Democrats Don't Need To "Soften Their Rhetoric"

MATT TAIBBI HAS A GOOD PIECE IN
ROLLING STONE, DONALD TRUMP IS SYMBOLIC OF IT, AND NOW GREG
GIANFORTE IS SYMBOLIC OF IT, AND MICHAEL GRIMM IN STATEN ISLAND,
THE GUY WHO THREATENED TO BREAK A REPORTER IN HALF LIKE A BOY
AND THROW HIM OFF A BALCONY WHILE HE WAS UNDER A 20 COUNT
FEDERAL INDICTMENT, AND THEN WON BY 13 POINTS IN A DISTRICT WITH
A WELL-FUNDED DEMOCRAT -- I MEAN, THE DEGREE TO WHICH
DEMOCRATS FIND WAYS TO LOSE TO THESE MONSTERS, THESE ARE
SUBHUMAN SPECIES -- DONALD TRUMP IS NOT ONLY NOT THE BEST OF US,
HE'S IN THE BOTTOM 6% OF US.
SO IS THIS GUY.
SO IS MICHAEL
GRIMM.
AND DEMOCRATS ARE FINDING WAYS TO LOSE, RUNNING THE WRONG
CANDIDATES, ROB QUIST GAVE IT WHAT HE COULD, THE NATIONAL
PARTY MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE INVOLVED MORE, BUT EVENTUALLY
THEY THREW SOME OF THEIR WEIGHT BEHIND IT UNLIKE WHAT THEY DID
IN KANSAS, BUT WE HAVE TO FIGURE SOMETHING OUT.
THIS ISN'T BEING
DONE CORRECTLY, AND HERE TO THE APPARENTLY LARGE SWATH TO MY
LEFT THAT I WAS UNAWARE OF, THERE IS WHERE WE WILL FIND SOME
AGREEMENT, THAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS, BECAUSE
THESE GUYS, IF YOU CAN'T BEAT GREG GIANFORTE -- I GOT IT,
REDISTRICTING, THESE ELECTORAL DISTRICTS ARE RIDICULOUSLY
DRAWN, THEY ARE DRAWN FOR GUYS LIKE GREG GIANFORTE --
AND JUDGES ARE CATCHING ON TO THAT.
AND THEY WILL PLAY DIRTY, BUT IF WE CAN'T FIGURE OUT A WAY TO
BEAT MICHAEL GRIMM AND GREG GIANFORTE AND DONALD TRUMP, THEN
LARGELY AS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTORY IMPACTFUL PARTY IN THIS
COUNTRY WE ARE DONE.
AND I THINK THE WAY TO DO IT IS TO SPEAK TO VOTERS IN A WAY
THAT WILL IMPACT THEIR LIVES IN A MEANINGFUL WAY.
AND ALSO FIGHTING BACK AND NOT BEING AFRAID OF, YOU KNOW,
MOVING FURTHER TO THE LEFT.
HERE IS SOMETHING THAT I WITNESSED
THIS WEEK THAT ACTUALLY ENRAGED ME -- NPR WAS HAVING A
DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW DEMOCRATS REALLY NEED TO SOFTEN THEIR
RHETORIC.
THEIR RHETORIC HAS BECOME A LITTLE TOO ANGRY, A
LITTLE TOO UNCIVIL, AND WE NEED TO REACH ACROSS THE AISLE.
BUT
DO YOU THINK CONSERVATIVE TALK RADIO IS HAVING CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT HOW THEY REALLY NEED TO TONE DOWN THE RHETORIC AND REACH
ACROSS THE AISLE TO WORK WITH DEMOCRATS?
THEY HAVE NO
INTEREST, THEY KEEP PUNCHING US IN THE FACE WHILE WE PLAY
PATTYCAKE.
OBAMA SAW THAT FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE AND POLITICAL
STANDPOINT WHEN HE BEGAN HIS FIRST FOUR YEARS BY TRYING TO,
IN A SENSE, PRE-COMPROMISE.
TO TRY TO APPEAL TO THE OTHER SIDE.
AND HE REALIZED, NOT UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE IN MY VIEW, THAT
THEY AREN'T INTERESTED IN COMPROMISE, THEY WILL TAKE
WHATEVER YOU COMPROMISE AND TWIST IT.
WE NEED TO PUT OUR BANJOS DOWN.
REHNQUIST, SORRY, WE NEED TO PUT THE BANJO DOWN.
AND IT'S NOT
JUST RHETORIC, BECAUSE TO SOME EXTENT I AGREE WITH THE NPR
POINT, BUT TO SOME SENSE I DON'T BECAUSE I THINK THEIR TONE WAS A
SUGGESTION OF COMPROMISE.
BUT THE LANGUAGE NEEDS TO BE ONE OF
ECONOMIC JUSTICE.
I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH YOU TRY TO COMPROMISE,
IF YOU TRY TO COMPROMISE ABOUT THE RIGHT THINGS.
IF YOU WANT TO
SAY TO REPUBLICANS, YOU CLAIM TO BE POPULISTS, DONALD TRUMP RAN A
POPULIST CAMPAIGN, SAID HE WOULD HAVE HEALTHCARE FOR EVERYONE,
SAID HE WOULD CUT TAXES -- WOULD RAISE TAXES ON THE RICH, GREAT,
LET'S COMPROMISE.
WE HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE IDEAS, WE HAVE
IDEAS TO REDUCE INCOME INEQUALITY.
AND LET'S TALK ABOUT
IT IN A MEANINGFUL WAY WITH CREDIBLE CANDIDATES WHO YOU
BELIEVE.
THE RHETORIC CAN CHANGE A LITTLE, NOT THAT WE HAVE TO BE
PASSIVE OR BACK DOWN TO THEM, BUT EVENTUALLY -- AND EVERYTHING
ABOUT RUSSIA NEEDS TO BE TALKED ABOUT BECAUSE IT'S TRUE,
CLEARLY, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IS TRUE BUT WE KNOW STUFF IS TRUE
-- BUT EVENTUALLY IF YOU ARE GOING TO WIN YOU CANNOT RUN A
CAMPAIGN IN 2018 WHERE THE FOCUS OF IT IS, WE HATE TRUMP.
YOU
HAVE TO HAVE A CAMPAIGN ABOUT THINGS THAT MATTER TO PEOPLE IN
THE WAY THAT TRUMP APPEARED COME IN A TOTALLY PHONY, FRAUDULENT
WAY, TO BE TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT MATTERED TO PEOPLE.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE CONFLATING THE PARTY IDENTITY WITH THE
RHETORIC.
THE PARTY IS HAVING AN IDENTITY CRISIS AND THEY NEED TO
WORK ON THAT, THE IDENTITY OF THE PARTY CAN'T BE WHAT THE
OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING.
YOU NEED YOUR OWN AGENDA TO PUSH YOUR
RHETORIC IN A DIRECTION THAT'S APPROPRIATE AND WILL WORK.
I AGREE, THERE IS AN IDENTITY CRISIS, THERE IS STILL A
NOTICEABLE DIVIDE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AND FOR ME
IT'S NOT EVEN ABOUT WE NEED TO WIN AS DEMOCRATS, IT'S ABOUT
HAVING IDEAS THAT MATTER, BEING A PARTY OF IDEAS THAT MATTER TO
MOST AMERICANS.
WE WANT TO REPRESENT MOST AMERICANS AND
THEIR BEST INTERESTS.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A PARTY IN CHARGE THAT
IS NOT LOOKING OUT FOR THE BEST INTERESTS OF MOST AMERICANS.
AND THEY HAVE STRONG IDEAS, THAT IS WHY THEY WIN.
THEIR IDENTITY IS CLEAR.
THEY WANT A WALL, THEY WANT THIS, THEY HAVE THINGS THAT
ARE CLEAR.
AND OUR PARTY IS LIKE, WE JUST DON'T LIKE WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
THAT IS A LOSING PROPOSITION.
READ MATT TAIBBI'S PIECE IN
ROLLING STONE, IT'S EXCELLENT, IT'S SHORT, AND IT'S RIGHT
100% OF THE WAY.
JUST LIKE EVERYTHING IS HE WRITES.

Democrats Don't Need To "Soften Their Rhetoric"

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