Some progressives have been asking, "If Trump is so unpopular, why do Democrats keep losing?" This is a complex question with no one easy answer.
First of all, Trump is still popular among Republicans, particularly in rural areas. Even among traditional conservatives unhappy with Trump, we haven't seen much of a "negative coattail effect" of Trump dragging Republicans down.
Secondly, the five special elections that have all gone to the GOP have been in traditionally Republican districts that are also heavily gerrymandered to divide Democratic support.
It's also important to note that Democratic and Republican voters are very different. Republicans tend to be whiter, older, and rural or suburban. Democrats tend to be younger, better educated, urban, and ethnically diverse. These are obviously gross over-generalizations with many exceptions, but they are consistent with current demographics.
So what happens before they enter the voting booth? Potential Democratic voters often read their candidates' statements or voting records. They say things like, "In 1993 the Democrat voted against a gun control bill, so even though he now supports gun control he's not a 'true progressive.' I'm voting for Sally Schmegegge on the Chartreuse Party ticket." Or, "Even though the Democrat sponsored tougher financial industry regulations, she once served on an advisory board at Goldman Sachs, so she's obviously in the pocket of the corporations. Since both parties are corporate-owned, I'm not voting as a protest."
By contrast, Republican voters say, "I have no idea what the GOP candidate has done, but they're all crooks anyway, so what's the difference? All I know is that Democrats always want to raise taxes, and they let those disgusting queers get married. And they give money -- my tax money -- to illegal aliens! So I'm voting for what's-his-name on the Republican ticket." None of what they believe is true, of course, but they've heard the lies literally hundreds of times on Fox News or AM talk radio, and now they're 100% convinced that they're true.
So the DNC must give up the idea that if they tack toward the center -- if they sound like "GOP Lite" -- they will pick up the independents, and maybe woo a few disenchanted Republicans. It obviously hasn't worked. Republicans will ALWAYS vote Republican, no matter who's running. And independents are looking for a strong message. "We're sort of like Republicans, only not as evil" is NOT a strong message; in fact, it's no message at all.
Sum up the Republican message in four words. If you're like most people, you'll probably say, "Smaller government, lower taxes." In fact, Republicans rarely live up to that message. But every Republican stays on message, no matter what, so that even people who hate Republicans can recite it in their sleep. Now sum up the Democratic message in four words. No? Try six. Or ten. Can't do it, can you? That's because Democrats don't have a single coherent message. "Preserving the social safety net for all and providing better economic and educational opportunities for the disadvantaged" doesn't exactly trip off the tongue, does it?
Democrats must begin to assume that the average American voter has the attention span of a goldfish, and market themselves accordingly. What would happen if you could get people to answer, "What's the Democrats' message?" with, say, "Higher wages, social justice?" Might that inspire a few more voters to choose the candidate in the "D" column?
First of all, Trump is still popular among Republicans, particularly in rural areas. Even among traditional conservatives unhappy with Trump, we haven't seen much of a "negative coattail effect" of Trump dragging Republicans down.
Secondly, the five special elections that have all gone to the GOP have been in traditionally Republican districts that are also heavily gerrymandered to divide Democratic support.
It's also important to note that Democratic and Republican voters are very different. Republicans tend to be whiter, older, and rural or suburban. Democrats tend to be younger, better educated, urban, and ethnically diverse. These are obviously gross over-generalizations with many exceptions, but they are consistent with current demographics.
So what happens before they enter the voting booth? Potential Democratic voters often read their candidates' statements or voting records. They say things like, "In 1993 the Democrat voted against a gun control bill, so even though he now supports gun control he's not a 'true progressive.' I'm voting for Sally Schmegegge on the Chartreuse Party ticket." Or, "Even though the Democrat sponsored tougher financial industry regulations, she once served on an advisory board at Goldman Sachs, so she's obviously in the pocket of the corporations. Since both parties are corporate-owned, I'm not voting as a protest."
By contrast, Republican voters say, "I have no idea what the GOP candidate has done, but they're all crooks anyway, so what's the difference? All I know is that Democrats always want to raise taxes, and they let those disgusting queers get married. And they give money -- my tax money -- to illegal aliens! So I'm voting for what's-his-name on the Republican ticket." None of what they believe is true, of course, but they've heard the lies literally hundreds of times on Fox News or AM talk radio, and now they're 100% convinced that they're true.
So the DNC must give up the idea that if they tack toward the center -- if they sound like "GOP Lite" -- they will pick up the independents, and maybe woo a few disenchanted Republicans. It obviously hasn't worked. Republicans will ALWAYS vote Republican, no matter who's running. And independents are looking for a strong message. "We're sort of like Republicans, only not as evil" is NOT a strong message; in fact, it's no message at all.
Sum up the Republican message in four words. If you're like most people, you'll probably say, "Smaller government, lower taxes." In fact, Republicans rarely live up to that message. But every Republican stays on message, no matter what, so that even people who hate Republicans can recite it in their sleep. Now sum up the Democratic message in four words. No? Try six. Or ten. Can't do it, can you? That's because Democrats don't have a single coherent message. "Preserving the social safety net for all and providing better economic and educational opportunities for the disadvantaged" doesn't exactly trip off the tongue, does it?
Democrats must begin to assume that the average American voter has the attention span of a goldfish, and market themselves accordingly. What would happen if you could get people to answer, "What's the Democrats' message?" with, say, "Higher wages, social justice?" Might that inspire a few more voters to choose the candidate in the "D" column?
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