Do the Democrats need a new strategy?
I have just found out about the poor results for the party in the special elections and it seems obvious that in spite of everything that Trump has done, there is little or no sign that the Dems are about to win big on the back of it.
The Republican base vote shows zero sign of collapsing because of Trump and if that hasn't happened by now then it never will. Trump's approval rating is low but seemingly not low enough for Republican voters to see him as worse than their traditional political opponents. The Democrats - by contrast - have the same old problems motivating their own base to turn up outside of Presidential elections. It seems to me that the Democrats are boxing defensively; attacking Trump over Russia and for being crazy and whatever, but not offering an alternative vision or narrative of their own. Yearning for the old status quo only works when the status que is popular and Trump's victory itself proves that this is not the case in America.
The Bernie wing of the Democrats maintain that the party should offer a more leftward platform in order to win back white working class voters and to increase the youth turnout. Jeremy Corbyn's relative success in the recent UK election seems to back up that theory, though even I have to admit that JC did benefit from some unusually favourable circumstances during ghe campaign, some of which (like the looming Brexit) are not transferable across the Atlantic . Also note that the Sanders backed Rob Quist faild to beat the Republicans in Montana
There is no magic wand for the Democrats but waiting for Trump to implode will not win an election on its own. The Democrats need to connect to people's values and offer change, building loyalty over a long period.
The Republican base vote shows zero sign of collapsing because of Trump and if that hasn't happened by now then it never will. Trump's approval rating is low but seemingly not low enough for Republican voters to see him as worse than their traditional political opponents. The Democrats - by contrast - have the same old problems motivating their own base to turn up outside of Presidential elections. It seems to me that the Democrats are boxing defensively; attacking Trump over Russia and for being crazy and whatever, but not offering an alternative vision or narrative of their own. Yearning for the old status quo only works when the status que is popular and Trump's victory itself proves that this is not the case in America.
The Bernie wing of the Democrats maintain that the party should offer a more leftward platform in order to win back white working class voters and to increase the youth turnout. Jeremy Corbyn's relative success in the recent UK election seems to back up that theory, though even I have to admit that JC did benefit from some unusually favourable circumstances during ghe campaign, some of which (like the looming Brexit) are not transferable across the Atlantic . Also note that the Sanders backed Rob Quist faild to beat the Republicans in Montana
There is no magic wand for the Democrats but waiting for Trump to implode will not win an election on its own. The Democrats need to connect to people's values and offer change, building loyalty over a long period.
41-45, M
