How Democrats Choose Candidates

[liberalmike27]

Most of us choose people by finding out which ones represent our beliefs, as exactly as we can tell. Of course, that is hard to do, but we try.

Something republicans have realized though, is that when you choose rabidly right-wing nearly insane idiots for your party, then you generally make more progress on your issues.

So, what happens. We put in sensible, centrists, to right-wing these days, democrats. They put in rabid right-wings nearly nut-cases, screaming for war and torture. They get together, they make laws, and compromise, generally meaning democrats give up this, then that, then this again.

Where do we end up for our logical, centrist selections, each of us? With right-wing policies, wars, no public option even, much less what most of us want, a single-payer program.

We all need to realize that if we select someone who represents centrist beliefs, the compromise is going to be far to the right. Add to that, and even worse, the whole of the political spectrum gets inevitably dragged to the right, further, and further, and further. Then we find a new center, they find a new war-mongering level of torture advocacy, and onerous policy, and the cycle continues.

Choose candidates that are very liberal,, over, and over, and we may at least have some chance of achieving a centrist policy. I know that's hard, but not only do we need to do this, but we need to pass on this idea. Republicans realize this. When will we wake up and see the final position is what we need to look at, and choose far more liberal candidates, so the center we end up with, won't be such a far-right wasteland?

[LWolf]

1. I DO choose candidates that are very liberal in the primaries....

every time except in '08, when there was no left-of-center candidate left standing after only 2 primaries and 2 caucuses. I watched the battle between the two centrist/corporatist/3rd way/"new" dems rage for months before my primary finally arrived in late May. I didn't want either to be the nominee. I held out hope for a brokered convention that could produce a 3rd, better choice until there was no hope, and I voted for the candidate that was behind in my state when the primary got to me, doing my part to try to force it.

Personally, I think we also ought to be choosing left-of-center candidates in the general election, whether the Democrats chose to nominate one or not.

[BeFree]

2. well

When I looked at the results from my county's primaries, I was proud to see my vote in amongst 33 others for Kooch.

Obama won like 997. So come the general, I joined with those 997 and was proud to do so. Was that good enough? Am I a good democrat?

[BuelahWitch]

3. In the last two elections we were looking for a "symbol"

In 2004 we wanted a "war hero" to counter our Republican Chickenhawk president. That's what I heard over and over and over again: war hero, war hero, war hero. So we nominated our war hero but lost the election.

In 2008 we wanted to "make history." It didn't matter that the two candidates who would make history didn't really share our values, they weren't white men, that was what mattered. Again the mantra, make history, make history, make history, was heard over and over and over again. So yeah, we got a candidate who did "make history," and he won the election, but many of us aren't exactly thrilled with our historic choice. But at least he doesn't cheat on his wife.

Since our country is so enthralled with flash over substance, I don't know if the Democrats will ever nominate someone with actual Democratic values again. If the candidate does not fit the current mantra, they're tossed out, no matter how much they truly represent what we believe.

[OHdem10]

4. We need to vet candidates better before contributing to their funds.

Watch for double-speak and non-committal answers. Thi
should tell you off the bat--no money for this one.

[PurityOfEssence]

5. Silly me; I thought it was whoever was least objectionable to reactionaries and corporatists

That certainly SEEMS to be the consistent approach of late...