Theory: Democrats would be better off if...

[Cary]

... we sent all disaffected alleged Democrats to the GOP and let them sow their discord and discontent tbere.

I cannot quantify that but I would bet that we would have better turnout and the Republicans would be worse, I terms of their turnout.

I do turn out but I can say with absolute certainly that the radical left has successfully demoralized me. And then I have to fight on two fronts with radicals at both ends flinging the same poop at me from both sides.

Send them to the GOP, please. I'll pay for the wrapping paper bows, and ribbons. I'll even pay for delivery.

[Cary]

1. Thinking of how in WWI

The Germans seeking to get the Russians out of the war packed Lenin into a sealed box car and shipped him to Russia.

[NurseJackie]

2. I share your frustration. I often wonder if the ones you describe are sincere when they say ...

... things like "I'm just trying to help" and "I'm not the enemy", etc etc.

Of course, it's impossible for me to read their minds and to know their actual intentions and motivations ... but if you go by the results ... and by the fact that it's the same (negative) results over and over (not just a one-off thing) it would be easy for someone to assume that certain individuals and celebrities and non-Democrats are doing things (and saying things) to intentionally harm the party from within.

And, in fairness, there may be certain individuals and celebrities and non-Democrats who aren't intentionally trying to harm or create discord. Not intentionally, but that's the effect nonetheless. Sad to see that their fantasy utopia is a disconnect from reality that actually works opposite to what they say they want.

Some of these certain individuals and celebrities and non-Democrats pretend to be "experts" about the party, when it's clear they are just keyboard warriors or airwave/video warriors or publicity hounds (trying to resurrect their careers?) who haven't volunteered a single minute of their time, who haven't walked, and who haven't donated a cent. Yet here they are... telling actual Democrats and actual volunteers and actual party workers how to do things. (Is it arrogance, or laziness? I can't decide.)

I think it's also a fair critique to point out that if certain individuals and celebrities and non-Democrats must continually remind their listeners and readers "I'm not the enemy" ... then that's a pretty strong indicator that they need to find a new message, or they need to fine tune the way they deliver their old message.

Am I being too harsh? I don't believe so. I try to be realistic about things and I believe this is an honest assessment of the behavior I'm observing from certain individuals and celebrities and non-Democrats.



====
Hello there, Alerter. Please re-read this carefully before alerting. I'm speaking in very general terms and not attacking any particular person or group. I'm criticizing behavior and giving a blunt opinion about the damaging results of the behavior of certain individuals and celebrities and non-Democrats, whether it's intentional or not, the results are the same, insofar as the party is concerned and insofar as party unity is concerned.



#BeLikeKeith


#StrongerTogether

[Jamaal510]

3. K&R

[leftstreet]

4. There is no 'radical left' in the US

There's hardly any Left, left

[anarch]

10. for real

people who are slightly to the right of, say, Ronald Reagan in most of their thinking are routinely denigrated as "socialists" nowadays.

As a real godless commie weirdo, this seriously annoys me. There isn't even the faintest chance that truly socialist ideas might be reasonably discussed and considered in U.S. political discourse; not in our lifetimes, I'd venture to guess.

As a disclaimer: I've only ever voted a straight Democratic ticket, because at the end of the day I'm a pragmatist. That said, I really hope that someday (if we don't destroy ourselves) human society might incorporate things like universal healthcare, education, housing, sustenance, and true liberty as just the basic rights of citizens.

As it is now, the best I can hope for is that the Republicans don't kill us all.

[Blue_true]

5. The radical left has me enraged. It's like someone

knowing that you won't leave because of your basic values, so they hit you in the eye to make a point.

[Bettie]

6. So, we must always be fully in lockstep

without any disagreement or differences of opinion?

Are we to be given "marching orders" and expected to follow them to the letter in the name of being of one voice?

That's not who this party is, we're diverse, we have a lot of different opinions and a lot of agendas that are at different levels of importance for different groups and people. My number one issue might not be yours and the two people over there might have other number one things.

So, whose orders are we to blindly follow, without question?

And what precisely is the "radical left"?

[Blue_true]

13. We don't need to be in lock step and should realize

and accept that we disagree on 10-15% of issues, but one group should not be setting out to blow up our candidates because of those small differences, especially when the efforts involve virulent attacks on our best candidates - that conduct only helps republicans get elected and set back our shared goals tremendously.

[Bettie]

19. So, what exactly do you mean by

Radical Left?

The fact is that the main part of the Right is far and away into what used to be fringe right (neo-Nazi territory) that the perceived center is essentially Reagan Republicanism.

I really would like a definition here, because I'm still not getting who you are so angry at. Is this still anger over the primary?

[kentuck]

7. What the hell you all talking about?!

What are all these "disaffected alleged Democrats" saying??

I must have missed that one?

[Beearewhyain]

8. If you want to get rid of the "radical left"

you will need to fundamentally change the political structure of this nation that results in our two party system, because no "radical leftist" is going to be a republican. Until such time you are stuck with us so you might want to figure out a way to make it work.

[Hortensis]

9. No! The farther left allying with the right and far right

to elect extremist authoritarian governments is the stuff of long national nightmares. It's what the Kochs are working right now to make happen next time.

Absolutely not. But leftists by nature unhappy with moderation and cooperation are not ours to "send" anywhere, and they represent a broad spectrum of ideologies.

I just want those who aren't too extreme to ever vote for Democrats to understand enough about liberals and Democratic ideology not to love but to just recognize the enormous differences between us and today's extremist-lead Republican Party.

We DO recognize the absolute need in a democracy for disagreeing factions to come to agreements that will manage to be sort of acceptable for most. That doesn't make us conservatives, or corrupt. It makes us true believers in democracy.

Ignorance, dishonest and partisan hostility got us in this mess. We all need to refuse to follow those who lie to us, educate ourselves on our options, and then vote honestly and knowledgeably for what we consider is the best of them.

[Cary]

14. I'm not disaffected

Sorry.

[Rex]

15. You sure seem like it.

Sorry.

[Cary]

16. Do you have a reasonably objective argument?

Or are you just retaliating because somehow you're offended by the fact that I think the radical left hurts Democrats?

[m-lekktor]

12. well, I hate right wing assholes no matter what party they belong to.

seriously though, i can just imagine what you and your ilk who howl and whine about the powerless left consider "radical left".

oh. and I ALWAYS vote for the Democrat no matter what and I NEVER vote third party so NO THANKS I will not leave and vote republican like you insist.

[Cary]

21. My "ilk?"

People who want Democrats to win, and don't want to deal with the JPR types, or Susan Sarandon?

Is that my "ilk?"

I'm willing to work with anyone who has something constructive to add and who wants to get good things done. I'm tired of the nonsense.

[betsuni]

18. I do not care for the denizens of Democratsaretherealproblemland.

There's a chapter in Carl Sagan's "The Demon-haunted World" called The Fine Art of Baloney Detection and these True Progressive types who blame everything on Democrats really use all of the fallacious argument techniques on the list, it's exhausting. Last year I had to drop out of an online group I was co-owner of because I spent too much time playing journalist, searching for links debunking all the fake news and conspiracy theories and garbage. I began to hear a nagging cynical arrogant True Progressive voice in my head whenever I wrote something positive about the U.S./Obama/Democrats and it made me cranky. Maybe soon I'll give up all these types of forums and spend my Internet time leering at Foodgawker and hate-watching "Girls."

[Cary]

20. Right?

If that's how they want to be then they should do it, but they don't have to do it to me.

It's simple: vote Democratic!

And you know what? I love Democrats. We're awesome. We really and truly are.

[betsuni]

22. Yup. There are lots of places they can go.

Instead of complaining about efforts "to shut down progressives here." It is fun, though, when they get mad and go too far and get flagged for review or banned.

[Cary]

23. Stuff happens