Big Problem: Democratic agenda holds winning hand, but still loses elections.

This is an odd one. Republican Bruce Bartlett put together the following tweet storm reconstructed here with links proving just how inept the Democratic Party is convincing the public they want the same thing as them. The incredible number of issues Americans want and Democrats support makes you wonder how Republicans keep winning elections (besides gerrymandering and voter suppression, which may now be a bigger factor than ever imagined).

This twitter exchange explains...

The following exchange reflects the same ridiculous argument Gov. candidate Kathleen Vinehout repeated that stopped me cold:

Following is a list of good Democratic issues in no order.

(1) End gerrymandering.

(2) Raise taxes on the wealthy.

3) Limit campaign spending.

4) Constitutional amendment to outlaw Citizens United decision.

(5) Make voting easier with automatic registration and early voting.

(6) Support gun control.

7) Protect the environment & take concrete actions against global warming.

(8) Allow felons to vote if they have served their full sentence.

(9) End or restrict payday lending.

3 percent of registered voters have a favorable opinion of payday lenders. Yes, even used car salesmen and Wall Street banks are more well-liked than payday lenders. The entire business model of payday lending is based on trapping people in cycles of debt that they cannot escape, all the while forcing them to pay exorbitant fees and interest rates. 

(10) Spend more money on public works.

(
11) Support DACA.

(12) Fix student debt problem.

(13) Prioritize production of alternative energy such as solar over fossil fuels such as coal/GOP or Dems:

(14) Fight corruption by the president, Congress and government officials.

(15) Oppose foreign government interference in US elections.

(16) Force presidents to release their tax returns.

American voters say 67 – 24 percent that President Donald Trump should publicly release his tax returns, according to a Quinnipiac University National Poll (FEB '18). Every listed party, gender, education, age and racial group, except Republicans, says Trump should release his tax returns.

(17) Guaranteed government job for all who want one.

(18) Increase regulation of tech companies & social media to protect privacy.

(19) Raise pay for teachers.

(20) Legalize marijuana.

(21) Oppose tariffs & trade protectionism.

(
22) Support paid family & medical leaver for workers.

(23) Support labor unions.

(24) Support prison reform.

(24) Support prison reform:

87 percent of Americans agree that some of the money being spent on locking up nonviolent offenders should be shifted to alternatives like electronic monitoring, community service and probation. 65 percent support fair chance hiring, and 87 percent of voters strongly support replacing mandatory minimum prison sentences for non-violent offenders with a system that allows judges more discretion. 85 percent agree that the main goal should be rehabilitating people.

(25) Single-payer health insurance for all.

Now, what will Democrats do knowing this? Fold em and walk away? 

(link: http://pollingreport.com/ed.htm)

GOP Tax Cut Plan: "If you have kids and make under $100,000, your taxes are going up!"

The GOP tax cuts are a con, filled with little middle-class tax increases over time, that no one will notice but will still feel frustrating...making Americans beg for even more cuts.

Lawrence O'Donnell's two guests, NY Times columnist David Leonhardt and George H.W. Bush Treasury official Bruce Bartlett gave us the bad news. The takeaway? Republicans will create revenue shortfalls that will justify cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid:



This tweet made it even easier to understand:

Or this:

Promoted as needed relief for the middle class, the Senate Republican tax overhaul would increase taxes for some 13.8 million moderate-income American households, a bipartisan analysis showed Monday.The analysis found that the Senate measure would actually increase taxes in 2019 for 13.8 million households earning less than $200,000 a year. That group, about 10 percent of all U.S. taxpayers, would face tax increases of $100 to $500 in 2019. There also would be increases greater than $500 for a number of taxpayers, especially those with incomes between $75,000 and $200,000. By 2025, 21.4 million households would have steeper tax bills. The analysts previously found a similar magnitude of tax increases under the House bill.

If that wasn't bad enough, Americans will be paying more for everything relating to health care, thanks to "spending cut" on the federal level, that shifts the burden to the sick:

Joe Grogan, director of health programs at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget ... essentially wiped out steep and long-term drug discounts received by charity and rural hospitals ... easing reporting requirements for doctors ... exempting more employers from paying for birth control to rolling back drug discounts — have Grogan’s mark on them in some way.