Someone explain to me the rush to drive voters away from the Democratic party?

[iemanja]

Can you be a Dem if you believe this or that? Believe it or not, being a Democrat is a function of how you vote, not what you believe. There are people who claim to believe all the right things, and then vote for third party candidates or even the GOP because they are mad about a primary result or just hate the Democratic party in general. Are they better Democrats than the people you may disagree with on issues but vote for Democrats?

A person can be pro-choice and vote GOP or anti-choice and vote for Democrats. The important point that their VOTE goes towards a pro-choice policy, not the goodness of their thoughts.

I've tangled with pro-gun Democrats on this site. They might drive me insane, but as long as they vote Democrat, they are doing the right thing. Do I wish they would support gun control? Absolutely. But I prefer they keep voting Democratic, whatever their views are. It's the votes that lead to policy in one direction or another.

[empedocles]

1. Important point.

[Demsrule86]

2. Good points all. Another poster told me the slavery post was mocking the Abortion posts...

But I didn't get it!

[Scrivener7]

4. I must have missed the slavery post. I'm pretty sure I'm glad I did.

[iemanja]

5. Yes it was

but it was a particularly odd choice given the history of the Antebellum era. In recent decades, no one in either party would have dreamed of supporting slavery--that is before the rise of the ultra nut job White Supremacists in the GOP.

[marble falls]

3. The lies: 1. Both parties are the same. 2. Your votes mean nothing. 3. All government is corrupt.

[intheflow]

6. Sometimes, your vote does mean nothing.

I live in Massachusetts. Not likely to turn red in my lifetime. I don't think my Democratic vote really counts. When I lived in Colorado, I felt my vote carried weight.

[iemanja]

7. I'm sure it counts at the precinct level

for city council, park board, etc.... Those races receive far fewer votes.

[Beartracks]

9. You can tell it counts PRECISELY because the state is not likely to turn red in your lifetime. n/t

[marble falls]

14. If your vote means nothing they wouldn't be working so hard to take it away from you ...

... they'd be encouraging you to vote!!!

The point is that we have to vote every election like it's our last chance. We need to vote every election the way mad dog GOPers do. There's more of us. We need to vote like it. The only way to stop gerrymandering is to elect Democrats.

[Beartracks]

8. Similarly, progressive/yellowdog/Dino/centrist/neo/classic Democratic candidates...

As long as they have a (D) next to their name when their butt hits the seat in Congress or my State legislature, they get my vote on Election Day over anyone with an (R), because at the end of the day any flavor of (D) counts toward a Democratic majority.

===========

[betsuni]

10. Left-wing populism: the "Us" are moral/pure/righteous/the only right ones about everything.

Because they're right about everything and the vast majority of The People agree with them (the working class are democratic socialists, they just don't know it yet), if anyone disagrees with them (ACA vs Medicare for All, for example), that person is knowingly going against the will of The People.

"Them": evil, corrupt, immoral, wrong. This is why viciously insulting Democrats, calling them evil, corrupt, always assuming they have bad intentions, is perfectly fine. Populism needs lots of enemies (Establishment) who will "stop at nothing to defeat us" to get followers angry and worked up. In elections, say everything's about policy but attack your opponent's character because in reality policy goals are the same.

Calling themselves "progressives" is a way to deny that the Democratic Party is the progressive party (FDR Democrat/progressive Democrat/Justice Democrats). They're anti-establishment: the establishment is the Democratic Party. They believe the party has shifted Right over the last forty years, have the same economic policies (neoliberals) as Republicans, are all bribed by corporations/Wall St./wealthy donors ("corporate Democrats" ) who don't want campaign finance reform (status quo = money in politics). Democrats are impostors (why they have to be pushed/pulled to the Left by True Progressives and will do nothing and not fight for anything unless forced to). Both sides, so it's fine to vote for third parties, vote your conscience.

The true legacy of the Democratic Party is democratic socialism (the absurd belief that FDR/LBJ were anti-capitalist democratic socialists). Then the utopian saviors step in to claim only they can transform the party back into it's true form. The People (including Republican voters) will finally have true progressives to vote for and will rise in economic class solidarity (the 99%) against the 1%. Democrats are the true roadblock to progress and are standing in the way of the revolution and the will of The People.

The End

[walkingman]

11. I see a lot of young people just looking for someone/something to blame

for their problems. Now that TFG is gone Biden is the easy target. Personally I blame the election of Trump on these folks that don't necessarily for Rethuglican but just don't turnout to vote. That is not very smart. Just imagine how the world, SCOTUS, our nation in general would be if Hillary had won. So sad.

[fescuerescue]

12. It's just typical Internet stupid talk

Doesn't really mean much in the end.

[iemanja]

13. That really is it.

Thank you.