Remember these words of wisdom when picking candidates and their platforms:
The first rule in my book is that we have to stick by the liberal principles of the Democratic Party. We are not going to get anywhere by trimming or appeasing. And we don't need to try it.
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I've seen it happen time after time. When the Democratic candidate allows himself to be put on the defensive and starts apologizing for the New Deal and the Fair Deal, and says he really doesn't believe in them, he is sure to lose. The people don't want a phony Democrat. If it's a choice between a genuine Republican, and a Republican in Democratic clothing, the people will choose the genuine article, every time; that is, they will take a Republican before they will a phony Democrat, and I don't want any phony Democratic candidates in this campaign.
But when a Democratic candidate goes out and explains what the New Deal and Fair Deal really are--when he stands up like a man and puts the issues before the people--then Democrats can win, even in places where they have never won before. It has been proven time and again.
We are getting a lot of suggestions to the effect that we ought to water down our platform and abandon parts of our program. These, my friends, are Trojan horse suggestions. I have been in politics for over 30 years, and I know what I am talking about, and I believe I know something about the business. One thing I am sure of: never, never throw away a winning program. This is so elementary that I suspect the people handing out this advice are not really well-wishers of the Democratic Party.
Now, I know this might not translate into immediate victories in some places, but it could help turn the tide over the long run.
Words of wisdom from Harry Truman, who is one of the most underrated Presidents of the past century. I don't think I can agree with those on here who grouse about the Senate being an "undemocratic" institution. As has been pointed out by others, many of the "smaller" states, such as the Dakotas and Montana, were historically competitive for Democrats. Democrats held both of South Dakota's Senate seats as late as 2004, both of North Dakota's Senate seats as late as 2010, and both of Montana's Senate seats as late as 2014 (and could again, if Bullock manages to defeat Daines in November).
Moreover, they hold the Senate seats of other smaller states such as Delaware, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. And there are demographic trends at work in states such as Alaska, Kansas, and South Carolina (to say nothing of Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas) that may give them more avenues in the years to come.
