Thursday, November 18, 2010

Get loud, people, be proud

The more I think about Sisyphus' post about Democrat self loathing and brand bashing, the more I think he's on to something. For many years Idaho Democrats have been running as Republicans lite, and look where it's gotten us. Waaaay out of power and in the political wilderness.

If every election Democrats run on Republican issues, they're going to lose. That almost seems obvious. The only real issue Democrats run on that might be considered a Democratic or progressive issue is education. And that's not a bad issue, but Republicans aren't against education, for 1-12, anyway. They're not much for it outside of that range. But I digress.

Anyway, how about if Democrats try a bit of populism. I mean, good grief. The state is in horrible shape. Now is a good time for Democrats to offer a real alternative. Republican refusal to revisit all the juicy tax breaks they've given to their supporters is a great target for some populism.

Try something different; run on Democratic issues. A chicken in every pot. Stop tax give aways to wealthy corporations who get them just by asking the Tax Commission for them.

4 comments:

Sisyphus said...

Amen brother. We gotta offer a choice and quit thinking that we have to make up our gap in the numbers among the Republicans. More than half this state identifies themselves as Democrats and independent. We just had the lowest turnout in decades. We need to energize the non-voting public instead of wasting time trying to turn Republicans. More to come.

Dean said...

I too agree. I have long wondered why anyone would run for election on someone else's platform. I would rather run for office and lose while standing up for my beliefs. I believe Democrats the misunderstand the election results. By doing so, they have consistently moved the party further and further to the right. Now, you have someone like Walt running as a Democrat. I don't think so.

Tony said...

I kept waiting for Allred to offer something different from Gov Otter. Instead, he dressed up like a cowboy just like Butch, minus the French cuffs (An Al favorite). The voters decided they did not want Butch light. Why he did not link Butch and his good ol' boy persona with the good ol' boy tax breaks and low lease prices for $1m homes on state land is a mystery to me. I think an anti corruption agenda would serve the democrats better in future elections. You should have lots of fodder to use in the next session.

Anonymous said...

The Republican ethics double standard ala Phil Hart should be huge for the D's next time around.