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[Hindl]

We kind of have lost control of every elected branch of government, are a heartbeat away from losing the supreme court, and our opposition party are nearing control of enough state legislatures and governorships to amend the constitution on their own. How could the election results be any -worse- without the party just completely disbanding?

That was last year. This year the Dems have quietly scored a lot of special election victories but they're going unnoticed in service of the "Dems in disarray!" narrative. And no, the Republicans are not close to amending the constitution

 

[Armaros]

We kind of have lost control of every elected branch of government, are a heartbeat away from losing the supreme court, and our opposition party are nearing control of enough state legislatures and governorships to amend the constitution on their own. How could the election results be any -worse- without the party just completely disbanding?

Do you have any idea of what it takes to amend the Constitution? And you think this GOP government could even hope to do so?

Maybe when you are done doing the hyperbolic fearmongering routine, you can join reality.

 

[Box of Kittens]

The DNC has been a mess for years and definitely needs a shake-up. It's pretty much inevitable that when there is a shakeup the people ousted from their positions are going to complain about it. Maybe they have a point, maybe they don't. But I sure need more information before I conclude whether this is a good or bad move.

 

[PBY]

That was last year. This year the Dems have quietly scored a lot of special election victories but they're going unnoticed in service of the "Dems in disarray!" narrative. And no, the Republicans are not close to amending the constitution

I mean...

Both can be right?

The past 8 months don't nullify the absolute shit job the party did in the preceding 8 years, and I'm not sure you can read election victories scored off the back of a truly a catastrophic election result (and a galvanized base as as result) as some kind of victory for the party machinery itself.. But the doom and gloom narrative is overstated for sure.

The real way to evaluate the party is how they are cultivating the grassroots, scoring local election wins, developing a cohesive narrative, etc. Its too early to say how they're doing, but I'm optimistic.

 

[Ogodei]

I thought they were actually close to amendment territory? Many of the state's with D governor's have R-dominated legislatures like PA, NC, and LA

 

[PBY]

I thought they were actually close to amendment territory? Many of the state's with D governor's have R-dominated legislatures like PA, NC, and LA

They actually are, it really isn't that much of a stretch. The pushback is to the framing - its likely not a realistic outcome.

 

[Mark Andrew]

George Bush speaking on CNN for some reason and I find myself agreeing with everything he says. Guess that’s the power of comparison.

 

[kirblar]

George Bush speaking on CNN for some reason and I find myself agreeing with everything he says. Guess that’s the power of comparison.

Sr or Jr?

 

[balladofwindfishes]

So, where's the path for the GOP to get 67 Senate seats, since obviously they're just one good election away from a Constitutional amendment?

 

[Hindl]

I mean...

Both can be right?

The past 8 months don't nullify the absolute shit job the party did in the preceding 8 years, and I'm not sure you can read election victories scored off the back of a truly a catastrophic election result (and a galvanized base as as result) as some kind of victory for the party machinery itself.. But the doom and gloom narrative is overstated for sure.

The real way to evaluate the party is how they are cultivating the grassroots, scoring local election wins, developing a cohesive narrative, etc. Its too early to say how they're doing, but I'm optimistic.

The original post was talking about the Dems being in crisis, which you're right, for the last 8 years they absolutely were but we didn't realize it. But they took some steps to correct it, and so far, things are looking alright. Sure, the media narrative is that things are shitty, but in this year, since they've made changes, the Dems have had great fundraising numbers and scored some electoral victories in places they shouldn't and made unwinnable races way closer than they should be. You're right, it's too early to say that the changes made have been a success, shit could go sideways at any minute. And maybe the shakeup turns into something bigger down the line. But at this moment, if you look at the work and successes had since earlier this year, I also think it's not right to say the Dems are in crisis. Right now they're operating at around guarded optimism

 

[DTC]

i mean parties generally get destroyed in the state level when their party holds the presidency. happened during reagan bill bush and obama lol

 

[PBY]

The original post was talking about the Dems being in crisis, which you're right, for the last 8 years they absolutely were but we didn't realize it. But they took some steps to correct it, and so far, things are looking alright. Sure, the media narrative is that things are shitty, but in this year, since they've made changes, the Dems have had great fundraising numbers and scored some electoral victories in places they shouldn't and made unwinnable races way closer than they should be. You're right, it's too early to say that the changes made have been a success, shit could go sideways at any minute. And maybe the shakeup turns into something bigger down the line. But at this moment, if you look at the work and successes had since earlier this year, I also think it's not right to say the Dems are in crisis. Right now they're operating at around guarded optimism

Totally, completely agree. The elephant in the room is the centrist/leftist split, which isn't going away. I'm of the mind that these sides are fundamentally very similar, with some outliers - but this will definitely be an issue in 2020, if not sooner.

 

[Vixdean]

I always felt that the Democrat's failure in the 2016 election has been oversold. First of all, it was an election following a two term President which historically have gone against the incumbent party. They bucked those trends by picking up seats in the Senate and House. They held or gained more governorships than the GOP. They won the popular vote for President and came within' 70k votes across 3 states of winning a third straight term.

Yes, I realize the counterpoint to that is Trump was so horrible that it shouldn't have been close, but strip away all the window dressing and what is Trump really? A rich old white man who fits the mold of basically every Republican President of the past half century. Conversely, his opponent was trying to become the first woman President. Factor in the gerrymandered districts, historically unprecedented partisanship, and you have a result that shouldn't have been much of a surprise to anyone.

 

[Greigor The Fellhand]

So, where's the path for the GOP to get 67 Senate seats, since obviously they're just one good election away from a Constitutional amendment?

resign early, hope a democrat wins the special election. Attempt to blame democrats for Trump presidential era failures and hope a republican beats the dem in 2018?

 

[PBY]

I always felt that the Democrat's failure in the 2016 election has been oversold. First of all, it was an election following a two term President which historically have gone against the incumbent party. They bucked those trends by picking up seats in the Senate and House. They held or gained more governorships than the GOP. They won the popular vote for President and came within' 70k votes across 3 states of winning a third straight term.

Yes, I realize the counterpoint to that is Trump was so horrible that it shouldn't have been close, but strip away all the window dressing and what is Trump really? A rich old white man who fits the mold of basically every Republican President of the past half century. Conversely, his opponent was trying to become the first woman President. Factor in the gerrymandered districts, historically unprecedented partisanship, and you have a result that shouldn't have been much of a surprise to anyone.

Yeah, I'm going to have to disagree. It was pretty much calamitous.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

So, where's the path for the GOP to get 67 Senate seats, since obviously they're just one good election away from a Constitutional amendment?

It can be proposed with enough state legislatures instead of Congress but it’s still like 10000th on the list of immediate concerns.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

It can be proposed with enough state legislatures instead of Congress but it’s still like 10000th on the list of immediate concerns.

It's never been done and it's not even confirmed what they could even do with it if they tried. There would be court cases and scandals and it's never happening.

 

[PBY]

It's never been done and it's not even confirmed what they could even do with it if they tried. There would be court cases and scandals and it's never happening.

Its extremely unrealistic, but "its never been done" and "scandals" aren't stopping this GOP.

 

[AntraxSuicide]

We don't know why.

Why do you presume they were bad at their jobs?

They were in leadership positions as the party lost control of various local, state, and federal elections. They were then let go after 2016 (where again, they were a part of the party). I think the case that they should be fired is stronger than the case that they were actually really good at their jobs but lost all those elections because *reasons*.

Note: a few caveats; I backed these people through all of these losses, but I think it's time to admit 2010-2016 didn't have to be so bad. And I'll bring up again that the "loss of state control" argument isn't as strong as people think it is. The Republicans got control of Mississippi's state legislature for the first time ever in 2011. Was MS a bastion of left-wing policy? Not at all. So any doom and gloom article that doesn't mention the South just switching parties should be ignored.

 

[Kimawolf]

Look at GW giving a speech which felt vastly different than the nonsense of Trump.. go on GW lay the smack down! Something i never thought id say is he said some real truth about America losing its way basically...

Oh and he called out nativism and white supremecy and reminded Americans immigration is a good thing.

Also holy shit the contrast between him and trump is super apparent in their speeches. Trump sounds so uneducated and snake oily compared to fucking GWB.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Its extremely unrealistic, but "its never been done" and "scandals" aren't stopping this GOP.

It should never at any point in time enter your head except to chuckle to yourself about how ridiculous it is when people say the GOP could do this.

It's not even something to consider as ever happening.

 

[studyguy]

Look at GW giving a speech which felt vastly different than the nonsense of Trump.. go on GW lay the smack down! Something i never thought id say is he said some real truth about America losing its way basically...

Oh and he called out nativism and white supremecy and reminded Americans immigration is a good thing.

Also holy shit the contrast between him and trump is super apparent in their speeches. Trump sounds so uneducated and snake oily compared to fucking GWB.

For all W's inability to articulate points, he wasn't anywhere near as callous as Trump is in any way shape or form. He specifically shied away from blanket stereotyping Muslims as terrorists even after 9/11, defended the right of Gold Star families wholesale shitting on him. W was a lot of failures in articulation, but expressing empathy wasn't his shortcoming. Trump in comparison seems to lack even a basic understanding of how to be tactful in nearly every occasion that doesn't relate to himself.

 

[Autodidact]

i mean parties generally get destroyed in the state level when their party holds the presidency. happened during reagan bill bush and obama lol

No. Elections only began in 2010, and the Democrats have lost them all except the ones where they gained seats. Devoted to corporations rather than people, they lose because they won't

Spoiler

support Bernie

run socialists in affluent suburbs. They've lost the working class - well, the white working class, the one that really counts - who would surely abandon their racism if presented with some good ole redistributive policies. Hasn't that happened so many times before?

They need to stop championing such pro-corporate policies as women's rights, LGBT rights, equal opportunity, a higher minimum wage, and criminal justice reform so maybe our young black men won't have to fear police bashing their faces. When are they going to embrace the issues of real Americans? Forget the fact that historical trends seem to be reasserting themselves in the lead-up to the midterms; forget the fact that the president's party always loses seats in midterms. Nope, those incompetent Democrats won't win until they tailor all their policies toward mediocre heterosexual white men from the Midwest. It can't be that we have a culture that prioritizes and glorifies that group over all others - the hardworking man who could never be a hateful bigot; no, sir, just goes to work without whining; it can't be that heterosexual white people, including those on this forum, have blind spots about their own prejudices. No, the Democrats, a party of women and minorities, must be wrong because those people never stop bitching.

 

[Mark Andrew]

.

This deserves GAF Gold.

 

[Mizerman]

No. Elections only began in 2010, and the Democrats have lost them all except the ones where they gained seats. Devoted to corporations rather than people, they lose because they won't

Spoiler

support Bernie

run socialists in affluent suburbs. They've lost the working class - well, the white working class, the one that really counts - who would surely abandon their racism if presented with some good ole redistributive policies. Hasn't that happened so many times before?

They need to stop championing such pro-corporate policies as women's rights, LGBT rights, equal opportunity, a higher minimum wage, and criminal justice reform so maybe our young black men won't have to fear police bashing their faces. When are they going to embrace the issues of real Americans? Forget the fact that historical trends seem to be reasserting themselves in the lead-up to the midterms; forget the fact that the president's party always loses seats in midterms. Nope, those incompetent Democrats won't win until they tailor all their policies toward mediocre heterosexual white men from the Midwest. It can't be that we have a culture that prioritizes and glorifies that group over all others - the hardworking man who could never be a hateful bigot; no, sir, just goes to work without whining; it can't be that heterosexual white people, including those on this forum, have blind spots about their own prejudices. No, the Democrats, a party of women and minorities, must be wrong because those people never stop bitching.

*Thumbs up*

 

[Skiptastic]

For all W's inability to articulate points, he wasn't anywhere near as callous as Trump is in any way shape or form. He specifically shied away from blanket stereotyping Muslims as terrorists even after 9/11, defended the right of Gold Star families wholesale shitting on him. W was a lot of failures in articulation, but expressing empathy wasn't his shortcoming. Trump in comparison seems to lack even a basic understanding of how to be tactful in nearly every occasion that doesn't relate to himself.

One might say he was a ... compassionate conservative?

 

[studyguy]

One might say he was a ... compassionate conservative?

Hot. But yeah I wouldn't even make any claims to criticize his policies in that earlier post, just W as a person was capable of empathy and showing it... not exactly a high bar to set, but in 2017 it sure seems to be.

Trump trying to have his cake while also shitting on the cake then eating it anyway.

https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/921042209050415104

Manu Raju (@mkraju)
Lamar Alexander told me that Trump called him AGAIN last night - the fourth time - and encouraged them to move forward on health care talks

https://twitter.com/DaviSusan/status/921045139027611649

Susan Davis (@DaviSusan)
Sen. Cassidy says he will cosponsor Alexander-Murray healthcare bill.

Yeah this thing is going forward.

 

[Barzul]

The GOP can't even agree to repeal Obamacare talk less of a constitutional amendment. It's a non-starter.

 

[BoogieWoogie]

Imagine if Trump didn't sign it.

 

[PBY]

No. Elections only began in 2010, and the Democrats have lost them all except the ones where they gained seats. Devoted to corporations rather than people, they lose because they won't

Spoiler

support Bernie

run socialists in affluent suburbs. They've lost the working class - well, the white working class, the one that really counts - who would surely abandon their racism if presented with some good ole redistributive policies. Hasn't that happened so many times before?

They need to stop championing such pro-corporate policies as women's rights, LGBT rights, equal opportunity, a higher minimum wage, and criminal justice reform so maybe our young black men won't have to fear police bashing their faces. When are they going to embrace the issues of real Americans? Forget the fact that historical trends seem to be reasserting themselves in the lead-up to the midterms; forget the fact that the president's party always loses seats in midterms. Nope, those incompetent Democrats won't win until they tailor all their policies toward mediocre heterosexual white men from the Midwest. It can't be that we have a culture that prioritizes and glorifies that group over all others - the hardworking man who could never be a hateful bigot; no, sir, just goes to work without whining; it can't be that heterosexual white people, including those on this forum, have blind spots about their own prejudices. No, the Democrats, a party of women and minorities, must be wrong because those people never stop bitching.

This is really stupid.

 

[studyguy]

Imagine if Trump didn't sign it.

It would be wild for sure.

 

[kirblar]

This is really stupid.

No, it's dead-on accurate.

 

[metalslimer]

This is really stupid.

About as useful as talking about the GOP making a constiutional amendment

 

[Vixdean]

Just include a line in the bill that officially renames the ACA to Trumpcare and he'll literally sign anything. Again, an agreement on healthcare that funds the CSR payments is better for Republicans than Democrats. They don't want a crashing healthcare system to be a political issue in 2018, it will only make it worse for them.

 

[Autodidact]

This is really stupid.

Luckily, your opinion matters to me as much as syntax matters to Trump.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

No, it's dead-on accurate.

Dat Civil Rights Act dip, oh my god

 

[Fenderputty]

Just include a line in the bill that officially renames the ACA to Trumpcare and he'll literally sign anything. Again, an agreement on healthcare that funds the CSR payments is better for Republicans than Democrats. They don't want a crashing healthcare system to be a political issue in 2018, it will only make it worse for them.

Does the crowd that wants a repeal even understand what this would do? Seems like another quandary where the GOP is stuck choosing a lack of repeal or blowing up everyone's healthcare premiums.

This is really stupid.

Ohhh you.

 

[Owzers]

Trump keeps reminding everyone of how bad PR was before the storm right next to the governor.

 

[Autodidact]

Dat Civil Rights Act dip, oh my god

You've misunderstood. A bunch of people simply got economically anxious despite pervasive unionization and the strongest economy, like, ever. When those good-hearted people in the Midwest vocalize their cries of despair that just happen to contain racial epithets, why can't we condescending liberals just listen?

 

[Mark Andrew]

Trump keeps reminding everyone of how bad PR was before the storm right next to the governor.

You can really tell how much he hates Puerto Rico and how much he loves complaining.

 

[kess]

No, it's dead-on accurate.

Not the most encouraging trend line I ever saw, though.

 

[tuxfool]

Since Obama won reelection I believe it's been:

Portugal
Italy
Chile
Canada
South Korea
Taiwan
New Zealand

I believe South Korea was the most recent before New Zealand. One of the few other center left wing parties outside of the US that uses blue as their color.

One thing to bear in mind that Portugal would be better termed as a left wing coalition. The main Center-Right party got the most votes, so the gov't is formed of a minority coalition of the Center-Left, Left and the Communists. If people weren't fed up with Austerity, then none of those parties would get along.

 

[Vixdean]

Does the crowd that wants a repeal even understand what this would do? Seems like another quandary where the GOP is stuck choosing a lack of repeal or blowing up everyone's healthcare premiums.



Ohhh you.

The only one that matters is Paul Ryan. If he brings this to a vote, it will pass with mostly Democrat votes. Look, the GOP is fucked regardless, without a scapegoat in the WH healthcare is a losing issue for them. They spent 7 years sabotaging the ACA and calling it a total disaster. While it won them power in the short term, they are paying the piper now as people are starting to realize they have no real alternatives.

 

[kess]

Looking at that dip in the gubernatorial seats in the late 60s, I didn't know that a member of the Rockefeller clan was a governor of Arkansas. I guess he didn't have Jay's electoral longevity, because Arkansas Republicans were almost utterly shut out of the legislature in the 1970 elections.

 

[Armaros]

The only one that matters is Paul Ryan. If he brings this to a vote, it will pass with mostly Democrat votes. Look, the GOP is fucked regardless, without a scapegoat in the WH healthcare is a losing issue for them. They spent 7 years sabotaging the ACA and calling it a total disaster. While it won them power in the short term, they are paying the piper now as people are starting to realize they have no real alternatives.

Unlike so many other times the GOP has demonized a Dem program, this time there is a extremely tangible thing involved with lots of people being able to get healthcare for first time.

And even if those people vote GOP all the time, they will not go back to not having healthcare and expect the GOP to deliver on something that keeps what they have if they actually go forward and repeal the ACA.

 

[Basileus777]

Dat Civil Rights Act dip, oh my god

The south isn't actually where they lost most of those governorships in 1966. It was mostly the west and midwest. it was a wave year for Republicans and the south is actually where Democrats held firm, though more so in the house.

 

[tbm24]

Trump couldn't help himself to force the Gov of Puerto Rico to praise him.

 

[pigeon]

We don't know why.

Why do you presume they were bad at their jobs?

I don’t presume it. You do. Aren’t you one of the people constantly saying that the DNC needs new leadership? Doesn’t that kind of implicitly suggest that its current leadership is bad?

 

[Fenderputty]

The only one that matters is Paul Ryan. If he brings this to a vote, it will pass with mostly Democrat votes. Look, the GOP is fucked regardless, without a scapegoat in the WH healthcare is a losing issue for them. They spent 7 years sabotaging the ACA and calling it a total disaster. While it won them power in the short term, they are paying the piper now as people are starting to realize they have no real alternatives.

I'm talking about from a voting perspective in 2018.. They're worried about people's insurance rates going up in a voting year. They're also worried about not repealing Obamacare in a voting year. If the average gop voter doesn't understand what the bill does (shore up Obamacare) then the GOP can kinda have their cake and eat it too.

 

[kirblar]

You've misunderstood. A bunch of people simply got economically anxious despite pervasive unionization and the strongest economy, like, ever. When those good-hearted people in the Midwest vocalize their cries of despair that just happen to contain racial epithets, why can't we condescending liberals just listen?

I want to do the "Mad" comic with these lines but I'm terrible at photoshop.

1) "IM MAD AT THE DEMS" (in a trump hat)
2) "HERES SOME SOCIALIST ECONOMIC POLICIES"
3) "I DONT WANT SOCIALIST ECONOMIC POLICIES"
4) "I WANT TO BE RACIST"