re: #10 EPR-radar

Quoted from the previous thread. I agree that the media response to (D) candidates calling out the Republican party for being incapable of governance would be fierce opposition. And naturally Republican voters would squeal like stuck pigs at this characterization of their party.

However, there comes a time when truth-telling is required, and the simple truth is that the Republican party as a whole is garbage. Trump is a perfect representative of the party. He is not some strange outlier. Trump is a synthesis of all negative human qualities, and that is precisely why he won the 2016 GOP primary. That is the central fact of 21st century US politics, for now. Elected Republicans are the flaming hot dumpster fires that they are because their GOP constituents like that in their representatives.

IMO, any democrat who can bring back the “give ‘em Hell, Harry” approach to running for office will serve well.

I just think there’s a better way to convince people to vote for you than calling them terrible human beings. In most presidential cycles, the base for each major party nominee is about 40%. Figure about 3-5% going to third party candidates. That leaves somewhere in the neighborhood of 17-20% of the electorate up for grabs. In most elections, that 17-20% is going to break fairly evenly for whatever reason which is why most presidential elections have the winner somewhere between 48% and 53%. If you want to approach the ‘64, ‘72, ‘84 type landslide numbers, you’re going to need to convince an overwhelming majority of that 17-20% that they should vote for you. Telling half of them that they’re terrible people isn’t going to get the job done.

Again, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be said. But it needs to be someone who isn’t running for president, ideally a “liberal dean of the Senate” type would make sense. Someone not necessarily in leadership but who is seen as someone that the party respects. I’m just not sure who that would be today - a few years ago, I could see someone like Ted Kennedy being able to say something like that.