Tou gotta, you gotta, you gotta roll with the changes REO SPeedwagon
In the last decade we have witnessed two seismic shifts in the fortunes of both of our two major political parties. And the differences between the two couldn’t be more stark.
In 2013 the GOP conducted and released a mostly non partisan Autopsy Report on their humiliating 2012 loss to Obama for a second term. The report offered a frank, well grounded path forward for the GOP to retool their agenda and messaging to move forward into a new era. The GOP responded by doubling down on the already failing strategies they held dear. Which led to today.
The results of the 2016 election was a cold slap in the face for the Democrats. It was brought on by a combination of an uninspiring candidate, intraparty fighting, and general party apathy. But unlike the GOP, the Democrats didn’t need an autopsy report to tell them that something was fucked up. And it was the base that took matters into their own hands to correct the problem.
The GOP’s autopsy report recorded that the GOP was a party that was aging, and so severe in their ideology that it was having trouble attracting younger voters. The report advised the GOP to loosen its ideology, strip itself from the far right racist and Evangelical base, and become more inclusive.
The post 2016 Democrats don’t need any bullshit autopsy report, and they didn’t need the DNC either. The base solved the problem by itself. In 2017 the Democrats spanked the GOP for 40 seats in the House, and almost all of them were non political citizens, interested in going to Washington not for power or profit, but to make a positive change. And the DNC got the memo.
In 2019 Nancy Pelosi retook the gavel for the House. But she did so only after coming to a power sharing agreement with the younger progressive Democratic caucus. She agreed to a two term limit, and fast tracked promising young progressives for prime committee seats and leadership spots. And Pelosi held to her promise.
And today we come to the next chapter in the saga. XA Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein is 89 years old, and she’s up for reelection in 2024. She not yet announced her intentions for reelection in 2024. The standard protocol would be for the caucus to hold back and wait for her to declare before making a move.
But not anymore. Not in the new, younger, more progressive Democratic party. Earlier today, CA Democratic congresswoman Katie Porter took to DNC text to announce that she was running for the Senate in 2024. And she followed that up with an appearance on The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell to make sure that people not on the DNC text list got the word..
I love this. The Democratic party is getting younger and more progressive, while the GOP is getting older and more obsolete. And as a result, Katie porter just gave a message to Diane Feinstein that she can either step aside, or face an expensive primary challenge. My personal opinion is that Feinstein will see the writing on the wall and announce her retirement at the proper time.
This is the way it should be done. The lazy, toadying RNC leadership took the easy way out and went with the same old tired garbage. The Democrats led by a young, progressive liberal like Jamie Harrison, is riding the rising tide of the young, progressive voters that have turned out in the last three elections. And the over-the-hill senior members of the Democratic party are getting their walking papers.
It’s a simple ecological principle. Ecosystems either adapt and thrive, or they die. The GOP is sticking their hooves into the La Brea tar pits. The Democrats are forging a new path forward to the future. Personally, I like our odds.
I am SO excited about Katie Porter running!! She is one of the most brilliant and effective members in all of Congress. I admire Diane for all she has done for us and am sure she is not being forced out of office. Remember, it was GenZ and the post war baby boomers who helped to change things. It is not the age, but rather, the beliefs & ideals & willingness to fight for others’ rights that make us effective Democrats & Americans!
Years ago, I was stationed at Miramar in a fighter squadron. Our CO (commanding officer) told us something that stuck with me. He was addressing the whole squadron and said that an organization can either improve or lose ground, but not just maintain performance. Your piece outlined the democrats making progress, while the republicans are trying to maintain and apparently, it’s not working for them.
I think she’ll be great but have to admit to some mixed feelings. Her initial win and getting re-elected in a tough District for a Democrat puts that seat back into play. I’d also though Adam Schiff would be great for us in the Senate and we wouldn’t have to worry about getting another Democrat to replace him in his District. Schiff was mum on whether he was considering a Senate run. And I thought not being in the new House Leadership meant he’d said behind the scenes he was considering it but waiting to allow Feinstein to bow out on her own terms.
Still, this is exciting. As I said I think Porter will be a great Senator and frankly become the next Elizabeth Warren in that chamber. Warren was one of Porter’s professors at Harvard btw and will no doubt take Porter under her wing. It’s my hope that Feinstein who simply doesn’t have it anymore (and hasn’t for too long now) will gracefully step aside in a few months. By then Porter will have generated plenty of buzz and force Newsome to appoint her to fill out the rest of Feinstein’s term and allow Porter to run as an incumbent. It would also have the benefit of allowing Porter’s replacement to do the same and that could be important.
But the new generation of leaders is emerging and it’s looking mighty good.
As a lifelong Democrat, I have felt that we always had an identity problem when it came to party definition. The shameful part is that for too long we played nice with the devil and let his own party define us. I think this accounts for the siesmatic shift after World War II, and people forgot who had actually been responsible for the creation of a strong economy, driven by the middle class Democrats first created. Republicans have always been focused on a return to the gilded age with billionaires who could cross their palms with silver. They are easily bought, but to make this happen, then had to be unified in their message and consistent with their definition of the opposition. And still our persistent niceness almost brought about our ruin, as the liberal hippie baby-boomers begin to love the smell of newly printed cash and saw the rethugs as their only means of getting their chunk of the huge pie. Now finally we are beginning to see a bit of light at the end of this long tunnel, and we must, like it or not, take a page from that right-wing playbook and clearly define the opposition as the selfish, self-absorbed greed mongers they are, with no regard for that social contract called the constitution. We have allowed capitalists to get control of the media, and with federal benefits always being slanted in their favor, they have maintained control of the propaganda machine. W still have much to do, like shutting down the FUX hate machine, but we have begun. Now we have the chanced to use the craziness to our advantage and maintain the discipline seen in these 15 votees for speaker. Not one Democrat demurred. If we do things right, this entire right wing will ultimately make the party implode. But our work is still cut out for us, and we must maintain our discipline. It ain’t over ’til it’s over!
Given that Barbara Lee also just announced, I don’t see that a primary is likely to be avoided. And while both would make excellent Senators, I’m disressed by the though that this could cause us to lose one or the other permanently.
The DNC have “stepped” up, I see & will try to block Katie! The LW needs a Katie Porter, NOW! DNC want LW Capitalists’ to rule!