Populist Proposals Win in 2014

[xchrom]

http://www.nationofchange.org/2014/01/01/populist-proposals-win-2014/


While the Democrats had a poor showing at the polls in 2014, populist and progressive ideas surged. An array of unabashedly populist ballot initiatives were passed by pollsters.


There’s no denying that Democrats took a drubbing at the polls in 2014. Running cautious campaigns and shying away from Obamacare, Wall Street regulation, the anti-fracking movement, immigration reform and Obama himself — was not a winning strategy.

While the Democrats had a poor showing, populist and progressive ideas surged. Even in red states, pollsters find support for big progressive policy changes (such as living wage laws, Medicare for all, a national infrastructure jobs program, expanded Social Security benefits and free higher education) that would re-establish a vibrant middle-class America. While voters were tossing Democrats aside in this past election, bigger majorities of the same electorate leapt at the chance to say “YES” to an array of unabashedly populist ballot initiatives:

Minimum wage. Even though the crimson-red states of Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota elected GOP Senate candidates, voters rejected the low-wage policies of the Republicans and their corporate backers by approving minimum wage increases. San Francisco voters also raised their wage floor to $15 an hour, and Oakland went to $1.25. In addition, non-binding referenda calling for raises to $10 or more were approved by 65 percent of the voters in Illinois and by 13 Wisconsin cities and counties, where a whopping 70 to 83 percent of voters OK’d the increases.

Fracking. While ExxonMobil, Halliburton and dozens of huge energy corporations are in a nationwide fracking frenzy — running roughshod over local citizens in the furious rush for fast profits — locals have begun pushing back against the gross pollution, health problems, infrastructure damage and even earthquakes caused by the inherently destructive and intrusive fracking process. Asserting their human and civic rights, local coalitions have, in the last few years, won several referendum fights to ban fracking in their states .

[PowerToThePeople]

1. even in my world

Republican rank & file understand that things are fubar, so they are voting for more progressive local innitiatives.

But, they have yet to accept that republican ideals are to blame for the state that we are in. Doing so would be an admission of fault on their part. The repugs in my world have not made it to that place where they are willing to accept the truth that the world view they have had their whole life is wrong.

[Cosmic Kitten]

2. It's not actually "republic ideals"... it's corporatist ideals

Populists need to put a wedge into the republican party.
The right-wing party needs a great big divorce.

[PowerToThePeople]

3. i grew up in Reagan era. (gen xer)

So, at least durring my lifetime, they have been one and the same - corporatist and republican.

I agree with your sentiment of a wedge needing to be jammed into that party.

[Cosmic Kitten]

5. Gen-X

Now we have "democrats" who have joined with
the corporate republicans...

How did the public majority become a minority voice?

[PowerToThePeople]

7. $$$. eom

[Recursion]

4. Our issues always do better than our candidates

The American electorate is weird that way

[Cosmic Kitten]

6. yeah, propaganda has that effect, eh

[liberal_at_heart]

8. K&R