In an insightful 1952 book titled The Future of American Politics, Samuel Lubell introduced a clever metaphor to explain the Republican-Democratic political dynamics of the New Deal era.
As always, Dennis, you've helped us see the big picture and understand "the problem". It's now up to us to determine the path ahead.
My thought is that being AGAINST everything requires a lot less effort than to advocate sensibly FOR something. (E.g. Be against immigrants who take jobs - "Build The Wall!" - than be for a living wage.)
I also believe that the relatively simple-to-solve problems have already been addressed; the big issues can't simply be glossed over but require much thought, effort, and allocation of resources. (E.g. The DNR reports that over a dozen beaches in Iowa are now closed because of unsafe levels of E.coli. The easy solution will be to just have the DNR quit making those results public - problem solved! - rather than confront Big Ag practices.)
I also think the "mid-sized" Iowa counties (containing cities with politicians between 10,000 and 30,000) have become an enormous problem for Democrats. Most of these counties used to vote for Democrats like Harkin or Vilsack.
It’s worse than people think, because Republicans also have higher turnout than Democrats in Iowa midterms.
I walked through some scenarios for statewide candidates and it’s pretty hard to get to a win number for Democrats, even with a weak GOP field for governor.
These days Democrats only ask for money. I have not seen a single Democratic candidate or party person stop by our home or community to talk, find what our pain points are, or explain their value propositions. No wonder Democratic registrations and fundraising is in the doldrums. I keep wondering if I should cancel my membership in the party. I am not donating any more.
I think back to your example a column or two ago about the concrete block. Democrats need to figure out the concerns of that great mass of people and strengthen the bond to move with them.
As always, Dennis, you've helped us see the big picture and understand "the problem". It's now up to us to determine the path ahead.
My thought is that being AGAINST everything requires a lot less effort than to advocate sensibly FOR something. (E.g. Be against immigrants who take jobs - "Build The Wall!" - than be for a living wage.)
I also believe that the relatively simple-to-solve problems have already been addressed; the big issues can't simply be glossed over but require much thought, effort, and allocation of resources. (E.g. The DNR reports that over a dozen beaches in Iowa are now closed because of unsafe levels of E.coli. The easy solution will be to just have the DNR quit making those results public - problem solved! - rather than confront Big Ag practices.)
Though-provoking! Moon the Republicans, indeed! Thank you.
I also think the "mid-sized" Iowa counties (containing cities with politicians between 10,000 and 30,000) have become an enormous problem for Democrats. Most of these counties used to vote for Democrats like Harkin or Vilsack.
https://laurabelin.substack.com/p/how-mid-sized-cities-became-iowa
It’s worse than people think, because Republicans also have higher turnout than Democrats in Iowa midterms.
I walked through some scenarios for statewide candidates and it’s pretty hard to get to a win number for Democrats, even with a weak GOP field for governor.
https://laurabelin.substack.com/p/real-talk-on-the-long-odds-facing
Very useful data.
These days Democrats only ask for money. I have not seen a single Democratic candidate or party person stop by our home or community to talk, find what our pain points are, or explain their value propositions. No wonder Democratic registrations and fundraising is in the doldrums. I keep wondering if I should cancel my membership in the party. I am not donating any more.
Thanks for this, Dennis. Seeing numbers attached to the Democratic decline drives home what we all see and feel. We're floundering, for sure.
I think back to your example a column or two ago about the concrete block. Democrats need to figure out the concerns of that great mass of people and strengthen the bond to move with them.