Hypothetical: A Democrat strategist approaches you and says Mr Blue we have been very appreciative of your donations over the years and we would like to hear your proposals of what we could do to make the Democratic party more appealing to the average voter. What are some things you think we could advocate for in the House and Senate and in public to help our image with the American middle class/working particularly those in rural areas? If we pretend that someone was listening, what would you tell them?
I would tell them the Green New Deal remains incredibly popular. I would tell them there are hundreds of issues where Democratic policies are incredibly popular. I would tell them that 80% of conservatives approve of legalized medical marijuana. But all of that would require the Dianne Feinstein Wing to relinquish power. Here's the thing, though. Nobody ran Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. Nobody ran Maxwell Frost. Progress advances one funeral at a time. The kids who can't afford to raise a home in Silicon Valley but can afford Selma, Alabama aren't gonna suddenly start fretting about transgender chickens. We're already seeing a demographic shift from it. I volunteered for Kerry. It was an utter and total shitshow. That was after establishment Dems let the Supreme Court give the election to Bush and after establishment Dems decided to murder Howard Dean's chances. I don't think anybody gives a fuck about Obama if the candidate who loses in 2004 is Howard Dean. That the Democrats lost to Donald Trump despite the fact that he was absolutely, positively, undeniably Donald Trump should factor into everything they do from here on out. Will it? I don't know.
I think first of all, you need to shut up and listen to your public. The stuff they’re worried about are things you used to be all about solving before you decided to sell out and be the party of the laptop class, various identity groups, and elite college graduates. These are very meat and potatoes issues: wage stagnation, affordable housing, affordable college, grocery prices, good basic education for their kids. If you had a good speaker, with a message that “we will actually fix these things. We actually believe in helping the working adult population to succeed in America. We want to have standards of living increase instead of decrease. “. Then when elected actually make those things better. Banning VCs and investment firms from buying residential homes would be a quick, cheap and easy fix to at least part of the housing crisis. Entire neighborhoods being bought up — unseen, and above asking prices in some cases— reduce supply. There are stories of these kinds of things happening even to trailer parks. A VC comes in, buys the park, jacks up rents until nobody can afford to remain. It’s insane.