The problem with seeking ways to improve the Democrats chances of election is that they are equally in hoc to large funders as the Republicans and not the progressive sort! (are there any?) There is a political group think in the US as much as there is in the UK about how things are supposed to work and this does not include giving any real political (small 'p') power to local communities who may not be part of the group think.
The legitimacy of both Democrats and Republicans has been severely weakened which accounts for the rise of Trump who, for all his republican associations, is seen as the antidote to some of the group think because he purports to challenge it all. The Republican Party has disappeared, morphing into an extreme right wing project and the Democrats have moved in to space vacated by the Republican Party in the same way as in the UK the Conservatives are in the process of morphing into Reform and Labour has already moved into the old-style Conservative space.
It reminds me of a cartoon character running desperately on the spot as the road beneath them rolls quickly behind and then the road runs out and there is nothing to stand on. It requires a new party capable of standing on its own ground and letting the others slide off to the right. I have no illusions about the difficulty such a party would have in gaining traction in the current political set up where both the media and the money favours the status quo but grass roots beginnings are a solid basis for a longer lasting organisation.
The problem with seeking ways to improve the Democrats chances of election is that they are equally in hoc to large funders as the Republicans and not the progressive sort! (are there any?) There is a political group think in the US as much as there is in the UK about how things are supposed to work and this does not include giving any real political (small 'p') power to local communities who may not be part of the group think.
The legitimacy of both Democrats and Republicans has been severely weakened which accounts for the rise of Trump who, for all his republican associations, is seen as the antidote to some of the group think because he purports to challenge it all. The Republican Party has disappeared, morphing into an extreme right wing project and the Democrats have moved in to space vacated by the Republican Party in the same way as in the UK the Conservatives are in the process of morphing into Reform and Labour has already moved into the old-style Conservative space.
It reminds me of a cartoon character running desperately on the spot as the road beneath them rolls quickly behind and then the road runs out and there is nothing to stand on. It requires a new party capable of standing on its own ground and letting the others slide off to the right. I have no illusions about the difficulty such a party would have in gaining traction in the current political set up where both the media and the money favours the status quo but grass roots beginnings are a solid basis for a longer lasting organisation.
Harris went in too late but yes after the initial surge of interest there was a deflation.
Agree completely about the Bernie Sanders observation …he would have played DT at his own game ….except Bernie Sanders is the real deal.