Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Politics In General National Commission to Investigate the January 6

I don't know Greger. If anyone told me 20 years ago that West Virginia would be solid Republican in 10 years, I would have told them they're crazier than bat doo doo.

You couldn't find a more solid Democratic state. But that was a very conservative Democratic state. Perhaps the Democrats they were electing were only in name Democrats as we know them today.

I know here in Georgia we continued to elect Democratic governors, state legislatures, senators and house members until 2002. But they were for the most party conservative to moderate, no progressives among them. But they all counted as members of the Democratic Party when it came to control of the House and Senate.

You could be right, time will tell. Now there's a big difference between the two states, Georgia is around 35% black, West Virginia is just 3%. It's much easier to a Democrat to win here in Georgia as the Democrat can count on 90-95% of the black vote. While the Republican candidates must get around 70% of the white vote. Getting 90-95% of the black vote in West Virginia is basically meaningless. Democrats must first find a way to attract white voters there. Which means the Democrats in West Virginia must come up with some very conservative candidates, no progressive like they had done in the past.

Poor white people need the same things that poor black people need.

Republican policy will never deliver those things.

It will never deliver a living wage. It will never deliver healthcare. It will never guarantee education.

It WILL snatch your unemployment check to force you back to a job with bad pay and no benefits.

It's entirely up to West Virginians to choose their future. From my viewpoint pretty much all Democrats are fairly conservative. West Virginians likely more than most.

It's really just a waiting game until these dumbasses realize they've been had.

Perhaps, but voting against one's own interest is a very common occurrence. I'd say at least 60% vote based on the letter behind a candidates name and not whether that vote will help or hurt the individual voting.

From your point of view Democrats are fairly conservative. I place them as far left. Now those are individual opinions. The GOP is totally off track and stands for nothing these days outside of being for Trump. At least the Democrats have an ideology they're trying to adhere too. Score a point for the Democrats.

You're pretty much right. There is, however, a problem. The Dems just don't want to upset the GOP by saying that kind of stuff. Last night I was watching Lindsey Graham talk about how Trump would have put Putin in his place over messing with our major company's software hacks. Then somebody else pointed out how poorly he did with Putin when he had a chance - basically he said Russia just wouldn't do that because he said so.

This is the kind of stuff that needs to be fed to the GOP base every hour or so. Just hammer it into their thick heads! Oh, I know, the kindly Dems wouldn't do anything like that. That would be just pure mean and they are terribly concerned about that? The Dems should create a book of GOP lies, all of them, and then distribute that to their Dem candidates - just for starters. I know, not gonna happen!

The solid base of either party won't be persuaded no matter what one does, points out, says, proves or anything else. They'll continue to vote the letter, not necessarily the candidate or even the party's ideology, you name it.

The battle comes down to convincing the swing voters. Independents. Those who don't adhere to either party's political philosophy and aren't absolute loyalist to either party as their bases are.

A lot of folks think swing voters, independents fall in-between the two major parties political philosophy and agenda. They're centrist or moderates. That's not really the case. They support one party's agenda and philosophy on some issues, but oppose them on others. They're not cut and dried robots willing to accept everything one party or the other stand for. But they do have hard feelings on the issues they're for and on the issues they're totally against.

Where does an individual fall party wise if they're pro-choice and pro-2nd amendment? Have hard, solid feelings about both. They can't be Republicans because they're pro-choice and they can't be Democrats because they're pro-2nd Amendment. They don't pass either party's litmus tests. Hence they become swing voters, voting for one party one election, the other party the next.

Trump has done an excellent job of getting swing voters to vote Democratic the last two elections, 2018, 2020. Hammering the GOP will only work so far, for an election, for maybe two before differences in the issues arise again.

Perhaps the Democratic Party needs to say to these swing voters, it's okay to be pro-life or pro-2nd amendment, you can disagree with us on those issues, but back us on the issues you agree with. Come home to us, we won't make you feel like an outcast because you differ with us on a few issues.

That may work better than hammering the GOP. The Republicans aren't going to try to make anyone feels at home. Perhaps go back to the idea of the big tent tent party that was the democratic party pre-Reagan. when an average of 45% of the electorate identified or affiliated themselves with the Democratic Party. It's been the democratic Party that folks have left, they're down to a bit over 30% these days. The GOP has rarely ever rose to 30% since FDR. Try making folks feel they have a political home even if they disagree with you on a few issues. Do away with the litmus tests. The Republican Party won't.

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/interactives/party-id-trend/

I have been wondering. I wonder if it would be possible to restrict lying on TV. WE own the wavelengths and I think that them that broadcast on TV can be controlled. So, making a rule that said something to the effect that lies that are flat out lies shouldn't. I know, right to say anything. So, how about forcing them that lie to have a running stream, at the bottom simply saying "lies, lies, lies, lies"? They get to run their mouths and the state can force them to state what they are doing? How about forcing TV stations, all of them, to do that?

If they are on the news, if they are claiming to be telling the truth, etc. nail 'em! We, for instance, see somebody on TV talking about losing a brother, husband, etc. to Covid because they believed in what some idiot said. One would think that the ambulance chasers would be on that one like stink on sh*t?

There's gotta be a way!

Yes they should reach out to the rightwingers....welcome them into the fold...like they have the lefties.

Then shoot 'em down anytime they express those beliefs...

I'm okay if you don't like abortion...don't get one if you don't like them.

I'm okay with guns too. I don't own any but I don't mind if you do. As long as you don't shoot up a school with it.

So what is it exactly makes you think the dems are far left...the far left is where the socialists live and they aint no dems over here...

I'm not talking about reaching out to right wingers. I'm not talking about reaching out to Republicans in general. I'm talking about swing voters, independents. Those who ideology is either in-between the two major parties or the ones who support the GOP sometimes and the democrats sometimes depending on the issue. Some folks will call these people moderates, some centrist.

Reaching out to right wingers or republicans in general is a total waste of time. The Democratic Party got rid of their conservative wing a long time ago, the GOP did the same for its liberal wing. Then both parties started to get rid of their moderates.

Do you really believe if I said I was pro-life I could run for office as a Democrat? I think two 2020 democratic primaries proved the answer is no. Two incumbent pro-life Democratic congressmen were primaried out. Payback was the democrats then lost both of those seats in the general election. Not a smart move election wise. But I would wager the democrats in those districts where happy as hogs in slop they got rid of two pro-life incumbent democrats even though their candidates lost in the general.

Even as a rank and file member, I'd probably be treated as an outcast. Not trusted. By the way, I'm not pro-life, that's just an example. A good one since two incumbent pro-life Democratic congressmen were primaried out only because they were pro-life. No other reason.

Wouldn't it ironic if in 2022 the GOP picks up say, 7 seats for a 219-216 majority, take control of the house. Do you think the democrats would wish they had those two incumbent house members back? Probably not, I imagine those democrats in those two districts are saying good riddance to them.

Regardless, I see nothing wrong in an outreach program for the non-affiliated in an effort to get them to become Democrats for the first time or rejoin the democratic party if they left. But this is me, not you. Frankly, as a swing voter, non-affiliated, I really don't care if the democrats reach out or not. I imagine the democratic party isn't interested in attracting the non-affiliate swing voter into their party anyway.

There is no universe imaginable in which reaching out to the right would be worthwhile. What meme would they use ... Mr Trump is coming after all the satanic Democrat pedophile baby eaters? Their political delusions are so strong they would believe it is a liberal conspiracy if you said the world is not flat.

Better to save reaching for the rational folks out there

would you consider swing voters, the non-affiliated rational folks, rational? After all they make up the largest group, independents 40% followed by Democrats 31% with republicans 26% of the electorate bringing up the rear.

when I brought up an outreach program, I wasn't talking about right wingers or Republicans. A total waste of time as I stated in a previous post. But a lot of today's non-affiliate or swing voters or independents were once Democrats.As late as 2006 the Democrats had the advantage of 37% vs. 29% for the GOP vs. 30% for independents.

But then again, come to think about it. The democrats don't have to get these folks back into the party fold. All they have to do get the swing voters, the non-affiliated to vote Democratic. Which in 2018 and 2020 is what a majority of them did.