[HankStallone]

The problem is, they don't like normal people. They don't trust them or think their opinions have value, and they've made that clear over the last several years. It took a while, but the normal people have finally started to get it.

It wasn't always that way. Democrats like Bill Clinton used to be able to go out and talk to normal people and make them feel like he liked them and sympathized with them. I remember when Clinton came to my town after the 1993 Mississippi flood, and even Republicans who met him were impressed and felt like he really cared. It may have been fake (as it certainly is with most Republicans), but he could pull it off. They can't anymore; the contempt is too strong. There's not a single prominent Democrat whom normal people look at and feel like he or she cares about them.

[bigthymer]

> There's not a single prominent Democrat whom normal people look at and feel like he or she cares about them.

What about Bernie, AOC, Zohran? I think there are a few but probably none of the establishment ones.

[hnuser123456]

The DNC sidelined Bernie like you wouldn't believe as soon as it became clear he had potential to be elected. During one of his April 2016 rallies they livestreamed a "reporter" onsite talking about her drunken adventures the previous night rather than showing his speech, the cheers, and the line around the block to get in, that was going on behind her at the time. AOC made no notable efforts to be genuinely inclusive. Zohran is still trying to reach the caliber to be a contender listed next to the other two names and sounds like the infighting is already coming for him.

[jdoliner]

The problem is that the DNC establishment feels the same way about Bernie, AOC and Zohran as it does about the normal people that they can't talk to.

[HankStallone]

I almost mentioned Bernie, but his appeal seems limited to people who are very interested in politics and socialism. I'm not sure I'd classify them as "normal." Openly calling himself a socialist is always going to make that a hard sell with normal Americans outside certain groups. Normal Americans don't mind a fair bit of socialism (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, farm subsidies, etc.), but they don't like calling it that.

AOC? Normal people think she's nuts because she's been propped up as "far-left" to make the rest of the party look moderate, but it's not working as well as it used to.

Mamdani hasn't been prominent long enough to say, but his biggest surge in votes came from high turnout among well-off progressive whites, the group that's most out-of-touch with normal people. He also got the youth vote, which is famously fickle. The working-class and poor vote went to Cuomo, so I'd say Mamdani has some work to do to reach "normal people" outside some NYC enclaves. He also has the same limitation Bernie has of labeling himself a socialist.

[alchemist1e9]

Yes what a great strategy to embrace the failed ideas of socialism!

You realize support among hispanics will drop to almost zero with that strategy because they know from experience in Latin and South America that such crazy ideas bring nothing but misery to everyone.

[actionfromafar]

I wonder if it's something in the water. (Or that money=free speech.) The Republicans also stopped listening and going out to meet people and see them. It's all a photo op now, and somehow Obamas fault.

[blargthorwars]

I'm a Republican: I think Bernie Sanders actually cares and isn't a lizard person.

[selimthegrim]

AOC? Really?

[1659447091]

What about her do you find fake or uncaring for the people?

She's a bit too left on some things for my personal taste, but I find her reasonable and still un-jaded/un-corrupted by her time in politics -- so far, time will tell if she caves like so many other who refuse to get out when they stop caring about the people they represent and only care to kiss the ring that stuffs their pockets. I would see her a vote worthy for that alone, compromise is all but forgotten these days. She reached out to Ted Cruz (of all people on the other side of the isle!) to work on banning the use of former congressional member from lobbying or becoming "shadow lobbyists" and reduce the effects of lobbying's influence on politics. Ofc, few others would get behind it. But if that is not an example of some one willing to not only do something for the people (at the cost of a very lucrative future career prospect after her own political career) but also having a willingness to work together with political rivals, I don't know what you are looking for in a representative.

Ted Cruz is one of my direct representatives and too far right for my support, I can respect times like the above where he shows a care for politics by the people. That was before he did a full 180 from vocally calling Trump out to securing his seat in the senate by kissing the ring. If our crazy corrupt AG Ken Paxton wins Cornyn's senate seat -- and it looks like he will -- it will make Cruz look like a political saint.

[selimthegrim]

I was agreeing with you. I was asking GP why he thought ill of her.