The Way Forward

ProfessorPlum

(11,415 posts) Sun Jan 26, 2025, 01:51 PM Jan 26

Democratic politicians need to act like they are trying to win popularity contests by being populists

not "obeying the norms" contests. Not "sanity" contests. Not "adult" contests.

Popularity contests. FDR wasn't a flaming radical - but he knew how to cast himself in the hero's role and ally himself with normal people.

Copy that just a little bit. I don't know why this needs to be spelled out. Even the precious donors should be able to understand that elections need to be won before anything good happens.

10 replies

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Democratic politicians need to act like they are trying to win popularity contests by being populists (Original Post) ProfessorPlum Jan 26 OP

Some of it seems so obvious. yellow dahlia Jan 26 #1

gosh who would have thought of this ... stopdiggin Jan 26 #2

second take stopdiggin Jan 26 #3

maybe you could provide a list of all of the branches of government Democrats control. I'll wait ProfessorPlum Jan 26 #5

and of course Fetterman will turn that corner for us. stopdiggin Jan 26 #6

Fetterman, for all of his weird unknown motivations, WON ProfessorPlum Jan 27 #7

populism is one thing stopdiggin Jan 27 #8

OF COURSE sanity is important. More than anything. I voted for the sane candidate in the last election ProfessorPlum Jan 27 #9

Unfortunately the leadership is risk averse and will continue the game of 'not as bad as those guys'. Voltaire2 Jan 26 #4

Talk about enhancing Medicare... raising SS benefits... WarGamer Jan 27 #10

yellow dahlia

(1,027 posts)

1. Some of it seems so obvious.

Reply to ProfessorPlum (Original post)

Sun Jan 26, 2025, 02:01 PM

Jan 26

I ask - where is our FDR? He was smart and savvy. He was intellectually rigorous and rigorously aware. He was sophisticated and affable. I am not an FDR biographer, so my observations are limited. But it seems to me one of the things that made him successful as the leader of our country during fraught times was that he was multi-faceted. He wasn't cookie cutter. IMHO

stopdiggin

(13,275 posts)

2. gosh who would have thought of this ...

Reply to ProfessorPlum (Original post)

Sun Jan 26, 2025, 02:08 PM

Jan 26

such handy and useful information! I'm sure all the Ds (who have obviously never considered .. ) will now trot right out there ....
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

a list please - of all the politicians who have decided to run on a platform of alienating the common man .. ? We'll wait.

stopdiggin

(13,275 posts)

3. second take

Reply to stopdiggin (Reply #2)

Sun Jan 26, 2025, 02:22 PM

Jan 26

and if was suppose to be some sort of endorsement of a Fetterman style .. ? Casting aside norms, (or 'adult', or 'sanity'?) Perhaps we're talking more - - Tlaib - - Bobert - - MTGreen - - RobertFitz K Jr.? (like these people are really taking hold ... changing the course ... )

Gosh this is gonna be fun! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ProfessorPlum

(11,415 posts)

5. maybe you could provide a list of all of the branches of government Democrats control. I'll wait

Reply to stopdiggin (Reply #2)

Sun Jan 26, 2025, 04:27 PM

Jan 26

stopdiggin

(13,275 posts)

6. and of course Fetterman will turn that corner for us.

Reply to ProfessorPlum (Reply #5)

Sun Jan 26, 2025, 05:59 PM

Jan 26

You might say we have difference of opinion here. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ProfessorPlum

(11,415 posts)

7. Fetterman, for all of his weird unknown motivations, WON

Reply to stopdiggin (Reply #6)

Mon Jan 27, 2025, 09:59 AM

Jan 27

by campaigning as a populist. Many other politicians do the same, including AOC, Bernie Sanders, FDR, the late great Paul Wellstone.

stopdiggin

(13,275 posts)

8. populism is one thing

Reply to ProfessorPlum (Reply #7)

Mon Jan 27, 2025, 12:43 PM

Jan 27

but your original OP began by nattering around ..
"not "obeying the norms" contests. Not "sanity" contests. Not "adult" contests."

Sorry - but 1) I happen to think that sanity is relatively important in our elected officials. With current events seeming to provide more than ample ...
and 2) FDR was a long, long way from the slouching incoherent mess that is Fetterman - who does nothing more than demonstrate in bold letters, why the election of 'novelty' candidates is almost certainly a losing proposition.

But - enjoy him while you can! - - - - - - - - - - - - - --