How do you destroy the notion that Democrats are the good guys? Americans seem like a lost cause on that regard

You're viewing a single thread.

53 comments

I find "Democrats are useless" is a way to get your foot in the door without directly challenging their good-guy status. Highlighting how Democrats "fail" to accomplish anything because of the actions of other Democrats or when Democrats capitulate to Republicans and help them with their agenda is good agitation.
Chuck Shuemer voting for the Republican spending bill to prevent a government shutdown is a good example. The Democratic base is absolutely furious, it's time to highlight that Democratic leadership will never act as the opposition that their base actually wants.
- I find the problem is that liberals always take the individualistic viewpoint on this, and they'll fixate on specific people like Schumer instead of recognizing that there's a structural problem within the party. In my experience, discussing the fact that there are structural problems is a bridge too far for most people.
  
  That's true, but the fact that he's the minority leader helps. It's still individualism, but it's possible to point out that the party leadership is bad. That's not that far removed from saying "... and that's why we need to form a labor party"
  Many, sadly, will think they can just change leadership and the Party will be fixed. I think continually pointing out the contradictions and agitating with these examples still helps. We can wear them down!
  
  Yeah, I think focusing on the fact that there is a lot of historical precedent to go off is the best approach.
- Another good aspect of the "Democrats are useless" angle is that it doesn't overstate the case. You'll often find leftists talking about "controlled opposition" and similar arguments -- whatever the merits of those, they're not going to work on someone who's just finally considering that Dems might not be worth rooting for.
  People rarely radicalize all the way at once. It's a step-by-step process. Our job is to lead people step by step, not sprint ahead and then get frustrated when people don't immediately join us.

53 comments