Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: Warren supporters need to know that their vote for Warren could wind up being a vote for Bernie. [View all]Algernon Moncrieff
(5,798 posts)You and I agree completely on that point. I have no use for anyone who is planning to vote third party and no use for anyone planning to support Trump for a second term.
That said, I support vigorous primarying. Primarying serves to vet the candidates; allows the best ideas that appeal to voters to emerge; and gives the eventual winner some practice swings at the negative talking points s/he will get in the GE. Primarying breeds inherent conflict. I get that, and I expect DUers to debate passionately. But constantly dragging 2016 into it isn't doing anyone any good. It sucks, but it's done. We all need to move forward based on today's reality, and pray that these elections are essentially fair.
If someone (either a Biden or Bernie or whoever supporter) says something along the lines of "I'll vote for the Dem nominee I don't like in the GE, but I won't work for them/give money, etc. - OK. I don't love that, but I can live with it. Especially the folks who've indicated they'll work/send money House/Senate/State House (more important than I think anyone realizes this time out), and Gubernatorial elections. It all matters. Dems winning anywhere is all good.
AOC won her seat when she primaried an (IIRC) 8-term incumbent Joe Crowley. AOC was a fresh face with ideas that were to the left of the more centrist Crowley. Crowley didn't take the notion that she could win seriously, and didn't get off his ass and campaign. AOC won. That demonstrates a big part of why primaries are important - do you still represent the current thinking of party members in your state or district. AOC is being primaried, I'd point out. I she wins, she will come out a better and stronger politician.
I'm not a Bernie supporter, but I thought primarying some Dems with young, fresh faces by "Our Revolution" was a good thing. The worst thing a poltician can be is comfortable and/or complacent. Americans of both sides of the political spectrum are tired of politicians parking themselves in DC; cozying up to lobbyists that ultimately fund their reelection campaigns; and becoming fixtures. Most in Congress are smart enough to help some constituents in a way that makes the news, or be seen as co-sponsoring the Veterans Hospital or National Cemetery in their district to be perceived as doing a good job. So they keep getting reelected. What AOC did - even if it wasn't terribly successful - is make incumbents defend their records and remind the voters of what is/isn't good about them - and hopefully make them more responsive to the issues of concern to voters in 2020, as opposed to the concerns of the voters when they first came to Congress.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided