My take on last night's election results from Kentucky

[Bernblu]

It was confirmation of what Bernie has been saying: Unless the Democratic party start representing the interests of working people they will not vote in the numbers needed for Democrats to win. Most working people, of all colors and ethnic backgrounds, are turned off by politics and that is why there was an abysmally low voter turnout in Kentucky yesterday and nationally in 2014.

When I was young, working people knew that the Democrats represented their economic interests and that is why the Democrats controlled the White House and congress for most of years from 1932 until 1980. We had a strong middle class and working people were optimistic about their future.

So, what did the Democrats do: They sold out to the corporations, first on deregulation and giving up on on full employment and Keynesian economics (ie buying into the Republican tropes on balancing the budget and fiscal responsibility).. Then they supported and implemented trade deals that sent good jobs overseas while giving displaced workers a voucher to retrain for jobs that didn't exist. If this happened to you would you vote for a party that worked you over in this way?

The Democrats then went along with the Republicans and gutted the safety net for the same people whose jobs went overseas. They also went along with Republicans and voted for minimum sentencing and other laws that put greater numbers of working people in prison, often for minor drug offenses. But God forbid if Bankers take down the entire economy! They get no prison time! Last but not least, many Democrats supported Bush in his war in Iraq, fought on the backs of working people while the wealthy got tax breaks.

Working people are not stupid. They will no longer be participants in this corrupt charade. Those who believe that Clinton is going to be a strong candidate have a surprise coming. The Democratic brand has been tarnished and working people simply will not support the same old politics as usual. Even if Clinton managed to squeak by a weak Republican candidate the problems of the Democrats with working people will continue until the party is no longer viable as a national party.

The Democrats must revive their brand as the party of working people. Over many election cycles, they need to, at every electoral level, back and support candidates like Sanders who unabashedly support and work for working people and not the pro-corporate agenda of the third-way and establishment Democrats.

[Turbineguy]

1. The GOP depends

on the self-destructiveness of the electorate.

[saturnsring]

2. in 1980 the voters said the country was too far to the left by voting in regan

it was at that point the left left the democratic party so the party followed the voters. another thing about the dems. they work with whomever the people of America put in office. in 1980 the voting public said they wanted the republicans not the democratics and so they dems that were left listened to the people and moved to the center and have been going there ever since.

you want this to end the answer is not sitting out the election

[Skidmore]

7. Yes. Like last midterm when

the House was handed to the Rs because some were going to teach Dems a lesson. Worked out well.

[saturnsring]

8. now there set there til 2020

[Skidmore]

9. Or people can start paying attention and

insist the gerrymandering end and that Citizen United repealed.

[upaloopa]

29. You can insist until you are blue in the face

You have to take control and stop passing off your responcibility to somebody else.
You get the government you deserve.
You have to work with the hand you are dealt and try to improve on it. You can't just sit out the game until you get dealt a hand you like.

[floriduck]

51. Says someone who will

vote for a Third Way candidate. Now that's playing a hand you have a choice in. But it seems you think like the southern state's poor who aren't aware of the damage they do by voting against their own interests.

[bvar22]

21. An untrue statement that has been debunked 1000 times, yet it still persists on DU.

It was the CONSERVATIVE DINOs who lost their seats in the last mid-term.

The Liberals showed up, did the work, and elected/re-elected more Liberal candidates.

Did liberals really stay home and cause the 2010 rout?
[div class="excerpt
You know what I'm talking about. The claim that a bunch of liberals were so pissed off at Obama that they stayed home and this caused the 2010 rout. It's pervasive. I won't link to examples because it comes up so regularly I see no point singling anyone out.

So I went back to the exit polls and the picture I see shows nothing like that. If you are a proponent of this claim, I challenge you for empirical proof that some set of activist liberals "took their ball and went home" or whatever metaphor you prefer to make Obama's leftward critics appear childish and immature. Inside, the evidence I found that shows this just ain't so.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/06/1003805/-Did-liberals-really-stay-home-and-cause-the-2010-rout#

[frylock]

47. thank you..

was going to post this myself.

[Human101948]

54. Actually half the Democratic party voters were the racists who...

were convinced that affirmative action for African Americans was stealing their jobs and went with the Republicans who exploited that fear. The Republicans actively courted Southern voters who were fearful of the rising power of African Americans and the norther factory workers whose jobs were actually being shipped overseas.

It was too far left only in that they thought African Americans were getting everything. If they could have clearly seen a benefit for themselves they would have been fine with the Democratic Party.

[Skidmore]

3. Working people are just that stupid.

Who the hell voted for these Teabagger candidates anyway? The vaunted 1% don't have enough votes to beat people out at the ballot box. Who are the people ignorant enough to not even understand that Kentucky's health care system is the rollout of the ACA in their state? That a glib use of "Obamacare" is enough to flip on the hate switch. People who can afford residency vote. Workers vote and some times workers vote like idiots. How many workers dropped union memberships when everyone told they were going to be managment? Working people helped create this system.

[saturnsring]

5. they get in because not enough of the left votes

[atreides1]

15. Not so much!

That may be a part of it, but ignorant voters share in the blame!

[Sheepshank]

24. That was a serious issue. Only 31% of the electorate voted

and Republicans always do better with smaller turn outs....for the very reason you mentioned.

I think the other major player in this is the gerrymandering

[Fuddnik]

44. Bullshit. Give them candidates worth voting for.

I believe it was the late Molly Ivins who said, "If God intended for us to vote, he'd give us candidates".

"Not as bad as that guy" is not a winning campaign platform.

[saturnsring]

56. we have candidates worth voting for - i dont give a **** what molly said

[get the red out]

20. Agree!

Every Republican commercial I saw here in Kentucky was run against President Obama, NOT the candidate they were actually running against.

President Obama is despised, and the Republicans linked him with every candidate.

I know good people who hate the President, one is mad that she knows people on welfare, she hates welfare or any perception of something being "given" to someone. Other people are always afraid Obama will take their guns.

Other people really do think that voting for Democrats is anti-Christian. This notion has gotten worse and worse.

There are plenty of racist jerks too.

[Armstead]

23. Not stupid (well, not all) but not being shown any viable alternative

Whatever its intentions, Obamacare is so convoluted and ineffectual that it is not surprising that the working people in Kentucky rejected it in the form of the election.

They're still paying ever-rising medical bills -- and its so complicated that many fall through the cracks of being offered any real relief. And the insurers are forming new monopolies to further skin the public.

No wonder the GOP is able to twist it around and convince people that Obamacare is just Socialist Hell.

It's a classic case of the Democrats trying to promote "reforms" while placating Big Money and Big Power

Had the Democrats showed some spine (and perhaps some tactical intelligence) by direct and focused reforms like the guaranteed coverage and some form of public option, and relentlessly pushed to inform the public about it with a clear message on intent, I suspect by now, Obamacare would be a whole lot more popular.

[Skidmore]

39. And exactly how do you think

public option was going to pass that Teabagger congress? You know, the one that is still trying to repeal what did get through? What the Rs were successful at was playing that states' rights card. The one that always screws the nation over.

The goal of the Republicans was to make certain that the black man in the WH would have no successes during his administration. None. From Day One. That is the game they have played for the past seven years and they have used race baiting to do it. And don't even get me started on how a portion of the left has helped them out.

[Armstead]

46. I think you hit home the message....

"You have to option to buy public affordable basic health care through Medicare based in your income, or you can continue with your private insurance if that's what you prefer.".....and....... "No one can be denied coverage regardless of the medical status."

Period.

Yes the wingnuts would still attack it as "socialism" but no more than they did and are doing.

And it would be a lot easier sell to the non-wing nut public if that was the straightforward message and policy from the Democrats instead of "You have to buy insurance, whether you can afford it or not. But we'll let you try to figure out
among possible policies, break out your calculator and see if you fit into possible eligible categories for a possible tax subsidy. And employers we're going to make your life more complicated too."

And yes, the GOP Congress will try the same tactics, but better to try and keep hammering a message, rather than to just allow the system continue to fester and put the debate on their terms.

[frylock]

48. ACA passed without a single Republican vote.

What teabaggers are you talking about?

[randys1]

28. Between racism and homophobia (Bevin played on hating Gays) the cons will

vote against their own survival everytime.

Add to that the GOP nationwide, media wide, message board wide, liberal talk show wide agenda to convince people NOT to vote, and you have the perfect formula.

[NCjack]

55. Yes, I think you have the lesson learned. KY is a hate state. A majority of

the voters hate Pres. Obama because he is AA and the DEM party because we accept LGBT people. There is nothing the DEM party can do to reach these folks. In one hand, they had their values and in the other they had their healthcare. They chose to vote for hate.

Nothing we can or should do for them.

[Dustlawyer]

53. There is more to it than that. Many working people dont have time to follow politics as closely

as necessary so they are more susceptible to the propaganda.

I was at a friend's house the other day and we started talking politics. He runs his very small fence company (him and 2 helpers). He works 6 days a week 8-12 hours a day. He said he liked Donald Trump because he couldn't be bought off since my friend understood that Trump wasn't taking donations. He knew enough to be fed up with the corruption, but didn't really know Bernie because all he ever heard was that Bernie didn't have a chance and was "out there."

Of course I explained Bernie to him and encouraged him to start checking Bernie out. I also told him that wee were done if he voted for Trump. He was pleasantly surprised to hear the things that Bernie is for and is now a fan. My friend is the typical blue collar type and these are the people we need to reach. He would mistakenly vote against his interest because he believed the propaganda, not because of guns, racism, or any other such motivation.

When Bernie wins and we achieve Publicly Funded Elections, the second thing he must do is bust up the oligopolies in the media and banking! We need a scorched earth policy on anything to do with the ability of the Plutocrats/corporations to control or even influence our government again because they never stop trying for an unfair advantage, never!

[flygal]

60. Don't forget the role of churches in the south!

I saw many churches reminding to VOTE on their reader boards -big as day! I'm sure based on the number of cars in their parking lots on Sundays, they were out in droves on Tuesday.

[Thinkingabout]

4. Maybe this should be pushed on a red state, go tell a red state they are wrong for

Voting for a GOP candidate for governor. They have two GOP senators. I get the point you are trying to make , it is another lob at the target of several DWS, reality is the people of Kentucky elect Republicans, even if Bernie Sanders was the DNC chairperson the results would be the same.

[saturnsring]

6. but they elected a dem sos and ag so they dont "elect republicans" at least not exclusively

although what they expect to get done now is gone

[Bernblu]

19. They elected only one Republican since 1971 before last night!

[Thinkingabout]

30. Oh, really, McConnell and Paul Rand are republicans.

[A Little Weird]

41. Governor

Only one republican governor since 1971. Kentucky is a strange state - it is usually democrats in state offices and repubs in federal offices.

[DanTex]

10. My take is a lot simpler: it's Kentucky.

[Bernblu]

16. What is your take on the 2014 national elections?

The denial of Clinton supporters is palpable. Kentucky is now a red state in federal elections but had elected only one Republican governor since 1971 before last night.

[DanTex]

18. Mid-term election, Dems got crushed. What's your take on 2012?

How does any of this have to do with the primary?

[Bernblu]

22. In 2012 we had an incumbent president who was a very good candidate running against a poor candidate

in Romney. My OP relates to the primaries because it is in the primary the party decides which direction it will go in.

[Stevepol]

59. I don' think the Dems were REALLY crushed.

The Dems lost probably (there's no way to know since the vote is never VERIFIED), but the voting machines created the "crush." It's the close races where the polls were at variance with the so-called results. This is where the voting machine riggers primarily work. If more people voted, this would help a lot and if enough people vote, the Dems will do better but the close races, the marginal races, will always end up almost 100% for the Repubs. Take here in KS. Kris Kobach was in a close race with his Dem rival. The polls all showed the race very close right up to the election. Turns out he wins by 17%???? Where did the 17% come from? He may have won. KS is an overwhelmingly red state without a doubt, but 17% in this particular election at this time didn't happen. It's reminiscent of the 2002 GA Diebold election when the machines counted all the votes in total secrecy w/o even the chance of a recount since there was no paper. Barnes had an 11% pt lead in polls going into the election and lost by 5%, a 16% point flip. Max Cleland had about a 5% point lead as I remember in the polls and lost by 4 or 5%. Or take the Alvin Greene fiasco in SC in the Dem primary where a candidate who spent not one dollar on campaigning, nobody knew him from Adam, the establishment Dem candidate was well-liked as far as I know. Certainly there was no groundswell to get him out or off the ballot, but Greene won with about 60% of the vote. Of course where paper was used, i.e., where the actual paper vote was counted(early voting, mail-ins or whatnot) the real Dem won by about 65%. This kind of thing only happens in countries where the insane run the asylum because the sane lack the courage to insist that elections be VERIFIED by counting THE PAPER.

[Fred Sanders]

11. Kentucky is Kentucky, land of the Democratic Party elected county clerk Davis.

The election results also show a Democratic AG and Democratic SOS.

The results are an indictment of the Kentucky Democratic Party, and not a good lesson for the future.

A good lesson is what is happening and just did happen in Canada and the Shock Cabinet and new Ministerial Offices created by the Liberal Party.

[ibegurpard]

33. And what's your excuse for Wisconsin?

For Michigan?

[Fred Sanders]

34. Is there a question?

[ibegurpard]

38. yes

It was pretty straightforward.
What is your excuse for each state that falls to the Republicans?
Michigan is now all Republican. So is Wisconsin. Since you're writing off Kentucky as a red state what's your excuse for blue states like Michigan and Wisconsin?

[JaneyVee]

12. How did the Independent do?

[Faux pas]

13. Kickin'

[kelliekat44]

14. Well, you were warned about the red-retalitation. What were the final numbers on turnout? nt

[Agnosticsherbet]

17. When 69% of elegiable voters can't be bothered to get out and vote, this is what happens.

Republicans know this and love this about Democrats.

[Thinkingabout]

31. A super true statement.

[MisterP]

25. the DNC reasons that if voters don't like what they're offered, it's their own damn fault

they said their 2014 campaign was perfect, it's just that the voters didn't respond to it--in fact they said that Pelosi and DWS have turned the party too far left after 2006 ...

likewise if Clinton doesn't get the same enthusiasm as Sanders did, that means Sanders supporters are treacherous and don't deserve any voice in the party

it's complete mislogic

[jwirr]

40. Exactly. Never bother to look to see if it could have been

their own right leaning message that gave the voters no reason to vote. We have two groups setting in our Democratic party right now: the Third Way Clinton group and the FDR Democrats.

What is it going to take to tell the New Democrats that their meme is not working for most of us? Don't they understand that if we allow them to give more power to the rich and corporations it will be too late to fight back? Do they not understand that they are betraying us with their trickle up policies? Other than keeping the Rs out of the WH what is it that we are voting for when we vote for the New Democrats?

[ibegurpard]

42. They understand fine

That's what they're working toward...aided by those who will give away everything if it means protecting us from the evil Republicans...even when the end result is the same.

[jwirr]

45. I know. Makes me just plain sick.

[JaneyVee]

26. Romney won KY by 26 points.

Lets not pretend this is some bell-weather.

[upaloopa]

27. In every off year election we lose because

we don't vote. And the reason given every time is that there is nothing to vote for.
That is a complete cop out!
You are the reason we lose!
The other side votes and doesn't make the excuses you do. They are voting against you and for an ideology that is not gauranteed either. The right works long term even if it means they don't get what they want this time they build on their successes.
I am so fucking sick and tired of your pitty pot thinking!

[Thinkingabout]

32. Yes, we could have won more elections in 2014 but it is excuses like "I don't like this or that",

the person just doesn't excite me, I will not compromise my issues and what happens, why yes we compromise, we actually give it away, the GOP's are excited to win elections.

[ibegurpard]

37. I voted

And I vote in every election. Do you know who doesn't vote? The low income people in a particular precinct I was working last time ...20 point differential in turnout between them and a neighboring middle class precinct. That was the difference between a teabagger and a progressive state legislator. Do you know why? Because they are working several part time jobs and don't have time to think about anything except that and putting food on their tables for their kids. We try to talk to them if we can ever catch them at home.
The entitled arrogant attitude from those who have the luxury of time to figure out what's going on and how to vote is utterly disgusting.

[frylock]

49. word up

[JI7]

35. KIM DAVIS

[A Little Weird]

43. I do think that had something to do with the turnout

The Kim Davis thing mobilized the evangelicals. I don't know why the democrats didn't come out - Conway wasn't that inspiring (why can't a democrat champion democratic principles instead of trying to sound like a republican lite?), maybe complacency (every poll had showed Conway beating Bevins), or maybe just the general apathy that seems to be commonplace nationwide.

[JI7]

36. will they vote for sanders ?

[Duval]

50. I agree with your assessment.

The only group that supports the working people is the Progressive/Liberal Democrats with whom Bernie normally caucused. It is also true that low turn-out usually benefits the Republicans. We need to vote and take others with us to the polls. So, let's do it!

[Uncle Joe]

52. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Bernblu.

[NYCButterfinger]

57. Bevin won because of Kim Davis

[840high]

58. Huge K/R

[mvd]

61. Here in PA, we did very well

In Montgomery County, our Commissioners retained control, we won DA, and even sheriff. Statewide, we took control of the Supreme Coiurt - very important for redistricting and Governor Wolf's plans. I feel in Kentucky, we are going through the motions. Conway, instead of saying he is a friend of coal, should have said he will protect your jobs even in a transition away from coal. Most undecideds know there are problems with coal and coal companies. You are right - it is about connecting with working people. The anti-establishment fever could have been used to our advantage.