2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Are you old enough to remember real Dem's? [View all]onenote
(42,829 posts)So who exactly qualifies as a "real Democrat" in your eyes?
Were the majority of the Democrats in the Senate and House who voted to override FDR's veto of the Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Bill-1943 "real Democrats"?
Were the Democrats that stayed silent in the face of the order to inter Japanese-Americans during WWII "real Democrats"?
Were the Democrats that supported New Deal economic programs but opposed anti-lynching laws "real Democrats"
Democrats have never held party members to the sort of strict orthodoxy that we have seen the Repubs, through the rise of the tea party, impose on themselves. I don't like the idea of Democrats starting down that road now. While progressive Democrats should push for the party to get behind progressive ideals, the willingness of some Democrats to compromise or to not adhere to every progressive position should not result in their complete demonization. In general, the Democrat who makes economic reform a priority but is less interested in gun control, or who supports abortion rights or the rights of African-Americans to safely drive the streets of America without harassment by law enforcement above banking reform still has more in common with each other than they do with any repubs.