Dan mentioned the advantage an "outsider" has and Jennifer stated she thought Trump won because he promised to tear things down. These are critical observations IMO. Even a cursory glance at the economic status of American workers since 1970 will show that the majority of them fall into one of two camps. They're either stagnating or slipping economically.
Our economic system has tilted in favor of the rich and against the working middle class. And the easiest targets in the blame game are elected politicians, and while that is somewhat simplistic, it also happens to be true. As the son of a single mom who was a school teacher, I got my education thanks to LBJ. Though it took some time in the turbulent environment of the Carter and Reagan years, I was able to afford my own home. My daughters got great educations and are successful in their own right now. Nowadays, the working middle class has great difficulty getting their kids a good education and the kids cannot afford their own homes. The differences between then and now have become stark and the future looks even starker.
And so, affordability is the first issue Democrats must address But, if they want to be seen as an "outsider" or someone capable of bringing about significant change, there is one more ingredient needed in their stump speeches. It's an apology for having played whatever part they may have played in allowing us to reach this dismaying state. That might break logjam of the Democratic Party's sorry poll numbers.
It will take a 60% majority to get the needed work done on climate change, AI regulation, infrastructure rehabilitation, etc., so a simple majority in the House and Senate is not the solution to our problems. But, I think Trump has handed the Democrats the opportunity of a lifetime. Democrats just need to see the big picture with a dose of humility.
I think a lot of the blame for the working middle class "stagnating or slipping economically" belongs with St. Ronnie Reagan. The "trickle-down" theory, which was started by him has never worked and it never will. Too many people have to work two or more jobs just to be able to pay their rent and food, much less health insurance and other necessities.
Yup, Reagan was a rascal. But, the truth is, we all share the blame for where we are to one extent or another. It will be up to us all to fix what we allowed to happen, but I'm smart enough to know we'll need leadership to herd us in the direction we need to move. I see one possibility in this regard and that's Jon Osshoff. We need more people like him. Listen to him if you haven't.
Unfortunately, there are still too many "dead weight" Democrats who need to be voted out, since the Democratic "leadership" seems to be incapable of, or not interested in, policing their own ranks and getting more smart, fresh, young and LOUD people into their ranks.
Dan mentioned the advantage an "outsider" has and Jennifer stated she thought Trump won because he promised to tear things down. These are critical observations IMO. Even a cursory glance at the economic status of American workers since 1970 will show that the majority of them fall into one of two camps. They're either stagnating or slipping economically.
Our economic system has tilted in favor of the rich and against the working middle class. And the easiest targets in the blame game are elected politicians, and while that is somewhat simplistic, it also happens to be true. As the son of a single mom who was a school teacher, I got my education thanks to LBJ. Though it took some time in the turbulent environment of the Carter and Reagan years, I was able to afford my own home. My daughters got great educations and are successful in their own right now. Nowadays, the working middle class has great difficulty getting their kids a good education and the kids cannot afford their own homes. The differences between then and now have become stark and the future looks even starker.
And so, affordability is the first issue Democrats must address But, if they want to be seen as an "outsider" or someone capable of bringing about significant change, there is one more ingredient needed in their stump speeches. It's an apology for having played whatever part they may have played in allowing us to reach this dismaying state. That might break logjam of the Democratic Party's sorry poll numbers.
It will take a 60% majority to get the needed work done on climate change, AI regulation, infrastructure rehabilitation, etc., so a simple majority in the House and Senate is not the solution to our problems. But, I think Trump has handed the Democrats the opportunity of a lifetime. Democrats just need to see the big picture with a dose of humility.
I think a lot of the blame for the working middle class "stagnating or slipping economically" belongs with St. Ronnie Reagan. The "trickle-down" theory, which was started by him has never worked and it never will. Too many people have to work two or more jobs just to be able to pay their rent and food, much less health insurance and other necessities.
Yup, Reagan was a rascal. But, the truth is, we all share the blame for where we are to one extent or another. It will be up to us all to fix what we allowed to happen, but I'm smart enough to know we'll need leadership to herd us in the direction we need to move. I see one possibility in this regard and that's Jon Osshoff. We need more people like him. Listen to him if you haven't.
Big problems do require big solutions. That requires voting out dead weight republicans and replacing them with candidates who stand for democracy.
Unfortunately, there are still too many "dead weight" Democrats who need to be voted out, since the Democratic "leadership" seems to be incapable of, or not interested in, policing their own ranks and getting more smart, fresh, young and LOUD people into their ranks.