Tikkun Magazine: 2010 Elections: Why Have the Democrats Lost Popular Support?

[Techn0Girl]

Tikkun Magazine, September/October 2010
http://www.tikkun.org/article.php/september2010lerner

by Rabbi Michael Lerner

Perhaps the November elections will not be as harsh on the Democrats as the polls predict, but the Dems' behavior in power has decreased their popularity dramatically. We know, of course, that the Democrats did not have a solid majority in Congress, given Rahm Emanuel's 2006 decision to back the most conservative candidates in the Democratic primaries in order to win in swing districts and take Democratic control of the House of Representatives (a decision he made while serving as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee). Democrats in the Senate followed a similar path. As a result, they won formal control and hence could be blamed for what ensued, but they did not have the votes to fulfill their promise to the electorate to cut off funding for the war in Iraq.

Democratic primary voters in 2008 enthusiastically supported a presidential candidate who spent much of the primaries reminding voters that he had opposed the Iraq war from the start, and who focused in the general election on conveying that his presidency would be about "change you can believe in" and telling people that his presidency would empower people, as implied in his slogan "Yes, we can." Candidate Obama's success in piling up a significant popular vote majority and an electoral college landslide-a success that indicated that the racism of Americans had receded behind their hopefulness about fundamental change-proved that many Americans yearned for a world of peace, justice, kindness, generosity, and love.

It's easy to blame the Republicans for their "Politics of No" and, indeed, given the fact that de facto Republicans were allowed to run as Democrats and be elected as such, it might have been impossible for either the Congress or the president to pass significant new legislation capable of fulfilling the promise of "change you can believe in."

What the Democrats Could Have Done The Democrats could (and should) have articulated a positive progressive vision of what was needed, put forward legislative proposals that embodied that vision, and then fought for those proposals not only in the halls of Congress but also in their own districts/states.

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More at:
http://www.tikkun.org/article.php/september2010lerner

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Both Tikkun Magazine and Rabbi Lerner have been one of the most Progressive, Liberal and Democratic voices out there since 1986

[KittyWampus]

1. He's wrong about Rahm backing "the most conservative candidates" and that Congress would be

even bluer without Rahm.

That said, I love the Rabbi! He's entitled to his opinion even if it's based on faulty information.

At least with him, I know his heart is in the right place unlike the reactionary screamers and divisive trolls on DU.

[Techn0Girl]

3. I have my ups and downs with Rabbi Lerner myself....

But that guy is still one of my heroes in this world.
He just keeps on going ...since the 80's ... He's the Energizer Bunny of Progressive America ! :)

[ProudDad]

5. You're probably wrong about rahm

It's a myth perpetrated by the DLC (corporate) wing of the dem party that they need to run corporate tools in "swing districts" in order to "take power".

The MAIN problem is that almost NO candidate tells the truth.

A Populist, Progressive message would get one elected in nearly EVERY Congressional district in the country if backed by enough money and media coverage to get out. The Populist, Progressive message would resonate with over 90% of the population if they heard it.

It takes GOBS of money and media saturation to sell the corporate line...the corporate lies...and even then the majority of the people don't really believe them -- just look at the polls concerning congresscritters' popularity.

It would be a lot cheaper to sell the truth of our situation and real Progressive solutions.

But here in the Corporate States of USAmerica, the dems and the repubs obey their corporate masters and play a game of political "switch", taking turns pulling the wool over the eyes of the public with fluff and wedge irrelevancies.

[Techn0Girl]

8. Well the Populist, Progressive message certainly worked for FDR ....

and as you say, it would work today - if only the Democrats in power now had the courage to act.

[ProudDad]

2. 'Cause they ignored popular opinion for the last 4 years? (n/t)

[Techn0Girl]

4. Well in any market .. there are corrections when things like this occur.

[ixion]

6. When you run contrary to populism, you lost the popular consensus

The Dems have bent over backward to make sure Wall St. went unscathed during the meltdown they created. Is it any wonder they've lost the populist momentum?

[Techn0Girl]

7. Indeed but Remember , there are fdfferent factions within the Democratic Party....

When (and if) the November election disaster occurs - the Liberal faction of the party and it's many apparent allies in the blogosphere should be ready to provide leadership as to the direction we should go in order for Democrats to recover.

If such a disaster occurs, I think a lot of Democrats would be willing to look for such input.