The danger of labels - and why I liked Klobuchar's message last night

[NRaleighLiberal]

I am probably as liberal as any here at DU - social and fiscally liberal. I would love to go leftward faster than lots of the country would wish to go....in the last primary, I was a Bernie supporter in the primary, but also realize that the country's "enemies" right now (and then) were/are republicans - and, of course, now more than ever.

I've now watched 2 of the town halls on CNN (thanks to using Sling TV) - Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar. I loved watching them both. I would be delighted with either as our president.

But it is clear in this climate how much labeling is going to matter - whether "socialist", "social leftist", "middle of the road", "pragmatic" - candidates are going to try to get out in front and plant labels on themselves before the opposition and the media start to apply them.

This is going to be a challenging primary, and a brutal election. The right wing will use anything and everything, and they now know how well flat out lies work - the lies get repeated, and then become the truth. The real truth becomes fake news. It is awful, it stinks of hypocrisy - but thanks to trump working in the gutter, that is where we are.

It is a big country - it is a complex electoral map (given that we can prevent Russia and whoever from screwing with the voting numbers - if we can't, the challenge becomes huge).

I hate guns - I am virulently anti gun - yet realize lots of people hunt, some of my friends do (I've personally never picked one up and hope to never do so). I am all for raising taxes on the uber wealthy. Take out the liberal slate of wishes, and that's me.

But what I really liked about Amy K's approach last night was that it seems to have an approach of bringing in more types of voters - some that are less liberal than I on some key issues. Her discussions on the green deal, climate change, health care, guns, college cost relief - they set the tone of going a bit slower so that we could get some successes and some traction. It actually resonated with me - we are seeing things so bad, so counter to our values - that it is understandable for us to want rapid change, and big change, and have it quickly, and now.

But I don't think that is how we are going to work to a resounding election success. We will need to get people who sat the last election out to show up at the polls. We are going to need to bring some center folks into our camp. As much as I don't like the word "pragmatic" (it has become such a buzz term), that approach may be the one that gets us over the finish line with a victory.

I am actually not pleased that Bernie reentered the fray - and I won't be pleased if/when Joe Biden enters the fray, either. We run the risk of having too big a slate, things become too divisive (primary wars at DU, any one?).

But this is just my opinion, which is worth no more than the 5 minutes it took me to type it in....just trying to put into words what worked so well for me in watching Amy K last night. That, and the breath of fresh air that there was intellect and skill and empathy and courage up there on stage - everything that trump is and has not.

[redstatebluegirl]

1. Thank you for saying so well what I feel.

I get so emotional I don't make sense half the time. This is EXACTLY how i feel right now.

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. I really appreciate your comment - I was really all over the place in that....

but that is where my feeble brain is at this morning.

[redstatebluegirl]

3. It was great, I actually copied it and kept this one, don't do that very often here.

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. it is far easier for me to write about gardening than politics

I get so emotional about the impact of politics on people that I can become incoherent....so, given that, off to blog about gardening!

[redstatebluegirl]

5. Me too, but gardening in Oklahoma is a challenge to say the least :-).

[samnsara]

6. i liked her approach as well...Im much like you, but unlike in other ways..

.. I am a gun owner...a responsible one. I LIKE my guns! Im hoping JOE enters the race. Nor did I vote for Bernie.. but those differences dont keep us from agreeing we need to quit being knee jerk voters. Hear them all out.. they are ALL good and will I probably end up voting for the one I LIKE the most. I will NOT support one who bullies the others during the primary however whomever gets the nomination I WILL VOTE FOR. PERIOD.


we need to pinky promise to vote for the dem nom even if its not our fav.

[NRaleighLiberal]

7. pinky promise - love that!

[OregonBlue]

8. I find myself thinking exactly the same things and then my

Son will say no, Trump got elected because people want change, AOC got elected because people want change. We need to be brave and offer real change, not safe candidates.

[NRaleighLiberal]

9. I actually think she offered a LOT of change. It is just the pace that seemed a bit tempered.

[OregonBlue]

11. I agree.

so far I really like her too. People are big on Harris but when she was in office she did nothing to address the disparties and racism in the system.

[David__77]

10. While I'm glad about Sanders running, I think Biden could be a great candidate.

I don’t see Biden losing against Trump.

[Andy823]

12. K&R nt

[Awsi Dooger]

13. Hosting debate watch parties in Las Vegas helped me understand apolitical types

Klobuchar's style and personality would be very well received by that type, the ones who vote in presidential years but otherwise don't vote or pay much attention to politics.

[Hortensis]

14. +1000. The facile lure of "rapid change" is meant to divide us,

and those who use this siren song to gain power are on both sides of the spectrum. No matter what happens on November 2, 2020, the other side doesn't drop dead, nor to the enormous powers in the shadows whose power remains enormous no matter which party has more people elected. The battle always continues against intense, redoubtable opposition.

Btw, political scientists say people like the Kochs and their allies among the 70,000 ultrawealthy families who've sprung up only devote a fraction of their political budgets to elections. By far most is invested in other ways that they use to operate and grow their power.

We must have such a solid majority in 2020 that all the election theft the Republicans can muster is not enough.