The Damaged Brand of the Democrats and Other Big Media Myths

I don't trust the narrative of big and mostly white media; that is the recipient of all the cash flowing as the result of Citizens United, mixed with low voter turnout--that drones this election was something out of the ordinary.  It is conventional wisdom that Republican voters tend to turn out in greater numbers in mid-terms.  The narrative that the Democratic party brand is damaged is a slap in the face of the minority vote who consistently carry party candidates.

DEMOCRATS ALWAYS BOUNCE BACK

Take aways:

The party rhetoric as the voice of women has not translated into putting money behind women candidates, or even making sure that the right women candidates are backed.  This needs to change.

(Take Montana, the MEA-MFT propped up Amanda Curtis 80 days before the election after Walsh dropped out.  Aside from personal issues I have with this--I can say for certain the MEA-MFT has a real problem with the native vote that must be fixed.  But I digress here).

To my point of bouncing back, the bounce is always provided by a coalition of youth, women and minority voters.  There is no reason to believe the next cycle won't be any different.  There are institutional issues the Democrats must learn going forward.

• The party must defeat historic patterns;  conventional wisdom holds the party in power loses seats during midterms.  The party must learn to gap this problem of midterms.  It is doable and it is something every county, state party, and the DNC must learn to plan for.
• Routing Citizens United:  We know this is a factor.  It is a given.  It is not likely that CU will be addressed in the next two years--therefore; we must learn to organize around it to get the vote out.
• Social networking is free;  this is perhaps the greatest counter balance to CU and it is instantaneous.  (We can expect the Republicans to attack net neutrality).
• We know CU worked for low tech elderly voters who still are predominantly TV-broadcast-dependent to get their information.  It was the elderly vote that turned out last night benefiting Republicans.
• There must be a stated policy of corporate Democrat entrenchment.  In Louisiana, Landrieu, noted as a centrist and corporate Democrat--will face a run off in the coming weeks.  Corporate Democrats are endangered in a party where progressives have held out their vote since 2010.
• Corporate Democrats make the party institutionally weak; they have been divisive, and viewed as betraying the party base.  They also do not respect the will of the party base.
• Racism;  minority voters should not have to fight a civil rights war in the party to be respected. White party leaders get control of the party resources and shut the door.  They only share the resources when they are desperate to win.  
• To this end; as an example, minority leaders called for a second stimulus in 2010 to benefit their distressed communities.  The view was the 2009 ARRA aided Wall Street.  Their pleas fell on deaf ears in their own party.  
• Democratic party leaders must realize they can no longer get something for nothing from minorities.  These past two years should indicate to Democratic party leaders;  If you dont deliver to your constituents, we don't deliver the votes.  It is that simple.

We the Native American vote in Montana will be tackling some tough issues here in this state and it is our hope that what we voice, and our organization will be a national model of success going toward 2016.  

COMING UP..... OPEN STATEMENT TO THE DNC