millennials — on the cusp of becoming the country’s largest bloc of eligible voters

Laughing stock? I dont think so with largest block millennials see thru the bullshit.


Paul Sancya / AP file
After Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s shocking victory in New York earlier this summer, pundits warned of a socialist takeover. The front page of the New York Post put the city on “Red Alert,” cheekily depicting the likely incoming congresswoman in bright red lipstick.

Following the primary elections on August 7 — where leftist challengers Abdul El-Sayed and Kaniela Ing lost their bids — just as many outlets declared socialism dead on arrival. Then on August 14, a string of progressive insurgents — including Ilhan Omar, Jahana Hayes, Randy Bryce and Christine Hallquist — clinched victories, leading to a new round of media takes announcing the “resurgence” of left politics.

The reality is the progressive left hasn't gone anywhere. Indeed, membership in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has been ticking upward since long before all these elections, exploding by 800 percent since 2015. According to DSA’s national office, the group now counts nearly 50,000 members in all 50 states — most of them millennials. And as our September cover story at In These Times magazine explains, they don’t look to be going away anytime soon.


Front page @nypost ‘Red Alert’ over primary victory for @DemSocialists candidate @Ocasio2018

9:36 PM - Jun 27, 2018
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More than a few pearls have been clutched as a result. Former FBI director James Comey warns Democrats not to “lose your minds and rush to the socialist left.” A recent story at Vox argues Americans aren’t “ready for the bill” posed by democratic socialist policies. At the New York Times, Bret Stephens says embracing democratic socialism is “Dem Doom.” And at the Atlantic, Conor Friedersdorf says it actually “threatens minorities.”

This hysteria reveals a fundamental misunderstanding among media pundits and political elites about why the DSA is experiencing such explosive growth. Whether suggesting democratic socialism is just for white men, that its policies are too radical for most Americans, that it will bankrupt the country, that it’s a dangerous foreign concept, or that it will spell disaster for the Democratic Party, these critics consistently seem to miss the mark. In reality, such claims often betray the fact that the rise of socialism materially endangers their current positions of both wealth and power.

Having lived through the worst financial crisis in a generation and a pitiless job market while facing mounting student debt and the looming threat of climate havoc, millennials — on the cusp of becoming the country’s largest bloc of eligible voters — have grown disillusioned with capitalism and, according to a 2016 YouGov survey, now view socialism more favorably.

This hunger for a more egalitarian political system is translating into support for a constellation of left-wing ideas, real electoral gains and the rapid growth of the DSA as a vehicle advancing these policies and candidates.

For our In These Times story, we talked to dozens of DSA organizers who explain that the group’s commitment to grassroots organizing is key to its rise. Many of these organizers are people of color avidly fighting for democratic socialism — including policies like ending cash bail and abolishing ICE. They also know that the redistribution of wealth is key to advancing racial justice, as inequality falls largely along racial lines.

Americans overall think redistributing wealth is a pretty good idea. According to a 2017 Reuters/Ipsos poll, over 75 percent of adults believe the rich should pay more in taxes. An Economist/YouGov poll taken the same year concluded Medicare for All, a cornerstone of the renewed socialist movement, is supported by 60 percent of Americans. Making college tuition free is supported by 63 percent of registered voters, according to a Morning Consult/Politico poll, while Civis Analytics found that 52 percent of respondents backed a federal jobs guarantee. Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour? A Pew poll shows 52 percent are behind it. And when it comes to getting corporate money out of politics, an Ipsos poll finds 57 percent of Americans are on board.

Image: Kansas congressional candidate James Thompson, left, U.S Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Alexandria Ocasio-CortezKansas congressional candidate James Thompson, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democratic congressional candidate from New York, stand together after a rally on July 20, 2018, in Wichita, KansasJaime Green / The Wichita Eagle via AP
And though opponents harp on about the costs of implementing such social programs, the United States actually has more than enough wealth to invest in them — that it’s not already doing so is a matter of misplaced priorities.

Congress recently passed a massive $717 billion defense bill to fund ongoing wars, and with last year’s tax plan, Republicans spent $1.5 trillion to allow corporations and the super rich to hoard more money. At the same time, even a study funded by the right-wing Koch brothers finds that Medicare for All could save Americans $2 trillion over our current system.

Some media analysts have even attempted to disparage DSA by linking it to authoritarian regimes. But ultimately, no amount of red-baiting can change the fact that socialism is a proud — if forgotten — American tradition. From the founding of Eugene Debs’ Socialist Party of America at the turn of the 20th century, to the “sewer socialists” who governed Milwaukee for nearly 60 years, to democratic socialist civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., and now members of Congress like Bernie Sanders, socialism has been a running thread throughout American history.

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And if socialists are bleeding into today’s Democratic Party, as some pundits have warned, it’s for the party’s own good. Democrats’ top brass can’t claim that the tepid centrist agenda they’re pushing is pragmatic when it’s really resulted in the near-decimation of the party. Over the course of the Obama administration, Democrats lost over 1,000 seats up and down the ballot.

Unsurprisingly, more and more Democrats are starting to get on board with democratic socialism: A new Gallup poll shows Democrats now view socialism more positively than capitalism — for the first time in the poll’s history.

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The DSA is advancing a political alternative that makes sense even without studying Karl Marx. What if no one had to choose between going into massive debt and getting life-saving medical care, or an education? What if instead of stringing together rent with two or three jobs you could work one that put food on the table, with plenty of time left to spend with friends and family? What if your housing wasn’t determined by the market, but guaranteed as a right?

These aren’t radical visions — in fact, they’re the norm in countries around the world. Democrats simply haven’t been ambitious enough to put them on the table.

Luckily, a new crop of insurgent candidates is.

On August 7, DSA member Rashida Tlaib won her Michigan Congressional primary running on a federal jobs guarantee, Medicare for All and a Green New Deal. Another democratic socialist, 30-year-old Sarah Smith, moved on to the general election for Washington’s 9th Congressional District. They join other recently nominated and elected democratic socialists such as Summer Lee in Pittsburgh, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa in Chicago and Lee Carter in Virginia. Altogether, there are now nearly 50 DSA-endorsed politicians nominated or elected to office across the country.

Democratic socialism offers a world to work toward that looks a hell of a lot better than the one we’ve been handed — and a moral roadmap for how to get there.

Establishment politicians and media elites are hostile to socialism because it threatens their interests — and because they don’t understand our current political moment. But socialism is in the spotlight precisely because there’s a growing movement behind it. While anger toward capitalism is nothing new, the DSA has found a way to mobilize that outrage into organizing — and winning elections.

Democratic socialism offers a world to work toward that looks a hell of a lot better than the one we’ve been handed — and a moral roadmap for how to get there. We can expect a lot more Americans to get on board.

Kate Aronoff is a Brooklyn-based writer covering climate and American politics, and a regular contributor to In These Times. She is the co-editor, with Michael Kazin and Peter Dreier, of a forthcoming anthology about democratic socialism in the United States.

Miles Kampf-Lassin is a web editor at In These Times and member of the Chicago chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. His writing has appeared in Jacobin, Salon, Alternet and the Chicago Reader.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2018 03:11PM by riverhousebill.

Not so fast mister ...

... you haven't won yet -

THE DEMOCRATS’ ‘GENERIC BALLOT’ ADVANTAGE HAS ALL BUT DISAPPEARED

[dailycaller.com]

Republicans appear to have closed the gap with Democrats in the all-important “generic ballot” — a clear sign that the GOP is surging politically in the run-up to the November 2018 midterms.

Democrats continue to insist that a “Blue Wave” will sweep their party back into control of the House of Representatives and may even allow them to recapture the Senate as well.

But the generic ballot — the best single measure of the relative balance of support of the two parties with the electorate — strongly suggests otherwise.

In the last week alone, three major pollsters have found that the gap between the two parties is statistically negligible. YouGov found a Democratic advantage of just 2 points. Reuters found a margin of 3 points.

And IBB/TIPP, considered by many to be the single most reliable pollster in the country, reported that the race is a dead heat.

These findings, which contrast sharply with the large double-digit lead Democrats enjoyed last December, and again in early July, put the lie to their party’s claims of growing Trump and GOP weakness.

In fact, Trump’s own polling numbers are continuing to inch upward, with major gains reported among Hispanics, Blacks, gays, millennials and of course, Republicans. On the economy, the president enjoys widespread popular support that appears to be spilling over into support for many down ticket GOP candidates.

Trump is “5 for 5” with candidates he had endorsed, including most recently Troy Balderson, who won a close contest in Ohio’s 12th Congressional District this past week. Trump’s willingness to go to the mat for Balderson suggests that Democratic claims – and some GOP fears – that White House support would become an albatross for the party are largely unfounded.

Even some liberal analysts estimate that the Democrats would need a large single digit advantage in the generic ballot to prevail in November. Although first-term presidents usually experience a partisan reversal in Congress two years after taking office, Trump may be poised to reverse that historic trend.

Steady job growth, increased labor force participation and a phenomenal 4.1% GDP growth rate in the last quarter – coupled with the trickle down benefits of a sweeping tax reform bill that Democrats boycotted — have left Trump’s critics stumbling to find a compelling mid-term election message to dislodge GOP candidates.

The Democrats need to flip 24 GOP seats to regain control of the House. But a number of contests in southern California and even traditionally Blue Minnesota could be slipping from the Democrats’ grasp, the latest polls show.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2018 12:04AM by Jennifer.

Same energy that Elected Obama millenials will prevail,
Im laughing with joy becacause I feel certain we are on the road to victory
and the Orange cult you know going to the Dogs!


Having lived through the worst financial crisis in a generation and a pitiless job market while facing mounting student debt and the looming threat of climate havoc, millennials — on the cusp of becoming the country’s largest bloc of eligible voters — have grown disillusioned with capitalism and, according to a 2016 YouGov survey, now view socialism more favorably.

Unsurprisingly, more and more Democrats are starting to get on board with democratic socialism: A new Gallup poll shows Democrats now view socialism more positively than capitalism — for the first time in the poll’s history.

So have a good RED Alert Mrs Macarthy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2018 12:54AM by riverhousebill.

Quote
riverhousebill

Having lived through the worst financial crisis in a generation and a pitiless job market while facing mounting student debt and the looming threat of climate havoc, millennials — on the cusp of becoming the country’s largest bloc of eligible voters — have grown disillusioned with capitalism and, according to a 2016 YouGov survey, now view socialism more favorably.

Please! We all know millennials are self-absorbed ignoramuses - all they care about is taking selfies and 'becoming famous' on Insta and YouTube. The colleges are microcosms of the world if the Millennial Libs had their way and it's ridiculous. And the reason they're all little Libs is because they were propagandized and indoctrinated in government schools to be Libs. They're lazy as*es who love Socialism/Government because it means getting everything 'for free' and wiping out their college debt.

Give me a break. Can you just imagine when they're running the world. God help us!

Quote
riverhousebill

Having lived through the worst financial crisis in a generation and a pitiless job market while facing mounting student debt and the looming threat of climate havoc, millennials — on the cusp of becoming the country’s largest bloc of eligible voters — have grown disillusioned with capitalism and, according to a 2016 YouGov survey, now view socialism more favorably.

Come on! That 'worst financial crisis' that was orchestrated btw like everything else is in so-called 'government' that you libs love did not affect the individual millennial one iota. Mommy and Daddy still sent them to college with their iPhone,iPad, TV, car and all their expensive gear like they've had it all their lives - the spoiled little brats. Hangin out at Starbucks every day. I know cause I raised some of them. They've never had a hard time in their lives - except maybe if the 'hot guy' didn't look at them that day. They haven't 'lived through' sh*t! (Like we all did.)

What Lib rhetoric is that 'having lived through this, that and the other' 'becoming disillusioned with capitalism'. They wouldn't know what capitalism and socialism is if it bit them in the as*. Capitalism has paid for all their crap, iPhones, expensive clothes, hair, nails, all their toys off Amazon, parties and drugs.

Yeah, they 'now view Socialism more favorably' because they want the government to wipe out their student debt that they were stupid enough to take on.

And 'climate havoc' - lol
Is "Climate Havoc" the new 'Climate Change' which was the new 'Global Warming.' (Natural Cycles, Folks)

Get a brain! Lib = Rhetoric. Conservative/Libertarian = Common Sense.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2018 01:53AM by Jennifer.

'Red Alert'

76% Would NOT Vote for a Socialist Democrat candidate!

*************

Poll: Majority of Americans say they would not vote for a 'socialist'

[thehill.com]

"Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a self-described "socialist" whose surprise victory in a New York Democratic primary has garnered a tremendous amount of attention among left-leaning activists.

But the rise of Democrats calling themselves socialists may not be a good thing for the party as a whole, according to new polling.

In a new Hill.TV/HarrisX American Barometer poll released Tuesday, an overwhelming majority of respondents, 76 percent, said they would not vote for a “socialist” political candidate, while only 24 percent of those polled said they would vote for a socialist candidate.

Ocasio-Cortez is one of several candidates running for office this year that labels themselves as a socialist. The Democratic Socialists of America told The Associated Press that 42 candidates at the federal, state and local levels have earned a formal endorsement from the group.

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Zak Ringelstein, who is challenging Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), announced last week that he would run as a Democratic Socialist. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the runner-up in the for the Democratic nomination in the 2016 presidential election, has long labeled himself a socialist.

Although Sanders remains highly popular among Democratic voters (and Americans generally), in the American Barometer survey, 64 percent of Democratic respondents said they would not vote for a "socialist." Among respondents who said they voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general election, 59 percent said they would not support a self-described socialist.

High-ranking Democrats have generally reacted either neutrally or negatively to the idea of socialism rising within the party.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told CBS News last month that socialism was not ascendant among Democrats.

"It's ascendant in that district perhaps," Pelosi said referring to New York's 14th District, where Ocasio-Cortez is running. "But I don't accept any characterization of our party presented by the Republicans. So let me reject that right now."

The survey was conducted online in the U.S. between July 21-22 by HarrisX, among a randomly selected sample of 1,001 American voters.

The results are then weighted for age within gender, region, race/ethnicity, marital status, household size, income, employment, education, political party, and political ideology where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population."

********

And if by chance the Socialist Democrat candidates prevail in the midterms (because the Libs - extreme Socialist/Communist Dems - have all the enthusiasm) and turn the perception of Democrats even more toward Socialism, that will just guarantee that the Republicans will win the General Election in 2020!

Face it, regular people just do not want THE GOVERNMENT owning and controlling everything and everybody - which is what Socialism/Communism is!

millennials — on the cusp of becoming the country’s largest bloc of eligible voters

millennials will be backbone of blue wave November thank the gods for young people who can still think.

Of course you are free to believe what you want and have an alt reality.


See you in November on this note!

You Cant Stop The Wave, but you can learn to surf! or drown



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/2018 01:10AM by riverhousebill.