Last Election argh

[tigertoy]

Why am I still hearing people talking in the media about how Trump won because of how he appealed to the white working class or the Democrats lost because they didn't have a coherent economic message? Trump has a core constituency who love him, and it's bigger than I want to admit, but it's still a minority. The Democrats in general do need a more coherent message. But the reason Clinton lost the election is because everyone hates her. I'm convinced that Democrats and moderate leaning independents stayed home in droves because they couldn't make themselves pull the lever for Clinton.

The lesson the Democrats need to take from this election is not to appeal more to their base. It's not to have a more convincing message. It's to not put up a candidate that half the country despises beyond coherent thought and the other half merely doesn't like. Don't let the party hacks put up a candidate because she's "paid her dues" and somehow earned it. Put up a candidate that people actually like and they'll win in a landslide.

Comments

[billroper]

I was saying before the election that the Republican party had been the subject of a hostile takeover. The Democratic party had succumbed to the usual Republican disease: nominating someone because it was "their turn".

And here we are...

[tigertoy]

Personally I think the hostile takeover occurred with Reagan. There was some fiscal responsibility before that. The country did take on massive debt for WW2 but with the intention of actually paying it back and we did. Starting with Reagan the Republicans have cared about nothing but lower taxes on the rich, and we began piling up debt no one ever expects to repay. Sure, some so-called deficit hawks keep trying to eliminate the social safety net but in the end they cut taxes and keep spending because cutting benefits actually upsets the voters.

I could go on all day but typing one handed sucks.