This latest Time magazine cover pretty much summarizes the state of the Democratic party

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bill Clinton's winning slogan was "it's the economy stupid". I don't think "it's the bathrooms stupid" would have sold!

Times change, as do you vehicles for cynical distractions. Clinton's slogan might have been that, but his program was straight fealty to financiers. His 1992 fundtraising was heavily driven by a clique of Goldman Sachs partners and he subsequently gave them the Democratic party. He also gave them a chameleon-like sense of which way the identity politics winds were blowing.

Beating up on HRC and co. is fun, but the mess largely began with her husband.

Like it or not, Bill Clinton was the last Democratic president who was successful in terms of the economy, welfare reform, foreign policy and working with Congress. He also brought the Democrats out from the political wilderness - no mean achievement given how demoralized they were in terms of their prospects for the presidency after 12 years under Reagan and Bush.

Obama - who I voted for on both occasions - was well meaning but ineffective. His proudest legislative achievement - ACA - is more than likely to be dismantled. So once that happens, what is he left with as a legacy? Obama was personally well liked because of his basic decency but Hillary ran saying she would be the third term for Obama and she was rejected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bill Clinton's winning slogan was "it's the economy stupid". I don't think "it's the bathrooms stupid" would have sold!

If Bill had said that to Barack, perhaps the party would be better off today.

DCUM & the WH loved to tout "the recovery."

And indeed, the Dow Jones rose back to 16,000 by the time HRC lost last November.

But if the recovery is "real," then:

-why are record numbers of 20-somethings living in their parents' basements?

-why are so many young Americans forced to take 2 or more part-time jobs to get by?

"Recovery" might mean one thing to educated economists, but the word means something very different to the average American voter:

-voters understood that America has not returned to the prosperity we experienced prior to 2007.

It was insulting to many voters to hear Obama boast of a "recovery" given the daily reality for many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Like it or not, Bill Clinton was the last Democratic president who was successful in terms of the economy, welfare reform, foreign policy and working with Congress.

The economy grew under both Clinton and Obama. Wages did not do as well, for a bunch of reasons. There was no particular Clinton position on economics that would have helped wage growth. Bill Clinton was far from silent between 2009 and 2016. Can you find an example of him proposing a policy position to address wage stagnation that BHO was not doing?

Welfare reform occurred because there was a national consensus, mostly, that the status quo was bad, because the GOP had not yet discovered that opposing all POTUS policies was a winning political strategy, and because Clinton caved on the details (producing a welfare reform that was far less good than it should have been).


Foreign policy was a lot easier when Russia was weaker, and when the US polity was not gun shy because of years of mismanaged wars.

Working with congress - see above re strategy.

Obama was Clinton facing much harder circumstances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One difference between Trump and Bill Clinton: Clinton did not say he wanted to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it!

Maybe not in those words, exactly. But here's Bill Clinton, in his own words, talking about illegal aliens taking our jobs, taking our welfare benefits, stressing out public services, and how we, as Americans, need to stop illegal aliens from entering the U.S.:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7AXizmhgi0

On C-Span. He recieved a standing ovation for his comments on stopping illegal aliens entering the U.S.

+100
I posted that clip on another thread and got no response from Democrats. Crickets. Bill Clinton's views on illegal immigration are the same as Trump's. And Democrats at the time applauded him. The Dem. party has gone way too far left in the subsequent years.

I agree. The party has gone too far left.

It has also failed to prioritize: the economy and working-class jobs should have come way before "transgender bathroom laws." One could argue that jobs were a greater priority, but that wouldn't be the PERCEPTION many voters were left with.

I SOOOOO Agree! The Transgender bathroom was the straw that broke the democratic camels back. Please can we get back to what effects EVERYONE, not just a few? We need to take most social issues out of politics. And that goes both ways. The right needs to get their grubby little hands off my ovaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Republican party is not the party of Reagan and the Democratic party is not the party of Bill Clinton.

Can you imagine these views being stated by a Democratic leader today?

Wow. Just wow!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Price confirmed as Secretary of HHS at 2 am this morning by 52-47

So all of the efforts by Democrats to block yet another nominee ends up fruitless after endless pontification and grandstanding. To quote the Time cover: "Do Democrats matter?" Clearly not when it comes to confirmations ............

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Another perfect example of the lack of focus of Democrats grassroots effort is evident with the protests at Jason Chaffetz's town hall meeting.

Chaffetz won the election in 2016 by 47 points. What earthly purpose is served by a bunch of liberals attending his town hall meeting and booing him? Do Democrats seriously believe they have a chance in hell of unseating him given the margin of his victory?

It is so idiotic that they would actually organize to protest at his town hall meeting given that he can pretty much brush off their protests because the Republican base - who matters when it comes to his reelection - don't give a rat's ass about liberal ranting against him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One difference between Trump and Bill Clinton: Clinton did not say he wanted to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it!

Maybe not in those words, exactly. But here's Bill Clinton, in his own words, talking about illegal aliens taking our jobs, taking our welfare benefits, stressing out public services, and how we, as Americans, need to stop illegal aliens from entering the U.S.:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7AXizmhgi0

On C-Span. He recieved a standing ovation for his comments on stopping illegal aliens entering the U.S.

+100
I posted that clip on another thread and got no response from Democrats. Crickets. Bill Clinton's views on illegal immigration are the same as Trump's. And Democrats at the time applauded him. The Dem. party has gone way too far left in the subsequent years.

I agree. The party has gone too far left.

It has also failed to prioritize: the economy and working-class jobs should have come way before "transgender bathroom laws." One could argue that jobs were a greater priority, but that wouldn't be the PERCEPTION many voters were left with.

I SOOOOO Agree! The Transgender bathroom was the straw that broke the democratic camels back. Please can we get back to what effects EVERYONE, not just a few? We need to take most social issues out of politics. And that goes both ways. The right needs to get their grubby little hands off my ovaries.

I am the PP - and a pro-choice republican/libertarian. Thank you!

The republicans - especially the Virginia republicans - need to let go of the choice issue. Roe is NEVER GOING AWAY.

I'll add: I doubt that Roberts - who upheld the ACA - and Gorsuch, have any interest in reversing the long-standing precedent of Roe and its progeny.

Anyway, my best to you; I think we would get along if we ever meet (reasonable people usually do).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, we can march and send letters to members of Congress and oppose Trump's nominees but the Democratic party today is flailing, leaderless, demoralized and impotent.

We are led in the House by several septuagenarians who have presided over the decline of the party to its current state. And with at least ten Democratic senators who are up for reelection in 2018 from states that Trump won we may not have hit bottom.

Time to triple the h1b immigration. Time to double the h4 immigration. Time to triple f1 immigration. Time to extend OPT program to years of work

Time to replace the American worker with lots of cheap workers from around he world , lower wages

That is what the Democrats have become led by Silicon Valley tycoons telling their puppet pelosi what to do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Republican party is not the party of Reagan and the Democratic party is not the party of Bill Clinton.

Can you imagine these views being stated by a Democratic leader today?

Wow. Just wow!

Do not forget the senator from India

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AOW0cUaGWZU

[Anonymous]

Many "red state" legislatures and governorships were taken over with a ton of funding from the Koch brothers and organization via ALEC and other conservative orgs.

The Democrats have the numbers, the people and the money but they seriously lack the organization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Do not forget the senator from India

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AOW0cUaGWZU

Well, Hillary after she was elected senator was pretty clear that she opposed amnesty and in the 2008 campaign she supported Spitzer in the controversy over driver's licenses for illegals. It is another instance where the Democratic party has moved from the center to the far left.

Here is the embedded link for the youtube clip you provided:

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Do not forget the senator from India

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AOW0cUaGWZU

Well, Hillary after she was elected senator was pretty clear that she opposed amnesty and in the 2008 campaign she supported Spitzer in the controversy over driver's licenses for illegals. It is another instance where the Democratic party has moved from the center to the far left.

Here is the embedded link for the youtube clip you provided:

Amazing.