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jg10003

(974 posts)
Fri May 5, 2017, 01:08 PM May 2017

Gov. Bullock (D. Montana): How Democrats Can Win in the West

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/opinion/steve-bullock-democrats-montana.html?ref=opinion

On the night that Hillary Clinton got 36 percent of the vote in Montana, I won re-election comfortably, running on progressive ideas and against an extremely wealthy Republican opponent. Ever since, national reporters have asked me whether Montana Democrats have some secret recipe, given that we’ve won the last four elections for governor, that might be used in national campaigns. I tell them yes, we do.

Above all, spend time in places where people disagree with you. Reach out. Show up and make your argument. People will appreciate it, even if they are not inclined to vote for you. As a Democrat in a red state, I often spend days among crowds where there are almost no Democratic voters in sight. I listen to them, work with them and try to persuade them.

Democrats as a national party have ceased doing this. This has to change. They should take a more expansive view of the America that exists beyond the confines of the Eastern Seaboard.
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Gov. Bullock (D. Montana): How Democrats Can Win in the West (Original Post) jg10003 May 2017 OP
You beat me to it! elleng May 2017 #1
Good read. klook May 2017 #2
An excellent article democrank May 2017 #3
50 State Strategy! Me. May 2017 #4
absolutely.... dhill926 May 2017 #5
Yes! Yes! BlueMTexpat May 2017 #7
You've Nailed It Me. May 2017 #9
This needs more views. progressoid May 2017 #6
KICK! elleng May 2017 #8

BlueMTexpat

(15,349 posts)
7. Yes! Yes!
Fri May 5, 2017, 06:35 PM
May 2017

And Yes again!

Howard Dean "got" it. You have to build and nurture state networks in ALL 50 states ... and not simply ONCE every four years. It has to happen ALL the time.

This does not mean "pandering" to people who are not now, never have been, and never will be our base at the expense of any components of our base. It means taking the initiative to let our natural bases in red states know that they have not been forgotten and abandoned simply because they are not in a key state.

Me.

(35,454 posts)
9. You've Nailed It
Fri May 5, 2017, 07:04 PM
May 2017

And it's why I'm so sorry Dean didn't go for the head of the DNC. Frankly, (I'll probably catch it for this) I don't think Perez has been effective, so far. Now I realize he's just started but there too much Sander's, focusing only on economics, influence happening here. When Dean started the 50 state, it was like water on parched earth for those who had previously been ignored. And I give some credit to him for Obama's win as I believe he seeded the earth.

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