Midwestern or southern, military experience. Both big positives. Only neg is Jewish, and that's overcome-able. Am being entirely serious, DNC emails showed Dems trying to work Bernie for being an atheist/Jew. Athiest is apparently unelectable, in 2017. Dems need to think ruthlessly about this shit. I don't think the "Hope" message of Obama will be repeatable in the near future, it sucks but that's just what the air smells like to me. Obama showed up at a unique time with the Bush presidency on death row and the massive financial crisis, with a new, slickly packaged youth message, it worked then but is not necessarily repeatable exactly the same way.

Like that he's focused on ethical issues, that's a great thing for the country and also a great angle to sell him, along with his support for public option.

Most important is having the ability to connect when they speak, not being so overtly managed- Biden, Sanders, Trump (yes, Trump), not stiff, with some pulse.

After watching the Roger Stone and Lee Atwater documentaries recently, it's just more confirmation that there's an obvious way to go for Dems. This is purely pragmatic- they haven't found a way to answer the charge of being out-of-touch, less than patriotic moralizers (the moralizing has stuck to them just like Bible-thumping moralizing.) They need to deal with the culture war in a better way imo- acceptance of candidates that don't necessarily toe the party line on social issues (because it's out of step nationally, and especially regionally), paint the Republicans as fat cat crooks, more "down home" style for lack of a better term, focus on broadly important issues like health care.

Don't know how to get there in practice with all the coalitions involved, but whatever you think about that tactical shift, I think it would give a better shot at winning. Have to some how account for the seismic cultural rift, which I don't think has to mean cowtowing to the worst elements and catering to the lcd. But as long as Republicans can paint Dems as Northeastern or California flagburners it hurts them. Just need to be palatable in especially VA, NC, OH, PA, etc, the purpler places out there.

[Post edited by hoodeyo at 07/24/2017 5:46PM]