Murphy's case for populism

[Passages]

11/22/2024

New: Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) is circulating a polling memo arguing that Democrats need to embrace populism to win back working-class voters.

Murphy is trying to position himself as a leading Democratic voice as the party grapples with a brutal election cycle. Murphy argues that a “populist message of power deconcentration is a truly unifying message — across income brackets and political ideologies.”

“Democrats must reclaim our identity as the party of the working class,” Murphy wrote in the memo. His solution? Have Democrats talk about “why corporations and billionaires have too much” and why Democrats “are the only party that is serious about putting that power back in the hands of workers.”

Here’s one tidbit from the polling, conducted internally by the Murphy campaign in Connecticut:

https://punchbowl.news/article/washington/murphy-case-for-populism/

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. Punch bowl? Ugh

They are worse than the Hill.

“The party grapples with a brutal election cycle”

Sure, Dems lost the WH by a narrow margin, and a couple of senate seats by narrow margins, but it looks like they will have a net gain in the house- not exactly “brutal”.

A message of “power de concentration” might work in the midterms after a couple of years of power concentrated in the hands of MAGA nuts, but I also think running on good governance might also be effective, once the Trump administration wreaks economic havoc that cannot be blamed on a pandemic,

[Passages]

2. The information is straight forward, punchbowl or not.

Most of the respondents, 82%, “either strongly or somewhat agree that one of the biggest problems facing America today is that a handful of corporations and economic elites have too much power and the government is doing too little about it.”

Seven in 10 Republicans, 92% of Democrats and 81% of independents agreed with the statement.


Losing twice to a demagogue should be a turning point for change.

[Fiendish Thingy]

3. No populist can succeed without the assistance of the media

Joe Biden was the most progressive, populist president in 50+ years, with unprecedented support for unions and aggressive anti-trust actions against big corporations, but most Americans didn’t know it or didn’t believe it because the media didn’t cover it or portray him as a populist.

Biden is no demagogue, that’s for sure- perhaps the Dems would do well to nominate a strong progressive candidate who is a fiery orator as well. There will be plenty of Trump failures and disasters to campaign on by 2028.

[Passages]

4. You are confused.

We lost to a demagogue, Trump...we lost twice now.

Change is in order. There were already Trump disasters we ran on and it failed.

[Fiendish Thingy]

5. Tell me who/what approach will work to sway low information voters? Nt

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6. Read what Murphy is proposing.

That's why I posted it.

Town halls for people with medical debt, the number one reason for bankruptcy....one without celebrities focusing on Harris's medical relief policy would have brought her in touch with voters' distress. She would also be selling her policies as to how they would remedy THEIR urgent crisis.


There are many ways to reach people, and examining everything is the responsible thing to do.

[Fiendish Thingy]

7. Town halls aren't the equivalent of demagoguery

The few town halls that Trump held were stocked with fawning supporters and didn’t really examine any issues.

I thought you said Dems needed to fight demagoguery with demagoguery of their own?

[Passages]

8. No, I said nothing of the kind.

[Blue_Tires]

9. We tried that message and voters didn't care

I really wish Murphy could see the rest of America someday because every place isn't like Connecticut

[Passages]

10. Obviously I can't speak for him, but my sense is he does not believe we tried that message quite

the same way he is referring to.

There is no question Biden's agenda was progressive, and there is no question Sinema and Manchin did a great deal of damage to Biden's agenda.

Biden had stated early on how important BBB was going to be instrumental in pulling voters away from authoritarians. That way we could help them build trust in American governing again.

He was right, we needed all or almost all of BBB and Harris would have won IMHO. Instead two corrupt schmucks gutted it.