The media is obsessed with telling us about the GOP's internal problems, from the Trump factor to Rand Paul going libertarian. In other words, every GOP difference is turned into a civil war and or a bloodbath. Yet, I find that things are rather peaceful on our side specially when we check out the other guys.
"That trouble was apparent at last weekend's Netroots Nation conference. Martin O'Malley, the former Maryland governor whose candidacy has made few ripples so far, was faced with "Black Lives Matter" protesters. His response, one that almost all Americans would agree with: "Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter." At which point he was booed off the stage. Similar treatment was given Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator who's been challenging Hillary Clinton's lead in polls in heavily white Iowa and New Hampshire. Sanders emphasizes economic issues — single payer health care, a 90 percent income tax bracket — but he appeals primarily to gentry liberals. "It would be a terrible mistake for the progressive movement to split into a 'black lives matter' movement and an 'economic justice' movement," laments Clinton administration labor secretary Robert Reich. But the fact is that the different priorities of gentry liberals and black activists, two heavily Democratic constituencies, are sparking heated arguments."
We will see how these differences play out. However, we are seeing two important consequences, maybe unintended, of the Obama years:
1) Too much of a personality cult and very little substance. Too much Obama and no effort to expand the party beyond him; and,
2) The 2012 reelection was a double edged sword. On one hand, it was a masterful vote gathering effort to get a bit under 51%. On the other hand, all of these interest groups are not a governing majority. The 2012 election left Obama in the White House but did little to develop the kind of farm system that the GOP has put together at the state level.
The Democrats are the ones at war with each other. It will get even more intense now that Hillary Clinton won't be skating to the nomination.
By the way, this civil war is actually not new. It really started in the late 1990s when the left walked out on Gore in 2000, i.e. 4 million voted for Nader. It's back and there are probably a lot more than 4 million of them this time!
Tags: The left vs left in the Democrat Party To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the My View by Silvio Canto, Jr. Thanks!
