“While Democrats are focused on Racism, we are going to be focused on Economic Nationalism, and will crush them in the election." Steve Bannon
And he's right. Last two Democratic winners of Presidential Elections had economic messages. “It's the Economy, Stupid”, and Obama’s "Hope" centered on (a) major health care reform; (b) policies to reshape the economy, especially regarding energy consumption and environmental protection; and (c) increased taxes for top income earners, combined with tax cuts for lower-income individuals....
Appalled by Donald Trump’s antics, we let our economic message go unnoticed. Yes, it was there and thanks to Bernie Sanders it was a very good one, the best I've ever seen, but how many voters knew that? I guess we assumed they would go to Hillary's website and read those things called "words"...
More than anyone else on this planet, Bannon now knows that it is far, far, far, far easier to wield the scepter of power, when you can't be held accountable for getting anything done, because he knows first hand about not getting anything done. Even with both chambers controlled by the same party, working alongside an executive of that same party, to date all they have is one Supreme Court Justice to show, plus the weakening of the executive branch across all sectors of its responsibility.
Despite my calling Obama the greatest president in our lifetime with Clinton-1 coming in at 2nd, after losing what all considered a sure thing this past November, after what "should have been a sure thing" in 2000, we have to recognize that something we keep ignoring out there is working quite well against us. I will be the first to blame billionaires and millionaires and think tanks and Citizen's United and up to some point, they all have small parts. But they weren't as strong a factor in 2000 immediately following what had been the best president in our lifetimes. Both of these two in both their 2nd elections, had decent numbers of Republicans voting them in for a second try....
But when I visit towns along our rivers starting in NC, up through VA, through WV to the Ohio, then down between KY and Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, then between Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, to New Orleans and back, I can understand those resident's feelings of being left out... And it IS very hard as a party to actually take their concerns seriously when you have to acquire $2 million a day to run a campaign to win the President of the United States of America... "Yeh, yeh, yeh, I hear you man, (then to aide) get me this states 5 top donors on my cell while I'm talking here.. (back to handshaking line) yep, yep.. I'm right there with you. Yep, we need to do something, and we can... if you vote me in... We got it bro, right? (to aide), Any answers yet?--good the band is playing, k? Can we get the hell out of here now?"
In pushing economics, I can tell everyone how frustrating it is to be shut out of policy discussions or be simply politely listened to, because no one really gives a fuck about economics.. They are looking for “edges” and Racism is what it is all about...
Charlottesville drives home their point... We can't retreat from racism, period. America's values are seriously under attack and allowing White Supremacy to fester, creates problems that end our nation in twenty years (based on Germany 1925-45.)
“Economic betterment” is actually the message on which the Nazis won. After once consolidating power, that campaign plank no longer took top spot in Hitler's cabinet; war and extermination did, but its message was very instrumental in convincing enough swing Germans to throw their weight behind them because nothing else was working in the aftermath of WWI and the Versailles Treaty.
Indeed. Fighting Racism is important.. But we can't go into a boxing match with one hand... We can't attack Hitler and leave the Pacific unattended. We have to do both. And this is Bannon's lesson to us, that from all the data he has,... we are very vulnerable here.. So vulnerable we currently have Republican legislatures stretched in a straight line from Minnesota to Pennsylvania, in what I've always considered to be solidly Democratic states. Podesta and Hillary did too.
Here are the percentages of those whose genes are listed as "white alone" in that streak of states… (US Census 2016 est)
MN 85.0
WI 87.5
MI 79.6
IN 85.6
OH 82.5
PA 82.4
KY 88.0
WV 93.6
Obviously any marginal political movement in those states is going to be done on an economic message, not any other.. If we say "Racism" and our opposition says "dollars", we've accomplished nothing. If we haven’t already, we have to understand that achieving any goals we have, woman's rights, overturning Citizens United, repudiating voter intimidation, single payer or just keeping Obamacare, each and every single one of those issues we hold dear, now depends on whatever will be,…. the Democratic economic message. If this party maintains an economic message that primarily plays to those who couldn't care less about economics because they already have more money than they could spend, it will cost us not just an election, but our country. We had a scare. It isn't over. We can clearly see just how close we came... It was very close at times and still is..
With Bannon now free to print hundreds of lies that resonate into the deep vacuum of no Democratic economic message, we have to quickly get moving on Our economics...
“Oh,... but economics is "B O R I N G… " you say as your eyes glaze over... Yeah, and your reaction to them is why Republicans now dominate state government, with 32 legislatures and 33 governors...
Time to start loving Economics. Just remember that when arguments come up that we have to focus on either Racism or Economics, that premise is bunk. We have resources to do both simultaneously. We can fight the Nazis, and the Japanese too. When it comes to economics, all the Republicans can do is stand on the side, wring their hands, and tell these rural Trump swing voters, “your economy is not working”. That is going to be Bannon's job.
Our response? We agree, and point out Republicans own all three branches and can't do, and have done nothing since January 20th. .... It’s time for a complete change and that means if you help America by electing zero Republicans this time, there will be no one to stop us from rebuilding Middle America to where everyone once again, is looking at a bright future...
It's the economy, stupid, and like it or not, 2016 proved us stupid. But under our leadership, if we can convince rural America we can accomplish it, we will give them an economy where all races, genders, religions, and sexual orientations have the same equal chance to better themselves and their future... That is how you can bring gender, racial, and religious equality to America. Through increasing their finances. Furthermore, if you paid attention here, you will understand why it is the only way you will bring gender, racial, and religious equality back to America...