Posted on 04/13/2015 5:08:36 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
April 12, 2015 - Slate: The Indispensable Hillary Clinton - Why she is more vital to the future of the Democratic Party than even Democrats realize.
......................"Today,” wrote Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report after the 2014 elections, “about 55 percent of all state legislative seats in the country are held by Republicans. That’s the largest share of GOP state legislators since the 1920s.” What’s more, “just 11 states have an all Democratic-controlled legislature,” and Democrats hold single-party control in just seven states. By contrast, “Republicans have a legislative majority in 30 states, including the battleground states of Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina,” and single-party control in most of the South.
Not only do Republicans stand to control the redistricting process in 2020—solidifying their majority in the House of Representatives—but they also have a huge farm team of new candidates. To that point, two of the brightest stars of the GOP’s 2014 class—Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Thom Tillis of North Carolina—came from state legislatures. Democrats are less lucky. Their losses mean only a few places stand as incubators for progressive ideas, strategies, and candidates. Indeed, liberal counterparts to Republican governors such as Walker, New Jersey’s Chris Christie, Indiana’s Mike Pence, and Ohio’s John Kasich—ideologically motivated leaders with national profiles—don’t exist.
The simple fact is that even if everything goes well for Democrats in 2016, even if they hold the presidency and pick up the Senate as well, their long-term prospects are dire. After eight years in the White House, the party has atrophied, and given the partisan and demographic trends that are driving American politics—in particular, the demographic divergence in midterm and presidential elections—it’s not clear what Democrats can do to fix the problem.
Here’s where we are: Far more than its competitor, the Democratic Party is at a crossroads. At the moment, it’s being held together by its president and his potential successor, Hillary Clinton. But this obscures intraparty conflict and the extent to which the party is in desperate need of rebuilding for the second and third decades of the 21st century.
This, of course, is normal. After an eight-year term with the White House, an incumbent party is often exhausted. But with likely vacancies on an ideologically split Supreme Court—to say nothing of the programs of the Obama administration—the stakes for the next election are high. Winning the White House is absolutely vital for Democrats, and although Hillary Clinton is a great asset, she’s—potentially—their only one."
Somebody out there please, please find a way to deny her possession of the “Ruby Slippers”!
Yeah, forget that Marxist Centrism, the Butcheress of Benghazi needs to go full bore for the Stalinism she so dearly loves.
The points which follow would cost trillions.
“Creating more jobs: Making investments in roads, bridges, power grids, education, and research.”
I thought the great Ibama had that covered??? I mean unemployment is only 5.5%? I see no reason why big government needs to intervene. In fact, why do we even need big government if the private sector is running so smoothly?
“dirty energy companies”
ooo...i feel so dirty.
Is that how they describe Soros spending a billion dollars to register illegals and scam the rubes? ;)
I was reading some comments on the lefty sites yesterday like Huffington, holy moley, you would think God himself announced he was running. I *cannot* believe there are so many people still out there that absolutely kiss the ass of this woman. She can do absolutely no wrong in their brain damaged minds, it’s all the fault of other people or Republicans, or the best “they are trying to damage her reputation because of sexism” Yes! Of course! It’s all sexism! Sexism made her delete 30,000 emails! Sexism allowed 4 Americans to die in Benghazi! Sexism makes her a pathological liar!
Which people need to confront the fact that which ideas aren't getting the job done, again?
Given the spectacular disasters her brand of "progressivism" has created everywhere it has been tried, she should be more careful in the way she writes. Just blame it Republican racism, instead - that always works best. :)
We must run a principled CONSERVATIVE!!
Warm mush, establishment GOPe-ism WILL NOT WORK!!
Go Ted Cruz!
Salon, on par with Mad Magazine.
This particulat article is so full of bullshit, nonsnese and outright lying that it can not even pass for decent satire...
Centrism? What are they smoking over at "Slate"?
Bringing in additional tax revenue
Bringing? It's confiscated at the end of a literal or virtual gun. These aren't fallen leaves. Additional? Federal tax revenues continue to hit all-time highs with no sign of relief.
in a fair way
Oh God. This obsession with fairness and the misuse of the term. Sadly, there are millions like this writer who believe that the people at the DMV and IRS and sheriff's tax office are anomalies and that the nice, caring, loving, altruistic government bureaucrats operate in a secret location.
Closing corporate tax loopholes
Liberal definition of any remaining freedom whereby individuals or groups comply with the strict letter of the law but not in the way liberals would like: 'loophole.'
especially those that subsidize dirty energy companies like Big Oil.
What if we stop funding sure-fire losers like green energy? Instant savings, no dirt or loopholes involved.
Raising tax rates on the wealthiest Americans.
The wealthiest Americans won't care. They have enough wealth to move it around the world. They've always done it and always will. Dem leadership knows this - it's a shame idiot rank and file Dems do not.
Creating a financial transactions tax so that speculative trading is dis-incentivized
This is like saying 'I wish someone would invent the telephone.' It's here. It's been here. Capital gains anyone?
Speculative trading...is that anything like investing? Stock markets? Hello? Is this thing on? Everyone who buys securities is speculating including those purchasing municipal bonds that fund those lovely government projects.
And why is any government supposed to be involved in disincentivizing anything?
PS - this Digby is a wacko among wackos even at Salon.
Yes, she must avoid that disasterous centrism. Isn’t that just a reworded version of the bolsheviks’ credo “no enemies to the left”?
Hillary will be sure that they have the enemy that will rally them.
Us.
They don't have to love her, they just have to hate us.
The Democratic Party could run a cardboard box stamped "VOTE [D] HERE," and the lemmings would nod and do it. It's the turnout that they have to make happen. That's where it's falling apart - that and their bench is giving them little to choose from, candidates that can fool the average American.
What I just said in my last comment!
Bump!
‘embraced the new populist and internationalist mood of the present.’
Perhaps the UN will provide for their needs.
Electing Clinton would virtually destroy any semblance of economic freedom and individual liberty. What do conservatives work to ‘conserve’ after that’s gone?
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