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Re: What does the Democratic Party stand for? [Opinion, July 25]: Thats way too simple to answer. Democrats stand for nothing.

A country song once said, Youve got stand for something or youll fall for anything. But in fairness, they are very proficient in obstructing and chaos.

Mike Chamberlin, San Clemente

Growing up, my parents were Republican, so in my early adult years I called myself a Republican, mainly because of my parents influence. As I got older and started paying attention to policies and practices of both parties, I switched to voting for Democrats but call myself independent.

I think the Democratic Party stands for the working people and families helping with fair wages and benefits we all need. They also protect our environment by not letting big companies pollute without regulation.

All I see from the Republican Party is tax breaks for the rich (that dont need it) including big companies. They represent big banks, taking donations from big oil people like the Koch brothers then voting in a man with no government experience but a catchy slogan (Make America Great Again) mired in unethical scandals and firing anyone who stands up to him or disagrees with him. It makes no sense to me.

The Democrats have to show the people that they stand for working families and the little guy not big business and special interests that pollute our air, water and soil. The choice is clear to me but not everyone looks through the same pair of glasses.

D.L. Marshall, Orange

Todays Democrats stand for socialism, deception, corruption, fake news, open borders, lawlessness, government rights over individual rights, individual non-responsibility, the political class, garnering votes by any means, abortions, the breakdown of the family unit, rewriting American history, the indoctrination of our youth, anything anti-white, anti-religious, anti-First and Second Amendment; and of course anti-Trump!

Jim Porterfield, Brea

It is hard to say what the Democrats stand for. It is much easier to say what they stand against, which is President Donald Trump, his family and anyone who ever has supported his election and policies. Their negative and seditious attacks through character assassination and slander have created an atmosphere of hatred toward the elected president.

Despicable hate speech, threats and the depiction of the severed bloody head of Trump in the style of terrorist. There was even a public play in Central Park where the actor dressed to look like the president was assassinated by knife. The list of the Lefts hate speech, which in other circumstances they would call a crime, continues.

This has gone way over the line of debate in a democracy and turned into violence as was witnessed recently when Republicans were targeted on a baseball field by a supporter of Bernie Sanders. As President Obama reminded us when he was in office and controlled the House and the Senate, the election gave him the power.

The Democrats have refused to accept the election and there has never been such drama and hate.

Frank Householder, Huntington Beach

The Democratic Party stands for doing everything possible to obstruct the Trump presidency while showing no concern for the welfare of the American people in the process. Talk about sore losers, the Democrats had one of the worst candidates for the presidency this country has seen in 200 years.

Now its time to put that behind them, act like adults and find a way to work with the Republicans.

Rodger Clarke, Santa Ana

A Better Deal: Better Jobs, Better Wages. That message seems very much like a component of the Republican agenda, but restricting it to jobs. We also know that goal is not attainable at any level that would impact society.

They need to message: Safety for our citizens. Reducing the size of the federal government. Working in alignment with the Constitution and retracting from those areas of government where the expansion is not authorized by the Constitution.

The Democratic Party brings no value to the table at this time because messaging is all about dumping Trump and it is a negative. In my opinion, they need to stop the Trump bashing and begin working with the rest of Congress to get things through and they need to show where they are cooperating.

Sharon D. Brimer, Lake Forest

As a life-long Democrat, I have found myself unable to vote for any candidate the Democrats have put up for election in many years. I see their agenda is to promote big government, taking freedoms away from the public, and increasing taxes to an unbearable level.

Their single-payer health plan scares the heck out of me. It would be nothing more than an uncompetitive HMO run by untrustworthy politicians.

Larry Bremer, Laguna Hills

I can tell you what Democrats used to stand for: The working guy, the middle class, entrepreneurs, civil rights, womens rights, voting rights, unions, ending poverty, providing a safety net for those who didnt have one.

Today they stand for Were not Trump. Just as the Republican Party continues as Were not Obama.

Regarding California, Democrats represent an oligarchy whose mission is to spend, tax, regulate and make it impossible for anybody whos not rich to live here.

Alan Graner, Anaheim

The Democrats I know stand for a world where we are all treated equal regardless of our gender, sexual orientation, age and the color of our skin. Equal pay for woman.

We believe in providing opportunities to those who have fewer resources and need the help through funding for early childhood education and ample funding overall for the public school systems. Assistance for childcare for those parents who want to work, single mothers, housing for the homeless.

I support Obamacare! I believe improvements can be made to the system. Dont throw it away improve it. I work full-time and my husband does as well and we have insurance but not everyone is so lucky. Our daughter who is a graduate student just lost her insurance when she turned 26 and now is covered under Medi-Cal. We are thankful for that.

I and many of our Democrat friends believe that universal health care is a right for all regardless of ability to pay. The corporations that rarely pay their fair share of taxes can pay more to support universal health care.

Linda Scotton, Huntington Beach

Politicians from both sides of the aisle are all promises and no action. Now the Democrats want us to believe they have a new agenda. Is it a coincidence that it sounds a lot like President Trumps agenda? The only difference is that he is living up to his slogan even as the obstructionist, resist movement continues.

The Democrats need to start relating to all of their constituents. The politicians still havent figured out why President Trump won. Its because he listens to the people and acts like a real person. He speaks to all the American people not just Republicans.

In 1988, Oprah Winfrey asked Trump if he would ever run for president. He said he would only consider it if he really thought the country was in trouble. Well, we were in trouble. Partly because politicians dont care what the people think anymore. They believe they know better than us.

President Trump is listening to us and responding to our wishes. The swamp has lost sight of what their function is. They are so afraid that President Trump is going to reveal their greed and take away the power they have enjoyed for so long, so they resist.

This is a new American revolution and the Trump administration is fighting it for us. I dont need to yell at the television anymore during the evening news because President Trump is there speaking for me finally someone is there. God Bless our president.

Ronald A Fante, Seal Beach

The rest is here:
Letters: Democrats are the party of nothing Orange County Register - OCRegister

They may not all be winners, but the sheer number of Democrats running for Congress so far greatly improves the odds of a donkey takeover of the House next year. Photo-Illustration: Daily Intelligencer; Photo: Getty Images

The slowly approaching 2018 midterm elections are the first test of the political durability of the GOPs control of Washington, and Democrats are anxiously scanning the horizon for signs of a gathering wave.

Wave elections those that produce a large swing in votes and congressional seats for one party tend to develop slowly. There are a few factors that tell us if the weather is right for a wave election: They most often occur during midterm elections under unpopular presidents, when previous waves have given his party an unnaturally large number of seats. While conditions are right at the moment, its hard to forecast whether theyll still be favorable in November 2018. One important factor, however, can be seen from a considerable distance: Are Democrats running in enough places to make broad gains possible if conditions are ripe?

A new study of campaign-finance filings from the Brookings Institution suggests Democrats are running for the House in unprecedented numbers: There were 78 early Republican challengers who had raised at least $5,000, which presaged the wave election that gave the GOP majority control in 2010. Democrats have 209. And these candidates are spread across the map, too: In 2009, the Republicans had mustered 50 legitimate candidates to challenge Democratic incumbents. The Democrats have doubled that.

Contesting a wide swath of House districts does not itself produce a wave election. But it does mean Democrats will likely be in a position to take full advantage of the opportunities that may exist.

In a discussion of this data, Kyle Kondik notes that at present there are probably not enough highly vulnerable GOP House seats to produce a Democratic takeover, using the House ratings published by Larry Sabatos Crystal Ball:

[T]here are now 26 Republican districts in the competitive Toss-up and Leans categories So Democrats can look at that list and say that if they can win the Toss-ups and Leaners, they will win the House because they need to net just 24 seats to take control. Thats technically true, but, as argued above, its not really realistic: Even in a horrible GOP year, Democrats wont sweep all of the top-tier races.

But while theres probably a ceiling on the share of competitive races the Democrats can win, if a wave is really developing, more and more races will become competitive.

Crystal Ball rates 28 additional GOP-held House seats as Likely Republican. It will not take too many of those moving into the Lean Republican or Toss-Up categories to make a Democratic House a much better bet. And that, in fact, is how waves usually develop: Relatively safe incumbents suddenly are in trouble, and others retire rather than face the ignominy of defeat.

In looking at House race ratings from Crystal Ball, the Cook Political Report, or other credible handicappers, the thing to watch may be how many vulnerable seats are held by each party (at the moment, only nine Democrats join the 26 Republicans in Crystal Balls list of toss-up or lean contests). If they are overwhelmingly Republicans, a wave could be on the way, particularly if, as seems to be the case, Democrats are conceding less ground and running more candidates than ever.

An undignified end for the Trump teams original outsider.

The president finished out his terrible week by calling Republicans fools and quitters while threatening to spike Congressional health coverage.

Sundays vote to elect a constituent assembly could further undermine the countrys democracy or unleash large-scale political violence.

The socialist nation is in free fall. The Times Andes bureau chief clues us in on whats going on and what might come next.

The first major legislation passed during Trumps presidency will be a bill he opposed and now has no choice but to sign.

A hack forever tainted in Trumps eyes by his one moment of decency.

The nuclear deal was meant to reduce the risk of war. With the president backing away from it, get ready for fireworks.

Its too early to tell whether Democrats have a real shot at winning back the House next year, but a big jump in candidates running is a good sign.

Donald Trump likes having generals around, and he really likes John Kelly. But can a Marine run a White House whose boss loves chaos above all?

Trump tweeted that he is proud of Priebus and all they accomplished.

Please dont be too nice, Trump told police in Long Island.

If the climactic vote on the skinny repeal had gone the other way, the result would have probably been the same: GOP failure, with much time lost.

The U.S. believes the missile used to send a satellite to space could be a precursor to an ICBM.

Brian Kilmeade says the same dumb thing Paul Ryan said a few months ago.

Republicans came within one vote of passing a health-care bill that they wrote over lunch and admitted was a disaster. Thats a national crisis.

Kasich has never bent the knee to Trump. But viable primary challengers to sitting presidents come from the fever swamps, not the sensible center.

Moscow is taking away a vacation home where U.S. diplomats walk their dogs and have cookouts.

Consider the violence the president has done to the structures of American democracy in just the past seven days.

A proposed zoning change to the area near Grand Central is set to remake the neighborhood for decades. But at what cost?

Republicans couldnt come up with a workable health-care plan, so they kept kicking the can down the road. The road finally ended in the Senate today.

Read this article:
Surge in House Democratic Candidates Could Fuel a 2018 Wave Election - New York Magazine

The Democrats message didnt catch on with the voters in the 2016 presidential election so they announced a new slogan that they hope will find favor with voters.

The new branding is A Better Deal. Of course, they hope to offer an agenda with a populist appeal also.

The new branding was unveiled outside the Beltway in Berryville, Va., in a district of one of the GOP House members they hope to defeat next year, Barbara Comstock.

The Democrats reached back to President Franklin D. Roosevelts era to come up with a new branding. In the 1930s, the Democrats under Roosevelt branded the party as the New Deal, which was a series of new government programs aimed to bring the country out of the Great Depression. The public works program and financial reforms did help. The public works program put people to work. There was high unemployment during the Great Depression, along with bank failures and the stock market took a nosedive.

A Better Deal emerged from months of internal debate and an analysis of polling and focus groups by the Democratic leadership. Democrats once considered the party as the one that represented the working class, only to have President Donald Trump take away much of that vote. Trump had greater appeal than Hillary Clinton, who never really had a message that caught on with voters.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on a talk show that in 2016 the Democrats failed to tell the voters what the party stood for. Hes still out of touch with reality. The voters rejected the Democrats because they knew exactly what the party stood for, and they didnt want any more of it. President Barack Obama was viewed as a failure, especially in foreign policy, and his liberal agenda was distasteful to voters. Obamas lead from behind labeled America as weak and indecisive.

The Democrats goals are to raise wages, lower costs for families and give working Americans better skills for the 21st-century economy.

President Trumps Make America Great Again slogan did have appeal. Because people know the Democrats leadership leans too far to the left. A Better Deal is not too exciting.

Read more from the original source:
Democrats' Branding - The Missourian

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) answers questions during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on the result of the Senate vote on health care on July 28. | Win McNamee/Getty Images

Democrats minimized their celebrations on Friday in the wake of the stunning implosion of the GOPs Obamacare repeal efforts, putting the onus on Republicans to embrace bipartisan fixes to the health care law.

After hammering President Donald Trumps party for months over its move to push through an Obamacare repeal with only Republican votes, Democrats pulled back on the criticism and tried to take the high road. Echoing the liberal activists who cheered Sen. John McCains dramatic decision to kill his partys repeal bill, Democrats heaped praise on the Arizona Republican as well as Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) for defying their own leaders and Trump amid intense pressure.

Story Continued Below

I dont think its a time for celebration or political victory, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York told reporters.

Schumer hailed McCain as a wonderful man and one of my closest friends in the chamber, and lauded Collins and Murkowski as amazing. He declined to point a finger at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose clandestine strategy to write a bill backfired in spectacular fashion in the wee hours of Friday morning.

People blame Mitch McConnell. I dont think thats fair, Schumer told reporters. I think there were deep, deep fault lines in what our Republican colleagues tried to do.

Schumer declined to discuss when he became aware of McCains decision to bring down the repeal effort he had voted to begin three days earlier. The New York Democrat said only that he and McCain spoke four or five times daily after the Republican returned to the Hill following a diagnosis of advanced brain cancer.

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John McCain is blessed with an internal gyroscope of right and wrong, Schumer said, expressing hope that the magic moment of McCains vote would spark a renewal of bipartisanship on taxes and infrastructure as well as on health care.

Schumer plugged three Democratic ideas to improve the health law, now seven years in effect, called the Affordable Care Act: a reinsurance bill, legislation giving counties without an Obamacare exchange provider access to one, and a measure making permanent the subsidies for individuals of low income that the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened to stop as leverage to cajole lawmakers into a repeal deal.

But McConnell and other GOP leaders view those solutions as little more than Band-Aids on significant problems with the law, casting doubt on the viability of the bipartisanship Schumer touted.

Itll be interesting to see what they suggest as the way forward, McConnell said of Democrats on the floor Friday. For myself, I can say and I bet Im pretty safe in saying for most on this side of the aisle that bailing out insurance companies with no thought of any kind of reform, is not something I want to be part of. And I suspect there are not many folks over here that are interested in that.

In the House, Democrats struck a similar tone at a news conference. The approach was a far cry from their caucus-wide celebration after House Republicans first failure to repeal Obamacare in March.

House Democrats crowded the podium at the time to cheer their GOP colleagues defeat. Pelosi later jumped for joy with liberal protesters on the front lawn of the Capitol, reveling in the victory.

But on Friday, House Democrats were downright subdued.

This isnt a moment for triumphalism, said Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee. I think theres enough goodwill from members on both sides to find a path forward and use this as a learning experience."

Pelosi, flanked by top Democrats on the various committees with health care jurisdiction, said there's now a rare window for the two sides to work together on some kind of solution.

Were in the minority, we recognize that. But weve stood ready with ideas and thoughts about how we can mend or improve the Affordable Care Act, New York Rep. Joe Crowley, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters. So its really incumbent upon them to join us and bring us to the table.

Democratic leaders called on Trump to immediately commit to continuing federal subsidies that lower deductibles for enrollees with low incomes.

The Trump administration has toyed with the idea of yanking the payments, known formally as cost-sharing reduction payments, which could trigger immediate chaos in the insurance market and cause premiums to skyrocket.

Only after, they said, can the two parties work together on a long-term solution that further stabilizes the insurance market.

Schumer said he talked Friday morning with Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), whom Ive always gotten along with, about possible next steps on health care. Pelosi said she also had reached out to Ryan, who was attending the GOPs weekly Friday meeting, but had yet to hear back.

I believe we will speak ... soon," she said.

A group of about 40 House Republicans and Democrats have been meeting quietly for the past month to look at ways to stabilize Obamacare. Separately, members of the pro-business New Democrat Coalition presented their own ideas to centrist Tuesday Group Republicans at a meeting of the two groups last week.

Still, Democrats made clear that if their bipartisan overtures fail, Republicans are the ones who will shoulder the blame.

The Republicans hold the White House, the Senate and the House and yet they are finger-pointing to us, said Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), who sits in a Trump-won district. Heres the reality of it. We stand here with open arms.

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Continue reading here:
Democrats curb their enthusiasm over Obamacare repeal fail - Politico

Theodore Roosevelt offered Americans a "Square Deal." His fifth cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, gave us "The New Deal." Modern Democrats, who have lost election after election, are now offering the country "A Better Deal."

Speaking in Berryville, Va., a small town that voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump and is represented by a Republican in Congress, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said, "Too many Americans don't know what we stand for."

Actually, they do know and that's why Democrats don't have the White House, why they lost their congressional majority and the reason they are in the minority in most state legislatures and governorships.

Standing on a platform with other aging, hard-left Democrats, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the "Better Deal" sounded like warmed over hash. Here's how The New York Times described it: "The policies combine left-leaning doctrine old and new a $15-an-hour minimum wage, a crusade against monopolies and efforts to lower prescription drug costs elevating issues Democrats expect to animate next year's midterm elections and supplying an answer to critics who accuse them of offering nothing but obstruction."

It would be nice if one of those monopolies targeted by Democrats were the public schools and the increasingly popular school choice option, which The Wall Street Journal recently noted is working to improve grades of especially poor and minority children. Don't look for that to happen, as Democrats aren't about to give up campaign donations from the teachers unions.

Wasn't the expansion of the Medicare program under President George W. Bush to include prescription drug payments supposed to have reduced costs? Not so. When the government gets involved in almost anything from college tuition, to drugs costs go up, not down.

As for the $15-an-hour minimum wage suggestion, we have heard this argument from Democrats in previous calls for its increase. A recent Harvard Business School study of restaurants in San Francisco found that every one-dollar increase in the minimum wage led to a 4 to 10 percent increase in the likelihood of a restaurant closing.

A University of Washington study on the minimum wage law's impact on restaurant workers in Seattle found that while hikes accounted for higher wages, the number of hours low-wage earners were allowed to work declined, producing a net loss in earnings. In other words, the restaurant workers earned more before the government mandated a higher minimum wage. Doesn't anyone in government understand basic economics, not to mention human nature?

Nowhere in the unveiling of their "Better Deal" is there any suggestion by Democrats that low-income Americans can, or should, work for the day when they are independent of government. As the party of government, Democrats have addicted millions of people to the notion that they are owed, or "entitled," to other people's money. Theirs is a party of envy, greed and entitlement, pitting the successful and envy of them against the less successful with little expectation that those at the bottom of the wage scale can, or should, rise from their current circumstances to embrace a better life.

The Times story called the Democrats' announcement "the battle cry of a party in the wilderness." Question: If a Democrat speaks in the wilderness, will anyone hear?

This latest effort to fool voters into believing Democrats have something new to say, or better policies to try, isn't a better deal, it's a raw deal.

Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.

Originally posted here:
Cal Thomas: Democrats' 'better deal' is a raw deal - Baltimore Sun