Kos keeps pointing out that the Democrats are winning the demographic war. So, why are votes so close?
I would say that one reason is that we're losing the message war. And, to a great degree that's because most of the rank-and-file, you and me brother, have deserted from the progressive message army.
Yes, the lunatic right have Rush and Fox. Still, though, they also have many people who repeat those messages. They talk as if everybody believes that, and that helps large numbers of their audience to believe that.
In contrast, I don't hear many people spreading the progressive message apart from places like this where we are preaching to the choir.
2014 has given us a huge number of issues -- often issues where many of our neighbors are on our side. It's not enough to giggle in clusters of our kind how idiotic people are voting for politicians who don't share their values. We have to strike deep at particular politicians who are far off on particular values.
Particular examples after the jump.
Closest to my heart are House races.
These guys have voted to:
Repeal the subsidies on Medicare Part D purchases in the "donut hole."
Send health insurance back to lifetime caps.
Go back to cutting insurance for preexisting conditions, including denying coverage for breast cancer because the patient had once had teenage acne.
Repeal keeping kids on the parents' coverage up to 26.
Toss thousands of their constituents off the insurance that they now have.
And they voted for any of these every time they voted to repeal the ACA. Sure, the ACA as a whole is less popular than these provisions, but let their partisans explain their vote -- when you're explaining, you're losing. Besides, once the debate goes that far, ask why the replacement wasn't proposed when the repeal was voted.
There is -- or soon will be -- a discharge petition for the minimum wage and another for the Senate immigration bill. Why hasn't your local Republican rep signed onto whichever you prefer?
But those aren't the only battles.
Senators have voted to filibuster an incredible number of bills (and appointments, although these are mostly old news now). Why won't Senator Kirk even let these issues come to a vote? Why has he voted against extending unemployment benefits to the chronically unemployed?
A good share of the Republican governors have declined the Medicaid expansion funds, and many states are facing hospital closings as a result.
And, of course, there are other issues not specifically related to individual politicians. One of our number tries to send one LTE per day on the issue of climate change. Whatever progressive message you are pushing, I'm not going argue that my message is more important. I just want each of us to push at least one.
They're pushing their messages, and I don't see us pushing ours.