Monday Open Thread | What Should the Democrats Stance Be In 2020?

Posted on July 29, 2019 by rikyrah

What should the Democrat’s stance be for 2020? Are they taking the threat of Dolt45 seriously? It isn’t just that he is a racist…we have had any number of clearly racist Presidents. He is a White Nationalist….and thus, a complete threat to anyone not White in this country.

 

 

Twitter thread from Tim Wise:

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
1/ If the Dems blow this election it will not be because they were “too far left on policy” or because they “weren’t left enough.” It will have little to do with policy at all. They are making a mistake caused by traditional consultant theory that does not apply here…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
2/ And by listening to influential pundits in liberal media who also don’t get the unique nature of Trumpism, relative to normal political movements & campaigns…this election is NOT going to be won by talking about all your “great plans” for health care, jobs, education, etc..

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
3/ And the reasons are several…Let me begin by saying that I have experience confronting the kind of phenomenon we see in Trumpism, and far more than most. Any of us who were involved in the fight against David Duke in LA in 90/91 know what this is and how it must be fought…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
4/ So before explaining what the Dems are doing wrong right now, a little history…In 1990, white supremacist David Duke ran for U.S. Senate in LA, and in 1991 for Governor. He lost both times but both times he won the majority of the white vote (60 and 55% respectively)…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
5/ I was one of the staffers of the main anti-Duke PAC at the time & ultimately became Assistant Director. In 90, even though our Director Lance Hill, myself & a few of our founders wanted to focus on Duke’s bigotry, ties to extremists and appeals to white racial resentment…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
6/ …after all, that WAS the issue–it was a moral struggle against racism–we had mainstream Democratic consultants who warned us against focusing too much on it. They said that “played into Duke’s hands” and allowed him to set the agenda….

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
7/ So sure, we could discuss his ties to Nazis & such, but we shouldn’t make a big deal out of his contemporary racist appeals, per se, bc “lots of voters agree” with those appeals…they even encouraged us to talk about utterly superfluous shit like Duke paying his taxes late..

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
8/ Or Duke avoiding service in Vietnam, or Duke writing a sex manual under a female pseudonym (yeah he did that)…although Lance held firm that we needed to talk mostly about racism, we did end up talking about some of that other stuff too, sadly…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
9/ I say “sadly” because doing that normalized Duke as a regular candidate. Attacking his generic character or bill paying habits (or even discussing his inadequate plans for job creation, etc) treated him like a normal candidate. But he was/is a NAZI…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
10/ And none of his voters were voting 4 him bc of jobs, or tax policy or support for term limits, etc. And none were going to turn on him over late tax payments, Vietnam, etc. Indeed throwing that stuff out there & downplaying the elephant in the room (racism) seemed desperate..

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
11/ It allowed people to say “well if he’s really this racist, white supremacist, why are they talking about all this other stuff?” It actually undermined our ability to paint him as the extremist he was/is. And as a result, the threat he posed was not clear enough to voters…

 

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
12/ And this didn’t just allow him to get votes he might not have gotten otherwise; it also depressed turnout among people who almost certainly disliked him but didn’t think he could win or would be all that big a deal if he did. In fact I recall convos with “liberals”..

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
13/ …Who said they weren’t going 2 vote bc after all Duke’s Dem opponent was just a shill for the oil and gas industry, and that was just as bad, blah blah fucking blah…because some lefties can’t tell the difference between corporatist assholes and actual literal Nazis…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
14/ But we bore some responsibility for that because we got suckered into playing this conventional game and “not playing into his narrative.” Anyway, Duke gets 60% of the vote, black and white liberal turnout is lower than it should have been and Duke gets 44% of vote…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
15/ In the Governor’s race we dispensed w/ all that bullshit. We talked about Duke’s ongoing Nazism and the moral/practical evil of his racist appeals. We discussed how that moral evil would have real world consequences (driving tourists and business away, rightly so, from LA)..

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
16/ Because it was wrong, and it was not who we wanted to be, and it was not who we were. We were better than that and needed to show the rest of the country that…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
17/ Now, did this flip any of Duke’s 1990 voters? Nah, not really. Indeed he got 65k MORE votes in the Governor’s race than the Senate race. But it was never about flipping them. We knew that would be almost impossible…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
18/ To flip Duke voters would require that they accept the fact that they had previously voted for a monster, and people are loath to do that. Our goal was not to flip them, but to DRIVE UP TURNOUT among the good folks, many of whom stayed home in 90…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
19/ And that is what happened. The concerted effort of the anti-Duke forces (not just us), challenging Duke’s “politics of prejudice,” and making the election about what kind of state we wanted to be, drove turnout through the roof…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
20/ 28,000+ registered on one day alone, between the initial election and runoff (which Duke made bc of the state’s open primary system), with tens of thousands more overall: most of them, anti-Duke folks…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
21/ When it was over, Duke had gotten 65k more votes than in 90, but his white share went to 55 (from 60) and overall to 39 (from 44) because the anti-Duke turnout swamped him…So what does this have to do with 2020 and Trump? Do I really need to explain it?…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
22/ First, trying to flip Trump voters is a waste of time. Any of them who regret their vote don’t need to be pandered to. They’ll do the right thing. Don’t focus on them. That said, very few will regret their vote. They cannot accept they voted for a monster or got suckered…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
23/ Duke retained 94% of the folks he got the first time out (and got new people too), as Trump likely will. So forget these people–or at least don’t wast time tailoring messages to them. And policy plans for affordable college don’t mean shit to them, nor health care…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
24/ Their support for Trump was never about policy. It was about the bigotry, the fact that he hates who they hate…Second, as for the “undecideds.” …Not many of these but seriously? If you’re still undecided at this point about this guy.

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
26/ If anything, I would say crafting an argument that this is an existential crisis for the nation–and making it about Trump’s bigotry and who we want to be as a country, would be far more effective in inspiring them to make up their minds…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
27/ And what I know for a FACT is that this message–that Trumpism is a threat to everything we care about and love about this country–is what will inspire the Dem base to vote…and THAT is what this election is about…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
28/ I’m not saying the Dems don’t need policy ideas, but focusing on wonky, look-how-much-I’ve-thought about-this stuff is not going to move the needle in 2020…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
31/ People who say the Dems should ignore Trump’s race baiting because its some genius political strategy calculated to distract us, are idiots. He is no genius. And if you downplay it you NORMALIZE him. If you make this about policy, you NORMALIZE him. He is a racist…

Tim Wise (@timjacobwise) Tweeted:
32/ He is a white nationalist. He is an authoritarian. He and his cult are a threat to the future of the nation and world because of their hatreds. His movement betrays the country’s promise. THAT is the message that will drive turnout. Not debates over marginal tax rates… https://twitter.com/timjacobwise/status/1152933097870102534?s=17

 

This entry was posted in 2020 Elections, 2020 Presidential Campaign, Open Thread, Politics, Uncategorized, White Supremacy and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

70 Responses to Monday Open Thread | What Should the Democrats Stance Be In 2020?

  1. eliihass says:
    July 29, 2019 at 11:24 pm

    By the time this election cycle is done, shilling folks like Bakari Sellers would’ve done some serious damage to the Democratic Party for the long-term..

    FYI to him and others..

    Contrary to his/their insistence (but only selectively and solely conditioned upon their particular candidate being the nominee)..

    There will be no ‘uniting’ the party behind their candidate – if their candidate somehow manages to get it by some fluke …and certainly not after the endlessly gratuitous disparaging and unnecessary insults targeted at previously respected Dems… definitely not a good strategy..

    This was not necessary.. And contrary to the off-hand dismissals preemptively warning Sellers, Angela Rye, Keith Boykin and others to cool it, no, that is not how Candidate Obama ran in 2008..

    Folks could’ve easily sold their candidacy/candidates and their platform(s), without the public insults, disrespect, disparaging of others..

    That would’ve shown real character …but also a sure-footed candidacy grounded in policy.. and standing out by being versed in policy and having an implementable vision and the necessary integrity and character that transcends shamelessly ruthless political opportunism and ambition..

    Can’t repeat it enough..

    Sure, the treasonous buffoon sucks..

    But this slate of Dem candidates (and their less than impressive surrogates), is already pretty weak..

    And beating each other up not only won’t cut it, but will only ensure that already disillusioned Dem-leaning voters are put off entirely …and mostly stay home again, as do the supporters of the losing candidates who either spitefully vote for the buffoon, write-in candidates or stay home..

    Bakari Sellers and others are seriously overestimating the extent to which folks will forgive/patch things up and ‘unite’ after this unnecessarily ridiculously stupid attacks on Dems by Dems …instead of simply selling their policies and the candidates..

    I’ve been as usual politically sleuthing and feeling a diversity of folks out on the ground.. and just as I’ve suspected, nothing I’m hearing jives with what folks like Bakari etc. are selling..

    Folks aren’t stupid.. and they do know the difference..

    The fluffing up of shallow, artificially ‘shiny’, mediocre candidates isn’t exactly fooling most people..

    And attempts at pretending that there’s somehow some same parallel to the early days of 2008 and the Obama candidacy, are delusional.. folks aren’t going to ‘wake up’ and rally in the same way they did for Candidate Obama.. it’s not the same scenario playing out..

    Folks may have been nervous/unsure that the country/white folks was/were ready to vote for a non-white …and were worried about his safety …but folks had no doubt that he was the one… folks were actually inspired and impressed with then candidate Obama.. un-memorable/‘bad’ debate performances and all notwithstanding.. He was much more than a ‘token’ fluffed-up candidate with the ‘right look, biography, and shallow platitudes’ that would ‘appeal’ to and not ‘threaten’ .. And most folks didn’t get the sense that he was just an ambitious political opportunist …

    He had a depth of character, conviction, and a discernible vision… a certain and superior mind..

    That’s not what we have going on here today..

    Folks for the most part, see right through the sham..

    And as I’ve shared already, as awful as things are right now, and as oppressive as the treasonous buffoon is, many people have made their peace with this situation that they’ve been forced to live with.. And few are as invested in the battle against it all …and even fewer are invested in this particular slate of Dem candidates .. And it’s not because it’s ‘still early’..

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      July 29, 2019 at 9:22 pm

      He’s a flimsy opportunistic weaselly dud..

      Doubt he’ll make it..

      Probably a deflection decoy for the even more offensively subpar traitor that they’ll be wheeling out once this sham of a thing fails..

      Reply
  3. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 7:18 pm

    Ed Overbeek (@EdOverbeek) Tweeted:
    Dan Coats is gone because he wanted to stop Russian interference. John Ratcliffe is getting the job because he doesn’t. It’s as simple as that. https://twitter.com/EdOverbeek/status/1155882893094211584?s=17

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      July 29, 2019 at 9:40 pm

      It’s quite frightening and seriously wild when folks have been cornered into a grudging defense of really awful veteran right-wingers like Dan Coats who had no qualms normalizing and legitimizing a treasonous buffoon – and even actively angled for and accepted a prime taxpayer gig with the racist buffoon …and only because he was eventually kicked out by the buffoon …and is to be replaced by an even worse right-wing political hack..

      And no, Dan Coats didn’t take the gig with the treasonous buffoon because he was a ‘patriot’ or out of a sense of patriotic duty.. And no, he wasn’t there because he was trying to ‘contain’ the treasonous buffoon.. or looking to be the adult baby sitter looking out for country..

      They’re all different degrees of self-serving, grifting, power-hungry, unpatriotic right-wing opportunistic hacks.. All me-first, country be damned kinda folks..

      Reply
  4. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 29, 2019 at 6:08 pm

    The judge is truly fucked up for letting this guy continue to walk and violate his order. WTFF?

    ‘Keep Up These Racial Disparities’: Protester Kicked Out of Courtroom for Blasting Judge Who Freed Armed White Nationalist

    Shawn Pratt speaks up during Max Misch hearing

    Reply
  6. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 29, 2019 at 5:52 pm

    Twitter limited some of my features, y’all. Because I responded to the tweet below with

    stupid stupid moron…………

    https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1155851161230106624?s=20

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      July 29, 2019 at 8:55 pm

      Until they of course get in the privacy of the voting booth.. and there will their true decision be made..

      We know this too well, fam.. white supremacy is a hell of a drug..

      It’s the only reason it’s all crickets nowadays from the very same raucously opinionated crowd who never shut up from 2008-2016… folks who challenged every single thing every single day.. high-profile folks and nobodies alike… folks who had an opinion on just about everything… and challenged every policy, every nomination, every expenditure, every last facial and unspoken expression, and every single movement of the historic president and First Lady..

      Suddenly in the face of a basic grifting criminal con treasonous buffoon and his vacuous, imported, illiterate, lying Birther moll running roughshod over the country, the constitution and our most basic mores, values… brazenly and willy-nilly running up the tab footed entirely by the American tax payer, and violating and breaking laws and just about everything else, and daring folks to do something about it…

      And these formerly opinionated folks who were always quick with their attacks and critiques…and poking fingers in the eyes of the historic first couple, are all mostly lost for words these days.. or too busy hand-wringing or tweeting – some even while actively or on the down low, sucking up to, auditioning for a gig with or access to power/influence/relevance courtesy of the treasonous buffoon.. With most hiding behind insanely disingenuous and lame, weaselly gaslighting and baselessly convenient lie-based narratives and cop-outs – including about the criminal treasonous buffoon’s ‘strong base of support’, ‘genius transactional diplomacy’, ‘economy, good’ crap..

      Same raucous folks who’d be endlessly outraged and go on rampages finding fault and nit-picking to death and poo-poohing every single policy proposition, decision, appointment, staffing decision, every single time the historic president announced a policy, hiring pick etc.. no matter how well-thought out or well-qualified, responsibly implemented..

      Same folks are all now silent or complicit or shrugging it all off, as a criminal, traitorous, vacant, policy-absent, incurious, grifting, buffoonish Russian asset is actively selling state secrets in exchange for loans and lucrative personal business opportunities present and for the future, and installing low-level loyalists and fellow mediocre, traitorous, grifting, dumb Russian assets in our most important and top sensitive democratic institutions …including our Intelligence agencies, the judiciary etc..

      It’s also incredibly sad to have to say this, but the truth is, if the treasonous Birther moron had not in fact been Vlad-recruited/installed to specifically torpedo Hills, she and Bill (who never shut up for 8 years and was always on the tv offering his usually contrarian opinions that were designed to undermine the sitting historic Dem President – but somehow is now completely mute and MIA – even as the real threat, the dumb, incurious, treasonous buffoon who stole the elections and position from his wife, continues to attack her and with nary a whimper out of Bill!) would still be pals with the viciously racist Birther buffoon.. who they remained ‘fond’ of even as he very publicly peddled his racist Birther lies, incited hate and death threats against the historic First Couple and their 2 minor daughters …and endangered their lives..

      As would those like Booker, Harris, Gillibrand who all actively sought out and accepted donations and support from the very same treasonous buffoon – at the very same time as he very actively and very publicly peddled his vicious, racist Birther lies..

      Racist white supremacist money – no matter how dubiously amassed – talks… and bullsh*t walks..

      These folks ain’t loyal, fam.. They’re greedy, self-serving opportunists.. lacking in integrity, character, conviction …they didn’t care one wit as they shamelessly kissed up to, solicited support and measly donations they could’ve as easily done without and rejected, from a racist buffoon who was at the very same time actively spewing demeaning, disrespectful racist crap – and worse, inciting death threats against our historic First Family..

      As for those blue-collar white women … they can tell the pollsters what the want to hear, but in the end, they’ll do exactly what they do in the privacy of the voting booth..

      The modern-day iteration of the white supremacist genie has officially escaped the bottle.. and it’s (and all of its beneficiaries and benefactors too!) having a whale of a time wielding the unchecked power that brazen, in your face, unrestrained white supremacy now affords at the moment… and it’s going to be hard to force that genie back in the bottle..

      Reply
  14. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 3:44 pm

    she can literally wear ANYTHING!

    Naomi Campbell dazzles in a billowing blue kaftan as she attends a charity forum in Senegal
    By NIOMI HARRIS FOR MAILONLINE

    PUBLISHED: 03:54 EDT, 29 July 2019 | UPDATED: 04:01 EDT, 29 July 2019

    She is an iconic supermodel who is also known for her charity work.

    And Naomi Campbell looked sensational as she lent her support at the SEED Hoop Forum in Dakar, Senegal on Friday.

    The catwalk Queen, 49, appeared in high spirits as she rocked a billowing blue kaftan and jazzy trainers as she addressed the crowd at the charity event.

    Reply
  15. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 3:04 pm

    Why no legalization of marijuana in NY State?

    According to the Times, some progressive legislators want to commit marijuana revenue to communities that have been most negatively impacted by the war on drugs. But Cuomo has resisted those proposals, instead favoring legislative language that would give the executive branch — and the governor — more control over what to do with cannabis revenue.

    I’m glad the Black Caucus stood together, and wouldn’t let go of their demands in exchange for their votes. If they didn’t want to do right by communities devastated by the ‘ Drug War’, then phuck em.

    Why DA PHUQ does he think he deserves a slush fund….phuck outta here.

    Reply
  17. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 2:33 pm

    Did you know about this?
    I read all kinds of stories about that shooting, and do not remember this-AT ALL😠😠😠

    https://twitter.com/samswey/status/1155909038544216066

    Reply
  18. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 2:26 pm

    Melinda Katz declared victor in Democratic primary race for Queens DA by just 60 votes, Tiffany Cabán to challenge results
    By CATHY BURKE
    NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

    Melinda Katz was declared the winner of the June Democratic primary race for Queens district attorney by a razor-thin 60 votes in a quick-and-quiet city Board of Elections certification Monday afternoon.

    “The board has worked tirelessly to ensure that every vote is counted accurately and correctly,” Board of Elections President John Zaccone declared at the less-than 10-minute meeting.

    The board certified the count as 34,920 votes for Queens beep Katz and 34,860 for public defender Tiffany Cabán.

    But the fight is far from over

    Reply
  19. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 2:19 pm

    Not shocked in the least.

    REVEALED: Racist final Instagram posts of ‘Gilroy Garlic festival shooter’ quoting anarchist book and complaining about ‘Silicon Valley’ moments before he opened fire on terrified crowds, killing three including a six-year-old boy

    The gunman was named on Monday as Santino William Legan, a 19-year-old
    He was shot dead at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California at 5.41pm Sunday
    An Instagram account run in his name complained about ‘mestizos’, a slur for a mixed race person
    It also complained about ‘Silicon Valley twats’ and posted photographs from the festival itself
    Witnesses say he was dressed in army fatigues, had a handkerchief around his neck and had an assault rifle
    When asked why he was firing into the crowd, witnesses say he replied: ‘Because I’m really angry’
    Police say he got into the festival by using bolt cutters to get through the metal fences surrounding it
    The event, which attracts 100,000 every year to Gilroy (the garlic capital of the world), had metal detectors
    Authorities believe the gunman had help and they are searching for his ‘accomplice’
    One of the three people killed was six-year-old Steven Romero of San Jose, California
    Fifteen people were also injured and many remain in various hospitals in the area
    By JENNIFER SMITH and MEGAN SHEETS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

    PUBLISHED: 12:51 EDT, 29 July 2019 | UPDATED: 12:56 EDT, 29 July 2019

    Reply
  20. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 11:34 am

    But at the signing ceremony at the White House, there was a notable absence: No Democrats were in attendance. Trump had invited eight members of Congress in total. All of them were Republicans, including Sen. Deb Fischer, from Nebraska. This was by design. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) was the lead author of the 9/11 fund bill. But a spokesperson for her office confirmed to The Daily Beast that she was not invited to the event. Her collaborator on the measure, Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) was, by contrast, at the signing ceremony, his office confirmed. A source familiar with the invitations said that both Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, both of New York, were invited to the ceremony. But the invitation came at 12:25 a.m. on Saturday.

    Reply
  23. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 9:43 am

    If this empty-suit, race-hating fraud had to actually visit West Baltimore for five minutes and meet any of the American citizens who endure there, he’d wet himself. https://t.co/QBSed1S4c8

    — David Simon (@AoDespair) July 27, 2019

    Reply
  24. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 8:59 am

    ICYMI:
    Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny wasn’t only jailed by Putin…he’s also been poisoned.

    Reply
  25. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 8:53 am

    Kamala Harris Releases ‘Medicare For All’ Plan With A Role For Private Insurers

    https://www.npr.org/2019/07/29/746051105/kamala-harris-releases-medicare-for-all-plan-with-a-role-for-private-insurers

    Reply
  26. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 8:52 am

    First on CNN: Booker reaches donor threshold for future debate

    Reply
  28. SouthernGirl2 says:
    July 29, 2019 at 8:19 am

    Cuteness alert. Read the comments. *crying laughing*

    https://twitter.com/AnwarRichardson/status/1155647435219357698?s=20

    Reply
  44. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 6:39 am

    😠😠😠

    Sandi Bachom (@sandibachom) Tweeted:
    I produced commercials for Trump casino in 1986 Donald Trump told us that he didn’t want any black people, “n***ers”on the track or on camera. This guy has been a racist since his KKK father spawned him and they refused to rent to black people in NYC https://twitter.com/sandibachom/status/1155563948294443009?s=17

    Reply
  51. rikyrah says:
    July 29, 2019 at 3:18 am

    Good Morning, Everyone 😊😊😊

    Reply

Leave a Reply