The obvious question is a vibe shift to what? It is not enough just to attack Trump and his policies if that is what they are. Last time I checked, we still have a two party system so the other party, the Democrats, whatever they are now, must reorganize and present alternative policies that will be attractive to center left, center and …
The obvious question is a vibe shift to what? It is not enough just to attack Trump and his policies if that is what they are. Last time I checked, we still have a two party system so the other party, the Democrats, whatever they are now, must reorganize and present alternative policies that will be attractive to center left, center and center right voters. The voters know Trump and what his administration is doing. Do the voters know who the leaders are among the Democrats at the district, state and national levels and what they represent? Do the Democrats know who their leaders are and what they represent as a party?
I hope they can get their act together and present some positive alternatives, but I'm not real optimistic. We're in an era of negative partisanship where neither party is as intended in being actually popular as much as they are just slightly less unpopular than the other. A primary system beholden to each fringe base is a huge part of that problem, and until we address that, I don't see how things will fundamentally change.
There is some hope. Although he will never be president, Governor J B Pritzker of Illinois, a centrist, has issued a loud and clear call for action from the Democrats and independents.
I'm an Illinoisan, and while we could certainly do worse than Pritzker, I'm hoping someone better will win the nomination. His administration has been adequate, but he hasn't done much to address some real structural fiscal problems here in the state (all of our own making, and only papered over by the federal pandemic funding that carried on through last year). Illinois is a solid blue state too, so he's not really doing much to push back against the progressive fringe faction and court the middle.
It would also be an odd look for Dems to nominate a genuine billionaire after excoriating them on their anti-oligarchy tour. Then again (and perhaps I'm just cynical), they would have the same attitude shift that Republicans did about tech CEOs and other elites: it's not really about their status, but what team they're playing for.
Ah, cool! So you got out comfortably before our pension debt bomb will go off. We live in Aurora now, but I grew up in north-central farm country, where my brother and mom still farm.
The obvious question is a vibe shift to what? It is not enough just to attack Trump and his policies if that is what they are. Last time I checked, we still have a two party system so the other party, the Democrats, whatever they are now, must reorganize and present alternative policies that will be attractive to center left, center and center right voters. The voters know Trump and what his administration is doing. Do the voters know who the leaders are among the Democrats at the district, state and national levels and what they represent? Do the Democrats know who their leaders are and what they represent as a party?
I hope they can get their act together and present some positive alternatives, but I'm not real optimistic. We're in an era of negative partisanship where neither party is as intended in being actually popular as much as they are just slightly less unpopular than the other. A primary system beholden to each fringe base is a huge part of that problem, and until we address that, I don't see how things will fundamentally change.
There is some hope. Although he will never be president, Governor J B Pritzker of Illinois, a centrist, has issued a loud and clear call for action from the Democrats and independents.
I'm an Illinoisan, and while we could certainly do worse than Pritzker, I'm hoping someone better will win the nomination. His administration has been adequate, but he hasn't done much to address some real structural fiscal problems here in the state (all of our own making, and only papered over by the federal pandemic funding that carried on through last year). Illinois is a solid blue state too, so he's not really doing much to push back against the progressive fringe faction and court the middle.
It would also be an odd look for Dems to nominate a genuine billionaire after excoriating them on their anti-oligarchy tour. Then again (and perhaps I'm just cynical), they would have the same attitude shift that Republicans did about tech CEOs and other elites: it's not really about their status, but what team they're playing for.
p.s. I know Illinois as I lived in a far northern suburb of Chicago for 32 years leaving in 2019.
Ah, cool! So you got out comfortably before our pension debt bomb will go off. We live in Aurora now, but I grew up in north-central farm country, where my brother and mom still farm.
Where did you move to?