With a seriously unpopular Republican president and congressional Republicans desperately attempting to pass an even more unpopular health-care bill only to fall flat on their faces, Democrats are anticipating big pickups in the 2018 midterms. And to increase their odds, they're trying to revive a group once left for dead: The conservative Blue Dog Democrats.
There it is in a nutshell as to why people call this a duopoly. They should call these Blue Dogs - Saboteur Democrats because their real job is to sabotage the progressive politics that the Corporate Coup hates.
Blue Dog Saboteur Democrats.
… the few remaining members of this caucus are working closely with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to recruit and fundraise for 2018 candidates.
Keyword, here: fundraise. This is all the explanation needed for an otherwise incomprehensible strategy. To be a good Democrat, you don’t need no stinking’ purity test. Just bring in the money and welcome aboard.
I honestly think the neoliberal core of the party values their power and position more than winning elections. Can’t have those filthy populists upsetting things. Who let them in?
Those who want change need to stop wasting time and resources on a party that fears and loathes change. There will be no change until a third or even a fourth party struggles though the muck to seriously challenge the Democrats.
If Progressive Democrats take over what happens next?
Assuming that everyone has his price, how can democracy survive the corporate bribes and threats? If the problem is the system, how can we solve it by shifting politicians around every four years?
Direct Democracy
When third parties get 1% of the vote, how can we place our hopes in them?
Check out Gallagher’s article today.
Blue Dogs do represent more conservative areas of the country so with regard to representing voters they make some sense, but they make it hard for the Democrats to pass anything even when they have a majority. It requires a lot to convince the Blue Dogs to go along, most likely things like we will vote for what you want if you vote for this or we will give you something to help this business in your state so you can claim you created more jobs. I guess they call it horse trading. That’s how bills get passed. But it is a lot better if the Democrats do not have to go through all that to get crucial votes from members of their own party.
Yep. Liberals are going to reform the D-party from within.
Sure. They’re going to do it while kowtowing to Blue Dogs.
Here’s a better idea. Destroy the D-party, then replace it.
Mr. Cooper is absolutely correct about the “Blue Dogs” and the 2010 mid-terms, which largely neutered the Obama presidency as far as any even mildly progressive legislation was concerned.
This is another critical reason for progressives to stick with the Democratic party, to be able to stop any Blue Dog resurgence at the primary level, then work like hell to change the party.
If progressives outnumbered liberals, that would be reflected. Am not advocating for the latter group, but on a fundamental level, this speaks for itself.
Right you are. I’ve been around since JFK vs. Nixon, and third parties are ALWAYS marginalized.
I wonder if a populist who supports single payer,outlawing corporate money in politics—could win in states like West Virginia. Arkansas, or Georgia.----Of course the current owners of the democrat party would not support these fundamental issues. So the "democrats must compete for the republican voters in these states.
Already there is a primary challenge to Joe Manchin—A coal miners daughter Paul Jean Swearengin–I hope others from a real progressive view will run in primaries in the south------stop buying into this corporate media BS about the south being to the right.
And lets get something straight —there is one real democratic leader in this country and it is Bernie Sanders.
I wouldn’t say the democratic party is destroyed. It is more like a decaying shambling zombie.
Wrong in comparison of the Sander’s party dynamics to Corbyn’s as outlined in Gallagher’s essay.
The British system is a multiparty system and several parties share the legislation function of its members of parliament. The US congress has the structure of essentially a two party system with a crazy electoral election process, and which is now also effectively a duopoly.
The English Labor Party as of late has had or has a gaggle of what we here in the US call neoliberals and its rank and file are well informed laborites who ultimately steer their elections along with members of other parties.
Alternatively, Vichy Democrats.
I refuse to vote for any Democrat that fails to endorse Medicare for all.
That’s a great point about refusing to vote for any Dem who doesn’t back Medicare for all! Keep spreading that word!
As long as the Democratic Party continues to attract corporate money it will not be destroyed. It will continue not winning elections but will continue to play its part in enabling the middle class’ downward spiral ultimately turning the US into the 1%'s neofeudal paradise.
“The US Government is a bird with two right wings, devoted to the perpetuation and expansion of corporate capitalism” - Lawrence Ferlinghetti
As a member of the Democratic Party I fully agree that the blue dogs should be pushed out of the Party if we ever want to win elections again. We are facing a difficult campaign when you consider all the Koch billionaire network money freely flowing to the hard right and who’s policies are being pushed and implemented at an astronomical pace in DC under GOP control. Bernie Sanders proved that a good majority of Americans are progressives and strongly oppose any and all of what the Republican hard right policies stand for, which is anti person pro corporate. It’s long been understood that anytime a democrat wore republican clothing and pushed republican policies he/she lost because republicans will vote every time for a real republican not a democrat disguised as one. And conversely real democrats want a real democrat with democratic values, not someone who’ll compromise with the devil or cave under corporate pressure. In my state, it took just two elections to flip 138 years of democratic control to the Republicans with the help of the Koch network who our Senator thanked for changing the politics of my state (southern). No to blue dogs Yes to Progressives.
I’m sorry, but yes there are those democrats who are sell outs, which is what this article was trying to convey, but please do not lump the entire Party into the same pile because the progressive wing of the democratic party is growing and growing fast. I’m seeing a real change in my county party and it takes people who want to see change joining, pushing and supporting the democratic party more to the left not whining about them.
