What does it mean to be a "democrat"?

[Opoponax]

Just what is it about a constant rightward drift that's supposed to be progressive?

IMO, the dems get alot of underved credit from progressives, and for being progressive.  Remember Hillary;s stance on gay marriage?  It only turned when the tide of public opinion turned and became overwhelming.  The same could be said of many dems and most democratic party platform statements.  -They- aren't progressives, it's just that progressives have no one else to vote for, so they get to be the coat-tail riding party.

But that is the way it works. Hillary's stance on same-sex marriage progressed. That's not a rightward drift; it's the exact opposite. 

And there is the reality of political expediency. Same-sex marriage wasn't going to happen until most of the population was ready for it. Pushing it in 1992 would have been political suicide.

Here's a good example. In 2004, the mayor of San Francisco announced that same-sex marriage was legal in that city. Up until that time, George W. Bush was on a steady decline in the polls against Kerrey. Many Republicans didn't like him and weren't going to bother to vote. But when that news hit, it galvanized conservatives to get to the ballot box because whether they liked W. or not, they wasn't gonna have no faggits gettin' married while they had some say so. It also simultaneously caused a backlash against same-sex marriage that lasted for years. Now, that wasn't the only thing that got W re-elected that year, but it played an important role. 

That's because the public wasn't ready for it. But as time went on the public warmed to it until the point that it was ready.

"Progress now" is a slogan, which most often doesn't reflect what can be accomplished in the moment.

It's the Democrats who had the first black President, and [leaving out a lot of my own bullshit] almost got the first woman elected President. Did it take way too long? Absolutely. But this kind of stuff is not going to come from the GOP---that's certain. And that's the reality of the political situation in the U.S. The Greens aren't going to do shit and as Libertarians become more vocal we realize what a nightmare they would be. 

Despite this most recent election, a majority of Americans are center to just left of center. So if more far left-leaning progressives show up and vote for more progressive Democrats, then we will see more progress. But it isn't going to happen overnight and it's not going to happen with any other party.

[Whateverist]

I'm a registered Democrat, but not a party loyalist. 

It just so happens that it's a party that can win elections and is closer to espousing my beliefs as a whole than any other. It does not represent everything I believe; far from it. But it's close enough to get my vote most of the time. 

The Democratic party is the most inclusive in the U.S. It manages to gather people from all races and backgrounds, all manner of religious and non-religious belief, and basically almost everyone who isn't a Republican under the same tent. It's the party of "At least some good things can get done here." That is, it still tries to make life better for its constituents. It doesn't always do so in an efficient, evenhanded, or even intelligent way, but it has to accommodate many different people, and so it can often get in its own way. 

And it has shown the ability to be progressive. Maybe not rapidly enough for some people, but rapid change just doesn't happen in the U.S. 

And the alternative to the Democrats is Trump and the GOP. Enough said on that.

If only it were possible to create a cutting edge progressive political institution without it becoming too institutional.

[vorlon13]

I am not a member of any organized party — I am a Democrat.

[Kosh]

Just what is it about a constant rightward drift that's supposed to be progressive?

IMO, the dems get alot of underved credit from progressives, and for being progressive.  Remember Hillary;s stance on gay marriage?  It only turned when the tide of public opinion turned and became overwhelming.  The same could be said of many dems and most democratic party platform statements.  -They- aren't progressives, it's just that progressives have no one else to vote for, so they get to be the coat-tail riding party.

But that is the way it works. Hillary's stance on same-sex marriage progressed. That's not a rightward drift; it's the exact opposite. 

And there is the reality of political expediency. Same-sex marriage wasn't going to happen until most of the population was ready for it. Pushing it in 1992 would have been political suicide.

Here's a good example. In 2004, the mayor of San Francisco announced that same-sex marriage was legal in that city. Up until that time, George W. Bush was on a steady decline in the polls against Kerrey. Many Republicans didn't like him and weren't going to bother to vote. But when that news hit, it galvanized conservatives to get to the ballot box because whether they liked W. or not, they wasn't gonna have no faggits gettin' married while they had some say so. It also simultaneously caused a backlash against same-sex marriage that lasted for years. Now, that wasn't the only thing that got W re-elected that year, but it played an important role. 

That's because the public wasn't ready for it. But as time went on the public warmed to it until the point that it was ready.

"Progress now" is a slogan, which most often doesn't reflect what can be accomplished in the moment.

It's the Democrats who had the first black President, and [leaving out a lot of my own bullshit] almost got the first woman elected President. Did it take way too long? Absolutely. But this kind of stuff is not going to come from the GOP---that's certain. And that's the reality of the political situation in the U.S. The Greens aren't going to do shit and as Libertarians become more vocal we realize what a nightmare they would be. 

Despite this most recent election, a majority of Americans are center to just left of center. So if more far left-leaning progressives show up and vote for more progressive Democrats, then we will see more progress. But it isn't going to happen overnight and it's not going to happen with any other party.

Old people need to die for progress to happen. As an early gen-x person, I lump my generation into the need to die group as well. That is the bad thing about modern medicine. It's stunting progress by keeping old assholes alive longer.

[Whateverist]

Old people need to die for progress to happen.  As an early gen-x person, I lump my generation into the need to die group as well.  That is the bad thing about modern medicine.  It's stunting progress by keeping old assholes alive longer.

Meh. Old people have been dying for years. If by 'progress' you mean any particular turn of events, that would seem not to be an adequate causal determinent.

[brewer]

I have no clue what it means. I'm pretty much clueless about being a republican also. 

Put me down for "Melikeist".

[brewer]

Old people need to die for progress to happen.  As an early gen-x person, I lump my generation into the need to die group as well.  That is the bad thing about modern medicine.  It's stunting progress by keeping old assholes alive longer.

Get off my fucking lawn right now! And pull your god damn pants up.

[Neo-Scholastic]

Both parties have undergone a lot of changes over the years. When my grandfather was voting (WWII vet) they supposedly stood for the "little guy" and continuing the New Deal versus Republican Plutocrats. I think if I were voting 40 years ago I would have supported JFK but I would have to think twice because at that time Democrats were also the party of segregation.

Anyway, during my voting years (30+), the Democrats have always been a very loose group of special interests with not much connecting them. Hard to see where the interests of NARAL and the AFLCIO and the NAACP and Green Peace intersect. That seem less true of Republicans - conservatism is generally about preserving traditional institutions. I'm not convinced that the Democratic party has any such central theme binding it together. Each part of the coalition want to instigate some kind of change to the system and not often are those changes welcome to all member groups.

[Faith No More]

I think the central theme binding the Democratic Party has always been "We may not be the greatest, but at least we're not the Republicans."

They just tried to ride that train so hard and so long that it couldn't even work against someone like Trump.

[account_inactive]

It means you're a smelly liberal.  

jk <3