After months and months of criticizing those who believe that the 24/7 focus on all things Russia by the Democratic party establishment instead of a substantive discussion of issues that actually touch on everyday lives (healthcare, jobs, clean water, police violence, and the other things that there was a big fight to put into the platform, etc..) the Party finally seems to be learning a little from its most recent losses.
Dems push leaders to talk less about Russia:
Frustrated Democrats hoping to elevate their election fortunes have a resounding message for party leaders: Stop talking so much about Russia.
Democratic leaders have been beating the drum this year over the ongoing probes into the Trump administration’s potential ties to Moscow, taking every opportunity to highlight the saga and forcing floor votes designed to uncover any business dealings the president might have with Russian figures.
But rank-and-file Democrats say the Russia-Trump narrative is simply a non-issue with district voters, who are much more worried about bread-and-butter economic concerns like jobs, wages and the cost of education and healthcare.
In the wake of a string of special-election defeats, an increasing number of Democrats are calling for an adjustment in party messaging, one that swings the focus from Russia to the economy. The outcome of the 2018 elections, they say, hinges on how well the Democrats manage that shift.
“We can’t just talk about Russia because people back in Ohio aren’t really talking that much about Russia, about Putin, about Michael Flynn,” Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) told MSNBC Thursday. “They’re trying to figure out how they’re going to make the mortgage payment, how they’re going to pay for their kids to go to college, what their energy bill looks like.
The above statements (and others in the article) echo those made by prominent Bernie Sanders supporters for months, including Nina Turner who was applauded by Progressives but mocked by centrists for saying in May:
“we definitely have to deal with” allegations of Russian interference in the election, “it’s on the minds of American people, but if you want to know what people in Ohio—they want to know about jobs, they want to know about their children.” As for Russia, she said, “We are preoccupied with this, it’s not that this is not important, but every day Americans are being left behind because it’s Russia, Russia, Russia.”
Or even more simply put by Norman Solomon:
A party that makes itself more known as anti-Russian than pro-working-people has a problematic future.
Jimmy Dore on the topic:
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