Democrats don't have to save themselves. Donald Trump is still here to help

[marmar]

Democrats don't have to save themselves. Donald Trump is still here to help
The "popularist" theory is nothing new. But Democrats should stop soul-searching while Trump is still a threat

By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 12, 2021 9:52AM


(Salon) Democrats find themselves, in the midst of an intense battle to pass President Biden's domestic agenda while avoiding a debt limit showdown, once again asking the perennial post-election question: How can they win back white, non-college-educated voters?

This has been the Democrats' big conundrum for over 30 years now and most of the time they end up with exactly the same possible strategies. Either appeal to the white working class' economic self-interest, pander to their prejudices or triangulate against their own base. Sure there are other strategies for winning elections thrown out there, like find the apathetic voters who don't bother with politics and get them to the polls or wait for demographic changes that will bring more voters into their coalition. Often there is a "one from column A and one from column B" quality about this discussion, but there really hasn't been anything new added to the mix for several decades.

At this moment, the discussion is being waged around a couple of takes on these basic ideas. The New York Times' Ezra Klein interviewed data specialist David Shor for his column to talk about a theory they are calling "popularism" which they defined this way:

Democrats should do a lot of polling to figure out which of their views are popular and which are not popular, and then they should talk about the popular stuff and shut up about the unpopular stuff.

It may surprise you, as it did me, that this is considered some kind of breakthrough idea but apparently some people think it is.

...(snip)...

While Democrats dither over which "Kitchen Table Issue" will appeal to some rural voter in Iowa, the Republicans are becoming frantic that Trump is going to ruin 2022 and 2024 for them. Politico reports that the party wants to talk about inflation and Afghanistan and crime etc, while Trump is out there ginning up the MAGA faithful with non-stop talk about the Big Lie. Republicans are reportedly very nervous that "in focusing on that issue above all others, Trump effectively makes the 2022 election a referendum on him instead of Biden." .........(more)

https://www.salon.com/2021/10/12/democrats-dont-have-to-save-themselves-donald-is-still-here-to-help/

[empedocles]

1. Hopefullly trump will come here to Virginia 'to help' con youngkin - and help Dems,

in case Dems don't move 'to save themselves' soon.

[lees1975]

2. Quit voting against your own interests, that's a good place to start

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2021/10/a-quirk-of-american-politics-voting.html