July 29 Open Thread: Democrats Tell Leftists, ‘Don’t Wreck the Party, That’s Our Job’
Inside-the-beltway pundits see Democrats all over the political spectrum winning elections and write that the intra-party warfare is overblown. Those outside the beltway have a clearer view: The neo-liberal “moderates” will give up power when leftists wrest it from Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer’s wrinkled, arthritic hands. Here’s a political cartoon to illustrate the point.
Republicans could paper over the split in their party through hatred of Obama and Hillary Clinton, but they’re out in the open under Trump. That’s the takeaway from the outpouring of anti-Trump talk from the Koch Bros. annual conservo-conference, where the sources of the party’s dark money complained loud and long about Trump’s trade policies.
Peaceniks rejoice: The New York Times is reporting that U.S. diplomats have engaged in direct talks with the Taliban, cutting out the Afghani government, in an effort to end America’s longest war. The D.C. establishment is framing it as another Trump retreat, but it’s hard to think regular folks won’t welcome this. Ending wars without victory is not something most presidents like to do.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has ended the city’s cooperation with ICE, meaning it will no longer share its arrest database. Protest works.
In the way that real-life Mafiosi take their role models from “The Godfather,” real-life fraternities never held toga parties before the release of “Animal House” 40 years ago. Viewed today, the film’s nihilism can seem almost … Trumpian.
How the McDonald’s ‘Monopoly’ game was rigged, and how the FBI broke the case:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-an-ex-cop-rigged-mcdonalds-monopoly-game-and-stole-millions?ref=home
https://mobile.twitter.com/KerriHarrisDE/status/1023917123662270464
“To truly solve prison overcrowding, we need comprehensive criminal justice reform–abolishing mandatory minimums, ending cash bail, and legalizing marijuana–and focus on restorative justice to keep people from returning to prison.”
Marijuana is commerce just like Tobacco & alcohol. If DE don’t use this huge stream of revenue to fill its coffers and fund sustainability and other infrastructure projects, then the pay for play politicians will continue to rule and destroy our state. Plain and simple.
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/opinion/editorials/2018/07/20/despite-some-progress-delaware-still-has-prison-problem/807766002/
I note a decidedly ageist tone in your criticism of Pelosi who represents one of the most liberal districts in the country and who has fought the good battle with ferocity and brilliance. She’s earned her wrinkles you demean.
And now it’s time for her to go. I’m as old as you are, sport. Old people need to retire, not run things.
I retired in order to run the things I want to run. There’s plenty of stuff to fix and younger people often don’t know what tools to use yet. As for the Bay Area, I’m a native of that area, did most of my growing up there and you don’t have a clue about her district.
I’ve never lived there but visited good friends there often. I can know less than you while still having a clue. Besides, you’re the one who seemed to be touting her district as proof of her place among liberals.
Teaching is valuable, and I doubt the things you want to run have stymied younger leadership.
As long as her most likely replacement is to her right, I’d rather she stay in place. I’m afraid the Conor Lamb Democrats are going to outnumber the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Democrats in the upcoming freshman class, and it will matter down the line when seniority (that word again) rules.
In fairness Chuck Schumer is also noted in that sentence. The kicker is a double adjective plural…
Pelosi is brilliant? Not buying it.
They both need to go sooner rather than later. Her ferocity was in defence of corporate money. That’s it. (Note the past tense…)
Also, how liberal her district is works to discredit her, because she’s a lot less liberal than her district. Just like Delaware Democrats.
“There’s plenty of stuff to fix and younger people often don’t know what tools to use yet.”
Yeah, that’s why Joe Crowley won renomination so handily with his mastery of social media.
All the tools are broken. They were broken by the “experienced” people who have been in charge. Those of us who are actually gonna be on this planet in 30+ years need to be the ones making the decisions and planning the paths. We have access now to all the accumulated knowledge of human history…So we can draw on recorded experience of successful and unsuccessful people. As far as older people making better decisions, you dummies voted for Trump, so have a seat.
Ben: Uh, I didn’t vote for Trump. Pretty much nobody I know did. Almost 50 percent of us geezers voted in 2016 compared with about one-third of millennials, and almost half of us voted for Hillary (often while holding our noses). If more progressive/liberal millennials had voted in 2016 we would not have Trump.
Maybe you guys were so fascinated by your great knowledge machines that you didn’t bother to go out and vote. All the “accumulated knowledge of human history” won’t help if you can’t be bothered to use it or don’t know what to do with it.
I’m not really all that worked up about the age thing, but sometimes I get tired of the stereotyping. I would have put a smiley face in here someplace if I knew how to use emoticons. Now I’m going out to crank up the old DeSoto take a spin.
Nathan, do you want me to post the voting breakdown by age or do you wanna be a big boy and look it up on your own?
Of course I looked it up before I posted. But, yeah, I did screw up something. The Pew survey says 48 million boomers voted, but the percentage was at 35 while millennials were at 25 percent (34 million voters). I had totals and percentages reversed. The figures do vary somewhat depending on the source, but they all show boomers with a significant margin over millennials. Some sources combined Gen-Xers and millennials, which boosted the “young” number. (Or maybe you think 53 is young.) Gen-X also outvoted millennials.
57 is early middle age lol
I’m a little older than you. I think of it as late adolescence.
yeah, much more accurate!
Interesting snippet from the Kerri Harris campaign weekly Momentum Report.
“In a 24 hour period last week, we had over 100 new volunteers from Delaware ask to volunteer for Kerri!
We now have volunteers making calls, creating new digital tools, hosting meet and greets, doing data entry, knocking doors, writing social media posts, conducting policy research, recruiting friends and family…”
That’s 400 volunteers give or take of Delawareans. Is that good?
For me the difference isn’t age. It’s whose views are establishment (read: corporate) Democratic and whose views are Social Democratic. Pelosi and Schimer’s views are clearly centered in the former and that’s reason enough to think they are ill equipped to be leaders.
@DG: I agree, but by the same token I’d rather have someone younger carry Bernie’s mantle this time, if only for the sake of optics.