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That is, Trumps core base of support those people who he says would stick by him even if he shot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue are people who have heard and appreciated all his nativist dog whistles: from his slur that Barack Obama was not born in America to his focus on voter suppression to his restricting transgender people in the military to his reversing affirmative action and imposing immigration restrictions. That white nationalist constituency is beyond the reach for good reason of any Democratic candidate.

But Trump did not win, and could not win again, with that group alone. His genius was expanding beyond that nativist core with just enough votes in the right places to get him over the top by pushing other buttons. These were things that many conservative and centrist voters believe in their guts, even if they dont articulate them.

Trump connects with these gut issues and takes them in a destructive direction. Its vital for Democrats to connect with them and take them in a constructive direction.

What issues? Heres my list:

We cant take in every immigrant who wants to come here; we need, metaphorically speaking, a high wall that assures Americans we can control our border with a big gate that lets as many people in legally as we can effectively absorb as citizens.

The Muslim world does have a problem with pluralism gender pluralism, religious pluralism and intellectual pluralism and suggesting that terrorism has nothing to do with that fact is nave; countering violent extremism means constructively engaging with Muslim leaders on this issue.

Americans want a president focused on growing the economic pie, not just redistributing it. We do have a trade problem with China, which has reformed and closed instead of reformed and opened. We have an even bigger problem with automation wiping out middle-skilled work and we need to generate more blue-collar jobs to anchor communities.

Political correctness on college campuses has run ridiculously riot. Americans want leaders to be comfortable expressing patriotism and love of country when globalization is erasing national identities. America is not perfect, but it is, more often than not, a force for good in the world.

Voters dont listen through their ears. They listen through their stomachs. And when you connect with voters in their guts, they feel respected, and when they feel respected, they will listen to anything including big issues that are true even if Democrats believe them. Such as the fact that a majority of Americans like Obamacare and want to see it built to last, and a majority of Americans do not like the way Trump is despoiling the environment and bringing back coal.

Indeed, the biggest wind power states in America Texas, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Oklahoma and North Dakota are all red states. The Democrats literally have the wind at their backs on health care and clean energy.

But to be heard, they need candidates who can pass a gut check with the more moderate Trump/G.O.P. voters. Just 10 percent of Trump voters would suffice. Trumps core base is solid, but hes clearly losing the soft support around his core. Democrats can grow into the soft support as long as theyre smart and Trump continues to just swell.

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A version of this op-ed appears in print on August 9, 2017, on Page A19 of the New York edition with the headline: Democrats, Start Aiming For the Gut.

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Democrats, Start Aiming for the Gut - New York Times

Thirty Democrats disillusioned with their partys struggles in Middle America have unveiled a new group aimed at expanding its base beyond just the two coasts. The initiative, which comprises current and former mayors, governors, cabinet members and lawmakers, comes complete with a catchy new title, New Democracy.

Related: When centrists ruled and Democrats won: Former Texas governor dies

If that name sounds familiar, its because it was the same as that given by Mao Zedong to his theory of democracy in Communist China.

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Ina word, new-democratic culture is the proletarian-led, anti-imperialist and anti-feudal culture of the broad masses, Mao wrote on New Democracy in 1940, nine years before coming to power in China.

Comparisons with Communist China are unlikely to help the group of Democrats achieve their aim of reversing a series of losses the party has suffered at both the federal and state level. In addition to having a Republican in the White House, the GOP controls both the House and the Senate. There are 34 GOP governors, and in 26 of those states, the Republicans also control both houses of the legislature. Democrats have dominance in just six statesConnecticut, Rhode Island, California, Oregon and Hawaii. In the past decade, Democrats have lost more than1,000 seats in state legislatures.

New Democracy, which includes members such as Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, aims to change that.

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper lays out his plans for the next state legislative session at a news conference in his office at his state Capitol, in Denver, on December 19, 2013. A group of Democrats have united with an approach that mirrors Bill Clintons. Rick Wilking/Reuters

New Democracy is a home base and support network for pragmatic Democrats determined to make our party competitive in every part of America, the director of the group, Will Marshall,said in a statement. These leadersgovernors, mayors, state officials and members of Congressknow how to reach beyond core partisans and build governing majorities from the ground up.

While the name may mirror that in Maos political agenda, the concept itself borrows from the New Democrats ideology embraced by former President Bill Clinton. Indeed, it was Marshall who was one of the founders of that movement that sought a third wayone that struck a more economically conservative tone that aimed to appeal to the center ground both politically and geographically.

Democrats dont need to choose between center and leftwe need to expand in all directions. Building a broad coalition is the partys best chance of rectifying todays dangerous imbalance of political power and stopping the harmful Trump-Republican agenda, Marshall added.

Democrats remain locked in an ideological battle over how to go about winning back power. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who ran against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, has similarly urged the party to expend greater energy on winning over red states, albeit with a liberal rather than centrist message.

Meanwhile, Sanders and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez were criticized for appearing at a rally for Nebraska mayoral candidate Heath Mello, who years earlier had voted for legislation supported by anti-abortion rights activists. Democratic Congressional Committee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan last week said the party would not impose a litmus test on abortion for Democratic candidates.

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Democrats Launch New Slogan That Mirrors Communist China's - Newsweek

Six months into Donald Trumps term as US president, the Democratic party remains at war with itself.

The progressive wing remains coalesced around Democratic primary candidate Bernie Sanderscurrently the most popular politician in the USwhom many feel was intentionally undermined by establishment interests within the party. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton supporters feel that their candidatethe first woman in history to be a major partys nominee for presidencyreceived pushback from Sanders supporters that a similarly positioned male candidate would not have encountered. The result is an American left still cleaved in two.

The latest casualty in this war is California senator Kamala Harrisa newcomer to Capitol Hill whose verbal sparring with Republican attorney general Jeff Sessions was widely applauded by Democrats, sparking talk of a possible run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. But voices from the farther reaches of the left moved quickly to quash any runaway fantasies of a president Harris, citing the senators alleged courting of major Democratic donors, who largely lined up behind Clintons failed 2016 campaign. Sanderss 2016 campaign, in contrast, was kept afloat by small individual donationsa point of pride for progressives opposed to the influence of big money in politics. Thus the #NeverKamala movement was born.

Its a sentiment that has been extended to a number of other Democratic politicians being floated for a possible 2020 candidacy, including New Jersey senator Cory Booker and former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick. The fact that all three are politicians of color has led to allegations of racial bias.

The Weeks Ryan Cooper refutes this line of reasoning, arguing that the opposition to Harris draws on specific concerns about her past. He contends that as the former attorney general of California, Harris is mistrusted by the left mostly because of her roots as a prosecutor. The Black Lives Matter movement has put anyone with law enforcement history under close scrutiny, and Californias criminal justice system is notoriously brutal (though it has improved recently). He also highlights Harriss failure during her tenure as one of the nations most powerful attorney generals to prosecute OneWest, treasury secretary Steve Mnuchins former bank, for numerous instances of almost certain illegal foreclosure.

How fair are the criticisms? Writing for The New Republic, David Daven argues that Harriss record isnt particularly extraordinary. Lets recognize that no public official in this country, from Barack Obama on down, covered themselves in glory during the foreclosure crisis, he reasons. To say that Harris failed to prosecute bankers is simply to say that she was a public official with authority over financial services fraud in the Obama era. Moreover, Harriss defenders point out that she also has achievements that ought to appeal to the far left. Writing for The Nation, Sasha Abramsky holds up a landmark $25-billion settlement secured by Harris on behalf of California homeowners victimized by the foreclosure crisisproof of her bona fides as a champion of the middle class.

Its understandable that Harris backers would bristle at criticism from the most liberal wing of the party. But the fact is that these critiques are exactly what any Democrat considering a run for president in 2020 needsbecause it gives potential candidates plenty of time to get their message right.

This is especially true for newcomers like Harris, who have time to build their progressive credentials, and are less encumbered (relatively speaking) by reputational baggage than more entrenched party standard bearers. Harris has wiggle room where Clinton did not. And with the second-most progressive voting record in the Senate combined with more mainstream appeal, she has undeniable potential to unite the partys more disparate factions.

Harris has already signed onto a number of causes important to the partys progressive wing, explicitly calling for a $15 minimum wage and expressing general support for single-payer health care. With Sanders Medicare-for-all bill on the horizon, she can perhaps further appeal to Bernie die-hards by signing on and advocating for its (however unlikely) passage.

#NeverKamala keyboard warriors may still resist. But they are only a tiny fraction of the progressive wave that rose up last yeara wave that has yet to crest. Widespread support therein for politicians like Tulsi Gabbard and Nina Turner indicate that most Democrats would be delighted to elect a woman of color to the White House. And with the right approachone that recognizes the extraordinary movement Sanders has built, and the growing appetite among American voters for social-democratic policiesthat woman could very well be Kamala Harris.

Learn how to write for Quartz Ideas. We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com.

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Democrats are still at war with each otherbut Kamala Harris could heal the rift - Quartz

WASHINGTON There are only about 30,000 people in Iowas 82nd state House district, near Ottumwa, but Democrats are hailing a victory in a special election there Tuesday as another early indicator of a backlash against President Donald Trump that could fuel big wins in next years midterms.

The southeast Iowa district has been trending away from Democrats, voting for former President Barack Obama twice before breaking heavily for Trump last year, just like the entire state of Iowa. But Democrat Phil Miller, a veterinarian, carried the district with 54 percent of the vote Tuesday in a race to replace a Democrat who died in office.

Tonights victory in a district Trump won by 21 points just last fall is a testament to Democrats strength in deep red districts, and with Representative-elect Miller in the Iowa House were one step closer to regaining the chamber, said Jessica Post, the executive director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the official legislative campaign arm for Democrats.

Related: Democrats Ready to War With Trump on Trade

Iowa's political mood is always watched closely, given the state's crucial role in the presidential primary process by holding the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

While Democrats have lost this years higher-profile congressional special elections, like the one in Georgia's 6th Congressional District, theyve had more success in state legislative races.

And party officials say what matters most in predicting future outcomes is not necessarily whether they win or lose, but the margins between the candidates and whether those suggest any kind of pattern.

In all types of races, whether winning and losing, Democrats have consistently over-performed their party's performance in earlier presidential elections by an average of 14 percentage points, according to a June analysis by FiveThirtyEight.

Democrats have not only wrested four seats from Republicans, but theyve also outperformed Democratic presidential numbers from just last fall in 24 out of 31 contested congressional and state legislative elections, wrote Carolyn Fiddler, a former DLCC official who is now an editor at the liberal Daily Kos blog.

Democrats recently won their first New Hampshire state Senate special election since 1984, and took a pair of conservative districts in Oklahoma, along with another one on Long Island, New York. They maintained control of the Delaware state Senate with a win there, and cheered other wins in Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Republicans have won nearly as many special legislative special elections since Trumps inauguration, but most were in safer seats.

Democrats have been decimated in state legislatures, losing around 1,000 seats during Barack Obamas eight years in the White House. Republicans now have complete control of the capitol (the governor plus both chambers of the legislature) in 26 states, versus just six for Democrats.

Democrats hope to chip away at that in upcoming state elections in Washington, New Jersey and Virginia this fall.

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Early Iowa Tea Leaf Falls Against Trump - NBCNews.com

Mr. Cuomo reacted in stunned silence.

The pointed exchange, which has not previously been reported, captures the raw tensions around the fractured Democratic coalition in Albany that threaten to dog Mr. Cuomo as he looks to his 2018 re-election, and possibly beyond.

Dani Lever, a spokeswoman for the governor, played down the moment.

The comment you describe was not of particular note, said Ms. Lever, who was not at the meeting. Certainly no one took any offense because it was a friendly and positive meeting on all levels.

That is not how those in attendance reacted, describing it as profound moment in a fractious relationship.

Ms. Stewart-Cousins herself said in a statement, My comments were in the context of suburban representation there was no racial tension whatsoever; it was a good and productive meeting.

The issue of New Yorks divided government has attracted attention from national leaders, including Representative Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the House Democrats, and Representative Keith Ellison, the Democratic National Committee deputy chairman, who urged a united Democratic front against President Trump.

Theres this new awareness about what was formerly a rather insider parlor game, said State Senator Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat. The winds shifted on Nov. 8. The No. 1 concern I hear from my constituents on the street isnt Donald Trump. Its what the Senates going to do, and how the Democrats can win it back.

Democrats hold 32 of the 63 seats in the Senate, yet Republicans control the chamber. The mechanics and math of bringing Senate Democrats together are complex: Ms. Stewart-Cousins leads a group of 23 Democrats, while Mr. Klein leads the breakaway group of eight. The 32nd elected Democrat, Simcha Felder of Brooklyn, caucuses with the Republicans but has left the door open to rejoining the Democrats.

As Senator Kevin Parker, a Brooklyn Democrat, put it, How can you be one of the top Democrats in the country and not have resolved this in your own backyard?

The governor has built his reputation as a master manager and bipartisan deal maker, and the Republican-led Senate has prevented him from facing the politically precarious choice of vetoing or signing more liberal legislation that would inevitably emerge from a fully Democratic Legislature.

But as he looks to 2018 and a possible 2020 presidential bid, Mr. Cuomo must appeal to a restive Democratic electorate that is increasingly aware and unhappy that Republicans hold power in the State Senate during such polarized times.

The governor spent a lot of time and energy and successfully brought the two sides together in 2014, but the Democrats failed to win an overall majority, said Melissa DeRosa, the governors top aide. He is working very hard again to end the personal agendas and infighting that is causing the divide and unify the factions, which is more important than ever when our democratic values are under attack by the Trump administration.

In recent weeks, the state Democratic Party adopted a resolution to cut off party funds from the eight members of Mr. Kleins Independent Democratic Conference; New Yorks Democratic congressional delegation asked Mr. Cuomo behind closed doors for action during his recent visit to Washington; and, on a Manhattan street in July, an activist with a camera confronted Mr. Cuomo about his plans for the breakaway Democrats.

I can perform marriages, Mr. Cuomo said in the video, posted on YouTube, but I cant force them.

That has largely been Mr. Cuomos laissez-faire posture when it comes to the I.D.C., though many Democrats accuse him of tacitly supporting the arrangement.

Mr. Klein lauded the legislative achievements since the I.D.C.s inception in 2011, among them a higher minimum wage, paid family leave and legalization of gay marriage.

I think the entire political establishment has a lot to learn from the Independent Democratic Conference about getting things done, said Mr. Klein, whose district is drawn mostly from the Bronx, where he lives, and includes a sliver of Westchester.

He had only praise for Mr. Cuomo: I consider the governor a fantastic leader.

Mr. Klein and Ms. Stewart-Cousins, however, do not enjoy a warm relationship. I can count on a couple fingers how many times Ive spoken to Senator Cousins, Mr. Klein said.

Many Democrats believe Mr. Cuomo could broker an agreement between the warring Democratic factions, as he did during his last run for governor if it served him politically.

At this point, he is the solution, said Mr. Parker, the Democratic senator.

Behind the scenes, Mr. Cuomo has begun getting more involved, including arranging a dinner in Manhattan last week, a gathering that lasted more than two hours and was attended by only Mr. Cuomo, Ms. Stewart-Cousins and Mr. Klein, according to a person who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The governor is a ferocious advocate when he chooses to be, said Bill Lipton, state director of the Working Families Party, which pushes Democrats to adopt more liberal positions. He has $25 million in the bank and hes the leader of the Democratic Party. Theres no question if he put his foot to the pedal here, he could have a decisive impact.

The closed-door confrontation with Ms. Stewart-Cousins highlighted another sensitive factor: race.

Mr. Cuomo has had an up-and-down history with New Yorks black political leadership dating to his 2002 primary challenge against H. Carl McCall, who was seeking to become the states first black governor. (Mr. Cuomo has since appointed Mr. McCall as board chairman for the State University of New York.) New York has never had a black woman lead a legislative chamber, and if Democrats could unite, Ms. Stewart-Cousins would be the first. (The Assembly currently has an African-American leader, Speaker Carl E. Heastie.)

In the Manhattan meeting last month, Mr. Cuomo went around the room to ask Ms. Stewart-Cousinss members if they were each willing to join with Mr. Kleins team to form a united Democratic front.

The question was, Are Democrats prepared to form a coalition with the I.D.C. to govern the Senate? and the answer was a resounding yes from every senator in the room, Mr. Hoylman recalled.

But Mr. Cuomo told them that Mr. Klein was still resistant. The meeting ended without resolution.

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Tensions Flare as Cuomo Confronts Democratic Rift - New York Times