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There Are Worse Things Than Being Republican
If you were a Democrat right now — just an average, casually liberal person, neither an all-out socialist nor a blind loyalist willing to suspend your judgment for a politician — who do you vote for? The openly-declared socialist you find rather nutty and fear would lose to any Republican not named Trump? Or the shallow feminist whose chief recommendation is entitlement and whose sheer reckless corruption endangered our national security?
Not being any kind of liberal, I can’t say what I would do. But merely imagining it gives me a different perspective on the GOP primary. The conservative’s dilemma is trying to decipher which first-term senator is more likely to keep his promises. The liberal dilemma is far uglier.
Published in Elections, General
Yup. Much as the media likes to put a happy face on the Dem race, it is a big frowny face. Trump is a giant frowny and homely face, but after Iowa there appear to be much better prospects for a smiley face on the horizon. And a whole lot of people on the left know it is very bad, which sometimes gives me a smiley face.
Trust me, they have no dilemmas. I have liberal friends. Two in Madison and two in California. We don’t discuss politics, but I’d bet the WI ones are going Hillary and the CA ones for Bernie, and they won’t even think twice. Hillary’s emails? An evil Republican plot. Bernie is a socialist? Why, don’t you realize this has been a socialist country for years? Don’t you understand that our roads and bridges are proof of that? It’s very sad.
Dems will have a problem voting for a Rep. Best we can hope for is that those who fit your description just don’t vote.
I’ve a good friend who is a old fashioned working class leftist who won’t vote for a republican for any reason and he’s deeply dispirited by this election cycle. He’d like Bernie to be president, but suspects he’s unelectable. For him, the only bright spot is the hope that we republicans might end up with Trump.
If I were a Democrat, I’d vote for the First Woman President. She has unparalleled experience, having served 8 years as First Lady, playing an important policy role like no prior First Lady; then serving as Senator from the third-largest state; then serving honorably and well as the First Woman Secretary of State (well, except those other two before her).
She is moderate, sensible, and understands the problems of People Like Me. She is opposed to those corrupt Wall Street capitalists, but clever enough to take their money when they offer it. Why not? If they want to pay for their own execution, I say let them.
She is inspiring and has overcome more sexism and oppression than anyone else in the history of the World. She has survived more dirty, corrupt, and false attacks from those evil Republican operatives than anyone else. Ever.
So if I were a Democrat, I would believe all of this drivel, and I would vote for Clinton.
[Sorry, I posted again in error – disregard]
Life would be much simpler as a democrat.
Last Democrat I asked who they were going to vote for said “Whoever my union rep tells me too”. No pause, no hesitation, no thought.
My Democrat friends that are in education are so far up Sanders arse they can see out of his eyeballs.
My friends that call themselves independents are really just Democrats that will not claim their party since they want to feel like rebels. We will never get any of the Democrats to change sides, that is just to much for them, best we can hope for is that they stay home and our side does not.
I thought it was a nice write up. You should quote that one!
I suspect the causality runs the other way: I want to vote for Clinton therefore I will believe all this drivel.
Yeah, because you’d have to be a much simpler person. Simple in the head.
Well, I excepted the full-out socialists and the blind loyalists. For those people there are no dilemmas. Moreover their problems are of a kind that are only worse if they don’t see them. Republicans are almost hyper-aware of our problems, and that can be a good thing so long as it doesn’t become defeatist.
If your friends in Madison go for Hillary they might well be in the minority in that town…
I see what you mean. For any thinking Democrat, the ones who actually do think instead of marching in lockstep, this has to be a very bad election cycle. As to my Madison friends, you have a point there!
Why nonsense, all is well. As political commentator E.J. Dionne sagely notes Democrats are having a “civilized argument”.
How exciting, a synthesis!
So you see once this collegial, high-minded and intellectually engaging discourse has run its course it shall be unity and goodwill onward to the future and the inevitable nomination. Forward!
I am not sure that is possible. Most people think I am pretty simple now.
Haha sure.
Where in CA? I figure the Silicon Valley dems ($) will go with Hillary.
I’ve got a Berner visiting tomorrow. We’ll probably argue between bottles of wine. Funny enough we agree on most things except politics.
They bought a house in Altadena so their kids wouldn’t just grow up with white people. The result of that was their 7-year-old son calling his friends “homies.” And I believe at one time they toyed with the idea of having their sons wear pink to school in order to destroy gender norming. sigh
Oof. I can’t compete with that level of correct thinking. I do remember that Altadena is associated with a dairy manufacturer down there. Milk, white, how can they live? Perhaps they need to move to change the name. Also I don’t know your families lineage, but isn’t “homie” possibly a cultural appropriation?
OH yes, it certainly is (they’re as WASPy as the day is long)! And they are certainly oblivious to that.
In 2012, by the time the Republican race got to South Carolina, I pretty much said, “Whoever you put in front of me, I’ll probably vote for.” Where all candidates are unpalatable, you just wait for the general election because even if you don’t like the choice between Hillary and Bernie, either would be preferable to most liberals to any Republican from Ted Cruz to Susan Collins.
We have to hope they just stay home.
I have friends that are Democrats, and they are not bad people. For this reason I really hope the Hillary is indicted or otherwise forced to drop out of the race. I feel that voting for that woman would be bad for their souls in a way that voting for Sanders or Biden wouldn’t be.
Have known a fellow who claims to be a Progressive for some years who’s committments change as frequently as Bumper Stickers in an attempt to appear intelligent and relevant. Any other thinking in his mind is all propoganda, then blames Republicans for his own choices and shortfalls.
The mans ultimate solution ? Move from Texas to Seattle on the promise of the 15 dollar per on mínimum wage. Without going into further brutal detail, this represents the escapist and unchanging mindset of far too many . And this man is 56.
Painfull stuff when accountabily is cast aside and Bernie or Hillary are the answer. Damn sad.
It would be like Indonesian politics. During the last election for governor of Jakarta (and the subsequent Presidential election) I asked my driver who he was going to vote for. His answer:
Whichever party pays me the most when I show up to vote.
Not quite never. I still have a Bevin sticker on my vehicle. Two people I didn’t know have stopped me in parking lots to let me know they had been life-long Democrats but changed their registration to vote for Matt Bevin. I believe when reasonable people see a real difference in the candidates in a positive direction they will make the switch. It’s a long slog, one person at a time, from the perspective of us foot-soldiers, but it can be done.
Does that mean we need Rubio? Or can Cruz motivate such folks? I’m not sure but I am convinced that Trump would alienate at least as many as he draws in.
Leigh,
I always like your posts. You are sharp as a tack and make astute observations that generate thoughtful conversation.
Thank you.
Now to go read the comments.
Interestingly, my liberal friends aren’t at all dispirited, because for some reason they think all our candidates are terrible. They think they’re lucky to have two such good choices, as opposed to the “clown car” that is our group of candidates. I assume that’s the mainstream media version of our candidates that they’re seeing, unfortunately.
It should frighten us that the Democratic Party has veered so far left. Sanders and Warren are transforming the party and one day they will elect another Obama or some more left than he is….