I know there are a lot of people here who think that the #1 priority of our electoral strategy should be to keep Republicans from being elected.
And I know why these people think that: because they only think one election ahead, they don't know history, and they haven't a clue how politics actually works. Like tiny one celled organisms, they only see one step ahead, ignoring the long term consequences of their decisions.
The single greatest single thing that ever happened to the Democratic party, both in terms of electoral success, and success in serving the people of this country, was in the 1930s, when FDR and the Democratic congress were, as usual, failing to do anything that was really going to change anything, or solve any of the problems they were facing at the time, and FDR and the party leadership got a big fat wake-up call.
There were solutions available to get us out of the Great Depression. But the party, just like today, was captured by Wall Street interests and unable, or unwilling, to act.
So this greatest thing that happened was the people of that day, led by, God forbid, True Progressives, made it real clear: Either you get off your sorry asses and serve the people for a change(instead of Wall Street), or we're going to throw all your sorry asses out of office.
And they meant it. They were even prepared to let FDR lose the 1936 election and let a Republican win (Ooooh Nooes).
They had a candidate, Huey Long, who was threatening to spoil FDR's chance for 2nd term by running as an independent and splitting the ticket, and they had the strong support of a lot of Americans across the country who saw FDR's first new deal as being an ineffective sell-out to the bankers.
So they made a play. Either you fucking do what you're fucking here to do, or we're going to throw you out into the streets, and all else be damned.
And guess what? It worked.
Fortunately, back in 1935 and 1936, no one listened to all the idiots running around screaming "But..but..the Republicans will win. This is the Most important election ever! Think of the Supreme Court!!!!!"
Yes, the American people ignored those people, and made their threats to let the Democrats lose, no matter what, very very clear.
And what happened? Suddenly the crusty old cranks of entrenched authority in the Senate became REFORMERS. LOL. And we, the people, got the Second New Deal. Not the crappy 1st New Deal the establishment historians love to dwell on at the exclusion of all else - the so-called "First 100 Days".
The real, populist New Deal that only passed in 1935-36, in time for FDR and the Democrats to have something to run on in the 1936 elections.
This was the New Deal that gave us Social Security, worker's protections, and most importantly for the time, gave us a public works program that put 10,000,000 (ten million) people to work.
This, for the most part, made the Democratic party the WINNING PARTY for the next 50 years. And winning is the point right?
"Pure" "True" Progressives did that. They made the modern Democratic party. And this short-sided, idiotic submission to the good cop bad cop routine is what unmade the Democratic party.
We need another New Deal. And the Democratic party needs an enema.