Posted on 06/01/2019 6:21:22 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
Democratic activists booed former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) on Saturday after he warned party faithful about the perils of embracing socialism and socialist positions ahead of next year's presidential race.
Hickenlooper, a former governor of a purple state Hillary Clinton won by just 4.9 percent of the vote in 2016, said Republicans would use the Democratic flirtation with socialism to paint the entire party as outside the mainstream of the political spectrum.
"If we want to beat Donald Trump and achieve big progressive goals, socialism is not the answer," Hickenlooper told delegates to the California Democratic Party convention.
Some delegates, meeting in perhaps the most liberal city in America, booed.
Hickenlooper, polling near the bottom of the 24-candidate Democratic field, anticipated the reaction. He amassed a centrist record as governor, working with a Republican-controlled legislature for most of his two terms in office, though he scored progressive wins in his final two years on the job after Democrats reclaimed control of the state House and Senate.
He said allowing Republicans to define the Democratic brand would hurt the party's chances of winning the White House in 2020.
"If we don't draw a clear distinction between Democrats and our candidates and socialism, the Republicans will paint us into a corner that we can't get out of," Hickenlooper told The Hill in an interview shortly after his speech. "Massive government expansions may not be strictly speaking socialism, but trust me Republicans will make it seem like socialism. In places like Ohio and Michigan and North Carolina and Wisconsin, places we have to win to beat Trump, we'll be starting out ten yards behind."
"We need to be laser-focused on winning this election, and that's going to mean focusing on kitchen table programs that will actually improve people's quality of life," he said.
If he is included in the first Democratic presidential debate later this month in Miami, Hickenlooper is likely to portray himself as a pragmatic contrast to candidates who have positioned themselves much farther to the left.
Hickenlooper has met one of the Democratic National Committee's two thresholds for being included in the debate after receiving at least one percent support in three public surveys.
He has not yet collected the 65,000 donors necessary to meet the second threshold. If more than 20 candidates qualify for the debates, those who have not met both thresholds risk missing out on the debate stage.
Democrats are not Americans.
AMEN
I don’t know what I like more about socialism, the totalitarian oppression, or the abject descent into poverty...
IOW, “keep the “S” word under wraps. We’ll implement it by stealth once we get elected.”
Dem primary voters are mostly enraged lunatics, they have no interest in moderate or centrist anything.
Most of these idiots don’t know what real “socialism” is...They all think it’s just “free stuff”....
The ones who DO know what it is are the elite high ups who know they’ll be ruling over the idiots...
What happened to Mr. Starbucks?
Most likely from those that want free everything and not contributing. See how they’d like it when 80% or more is taken from what they earn (that’s if they even work) just like socialist Sweden or Denmark where in Denmark you could be taxed 110% on earnings.
Yes, actually, they are. How else can you achieve state ownership of the means of production?
Face it - socialism is a creaky 19th century fantasy with no more basis in reality than the Cinderella Castle at Disneyland. Its only attraction to the modern crowd is its moral sanction for outright thievery and despicable acts of violence.
I guess trying to position yourself as a “moderate” isn’t working, is it, Gov. chickenfluffer?
They are Communists first, Jew haters second, and baby killers third
Vermin. All of em.
“Big progressive goals” = socialism. He’s talking out of both sides of his mouth. At least those who booed him were honest.
Yup!
Yep. well said.
Don’t forget that all Dems are gungrabbers.
Chickencooper was a screaming gungrabber when he was Colorado gov.
San Fransickens are not humans.
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