Yes, the fractures in the Democratic coalition are seriously worrying and likely to draw down turnout, or even flip some blues to red.
Hopefully the Israel-Palestine divide will smooth over by next Nov.
But Dems need a UNIFYING issue or message, and right now I think that could be abortion. The Texas case has people up in arms all over the country, but can that outrage be sustained til Nov.
Many elections are decided by single issue voters so if abortion is the issue, and if a similarly dramatic case arises in the Fall, then that might overshadow other issues and be the catalyst for a Blue Wave.
Repubs won the Presidency (and the Supreme Court) with massive Evangelical "pro-life" support; so this time Dems could do the same thing in reverse. It's all very cynical, but that's the reality of modern American politics.
Also, strange as it seems, mega-superstar Taylor Swift is very pro-choice and now actively encouraging his mass of followers (especially young women coming into voting age) to register and vote out Republicans across the board. Her effectiveness is shown by the juvenile, obscene and even violent attacks on her by podcasters like Charlie Kirk and his followers. Taylor now has the power, and young white males are scared to death of her.
Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian media guru from the 1960s, predicted that celebrities would dominate politics in the future. Well we're in the future and celebrities like Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and of course TV Trump all did it, so why not celebrity Taylor. And she doesn't even have to run for office; she has a mass audience and she just has to get them registered and to the polls. Maybe she'll do "voting concerts" where her followers can register at the concert and maybe get "I'm Voting With Taylor" bracelets.
Whatever it takes, Trumpism & MAGA must be defeated in Nov. 2024
In the Democrat Party, the divisions are between human rights and anti-semitism. We in this party get caught up in semantics which is neither good nor bad, just problematic. It’s true that Israel is another Imperialist nation who conquered the Arabs and stole land and property in 1943. As it has moved further to the right, Netanyahu’s ruling body has become more and more dictatorial. Did Bibi know of the potential attack and not take it seriously as a reason to bomb Gaza into oblivion? Who knows? But over the generations and especially now with college and HS age students, they see the years of David v. Goliath savagery waged against the Palestinian people. They see the deaths of 10 Israelis followed by the deaths of 100 Palestinians. They read about the razing of ‘illegal’ villages, only to e replaced by Jewish kibbutzes. They read about the lack of water to Gaza and the Palestinian people and ask, why are Israeli citizens so inhumane? This generation has read and studied about the Holocaust. This generation of liberal young people hate antisemitism and White Nationalism. They tend to despise anything that dehumanizes other people. But they also understand that a people that have such a history of being killed, tortured, and displaced should not be so willing to decimate another people as the Israeli government and their Western allies are doing in what they feel are open air prisons in Gaza and the West Bank. If the divisions within the Democratic Party addressed and corrected, we will have to come to some agreement on how to define what is going on in Gaza, and how the US, as an ally, can be both an ally to Israel and a true advocate of peace, Palestinian humanity, and a two state Gaza.
Seems our leaders aren't listening to us. No billions for RW Netanyahu. Israelis in the streets don't trust him to do war and keep them safe. He is a con. I don't ether want to pay for Gaza genocide or Hamas mercenaries hired by Netanyahu. Makes the whole thing a lie with our tax dollars used to kill many for a RW agenda for more land and power.
I'm really not sure what the younger generations know or think; they seem to be living in another world from me (I'm 77).
But anti-status-quo, anti-war, etc. usually starts with the young; and this time they are playing out that role with their current anti-Israel protests.
But they are probably as fractured as the rest of the country, and I wasn't really joking about a mega-celebrity like Taylor Swift motivating a huge contingent of new voters to register and vote.
If that helps to end MAGA and Trumpism, then America can start to find some common core of values and address the many problems facing us all.
So many problems, and so much polarization, but Job Number One is to end Trumpism. The Dems are far from perfect, but Trump will lead the country into authoritarianism (just to keep himself out of jail) and that must be stopped.
Yes, the fractures in the Democratic coalition are seriously worrying and likely to draw down turnout, or even flip some blues to red.
Hopefully the Israel-Palestine divide will smooth over by next Nov.
But Dems need a UNIFYING issue or message, and right now I think that could be abortion. The Texas case has people up in arms all over the country, but can that outrage be sustained til Nov.
Many elections are decided by single issue voters so if abortion is the issue, and if a similarly dramatic case arises in the Fall, then that might overshadow other issues and be the catalyst for a Blue Wave.
Repubs won the Presidency (and the Supreme Court) with massive Evangelical "pro-life" support; so this time Dems could do the same thing in reverse. It's all very cynical, but that's the reality of modern American politics.
Also, strange as it seems, mega-superstar Taylor Swift is very pro-choice and now actively encouraging his mass of followers (especially young women coming into voting age) to register and vote out Republicans across the board. Her effectiveness is shown by the juvenile, obscene and even violent attacks on her by podcasters like Charlie Kirk and his followers. Taylor now has the power, and young white males are scared to death of her.
https://www.meidastouch.com/news/charlie-kirk-podcast-launches-22-unhinged-vile-attacks-against-taylor-swift
Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian media guru from the 1960s, predicted that celebrities would dominate politics in the future. Well we're in the future and celebrities like Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and of course TV Trump all did it, so why not celebrity Taylor. And she doesn't even have to run for office; she has a mass audience and she just has to get them registered and to the polls. Maybe she'll do "voting concerts" where her followers can register at the concert and maybe get "I'm Voting With Taylor" bracelets.
Whatever it takes, Trumpism & MAGA must be defeated in Nov. 2024
In the Democrat Party, the divisions are between human rights and anti-semitism. We in this party get caught up in semantics which is neither good nor bad, just problematic. It’s true that Israel is another Imperialist nation who conquered the Arabs and stole land and property in 1943. As it has moved further to the right, Netanyahu’s ruling body has become more and more dictatorial. Did Bibi know of the potential attack and not take it seriously as a reason to bomb Gaza into oblivion? Who knows? But over the generations and especially now with college and HS age students, they see the years of David v. Goliath savagery waged against the Palestinian people. They see the deaths of 10 Israelis followed by the deaths of 100 Palestinians. They read about the razing of ‘illegal’ villages, only to e replaced by Jewish kibbutzes. They read about the lack of water to Gaza and the Palestinian people and ask, why are Israeli citizens so inhumane? This generation has read and studied about the Holocaust. This generation of liberal young people hate antisemitism and White Nationalism. They tend to despise anything that dehumanizes other people. But they also understand that a people that have such a history of being killed, tortured, and displaced should not be so willing to decimate another people as the Israeli government and their Western allies are doing in what they feel are open air prisons in Gaza and the West Bank. If the divisions within the Democratic Party addressed and corrected, we will have to come to some agreement on how to define what is going on in Gaza, and how the US, as an ally, can be both an ally to Israel and a true advocate of peace, Palestinian humanity, and a two state Gaza.
Seems our leaders aren't listening to us. No billions for RW Netanyahu. Israelis in the streets don't trust him to do war and keep them safe. He is a con. I don't ether want to pay for Gaza genocide or Hamas mercenaries hired by Netanyahu. Makes the whole thing a lie with our tax dollars used to kill many for a RW agenda for more land and power.
you've stated the problems well, Danny.
I'm really not sure what the younger generations know or think; they seem to be living in another world from me (I'm 77).
But anti-status-quo, anti-war, etc. usually starts with the young; and this time they are playing out that role with their current anti-Israel protests.
But they are probably as fractured as the rest of the country, and I wasn't really joking about a mega-celebrity like Taylor Swift motivating a huge contingent of new voters to register and vote.
If that helps to end MAGA and Trumpism, then America can start to find some common core of values and address the many problems facing us all.
So many problems, and so much polarization, but Job Number One is to end Trumpism. The Dems are far from perfect, but Trump will lead the country into authoritarianism (just to keep himself out of jail) and that must be stopped.