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)

Will the Democratic Party stand for something? Please?

I think Thom Hartmann's take on why the Democrats lost the midterm election in such a dramatic way is right on the money. His statement is included at the bottom. And yes, it's what I've been saying here for years. But first...

...what is most heartening? How so many other Democrats have come to the same conclusion; Stand firmly behind the party's populist agenda, and pound that message into the American psyche, just like the Republicans have done for decades. We've got to stop being the abused partner in this political relationship and fight back. 

This Voxdotcom graph offers up the obvious: 

How can you lose with that kind of support? The Democrats found a way. Wake the hell up guys.

As Zachary Goldfarb writes, voters have "fallen out with Obama, but on the biggest issues facing Congress, they still agree with Democrats on ... almost everything. That includes issues like raising the minimum wage, making the rich pay more in taxes, letting illegal immigrants stay in the United States, taking action to stem global warming, legalizing same sex marriage and fixing the Affordable Care Act rather than repealing it." 

After reading Thom Hartmann's commentary, you'll wonder why the Democrats ever let things get so bad, while having so much ammunition against the Republican anti-Obama scheme:

Dear Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Schultz: You've been played for a sucker by the Republicans, and it worked. Tuesday night’s blow to Democrats could have been prevented; in fact, you could have won big, nationally. But you lost, and here's why.

Back on the night of January 20th, 2009, when most Americans were out celebrating the end of the Bush years and Barack and Michelle were dancing at the inaugural balls, a group of powerful Republicans was planting the seeds of your loss this week. The Caucus Room Conspiracy had three major objectives.

The first was to use obstruction - knowing the corporate media would call it "gridlock" as if the Democrats were responsible, too - to prevent President Obama from having any legislative success.

The second was to sabotage any legislative victories that the president did manage to win - like Obamacare - and convince the American people that they were actually failures.

And the third was to blame all the economic damage caused by Republicans on BOTH parties and then come out in a critical election like 2014 and say that Republicans are the party that will make things right in Washington as if the state of the economy was the Democrats' fault.

Based on Tuesday night’s shellacking, it looks like the Caucus Room Conspiracy was a success. But here’s the thing. Democrats could have pointed out the relentless obstruction by Republicans … they could have made the Caucus Room Conspiracy a household phrase.

Instead, Democrats played right into Republicans’ hands, so the Caucus Room Conspiracy was wildly successful … as the New York Times points out, Americans had absolutely no idea what either party stood for in this election. Democrats failed to run on their platform, and to publicize the issues that Americans really care about. In 2012, the Democratic Party published their platform. Among other things, it outlined the party’s plans to put Americans back to work, grow the middle-class, reform Wall Street, reel in campaign spending, and enact sensible tax reform. 

Why wasn't this platform out there for the American people to see? Democrats also need to step up and embrace their progressive base, instead of marginalizing them. Republicans are great at embracing their base, and Democrats need to start doing the same thing with the progressive movement.

Psst! Democrats quietly try to pass Midterm Agenda for America. Don’t tell anyone.

Who knew? Thanks to the weekly feature Roll Call, where the paper lists all the “action” in the House, there is now a slight chance we just might stumble upon the bold Democratic statement for the midterms.

It’s hard to imagine anyone with a job or experience handling the household income objecting to the following populist agenda…oh wait, Paul Ryan, James Sensenbrenner, Tom Petri, Sean Duffy and Reid Ribble voted against it? 

Voters won’t like that:

DEMOCRATIC POLICY GOALS: The House on Wednesday turned back a bid by Democrats to add five of their policy goals to HJ Res 124 (government funding bill). The motion called for raising the minimum wage, requiring that women receive equal pay for equal work, allowing most student loans to be refinanced, denying government contracts to companies that move headquarters overseas and reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank for the long term.

Republican never, if ever, pass Democratic amendments that are logical no-brainers for the rest of us. 

Democratic Candidates must use these Powerful Political Frames Over and Over....

Democrats are horrible at framing issues. That's why the following two great frames should be a part of every interview, and every campaign.

Get the Koch Brothers nose out of out state: North Carolina's Kay Hagan nails it, framing the Koch brothers as out-of-state and out-of-touch meddlers, who oppose policies that negatively effect her constituents. An essential frame for Mary Burke:



Joe Biden framed what should have been a strong Democratic agenda for the last decade. It should be now and forever, repeated often and slipped into conversations and interviews leaving the listener with no doubt about where you stand: