I recall being new to the GOP in 2008 when former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) called the GOP brand “dog food” after Obama won the presidency and Republicans lost the House and Senate.
As someone who recently joined the party at that time, I was disappointed with the characterization, but found it to be true. This year, Democrats must grapple with their own realities. Their brand has become dog food, not just because of their stunning defeats at the ballot box – losing the White House, and the opportunity to take majorities in the Senate or the House – but they also misread the needs and desires of the America people.
More often than not, I view the Democrat Party as the party of intolerance. If you don’t think like them, act like them, and speak like them, then you are like what Hillary Clinton calls “the basket of deplorables.” You are racist, xenophobic, and sexist.
To me, Clinton wasn’t just referring to anyone who supports Trump, but also people who think differently than her and the Democrat Party. Clinton and her fellow Democrat elitists seek to control us and tell us what to think instead of allowing us to think for ourselves. They tried to silence us with the fear of being labeled. The truth of the matter is we are concerned with the direction of our country, and when we voiced those concerns they told us we were wrong and out of touch with reality. Trump won because he gave voice to the forgotten few that were a part of every party — Democrats, Republicans, and independents — who were silent because they felt no one gave a damn.
Democrats used to be the party of the little guy, until they intentionally locked Bernie Sanders out of the primary to nominate a candidate who was remarkably flawed, dishonest, and in the view of many, inherently corrupt. It is especially troubling that they nominated Clinton while she was under investigation by the FBI. This would have in no way helped the little guy. What it would have done is kept the very few at the top in power, and left everyone who was truly concerned about their future blowing in the wind. Since the Democrats’ stunning loss they have continued their blame game and claimed that the results were due to racism and sexism and that FBI Director James Comey was to blame. Let’s dispel with that right now.
In his article “The five essential reasons Hillary lost (no, she can’t blame Comey),” Democrat Bryan Wright said, “Some supporters continue to advocate Clinton’s breathtakingly offensive statement that at least half of Trump supporters were ‘deplorables’ – racists, sexists, homophobes, xenophobes, Islamophobes. According to their logic, Clinton and her voters simply couldn’t overcome the Wave of Hate. Oddly enough, Obama managed to win these voters. Twice.”
My friends on the left must regroup; stop the blaming and lying they did during the election. Instead of saying it was the Russians’ fault when it came to WikiLeaks and treating, us, the American people like we were stupid, they should fess up, own their mistakes, and stop the double talk. In other words, don’t be like Clinton and have separate public and private positions on issues and policy.
In my view, until the Democrats start pointing the finger of blame at themselves, and start being honest both publicly and privately, they will lose national election after election.
Democrats must take a deep, analytical view of where they stand with the American people because in four years their party brand may be eviscerated.
