Or just come up with a reasonable set of policy ideas and candidates people think are worth voting for. That would probably do the trick too. I’m not even sure what the Democratic Party’s platform is at this point. Do they even know?
I don't know how this meme persists. Hillary's campaign laid out some of the most detailed and complete policy proposals of any Presidential campaign to date, and conversely Trump's policies would have to improve to be considered "written on the back of a napkin." It didn't matter. Democrats didn't lose on policy, they almost never lose on policy.
Really? it seems like the Party is struggling an awful lot with a socialism identity crisis. Hell, the second most popular candidate of the primaries, and the one who may come out ahead of Hillary, was a proud proponent of democratic socialism. There wasnt nearly as huge a policy gap between the Republicans.
But, those would be some snazzy camps. I'm not sure I agree with that. A lot of folks I know didn't vote for Trump because they wanted to protect their guns and rebel flags or whatever it is you think all Republicans love, but rather because they didn't want anything from Hillary's policies. Like, that's kind of a standard for Republicans is they would rather have NO policy, i.e. less government, than a liberal policy of any kind, i.e. more government.
Democratic policies almost always poll higher than Democrats themselves do. Republicans are exceptionally good at creating a caricature of Democrats that sticks in the voters' minds, but when you poll on a pure policy question that doesn't activate that reflex, Democrats do far better. The number of people who hate Obamacare but support the ACA is astounding.
They didn’t like Hillary. That’s the beginning and end of it. My dad who has been a lifelong dem(but is a slightly racist boomer) voted for Trump purely because of how much he hated Hillary. Slowly, throughout Obama’s admin, Fox News crept into his life and it convinced him that Obama and Dems were nothing short of the devil. That the ACA was going to sentence him to death. They lay things out simply and without nuance and make it nice and easy to follow along and not think. Uncritical thinkers love Fox. My dad became one. He knew Trump was a dumpster fire, but between her emails and Benghazi being stuffed down his throat daily, he grew to hate her. I didn’t like her because I thought she was a terrible politician, but I held my nose because I saw Trump being exactly the way this has turned out. I don’t want a chaos president. I want a boring president.
You forget the after effect as well. All of the people that think these things sound good but you see their reaction when they realize it is THEY who will have to pay for it. Those reaction videos of people hearing their Obamacare premiums escalate is pure gold. Though, I agree with you that the whole cornucopia of Democratic gimmes sound fucking awesome. The only difference is I don't want to pay for it and I'm smart enough to understand it is I who will pay. That is why I will think long and hard before I consider supporting a Democrat. Don't get me wrong, both parties are addicted to OPM but I want something tangible to show for it, like a new aircraft carrier and not a swollen southern border full of unwashed Central Americans. I would change my tune probably if both sides would be reasonable - you want an extensive welfare state? Then you need border controls and welfare reform to go with it.
Anonymous voting would mean more politicians would be bought because they wouldn’t have to tell anyone or get caught. It would be nice to think that politicians would do the right thing by default, anonymously or not, but then we also tend to expect government as a while to look after the people.
Yeah. I don’t trust them to do the right thing. Why would I? The mere fact they’re being bought off in the first place is all that needs to be said. Get rid of lobbying for special interest groups. Full stop.
I'd take that one step further and make corporate donations illegal along with a $1000 cap on personal donations. I imagine it'd take all of 20 minutes for some asshole to find a loophole in the law though.
That was one of those things that truly makes me ask “How the fuck can they sit there and allow that to happen?” Why do they have super-anything with their elections? They fuck everything up. I’m so glad the elections come and go so quick here. More time to actually get shit done.
Cosign to both. If you've never seen the sleeze and dirt that is K Street at the national level, then make a trip to some committee hearings in your State Capital some time. Watching the same lobbyist speak "passionately" in defense of legislation protecting the 3-toed Mandovian newt, and then mosey over to chamber # 7 to speak "passionately" for rights of lefthanded tobacco farmers - it's just gross.
Opinions on the dems latest stunt to abolish ICE? At first glance, it sounds dramatic and foolish, that’s why I called it a stunt. But then again, I’m in Texas, the illegal immigration capital of the US, and my personal experience makes me think the morality and economics of the idea has some legs. I really don’t know what to think. But some of my best friends and some of the hardest workers I’ve ever met may or may not have legal citizenship here.
Is there a particular stunt you're referring to, or is advocating the abolition of ICE itself the stunt?