please, please, please explain to me the kind of thought process that is behind Bernie supporters turning to Trump?

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    1. I cannot speak for all Bernies threatening to join Trump but perhaps I can suggest what I think is happening in Oregon and Washington.

      I see them as probably first time voters with no strong party preferences. They're angry, they want change, they want to blow something up. Bernie's campaign offered passionate rhetoric, big crowds, and great enthusiasm here in Oregon & Washington. That effort failed so now they'll go Trump for the same reason. They just want to fight, to protest, and let the world know they're angry. They haven't looked at either candidate closely, nor heard anything they said. They've been busy protesting and shouting. If They'd lived in Texas they would have been Trump supporters all along. It's also quite likely they don't actually vote.

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    2. Oops...didn't mean to offend. I was speaking of the fringes on both sides and it's really the perception of it. My point is that I feel the vast majority are in the middle somewhere...slightly left or right and most importantly feel we should work together for all of us. It's in our own best interest. Olga, I agree with everything you said and Linda I agree with your take on the Bernie people joining Trump folks. The older Bernie supporters, of which I was, will probably now vote for Hillary. It's about the danger Trump presents.

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  6. I'm just to the left of center myself. It's all become so damned polarizing. I have to wonder how much of it is because the Dems have nominated first a black man who has served two terms, followed by a woman? Yes, the world is still THAT WAY. It's the unspoken, but I believe is the cause of SO much anguish.

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    1. Nothing remains the same in this world. You move forward or you move backward. I always choose to move forward. Electing a black man, and perhaps a woman is moving forward. Hanging on to racism, depriving groups of people their human rights, and banning people because of their religion is moving backward.

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  7. Totally agree on the mid-term elections. We need to do much better. I only missed one election (a run off for city council)in 56 years of voting due to raging flu. However, a lot of people I know are like you said--absent. If we don't give our president people she can work with, it is almost impossible to get anything done. Let us all take one extra person with us to the polls come mid term.

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    1. I've thought a lot about how to get Democrats to the polls for mid-term elections but have yet to figure out my part in that effort. Your idea for all of us to take someone with us to vote is a good one.

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