Going forward....

[Cary]

The reasons we lost, in order of importance:

1. Republican voter suppression. This was by far the biggest factor. I knew this was a problem but I believed we would win by a large enough margin to negate this tactic. I was almost right. I believe Greg Palast. This is clearly our greatest challenge going forward, combatting this voter suppression.

2. Comey prosecutorial misconduct. I don't know what we can do about this. Prosecute him if we ever get a chance? There has to be some repercussions. I think his influence is a big drop from the voter suppression, but from what I understand this too was sufficient to tip the election.

3. Discord and discontent in our own party. This is even less of a factor than Comey, but it too was sufficient to tip the election. I'm sorry, Sanders supporters, but the 10% or so of you who didn't vote for Clinton were sufficient to tip the election. They would not have mattered if there was no Republican voter suppression or Comey prosecutorial misconduct, but since we did have those things but for the discord and discontent in our own party Hillary Clinton would have won.

So if we eliminated any one of these three factors, Hillary Clinton would have won. We can fight voter suppression but that's not an easy proposition. Comey, we didn't have control over him. But we do have the power to not have discord and discontent in our own party. To the extent that we have been infiltrated by Russians, Ron Paul cultists, and God only knows what else that is what it is, but I am not counting them as being "our own party."

I have said this about the radical left (no offense intended with this adjective, it is a real description and not derogatory): if the radical left wishes to "reform" the party or have a "revolution" I'm perfectly okay with that. I don't believe the radical left has what it takes to achieve this. However as far as I can tell the differences between radical leftists and myself is all process. The radical left starts a notch or two down, in my mind, because the radical left doesn't have what it takes to start their own party. I see the need to piggyback on the Democratic Party apparatus, when that is viewed as corrupt and corporate, more than a little hypocritical. If the radical left were functional it could start it's own party replete with it's self proclaimed purity from inception.

But okay. Have it your way. I'm there if the radical left can actually pull it off. Start your counterparts to the 250 or so Koch institutions and think tank wankers. Run for local office. Put that infrastructure in place and you have my 110% support, even though the radical left has shown no such ability to compromise with the vast majority of Democrats. Unlike radical leftists I'm not vindictive, just practical.

I would ask the radical left to support Democrats without discord and discontent going forward, either way. I have asked this before and radical leftists have viewed this as some kind of invitation for gaslighting and other verbal abuse. But hey, it never hurts to ask. I'm not sure we are going to survive Trump, as a species. But if we do and we can grab this thing back how about grabbing it back instead of fighting each other over nothing?

[Indigoskies]

1. Think Differently

I don't know if it has something to do with being a US voter who lives outside the States, but I find that at a distance a great many things become obvious and less immediate. Like the whole Bernie Sanders debacle, both for those for him and against. It was not one of the party's finest moments.

But our focus should be on the next election cycle, that of 2018 and 2020. And for that we simply cannot have a party that's at war with itself. Our main goal, and this really should not need to be said, should be to defeat Republicans wherever possible with the best candidate possible. And that might very well mean progressive candidates as well. There are several factors to be considered.

1) That the country actually polls much more progressively and a growing suspicion of "establishment" candidates. Some of those who voted for Trump, especially former Democratic voters didn't do so because they were Republican, but because they were anti-establishment and wanted change. Many of these voters, though not all, are now regretting that vote and ready to vote for a Democratic candidate again but if you give these voters a centrist establishment candidate, you lose them.

2) There is a decided danger when a Democrat is so centrist, indeed so far to the right, whether it is to try to curry favor with moderate Republicans in hope of stealing their votes or even Independents, or any other reason, that they become indistinguishable from Republican candidates. Not only is a right/centrist Democrat less likely to gain Republican votes but is very likely to lose Democratic votes. First rule should always be to keep your base.

3) For Democrats this might be an election cycle where the old axiom of whichever candidate spends the most money wins is no longer the case. IF the Democrats do a real effort to find out what people want on things like health care and such issues and campaign on those issues, and not try to sabotage each other whether or not they're centrist or progressive, but save it for Republicans, then yes I believe they can win. Enough people out there are as angry with the Republicans and blame them for Trump, that if they are given a VIABLE alternative they will vote for it. And that is where not looking too much like a Republican comes in. And all you need is enough money to get that message across.

To sum up, the political landscape is changing, slowly but surely. The first party to take advantage of it will win in the immediate future, though I think considering the demographics in the long term it is to the Democrats' advantage. But right now, we need to change our thinking clearly from that of the last election, and do it differently. Have a quiet word with donors, explaining that if they truly support Democratic policies and want Democrats elected then they must allow for a move to the left even for centrists, and for the party to endorse and support a progressive candidate when that candidate is clearly is the more popular option. In other words a party united.

BTW- I just think of myself as Democratic voter, and not belonging to either "side".

[Eliot Rosewater]

2. I am on a "side" ....I am a fucking liberal and I am a fucking

Democrat.

God damn right.