Countdown to a Free America

[Another Xer]

(04-20-2018, 09:23 AM)David Horn Wrote:

(04-19-2018, 03:15 PM)Another Xer Wrote: Disunity among Democrats is typically one of the most overhyped narratives of the last many decades.  Policy-wise, there was not much difference between Hillary and Bernie.  Much of the supposed division between the two, I think, was unique to the individuals.  Bernie, an Independent running as an old fashioned liberal and Hillary Clinton, who is a lightning rod for differing opinions.  Replace those names with Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren and you get the same minimal policy differences without all the rancor.  

Democrats all pretty much stand for the same things - the difference is the degree to which they want to go and the emphasis on certain things (i.e. is campaign finance reform the OMG #1 issue or is it lower down on the list of priorities).

We'll have to disagree on this.  The first Neoliberal Democrats came through with Carter, but it was Bill Clinton that established that philosophy as the central theme of the party.  It was a tragic mistake, even though it that paid short term gains for Bill.  Once the Dems climbed in bed with Wall Street, and let's be honest here: they did in spades, The two parties became Tweedledum and Tweedledee on economics.  That shifted the focus to social issues ... all of them divisive.  When the division was economic, it was at least theoretically possible to unite along class lines.  Now, that's nearly impossible.  Poorer whites don't trust the Dems, because they are on the side of (insert every group except theirs).  Minorities don't trust Dems who don't tow their line, making the appeal to poorer white impossible.

It's Catch 22.

It was not a mistake, it was a natural response to market forces (in this case the market being votes).  

The white, working class of the Midwest abandoned old fashioned Democratic politics in favor of Reaganomics.  They dug their own grave (and in the process made the financial sectors on the coasts very wealthy).  Their communities are dying now, a relic of the post WWII generational cycle, clinging to old pension offerings with no basis of funds to support them because they voted to leave all the money in the hands of the wealthy, who told them through the media that it would trickle down to them.  Now they want Millenial populations in more productive, wealthy part of the country to subsidize them.  That will be up to the Millenials.