Mediaboss Marketing

The ongoing contest between the Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders wings of the Democratic Party continues to divide Democrats. Its urgent Democrats stop squabbling and recognize seven basic truths:

The Party is on life support, Democrats are in the minority in both the House and Senate. Since the start of the Obama administration theyve lost 1,034 state and federal seats. They face 32 state legislatures fully under GOP control. No one speaks for the party as a whole. The Partys top leaders are aging, and the back bench is thin.

OPINION

The future is bleak unless the Party radically reforms itself. If Republicans do well in the 2018 midterms, theyll control Congress and the Supreme Court for years.

We are now in a populist era. The strongest and most powerful force in American politics is a rejection of the status quo and a deep and profound distrust of elites.

That force propelled Donald Trump into the White House. He represents the authoritarian side of populism. Bernie Sanderss primary campaign represented the progressive side.

The question hovering over Americas future is which form of populism will ultimately prevail. At some point, hopefully, Trump voters will discover theyve been hoodwinked. Authoritarian populism doesnt work because it destroys democracy. Democrats must offer the alternative.

The economy is not working for most Americans. The economic data show lower unemployment and higher wages than eight years ago, but the typical family is still poorer today than it was in 2000, adjusted for inflation; median weekly earning are no higher than in 2000; a large number of working-age people mostly men have dropped out of the labor force; and job insecurity is endemic.

Inequality is wider and its consequences more savage in America than in any other advanced nation.

The Partys moneyed establishment big donors, major lobbyists, retired members of congress who have become bundlers and lobbyists are part of the problem. Even though many consider themselves liberal and dont recoil from an active government, their preferred remedies spare corporations and the wealthiest from making any sacrifices.

The moneyed interests in the party allowed the deregulation of Wall Street and then encouraged the bailout of the Street. Theyre barely concerned about the growth of tax havens, inside trading, increasing market power in major industries (pharmaceuticals, telecom, airlines, private health insurers, food processors, finance, even high tech), and widening inequality. Meanwhile, theyve allowed labor unions to shrink to near irrelevance. Unionized workers used to be the ground troops of the Democratic Party. In the 1950s, more than a third of all private-sector workers were unionized; today, fewer than 7 percent are.

Its not enough for Democrats to be against Trump, and defend the status quo. Democrats have to fight like hell against regressive policies Trump wants to put in place, but Democrats also need to fight for a bold vision of what the nation must achieve like expanding Social Security, and financing the expansion by raising the cap on income subject to Social Security taxes; Medicare for all; and world-class free public education for all.

And Democrats must diligently seek to establish countervailing power stronger trade unions, community banks, more incentives for employee ownership and small businesses, and electoral reforms that get big money out of politics and expand the right to vote.

The life of the Party its enthusiasm, passion, youth, principles, and ideals was elicited by Bernie Sanderss campaign. This isnt to denigrate what Hillary Clinton accomplished. Its only to recognize what all of us witnessed: the huge outpouring of excitement that Bernies campaign inspired, especially from the young. This is the future of the Democratic Party.

The Party must change from being a giant fund-raising machine to a movement. It needs to unite the poor, working class, and middle class, black and white who havent had a raise in 30 years, and who feel angry, powerless, and disenfranchised.

If the Party doesnt understand these seven truths and fails to do whats needed, a third party will emerge to fill the void. Third parties usually fail because they tend to draw votes away from the dominant party closest to them, ideologically. But if the Democratic Party creates a large enough void, a third party wont draw away votes. It will pull people into politics.

And drawing more people into politics is the only hope going forward.

Send letters to letters@suntimes.com

Follow this link:
Robert Reich: 7 truths Democrats need to understand - Chicago Sun-Times

Eight years after President Obamas rise inspired his party to dream of decades of Democrat-control in Washington, his party looked on Friday as President Trump put the final nail in those hopes.

A sizable chunk of Democrats didnt even show, saying they couldnt stomach and in some cases refused to accept Mr. Trumps victory.

Those who did attend flashed a mix of glum, dejected or stoic expressions, as they wondered what to expect from the enigmatic new president.

Usually when a candidate comes in they come from a Democratic perspective or a Republican perspective so you kind of know whether they will go and what they are about, said Sen. Bob Casey, Pennsylvania Democrat. But there is an uncertainty about where the president will be on an issue or in terms of his focus on an issue on a particular day or week. I hope we can better sense of that in short order.

Usually members of the party that lost the White House set aside the first day for celebrating democracy, and while there was some of that, overall Democrats said they see their role as intense resistance.

Nowhere was that more clear than on immigration, where Democrats held a press conference to demand Mr. Trump soften his stand on an issue that helped carry him to victory.

Donald Trump has coldly said people like my parents and those of us gathered here today have got to go, said Rep. Linda Sanchez, California Democrat. Well, Mr. President I am American and I am a member of the United States Congress and I am here to tell you I am not going anywhere. Get used to seeing our faces.

Little was out of bounds for criticism.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Mr. Trumps inaugural address detailing a still-struggling economy and out-of-touch politicians sounded like a campaign speech and ignores eight years of economic growth under President Obama.

One Democrat who did seem to be enjoying the inauguration was Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who snapped with his GOP colleagues on the Capitol steps.

Im excited to be with my colleagues & fellow Americans as we watch @realDonaldTrump be sworn in as our 45th President, Mr. Manchin said on Twitter.

He later issued a statement saying he looked forward to continuing to build our relationship with Mr. Trump.

Hillary Clinton powered through the event in a staid manner, months after coming out on the losing end of showdown with Mr. Trump.

Im here today to honor our democracy & its enduring values. I will never stop believing in our country & its future, she said on Twitter.

Michelle Obama, meanwhile, wore her disappointment on her face sparking a blizzard of posts on social media featuring photos and videos of the steely-eyed former first lady and quips about her lack of a poker face.

Gearing up for a fight over Obamacare, a number of Democrats wore #ProtectOurCare buttons.

Mrs. Pelosi said she was glad Mr. Trump didnt mention the health law in his inaugural address.

Liberal groups said theyll lead the resistance.

This President clearly has no mandate, said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. If and when he and his administration try to undermine climate action, assault our democracy, or attack the people and places we love, he will face a wall of organized people who will fight him in the courts, in Congress, in the marketplace, in the states, and in the streets.

The first chances for Democrats will come on Mr. Trumps nominees.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, New York Democrat, said he wont allow them to speed through the chamber.

Over the last several weeks, Republicans have made a mockery of the cabinet hearing process trying to ham through nominees in truncated hearings, nominees with serious conflicts of interest and ethical issues unresolved, Mr. Schumer said on the Senate floor. The president-elects cabinet is a swamp cabinet full of billionaires and bankers loaded with conflicts of interest and ethical lapses as far as the eye can see.

Continued here:
Democrats quickly vow to pushback against Trump agenda - Washington Times

I know, I know. Breaking news: Democrats don't like President Trump.

But for just one day every four-to-eight years actually, for less than an hour of one day every four-to-eight eyars America's leaders typically try to set aside their differences and celebrate the peaceful transfer of power that defines U.S. democracy.

Somecongressional Democrats did their best to honor that tradition.

Here's Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) marveling at the symbolism of the moment.

And some House Democrats and Republicansmade a point to take a picture together.

After Trump's speech, Rep. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.) offered her congratulations to Trump and offeredto find areas of common ground.

But a significant number ofDemocrats mostly House Democrats took no break from the partisan rancor before, during or after Trump's inauguration. In fact, they arguably elevated it.

Trump'sspeech, a wholesale repudiation of power in Washington, had barely finished echoing across the Mall when some Democrats started tweeting(irony, noted) about howmuch they hated it. No, despised it. No, absolutely loathed it.

Other Democrats immediately assumed their fight stance.

And those, we can assume, were somewhat filtered tweets. Here's former congressman Steve Israel, who retired last year, telling us how he really feels:

Trump's inauguration was already taking place under extraordinary partisan circumstances. Some 70 House Democrats boycotted it. What surprised historians and political scientists was not the volume of boycotts but the manner in which these Democrats were boycotting: By essentially tellingtheir new president to go to hell.

I respectfully decline to freeze my ass out there in the cold for his particular ceremony, Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) told Oregon Public Broadcasting.

As I pointed out earlier this week, there's a political reason for much of the colorful language Democrats are lobbing at Trump.

Trump is assuming the White House as one of the least-popular presidents in modern memory, and many of these Democrats represent deeply liberal districts, places where they're more concerned about a primary challenger to the left than a viable Republican opponent.Skipping Trump's inauguration aftercalling him a childand then immediately deriding his inauguration speech is one way to fly your liberal flag.

The question now is whether this behavior is unique to Trump's inaugurationor if it will become the new normal in Washington, even beyond Trump. If it's the latter, we could be in for an acrimonious, Twitter-fueled new political dynamic.

Follow this link:
These Democrats just threw Olympic-grade shade all over Trump's inauguration speech - Washington Post

The word in Washington is that Donald Trump will deliver a unifying inaugural speech after he accedes at precisely noon to the presidency. And that he will pivot to a proper presidential persona.

Certainly the oath Trump is about to take the affirmation required before he enter on the execution of his office ought to be the occasion of national unity. Its an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.

What makes it so unifying is that every officer of the United States every legislator and judge, not just of the federal government, but of the state and county governments must be bound by oath to support the Constitution. New citizens, too.

So why are the Democrats so bitter? Why are some 50 members of Congress vowing to boycott the inauguration? Why is California hiring a former attorney general to fight the new administration? Why the incessant weeping and wailing?

The most persuasive theory is that it has nothing to do with meddling by the Russians or James Comey or the crustiness of Trumps campaign or his personal behavior. Rather, its something other than politics. Its almost psychiatric.

This was an insight I first heard from one of my journalistic mentors, Robert Bartley, editor of the Wall Street Journal. Shortly before he died, he wrote two columns on the anger of the Democrats.

Bartley comprehended that the Democrats fury went beyond politics and must have deeper, subconscious roots. His theory was that they were unable to deal with a sense they were losing their birthright.

What he meant was that, as he put it, base Democrats think of themselves as the best people: the most intelligent and informed, the most public spirited, the most morally pure. If thats whats at stake, no wonder theyre so devastated.

At the time Bartley wrote those columns late 2003 the Democrats were gearing up to run John Kerry for president. They seemed as confident of impending victory then as Hillary Clinton was just three months ago.

But, as Bartley warned in a particularly prophetic column, that confidence belied the weakness of the glue that held together the partys coalition. The Democratic Party, he wrote, has descended into a collection of interest groups not bound together by any ideals. It was floundering before the American people.

We see scions of inherited wealth berating the rich, Bartley wrote. We see supposed champions of civil rights standing in the schoolhouse door to prevent vouchers that might give a break to black children in the District of Columbia.

How those words echo today, as, say, a visionary advocate of school choice (and a billionaire to boot), Betsy DeVos, is up for confirmation as secretary of education. And as the rest of Donald Trumps cabinet of millionaires enrages the Democrats.

Bartley was particularly withering on the betrayal of JFKs vow made in his 1961 inaugural address to bear any burden in the cause of liberty, which the Democrats were, when Bartley wrote, then abandoning in Iraq as they had earlier abandoned in Vietnam.

Yes, above all the war, Bartley wrote. The self-identity of the Democratic base is still wrapped up in Vietnam, which had started as a liberal, Democratic war and could only be abandoned by assertions of a higher morality.

And now Trump is working with Congress on Kennedy-Reagan-style tax cuts. Its just too much for the Democrats. They cant process it. They may actually believe that the election is illegitimate.

All the greater the logic of a unifying speech and policies. If Trump gets the tax cuts and deregulation he wants, America will get the investment and jobs growth we need. America will be eager for immigrants.

To those whove been cast from power, I can hear Bartleys advice as clearly as I heard it when the shoe was on the other foot and the party I was rooting for had lost: Dont be afraid of the wilderness.

Bartley was loved for the strength and optimism he maintained during his wilderness years. He knew its miseries but also its joys, including the chance to think, to experiment and to regroup.

The Democrats wont be the only ones in the wilderness, either. Plenty of Republicans were routed by Trump. My own guess is that hell come to need them both. Its a time to remember that theyll all have been sworn to the same parchment.

Go here to read the rest:
Democrats' real fury is over their own collapse - New York Post

Story highlights

Close to 60 Democrats announced in recent days they would boycott President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration after Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and 1960s civil rights leader, said last week he didn't believe Trump is a "legitimate president" in the wake of the US Intelligence Community assertion that Russians meddled with US elections, and said he didn't plan to attend the ceremony at the US Capitol.

But the two-thirds of House Democrats who are going won't use the term "Obamacare" and instead the pins will use the phrase "#ProtectOurCare."

The pins, which are being handed out by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's office, will tout support for the Affordable Care Act, the official title of the health care law enacted in 2010, and will be distributed before House Democrats head out to the platform on the West Front of the Capitol.

Lewis wrote a letter to fellow House Democrats on Wednesday urging those who were attending to show support for the health care law. He thanked his colleagues for supporting his decision to boycott, but said for those going they should "demonstrate their commitment to the work ahead by showing their solidarity," on preserving Obamacare, which Trump and Republicans on the Hill are already working to dismantle as the first major move of the new Congress.

Texas Democratic Rep. Marc Veasey announced his decision to attend Trump's inauguration on Thursday to "serve as a reminder to the President-elect that as Members of the US House of Representatives, my colleagues and I constitute a co-equal branch of government."

He also said, referring to Lewis's push to defend the ACA, "I will be proudly wearing a symbol of solidarity for my friend and colleague, Congressman John Lewis."

This story has been updated.

See the rest here:
Democrats at inauguration to wear pins supporting Obamacare - CNN