2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumWhat are the ticket, the platform, and the convention theme calculated to win back the Senate?
We don't need control of the House or the Senate to deregulate Wall Street and the rest of the financial and banking sector, to cripple domestic labor by one-sided foreign trade agreements, to boost fossil fuel extraction, to expand the role of private prisons in our justice system, or to create boondoggles for the pharmaceutical industry.
To accomplish Democratic goals, however, we will need to take back the Senate.
There will be a number of close races where we will have an excellent of winning if we can inspire our voters to show up at the polls:
Ayotte vs. Hassan in New Hampshire
Johnson vs. Feingold in Wisconsin
Bennet vs. Glenn in Colorado
Kirk vs. Duckworth in Illinois
Portman vs. Strickland in Ohio
Democrats lose close contests when voter turnout is down, but win close contests when voter turnout is up.
The decisions about the ticket, the party platform, and the convention should be calculated to increase voter turnout among our base in November. Otherwise, we lose.
Ask yourself -
what ticket would increase enthusiasm and voter turnout in November?
what could we do with our party platform to increase enthusiasm and voter turnout in November?
what could we do at the convention to increase enthusiasm and voter turnout in November?
Response to Attorney in Texas (Original post)
Blue Meany This message was self-deleted by its author.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)Easy-peasy
Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)any voters who are not already on board with the goal of defeating Trump (and probably we don't need to reach out to any such voters).
larkrake
(1,674 posts)United to defeat Trump, maybe
Tarc
(10,478 posts)If you wanted Sanders to be the nominee, he had to win more pledged delegates.
He didn't, so he won't be.
How hard is this to accept?
Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)candidate for either post.
All I'm saying is if Hillary is at the top of the ticket, we ought to fill out the ticket to encourage more enthusiasm. If Sanders were at the top of the ticket, she does not have an enthusiasm problem to needs to be addressed by the selection of a running mate who might make up for that weakness, but Hillary should be motivated by that concern.
larkrake
(1,674 posts)upstage her- its not in her DNA. The DNC may insist she take a strong VP, but for the life of me, I cannot see who that would be
Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)enthusiasm.
Most candidates are wise enough to pick a running mate who makes up for a weakness. Hillary's weakness is the lack of enthusiasm from a perceived lack of commitment to positive change, perceived lack of candor, perceived lack of likability and trustworthiness. These are factors that should guide her VP analysis.
larkrake
(1,674 posts)his favorability is high
Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)larkrake
(1,674 posts)Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)Tarc
(10,478 posts)Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)before it starts and she does not seem to be focused on fixing the fatal lack of enthusiasm and trust that will elect Trump is she fails to fix the problem asap.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)Another more-of-the-same nominee wouldn't seem to promise much change, but this year's convention will be leavened with a lot of new progressive faces and delegates.
Let's mix it up, folks, and try getting some new things done.
YouDig
(2,280 posts)On second thought, no, that would be a horrible idea.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)YouDig
(2,280 posts)AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)YouDig
(2,280 posts)RandySF
(59,812 posts)Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)repudiate the death penalty and its support for lowering corporate tax rates and its craw-fishing on the 2008 platform's statement against human rights abuses at Guantanamo and its addition of we-love-fossil-fuel-pipelines language new to the 2012 platform?
The 2012 platform was pretty craptastic.
We must do better.
RandySF
(59,812 posts)TimPlo
(443 posts)It is about Winning. We must beat the Letter (R) because that letter is evil and corrupted. It is a R and must be taken down by the D. That is all that matters.
Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)who is preferable to West Virginia Governor Earl Tomblin who is a Democrat.
Democrats are only preferable to the extent that they promote Democratic principles, and Republicans are only questionable to the extent that they promote a reactionary agenda. Beyond that, it's just labels.
This "D = good; R = evil" nonsense is a formula for children who cannot think for themselves. There is a lot of that in this forum.
AgingAmerican
(12,958 posts)QC
(26,371 posts)I predict that it will work about as well as it always does.
Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)to the ticket - someone as well loved by the party as Joe Lieberman and with same level of credibility with the grassroots - who is the 2016 version of Joe Lieberman to run with me without upstaging me? Hmmm"
QC
(26,371 posts)He can bring in the youth vote!
Attorney in Texas
(3,373 posts)QC
(26,371 posts)TheKentuckian
(25,035 posts)while whining about obstruction and liberals abandoning them as the excuse for selling out.
The Turd Way is ideologically bankrupt and has been for years, about as soon as they were able to complete their hostile take over as evidenced by then scavenging the Heritage Foundation's rejected notions for policy that they can sell to us as beneficial in some part that also serve their true masters.
larkrake
(1,674 posts)just follow the red dot, kitty kitty, ignore the man stealing your life
Exilednight
(9,359 posts)Congress no matter who wins.
larkrake
(1,674 posts)highprincipleswork
(3,111 posts)not to be trusted platform and ticket will not.
Whether he wins or loses, Bernie's success, and the success of the Progressive politics Hillary has copied him in during the whole primary season, prove the appetite right now for Progressive/Populist politics.