Can anything be done to turn this country back to the left?

[hopper]

We are shifting to the left. It's the gerrymandered House and the filibustering Senate that's the problem.

Would you be happy if the US House was gerrymandered towards Dems? Just asking a question.

[hopper]

We are shifting to the left. It's the gerrymandered House and the filibustering Senate that's the problem.

This. The American people do seem to be shifting to the left on social and economic issues. It's just the vocal minority of Tea Party types who we hear so much from but we see in the 2012 election just how "dominant" they really are as an electoral force. When Democrats retake the House and hold the Senate and White House you will see action. Just like 2009-2011.

Like we need another ObamaCare type of bill? That would be a mess. Keep in mind the Dems weren't very popular in the 111th Congress. Look at Pelosi's favorability numbers from that time period.

[Old Man Svensson]

When will the Dems get the house?

As soon as The Media starts telling the truth about things.

So, never. Promising.

[hopper]

We also need to do something about the right-wing media - perhaps America's biggest foe.

92% voted for Kerry.
88% voted for Clinton.

Yep really right wing. I bet you start whining about Fox for not being far left.

Most newspapers endorsed the right-wing extremist Bush and even Romney.

Bush W. was not an extremist. Maybe foreign policy wise on Iraq ok. Immigration Reform and No Child Left Behind are not extreme were/are not extreme policies.

[hopper]

When will the Dems get the house?

As soon as The Media starts telling the truth about things.

So, never. Promising.

So the mainstream media is right wing?

BTW, Just to mention the GOP has gone to far to the right as much as I don't like the Democrats.

[Cory]

Like we need another ObamaCare type of bill? That would be a mess. Keep in mind the Dems weren't very popular in the 111th Congress. Look at Pelosi's favorability numbers from that time period.
[/quote]

I'm confident that if Democrats retake the House, get to 60 in the Senate (or nuke the filibuster), and have the White House that the Public Option will be added into the Affordable Care Act. Once we get Medicaid For All the mandate will be moot and it will almost definitely never be repealed. It will be too popular. It would be as difficult for Republicans to abolish as Social Security and Medicaid are today.

[pbrower2a]

We are shifting to the left. It's the gerrymandered House and the filibustering Senate that's the problem.

Would you be happy if the US House was gerrymandered towards Dems? Just asking a question.

Democrats got 52% of the total votes for House candidates in 2012 and still have a minority in the House.

As it is the Republican Party acts much like a fascist, religious-fundamentalist, or Communist Party in that it uses one winning election to change the rules to make dislodging them difficult.

To take the House away from the unelected lobbyists who control Republican pols Americans need to vote about 54-46 in House elections

[morgieb]

Time. Just like the New Deal didn't last forever, neither will the conservative coalition.

In social areas it is shifting left. Economically it's a different story, but eventually it'll look like a normal Western country at least.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Bush W. was not an extremist. Maybe foreign policy wise on Iraq ok. Immigration Reform and No Child Left Behind are not extreme were/are not extreme policies.

He supported immigration reform for the wrong reasons.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

So the mainstream media is right wing?

Very.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Stupid thread, especially one to post on a board chock full of different ideologies. But whatev's. And yeah, I echo what wormdawg said, pretty sure you're LBJ Revivalist.

[ElectionsGuy]

So the mainstream media is right wing?

Very.

Seriously?

[DevotedDemocrat]

It seems in the last few months this board has gone from a left leaning board to having tons of right wingers, to the point that it's denied that this country is even slightly further to the right than it was say in 1973. That I would say this country has drifted rightward since the '70s is almost deemed heresy.

[Supersonic]

It seems in the last few months this board has gone from a left leaning board to having tons of right wingers, to the point that it's denied that this country is even slightly further to the right than it was say in 1973. That I would say this country has drifted rightward since the '70s is almost deemed heresy.

lol no.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

It seems in the last few months this board has gone from a left leaning board to having tons of right wingers, to the point that it's denied that this country is even slightly further to the right than it was say in 1973. That I would say this country has drifted rightward since the '70s is almost deemed heresy.

America has clearly gone backwards since 1980. For instance, there's many more "right-to-work" states now than there were back then. The War on Drugs has expanded too.

[DC Al Fine]

So the mainstream media is right wing?

Very.

Seriously?

Well if defines himself as centrist, then sure the media is right wing.

[muon2]

Political and policy shifts over the last 10-20 years represent the impact of Gen X in the population as a whole. Today GenXers range are in their 30's and 40's which make up a key political demographic - it's where the transition from the unpredictable youth vote becomes a stable adult vote associated with households with children. Broadly Gen X has been viewed as socially tolerant but economically self-interested with support for an entrepreneurial world view.

This fits with what both sides have complained about in this thread. Traditional conservatives see a leftward drift based on social issues. Traditional liberals decry the lack of progress on economic programs associated with social democracies. Libertarians would be big winners if they had a viable political party to support mainstream candidates.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Sure, the nation's shifted economically to the right since the 60's, but that doesn't mean posting a thread on a political forum populated by any number of ideologies is going to change anything. We should just have more threads like this "Can we elect __________?" "What can be done to defeat __________?" Can't you see where that would get out of hand? And it is of course starting a thread with a loaded question. From there, I can't describe in my own words how out of place the title seems.

[Sol]

The American Media, as a whole, is neither right wing or left wing, but is instead biased towards the minutiae that gives ratings.

[hopper]

We are shifting to the left. It's the gerrymandered House and the filibustering Senate that's the problem.

Would you be happy if the US House was gerrymandered towards Dems? Just asking a question.

Democrats got 52% of the total votes for House candidates in 2012 and still have a minority in the House.

As it is the Republican Party acts much like a fascist, religious-fundamentalist, or Communist Party in that it uses one winning election to change the rules to make dislodging them difficult.

To take the House away from the unelected lobbyists who control Republican pols Americans need to vote about 54-46 in House elections

Changing what rules? So Dems never gerrymandered any districts? Illinois and Maryland come to my mind recently. Both parties do gerrymandering and I think its wrong. The California process isn't perfect but its better than what we have in most other states with politicians of both parties making the maps in a room. You should keep in mind though it was mostly Dem Districts that lost population in the 2010 Census.

What unelected lobbyists?  I don't even know what your trying to get at.

Republicans aren't commies. Yeah I agree the religious thing is over the top with the GOP though.

[hopper]

The American Media, as a whole, is neither right wing or left wing, but is instead biased towards the minutiae that gives ratings.

More people listen to the Mainstream Media(which is  left-leaning) than Fox News. It does give the Dems an edge reputation wise over the GOP. They mainstream media will report anything bad about a GOP candidate but with a Dem candidate they will hide it. With the Obama scandals they actually reported on it(I will give them credit) but dropped coverage of the scandals for the most part after 2 weeks. I wonder what they would have done had Bush W. had 4 scandals going on at once.... Drop coverage of the scandals after 2 weeks or go on and on about it?

[hopper]

Political and policy shifts over the last 10-20 years represent the impact of Gen X in the population as a whole. Today GenXers range are in their 30's and 40's which make up a key political demographic - it's where the transition from the unpredictable youth vote becomes a stable adult vote associated with households with children. Broadly Gen X has been viewed as socially tolerant but economically self-interested with support for an entrepreneurial world view.

This fits with what both sides have complained about in this thread. Traditional conservatives see a leftward drift based on social issues. Traditional liberals decry the lack of progress on economic programs associated with social democracies. Libertarians would be big winners if they had a viable political party to support mainstream candidates.

Maybe like a Rand Paul or a Jeff Flake kind of candidate? Could throw Jesse Ventura in there but I don't know him if people would view him seriously anymore. I read his political views on ontheissues.org some of them were good but some of them you had to chuckle at.

[hopper]

It seems in the last few months this board has gone from a left leaning board to having tons of right wingers, to the point that it's denied that this country is even slightly further to the right than it was say in 1973. That I would say this country has drifted rightward since the '70s is almost deemed heresy.

America has clearly gone backwards since 1980. For instance, there's many more "right-to-work" states now than there were back then. The War on Drugs has expanded too.

Right to Work is good although my Dad told me if your workplace is unionized and you the option of not joining or joining the union you should join the union. It saves you a lot of grief that if you don't join the union the union guys might give you some grief.

War on Drugs has not expanded. Look at the medical marijuana laws.....

[Bandit3 the Worker]

"Right-to-work" is unconstitutional.

[King]

If Obama leaves office with a good economy, the under 40 yr old Obama base will solidify as seeing left policies working--even if Obama's policies weren't really that liberal--and it will be pretty much over for the far right.

That's why 2012 was such an important election.