Democrats Are Running a Smart, Populist Campaign

[workinclasszero]

By David Leonhardt Opinion Columnist May 27, 2018

Stacey Abrams and Conor Lamb are supposed to represent opposite poles of the Trump-era Democratic Party. She is the new progressive heroine — the first black woman to win a major-party nomination for governor, who will need a surge of liberal turnout to win Georgia. He is the new centrist hero — the white former Marine who flipped a Western Pennsylvania congressional district with support from gun-loving, abortion-opposing Trump voters.

But when you spend a little time listening to both Abrams and Lamb, you notice something that doesn’t fit the storyline: They sound a lot alike.

They emphasize the same issues, and talk about them in similar ways. They don’t come across as avatars of some Bernie-vs.-Hillary battle for the party’s soul. They come across as ideological soul mates, both upbeat populists who focus on health care, education, upward mobility and the dignity of work.

During her victory speech in a hotel ballroom last week, Abrams recognized the hotel’s workers. In a television ad, Lamb said it always bothered him that teachers and construction workers didn’t get the public respect that he did as a Marine. When asked what one thing she would like to change about Georgia, Abrams named its failure to expand Medicaid. In his campaign, Lamb took on Paul Ryan for referring to Medicare and Social Security as an entitlement — “as if,” Lamb said, “it’s undeserved.”

I could keep going with these comparisons, and you’d have trouble keeping straight who said what. Which of the two did The Nation, that bible of leftism, praise for supporting labor unions more aggressively than most Democrats? Lamb, the purported centrist.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/27/opinion/democrats-populist-campaign-midterm-trump.html

[Sherman A1]

1. Hopefully

It works

[KPN]

2. Good opinion article. I agree with this

paragraph in particular:

"Doing so is smart, because it helps Democrats send the most powerful message in politics: I’m on your side — and my opponent isn’t. Americans really are divided on abortion, guns, race and other cultural issues, but they’re remarkably progressive on economics. When Democrats talk about health care, education and jobs, they can focus the white working class on the working-class part of its identity rather than the white part. And Democrats can fire up their base at the same time."

[Docreed2003]

3. Excellent article! Nt

[workinclasszero]

4. Me too!

If we GOTV this fall for these great dem candidates we will stop the ruinous geyser of Trump-shit that is polluting this country.

[Gothmog]

5. K&R

[oberliner]

6. Do folks think Stacey Abrams will win in November?

Has there been any polling yet?

[Gothmog]

7. Agreed

There is a great deal to like in the Democrats message https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/05/21/democrats-just-rolled-out-a-broad-reform-agenda-would-it-make-a-difference/?utm_term=.dea1079bbf74

Here are some of the substantive measures they propose:

Voting: Automatic voter registration, paper-verified votes, an end to felon disenfranchisement, steps to make it easier for voters with disabilities to cast ballots, same-day registration, expanded early voting, an end to partisan gerrymandering.
Ethics: New enforcement power for the Office of Government Ethics, tighter disclosure requirements for lobbyists.
Campaign finance: Tax-deductible donations for House candidates, 6-to-1 matching of contributions up to $150 to enhance value of small-dollar contributions, a constitutional amendment to repeal the Citizens United decision.

These kinds of plans are always presented as transformative, with the potential to at last bring about an age free of corruption and special-interest influence. Which perhaps isn’t surprising; you don’t expect politicians to say, “Here are some ideas that will have a marginally positive effect, even though the fundamental problems will remain.”

But in some ways, that’s the truth. It’s particularly true on ethics reform, which we hear more about whenever there’s some kind of scandal in Congress. And every president comes into office saying they’re going to eliminate the power of special interests and run an unusually ethical administration.