Who’s the leader of the Democratic Party at this point? The Silent Generation leadership that have guided them for the last decade or so are really too old. Barack Obama?
Who’s the leader of the Democratic Party at this point? The Silent Generation leadership that have guided them for the last decade or so are really too old. Barack Obama?
I would argue that its been Obama, and his installed minions, the whole time. That was the whole strategy all along. The so called Deep State in its current form. And I don’t say this idly. We deal with some very weighty NY law firms who know things. There are no secrets. They didn’t want Harris, BTW, but Biden out maneuvered them in those crucial few days. I think the phrase was “don’t fuck with a Biden.”
Skinny boy got dunked on. Nance is bobbing and weaving.
So the current positioning of key cabinet etc is taking form. I see the shrieking is already up to 11. It seems to me to be boiling down on the left to “not establishment” and “not who I want.” Well. Here’s some mustard. Eat your shit sandwich.
To be a little more productive. I think the Democrats seriously need to jettison the progressive experiment. They really do. Its a bizarre crew.
I wonder who here can propose sensible leadership. Steve? Can you break with the cult? Dave – you are anything but a cultist, but do you have ideas?
I hear the Guv of PA is sensible. I like the commentary of Harold Ford Jr. But he may be in the media game now. I think the era of Harris/Pelosi/Schumer/Waters/Cortez/ is over. Outliers will always exist. Say, Boebert on the right. But the Democrats need a weighty figure. I don’t see it as Pritsker, Newsome etc. They are going to have to defeat DeSantis, or Haley, Vance. That seems like men and boys to me now.
Once upon a time there was an actual Democratic reform movement but I doubt it exists anymore. There are a handful of Democratic moderates and there are Democrats who are not exactly moderate but know how to win in Red States.
The problem I see is that both political parties have been changing from catch-all (“big tent”) parties to programmatic parties over the last 10-15 years.
Well, I have to tell you, that’s not healthy. The country needs a sensible and vigorous push and pull. I recognize all of Trump’s faults, but he represents a pull back to common values; common people. The progressives IMHO have attempted to make the case that educated elite (heh) should rule. The rubes need to be fed three squares a day and then just shut up. I’m an educated elite person, but I’m not so arrogant as to believe that I should be put in charge.
The progressives are that arrogant, and they are willing to force their views on you by whatever means necessary. Talk about threats to democracy.
I’m simply not that well versed in up and coming Dem pols to know. But surely there are those who see that the fever of the day – progressivism – is a dead stick.
You know, in the business world you are either everyman, or niche. And all of your strategies are taylored to that.
So as you note, “big tent” is viable. Although it requires flexibility at the edges. Programmatic, and I assume that’s a reference to slicing and dicing in too fine a manner, has simply balkanized us.
As I’ve been typing I keep thinking who is out there on the Dem side? I have a strong bias towards governors as presidents. Maybe I should go look.
Jared Polis (Colorado), Andy Beshear (Kentucky), Janet Mills (Maine), Laura Kelly (Kansas), Wes Moore (Maryland), Roy Cooper (North Carolina), some mention Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania).
And lets not forget the self proclaimed heir, Gavin Newsom of California, he know how to ride the waves and ensure the prosperous stay prosperous.
A group of us met with Shapiro to talk about legalizing pot and some other medical issues. He was bright and had a good understanding of the issues. So far he has not been a radical. I would be pretty happy with him. What I know of Beshear sounds OK but dont know much about the others though Andy could probably report on Pollis. I am not all that concerned about a progressive as the next POTUS nominee as those nominees have always been rejected. I think they will continue to do well in some exceptionally blue cities/states but that’s about it.
Trump promises a lot in order to get votes but doesnt have any plans to accomplish what he promises. He certainly didnt deliver the first time around.
Steve
I should have mentioned Beshear. An obvious one. I now have a homework problem.
I cannot think of any Democrat who might be a strong leader. Newsome, in particular, is too contaminated by the California tar baby.
Drew is right. The Democrats need to purge the progressives and freaks and work for the working and middle classes that Trump has captured. When a substantial fraction of black and Hispanic men support the Republicans, you have a very bad problem.
The last time we had Big Ten parties was in the 1960 election. Then, you could argue that the Republican Party was to the left of the Democrat Party. You might also argue that Nixon was to the left of Kennedy. After all, Nixon created affirmative action, proposed payments to low income people (a guaranteed minimum income), imposed price controls, and killed the Moon program.
The shift from Big Tent to dogmatic ideological parties began with the McGovern campaign, and the subsequent movement among leftist Democrats to expel the Southern Democrats, everyone of which was a staunch segregationist. Fulbright is a good example. The shift in both parties was pretty much complete by the 80’s.
There is no going back to Big Tent parties, and the current ideological parties will persist for a long time. The one change that is likely is that the Trump populist movement will succeed, and that the Republicans will become the working class party with substantial appeal to blacks and Hispanics. Democrat open borders policies are a substantial economic threat to working class people of all races, and Democrat preference for freaks offends nearly all working class and middle class people, again regardless of race.