no subject

[lotesse]

I do believe that the Democratic Party is strong and healthy. Our leadership are good and competent, we've successfully moved our platform left over the last decade, we're espousing the right values. We have a strong organization, and a strong sense of unity. I contend that it is an error, now, to start tearing ourselves up looking for the thing that we did wrong. I think we did most things right. We are going to have to adjust now to a new landscape, and it is not time for the SJ and economic leftists to squabble; if we'd won, maybe, but we didn't and now everyone is needed.

I don't think we'd be papering over anything really important. Some things were less than perfect, but they are completely overshadowed by the international movement toward conservative white nationalism that has been growing in the world and that has now taken root here. Our only significant fault, I contend, was goodwill and compassion toward our enemy, who seemed weakened and sad, but who is apparently still strong enough to be a dangerous threat. I do believe this.

I believe that Hillary Clinton was a good candidate, that it was overall a good primary and a good general, that we fought well and cleverly. We did not prevail, but I do not think that we should abandon the course. This is a time for tenacity, not transformation. We already are the ones we need, we just need to keep working, keep listening, and protect the vulnerable among us as much as we can from what's to come.

Comments

[thistlerose]

YES. THANK YOU. I'm so tired of hearing about what a weak, flawed candidate she was. Weak how? I never heard a male candidate dismissed that way. I wanted to tear my cousin a new one for saying she didn't have a warm personality that drew voters in. (But I was merciful because he voted for her anyway.) I disagree with him, of course, but really, it shouldn't matter. Her position on the issues was the important thing. I believe she was motivated by a sincere desire to do good, and I'm gutted that we ended with essentially the opposite.

The left has never been good at agreeing on anything, unfortunately, while the right will flock to just about anyone.

[starlady]

Yes, all this. I'm still so angry about this, and how I can't even talk to half the people who voted for her because of their ideas about it.

[msilverstar]

I think we all made mistakes, all of us. I made a few measly phonecalls, some organized texting and some money: not enough. But we need to unite to fight back, that's for sure.

[lotesse]

Obviously we weren't perfect, because we didn't take the victory. But I think, equally importantly, that our course of action was correct. Sometimes you just don't win on the first try. But, following Dr. King and the union-builders, you keep your hand on the plow and hold on, you don't back down or give up the moral ground. The enemy was stronger than our force this time. We can try again.

I'm in mortal terror of the circular firing squads on the left; I don't want to lose the Democratic Party to this the way that the Brits lost the Labour Party in the Brexit aftermath, and I don't want to lose any of the ground that BLM, feminists, or socialists have recently gained. I'm worried that we're going to turn on each other instead of locking arms against our real opponents.

Some of this is coming from a personal place for me; I still can't talk to my father, who taught me to be political, without him ranting at me about Clinton's corruption and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and I'm finding the loss of his comradeship really demoralizing in this brave new world we've woken up in.

[msilverstar]

Your point about Labour is an excellent one, though there the leader didn't really participate in the referendum, leading a lot of people to disrespect him.

The Electoral College has been good to Dems, it hurts desperately that we won the popular vote and lost the election. Will we be smart enough and confident enough to get rid of it next time we're in power?

Non-violence is a good answer if we can focus long enough.

*hugs you in solidarity*

[lavendertook]

Agreed. And I love your letter to Hillary. And thank you for warning me that the first thing Dem guys will say is we can't run another woman, because I just got that fucking argument from my brother in email, and goddamn it's upsetting. *hugs*