Do Democrats lack courage? Are they just too nice?

[mart48]

2008: a black president is elected. Repubs float the conspiracy theory that he wasn’t born in the US. For the next 8 years. With no evidence. The foremost spokesman for the theory is declared president in 2016.

2016 and following: 1) the new president’s son admits Russian money is a big part of the Trump empire. Trump refuses to release his tax returns and publically kowtow’s to Putin. What Democrat publically and repeated accuses Trump of being in Putin’s pocket and a traitor? 2) In covert circles, the idea of a “honey pot” (a beautiful woman sent to seduce and ultimately compromise a prominent public figure) is well-known. Trump’s wife was born in a then Communist country, and is the daughter of a Communist official of that country. What Democrat publically and repeated suggests she may have been instrumental in getting dirt on Trump, passing it on to Russia for blackmail purposes? 3) Trump admits to crotch-grabbing. Such actions, especially by a man over 6 ft tall, especially towards one of the chambermaids in his hotels, is an obvious prelude to rape. In fact, multiple women have accused Trump of rape. What Democrat publically and repeated accuses Trump of being a serial rapist?

I could go on.

And if somehow there’s a Democrat I missed who fits the above description, please let me know.

P.S. If this gets me banned from DU, so be it.

[brooklynite]

1. If I were you, I'd join the Democratic Party...

I don't mean VOTE Democratic, I mean join the Party in it's local, County or State Party, and influence the decisions the Party makes.

[triron]

9. This is no way addresses what this poster is asking.

Not sure if it's too nice and or something else but this is something I've wondered about as well.

[Caliman73]

11. Good idea.

Too many people like to criticize but they won't try to effect change and take an active role in shaping the party.

[KPN]

32. That's legitimate and one approach that might work for some people. It doesn't work for everyone

however. It can be pretty daunting for some folks, e.g., those who aren't comfortable speaking in groups, people who aren't typically "joiners", or people who get impatient with meetings or folks who tend to speak up more than others or dominate discussions. There are also a lot of other reasons that it might not be a good fit for some people.

My point is that it's a legitimate suggestion for some people. But there are legitimate reasons it is not for others. So it's not really legitimate to just say "join the party [organization] ... and influence the decisions" it makes. That works for you and to your credit you did say "if I were you, I'd join" ... but it's really a one-size fits all solution in a world in which one-size doiesn't really fit all.

[rzemanfl]

2. Bookmarking. n/t

[sweetroxie]

3. Yes and yes

nt

[ismnotwasm]

4. Hillary Fucking Clinton called it out

Too many did not listen

[TwilightZone]

7. They were too busy whining about her e-mails...

and proclaiming that she was going to start a war with Russia.

[Eyeball_Kid]

33. .. and the RW media jumped all over her for being hyperbolic,

and there was no pushback. The rest of the press and the country left Hillary out to dry.

[uponit7771]

5. They still think Thanos won't snap his fingers, they still don't think they have to cut his arms of

[stillcool]

6. do you lack courage?

the people that represent me do their job, which does not include talking trash in response to trash talk. I know there are people that crave trash-talking. That's all they really want. It's not about government, or the health of our society, it's about trash-talk, and who's tougher and meaner, and can talk better trash. I guess it's why we are, right where we are.

[not_the_one]

18. I respectfully submit that the "truth" is not trash.

If someone lies, it is a lie. It is not "misspeaking", or any other milquetoast descriptor they try to use in an effort to not appear "extreme left".

We can leave the mean trash talk to the republicans. They are going to anyway.

But we know who is pushing THAT "extreme left" meme. turdface, the republicans, and the weak-kneed, finger in the wind politicians in the middle of our own party.

The democratic party believes in equality, fairness, the power of organized labor, women's control over their own bodies, healthcare for all, education for all who want it, fairness in economic opportunity, and that the rich write the rules to benefit themselves, and don't pay their fair share. NONE of that is "extreme left". (Civil rights, women's rights, gay rights are a done deal, water under the bridge. If anyone is not in agreement with those, too fucking bad. They should get out of the party.)

We are where we are because our party leaders are cowards, who are afraid to say what has to be said (the truth), in language that expresses our absolute, unadulterated outrage. It has taken them decades of letting the republicans control the narrative, taking over state legislatures, and setting voting district boundaries, but they put us here.

If that outrage is out there, and real, the response to the courage and bravery of the politician who takes that tack, will be overwhelming. We are starving for it.

I will be the eternal optimist again and say that turdface may actually cause the complete destruction of the republican party. I am hoping that the upcoming blue tsunami will make the blue wave look like a pebble in a pond.

But I also absolutely positively believe that if the democrats don't step up to the plate and take the necessary steps to DEAL with turdface AND the republicans, it WILL be the end of the democratic party.

[Eyeball_Kid]

31. The Dem Party is partly living in the past,

when, before Newt Gingrich, there were standards of decency that both major parties respected. It worked well, until it didn't. But the Dems seem to be in denial that the GOP, now run by Trumpy, no longer uses standards of decency. So they look as if they're out of step, too nice, an easy mark. They want to be dignified and win. And that's a losing combination in today's world of emerging fascism. Fascism isn't nice. It's brutal. It's anti-intellectual, anti-Enlightenment, anti-rational. It's a culture of barbarism and bullying, of in-your-face confrontation.

The GOP has undergone a decades-long mission of preparing the people for fascism. They gutted civics requirements in education, they made it more difficult to get into college, they changed the entire mission of public communications, they promoted right wing media. They made people less informed, made it more difficult to think critically about what THEY are doing. They need authoritarianism to boost a fascist-style dictator. And now they nearly have it all. They have so frightened the Dems that, not on one but on two occasions, they were afraid to impeach a president on perfectly appropriate grounds (What a coincidence that, on both occasions, Pelosi is/was Speaker.).

By the way, I share the same hope as the poster to which I'm replying. I hope that Trumpy destroys himself and the Republican Party. I hope it happens before both destroy the Constitution.

[KPN]

35. Good comments. Yes, they were/are appropriate grounds.

[stillcool]

40. Blame whoever you want..

Who represents you?. Are they cowards? Are you better? When over 300 million people can't manage to elect decent people, I really don't know what you expect of my 3 representatives in D.C. There are solutions to problems, but blaming Democrats in D.C., is not one. The GOP has massive power in every aspect of our society. Whether it's education, healthcare, foreign policy, employment, justice, taxes, .. the very basic needs of society are controlled by wealth, and what do Democrats have? The end of the Democratic Party is definitely near, and it has nothing to do with what the Democrats in D.C.do. It's what the people do, which is blame someone else.

[ehrnst]

45. If our leaders are "cowards" why do you bother with the Democratic party at all?

[Caliman73]

8. The Democratic Party, rightly or wrongly, believes in institutions and traditions of the nation...

There is perhaps a naivete there and overconfidence that those institutions will protect the democracy because Republicans do not care about fair play, decency, truth, and good faith arguments.

I do not think it is a matter of lack in courage or being "too nice". It is not wanting to further destroy the institutions and fabric of the nation. Democrats don't believe in "burning down the village to save the village".

[KPN]

36. We, sometimes you have to do a backfire in order to put out a fire, sometimes you gotta burn out the

fuel. I tend to agree that as a party, we don't do enough of that or do it effectively.

[TwilightZone]

10. That would be a good way to lose in 2020.

Demanding that Democrats follow Republican tactics of insinuation and name-calling isn't a terribly compelling argument. You really think high-level Democrats should waste a lot of time arguing that Melania is a Russian agent with zero evidence?

Sure, that'll go over well.

We win on the issues, not by pretending to be Republicans. Worked that way in 2018. It can work that way in 2020. If it's all-Trump-all-the-time, we lose.

[mart48]

16. This response is a good example of what I'm talking about

The OP has 3 points.

Trump's son publicly admitted Russian money is a large part of the Trump empire. Trump has been called Putin's lapdog several times. Trump won't reveal his tax returns. Why not a steady drumbeat over the past few years of "We need to know if our President is financial beholding to a foreign hostile power!!!! Release the tax returns NOW!!!

A similar case could be made for Trump the serial rapist.

Yet you focus one one point, dismiss it, and decide we'll win on issues which means (I presume, correct me if I'm wrong) ignoring the Russian connection and the rapist angle. There's solid evidence for those two points. Why ignore them?

[SouthernProgressive]

50. Your post here makes it very clear that you have either not been watching....

or simply find this as a fun distraction.

[at140]

30. Best post!! (about winning on issues)

Think about why Billy Jeff Clinton & Barack H Obama won twice!

There is your answer! Stay with their agenda to win. Voters are spread out on a bell curve.

[mcar]

41. Billy Jeff?

[murielm99]

42. Billy Jeff?

Are you going to start calling President Obama "Barry," as well?

Are you going to refer to us as the Democrat Party?

I find your post rude.

[at140]

43. It is my affectionate name because I admire

Billy Jefferson Clinton more than any living politician.
He was called Billy growing up and perhaps as a grown up as well by those who love this man.

[murielm99]

44. Uh huh.

[lapucelle]

47. You admire WJC, but you refer to him as "Billy Jeff"?

[at140]

51. Something wrong with shortening names?

I read his mom called him Billy. And his middle name is Jefferson.

[Hekate]

53. President Clinton's mom is decades in her grave, as is President Obama's mom. These men don't use...

...their childhood nicknames any more, and for others to do so outside their immediate family is just a way of belittling them.

But I think you knew that.

[at140]

54. Just the opposite

Because my personal finances benefited a lot during Billy Jefferson Clinton's 8 years.
It is an endearing expression for me to call him Billy.

[Kind of Blue]

12. Presently the only one I can think of is California Rep. Jackie Speier.

A few years ago, I was sure after the election that Democrats were going to investigate. Unfortunately you're right, it's really gone nowhere.

House Dem Calls for Investigating Trump Sexual Assault Allegations as Her Colleagues Shrug
https://www.thedailybeast.com/rep-jackie-speier-calls-for-investigation-of-trump-sexual-assault-allegations-as-her-colleagues-shrug

More than a dozen female Democrats are leading the charge, calling on the House Oversight Committee to formally investigate the allegations against the president. Their move comes after three of Trump’s accusers renewed their charges that the former reality TV star and real estate mogul sexually harassed or assaulted them in the past.

“I call on all of my colleagues who sit on this committee to support and immediately launch this investigation, regardless of the victim or alleged predator every voice deserves to be heard,” Rep. Brenda Lawrence told reporters Tuesday. “And justice demands transparency, accountability and due process.”

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/growing-number-of-congress-members-call-for-action-over-trump-assault-allegations-116976/

[LakeArenal]

13. I think part is our diversity...

So many divergent ideas takes time to clearly plot a course where everyone wins something.

Whereas, GOP focused on gaining and maintaining power. Laser focused.

[mcar]

14. Oh goody, another Democrats bashing OP

[elocs]

15. It's not a lack of courage, but Democrats are too much like little children

who need to be excited and motivated to vote or who pout when their personal candidate doesn't win.
Republicans seem to vote like it was their duty. I wonder how many, many thousands on the right voted for Trump even though they didn't like him?
Republicans approach politics like a street fight while Democrats insist on Marquess of Queensberry rules and then we wonder why they drink our milkshake. (Why is it that the Republicans always seem to know the obscure parliamentary rules to throw a monkey wrench into things?)

You can get banned from DU, but you can never leave.
I wonder how many dead DUers are still counted on the membership role? Once you sign up for DU, you're a lifer even when you're a deader.

[Niagara]

17. To try to answer your question

There have many Democratic leaders who have spoken up. During the 2016 election, one of those leaders was Hillary Clinton. She addressed his treatment of women and she addressed the Russian attacks among other critical issues.

President Barack Obama knew about Russia and Mitch McConnell blocked him from condemning it.

At this moment and in my lifetime, I have never seen such one sided and incompetent insanity coming from one administration. I don't ever remember things being this awful and having our Democratic leaders attacked and blamed for everything. It's frustrating for us as Democratic voters. It's frustrating for our Democratic leaders. It's frustrating for our countries allies.

The problems with the unhinged republican party keep multiplying daily. It never ends.

[Niagara]

38. McConnell refused to a sign bipartisanship statement about Russia's efforts to attack our election.

The republicans have their own set of rules. The rules change depending on who's in charge of the executive branch.

How does Mitch McConnell get to call a secret meeting to block anything that President Obama does before his inauguration?

How does Mitch McConnell get to block President Obama's nominee's choice to sit on the Supreme Court?

How does Mitch McConnell's wife become secretary of transportation under the current administration?


I could go on and on. The point is, republicans put party over country continuously.

[Trumpocalypse]

19. So when Michelle Obama said

‘When they go low, we go high’, you think she lacked courage?

[Brainfodder]

22. Refusing to playing dirty, perhaps?

Long pass the time to be passive, they won't stop on abortion, that is clear, why with so much hypocrisy and need is another good ?? and mostly ignoring the born.

Meanwhile, infrastructure should be way above that.



You thought you'd be banned?

[Vinca]

23. I have few requirements of the next Democratic candidate for president, but one

is that he or she DOES NOT pardon Trump. I'm worried another Jerry Ford will happen and Don will go about his business grifting and bilking until he dies.

[Wounded Bear]

24. Democrats tend to follow the rules...

but your opinion is duly noted.

[Wounded Bear]

26. They are. Perhaps not as fast as you would like, but...

doing things the right way takes time.

[Fiendish Thingy]

27. This isn't about niceness, it's about risk avoidance

Some people think it's worth risking losing an election in order to protect the Constitution and preserve democracy, and others think winning elections are more important than using the power we have right now to govern and use those oversight powers to their fullest, despite the risks.

[BeyondGeography]

28. Who knows

But for whatever reason we haven’t made anti-Republican Party messaging a priority for many decades. In my lifetime I have seen the Democratic Party made into anti-American freaks by the right while they were the real freak show taking down the country. We spend too much time mollycoddling moderates and obsessing about swing districts and too little fighting the real enemy. The Republicans shouldn’t have a brand worth pissing on by now but that doesn’t happen without a consistently strong Democratic Party commitment to anti-Republican messaging and it hasn’t been there.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

29. Depends on how you look at it. Do Democrats want to win elections, uphold the concept of justice,

hold people accountable under the law, pass policy that helps everyone or a combination thereof? Each one requires a different strategy, some of which will oppose others.

[Vegas Roller]

34. Very disingenuous OP

The Democrats on various committees, the committee chairpersons and speaker Nancy Pelosi are doing it by the book, within the legal framework.

Whining without knowledge of the applicable law/s is futile.

[treestar]

37. I'm not sure some of your ideas are good but

Whatever the Ds do, the media will not cooperate like they do with Rs. If a D were saying such things, it would be not covered or covered quickly or as repeatedly. The media likes drama. Adults don't cause drama.

If being "too nice" is a thing, we have lost. Ds can do a hard-hitting critique. But it does not appear the media thinks it will sell. So it does not get much airplay.

Comics will sometimes put together a collage of the media repeating something over and over; different anchors, pundits or commentators saying the same thing. It can be amusing, such as the ones with "tan suit" over and over or depressing, like the hypocrisy where they criticized Obama for suggesting meetings with Kim Jong Un but a few years later, praised the Orange Bloviator for doing something new and exciting and brave.

So while it seems to you they are not fighting back, what is really happening is that the coverage is slanted.

Like someone pointed out above; they went to Hillary's emails rather than anything she said to fight Tangerine Idi Amin.

[bdamomma]

46. I think the

Republicans or the party as we known it is gone. Their party is finished not us Democrats. We always have to clean up after them.

But tRump is the cancer we have to get rid of.

[lapucelle]

48. You forgot Hillary Clinton. She had the courage.

https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/19/politics/donald-trump-sexual-allegations-hillary-clinton-presidential-debate/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/06/us/politics/hillary-clinton-russia.html

[Beringia]

49. Do Liars always win? No

Fear incapacitates rational thinking. Love enhances it. I have hope.

But I do agree Democrats could do much better when it comes to attacking the other side and showing how wrong they are.

[Skittles]

52. they try to play by the rules

alas, they are playing against thugs with no rules whatsoever