The campaign arm working to elect House Democrats released a political advertisement on Monday featuring the family of Virginia Giuffre, who was the first victim of Jeffrey Epstein to go public with allegations of abuse.
I agree with you that the current leadership and most of the Democrats in power do not want to prosecute Epstein affiliates. However I would also note that even 6 months ago, Establishment Dems would not approve a message of going after Epstein affiliates. This ad is a movement from “Don’t talk about Epstein” to “Say Epstein was a bad guy”. Yes, this is a pretty minimal movement, but any movement towards the populist position is a sign of Establishment Democrats’ arrogance and entitlement being curtailed.
I view the Democratic Party like a disobedient dog in need of training. This dog has been behaving extremely poorly, pissing on the kitchen floor and refusing to come to heel. Lately though, through rigorous training, this dog has shown minimal improvement, at least considering potential punishments before enacting bad behavior. This improvement should be encouraged while the training continues.
Yes, I agree with you that the idea of punishing pedophiles is a very easy and uncontroversial position. The fact that Democrats have to even consider the population’s opinion is a progressive shift in strategy, when in the past, they have felt very comfortable simply ignoring their constiuents. The only thing that’s really changed is that Progressives are getting big wins and becoming more popular amongst the voter base. The Dem leadership is trying to stay in power by appealing to their left flank. This should be encouraged while the training continues.
However I would also note that even 6 months ago, Establishment Dems would not approve a message of going after Epstein affiliates.
Which just proves they’re cowardly and opportunistic. Hardly evidence of sincerity.
I view the Democratic Party like a disobedient dog in need of training.
I’ll spot you the metaphor, but I’ve been bitten by this dog far too many times to believe a few treats and a clicker are going to change it.
The fact that Democrats have to even consider the population’s opinion is a progressive shift in strategy
It’s a shift in messaging… kinda. With the Hillarycrats largely on the sidelines this election, you’re stepping on fewer toes when you run ads like this. But compare it to the upsets in states like New York, Michigan, and Ohio. Nobody watching these ads who wasn’t already going to vote Dem will care. The issues aren’t at the top of anyone’s mind. We aren’t even seeing Dems put this as “Epstein’s War In Iran”, because the bulk of the Dem Party agrees with Trump on bombing Iran.
Just like with Obama criticizing Bush or Biden criticizing Trump, the issue isn’t the policy but the execution. Trump’s just doing a bad job of mass arrests and corporate bailouts and foreign invasions and market manipulations. Democrats (outside of the narrow band of progressives who have been upsetting party-favored campaigns) are running on “we’ll do Trumpism better” in the same way that the Obamacrats ran on “we’ll do Reaganism better”.
The Dem leadership is trying to stay in power by appealing to their left flank.
El-Sayed’s progressive positioning and recent polling showing him narrowly trailing the Republican nominee, former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), have raised concerns among Democrats that El-Sayed could lose what many in the party consider to be a must-win state. Some Democratic donors, particularly in the Jewish community, are also now backing Rogers after El-Sayed won the primary.
“A path to winning back the Senate clearly goes through Michigan, but we have a whole bunch of different paths,” Schumer told the Post.
That does not sound like a party leadership tacking towards its progressive flank. Just the opposite.
Yeah, I can’t really blame you for being disillusioned with the current Dem Party. I will note that the article you mentioned is from last month, and is likely refelctive of Schumer’s current opinions and desires, but I choose to read the OP’s article from yeaterday as folks like Schumer making poltical movements against their internal desires. I read it as Schumer understanding that the country is moving in a more progressive direction and he is trying to appease his masters by lying to them.
Not to be too contentious, but I hope you are wrong about the future of the Democratic Party and that things do move in a more Progressive direction. That more Dems will tie the Iran War to Isreal or advocate for taxing the ultra wealthy.
I agree with you that the current leadership and most of the Democrats in power do not want to prosecute Epstein affiliates. However I would also note that even 6 months ago, Establishment Dems would not approve a message of going after Epstein affiliates. This ad is a movement from “Don’t talk about Epstein” to “Say Epstein was a bad guy”. Yes, this is a pretty minimal movement, but any movement towards the populist position is a sign of Establishment Democrats’ arrogance and entitlement being curtailed.
I view the Democratic Party like a disobedient dog in need of training. This dog has been behaving extremely poorly, pissing on the kitchen floor and refusing to come to heel. Lately though, through rigorous training, this dog has shown minimal improvement, at least considering potential punishments before enacting bad behavior. This improvement should be encouraged while the training continues.
Yes, I agree with you that the idea of punishing pedophiles is a very easy and uncontroversial position. The fact that Democrats have to even consider the population’s opinion is a progressive shift in strategy, when in the past, they have felt very comfortable simply ignoring their constiuents. The only thing that’s really changed is that Progressives are getting big wins and becoming more popular amongst the voter base. The Dem leadership is trying to stay in power by appealing to their left flank. This should be encouraged while the training continues.
Which just proves they’re cowardly and opportunistic. Hardly evidence of sincerity.
I’ll spot you the metaphor, but I’ve been bitten by this dog far too many times to believe a few treats and a clicker are going to change it.
It’s a shift in messaging… kinda. With the Hillarycrats largely on the sidelines this election, you’re stepping on fewer toes when you run ads like this. But compare it to the upsets in states like New York, Michigan, and Ohio. Nobody watching these ads who wasn’t already going to vote Dem will care. The issues aren’t at the top of anyone’s mind. We aren’t even seeing Dems put this as “Epstein’s War In Iran”, because the bulk of the Dem Party agrees with Trump on bombing Iran.
Just like with Obama criticizing Bush or Biden criticizing Trump, the issue isn’t the policy but the execution. Trump’s just doing a bad job of mass arrests and corporate bailouts and foreign invasions and market manipulations. Democrats (outside of the narrow band of progressives who have been upsetting party-favored campaigns) are running on “we’ll do Trumpism better” in the same way that the Obamacrats ran on “we’ll do Reaganism better”.
Democrats can retake the Senate without winning Michigan, Schumer suggests
That does not sound like a party leadership tacking towards its progressive flank. Just the opposite.
Yeah, I can’t really blame you for being disillusioned with the current Dem Party. I will note that the article you mentioned is from last month, and is likely refelctive of Schumer’s current opinions and desires, but I choose to read the OP’s article from yeaterday as folks like Schumer making poltical movements against their internal desires. I read it as Schumer understanding that the country is moving in a more progressive direction and he is trying to appease his masters by lying to them.
Not to be too contentious, but I hope you are wrong about the future of the Democratic Party and that things do move in a more Progressive direction. That more Dems will tie the Iran War to Isreal or advocate for taxing the ultra wealthy.