This morning I read an essay by Robert Reich, “The Life of the Party: 7 Truths for Democrats”. I know Reich is a controversial character on this blog, but nonetheless he raises points about the challenges that the Democratic Party faces that, at a minimum, are worthy of discussion. Anyone seriously committed to the future of the Democratic Party really ought to be engaging in debate together with others in the party who don’t align with their views, otherwise the notion of “Stronger Together” is merely an empty slogan.
The Reich piece states squarely that, based on the pattern of election results up & down the ticket over the past few elections, that is, based on the actual numbers, the Democrats are in serious trouble. Is there consensus here on that as a fact base, or not so much?
Shouldn’t Kossacks be trying to advance the debate between the populist wing of the Democratic Party and the more traditional top-down approach espoused by many incumbents and think tanks like Third Way? The influence of the latter wing, while quiet recently, is still quite prevalent.
If so, how can that dialogue be promoted on the blog such that debate does not degenerate so quickly into pie-fights?
Will we ever be able to agree on the issue of whether the election was lost just because of Russian interference versus problems with our election strategy/platform/candidate and other factors?
Shouldn’t we be trying to forge consensus about PAC’s versus small individual donations as the best election funding strategy?
How about designing an internal poll for registered Kossacks so that we can at least see how the differences in opinion break down among us?
Can this weblog help be an organizing factor in advancing the cause, or is best left as an ad-hoc soapbox for a wide range of irreconcilable political opinions?
Remembering Will Rogers’ famous quote “I’m not a member of an organized political party… I’m a Democrat.” — it’s a cute turn of phrase, but this lack of organization and consensus hurt us in these elections, and if Reich is correct, will pave the way to oblivion.