Southern Democrats have called upon their party to reassert itself as the working-man’s party, reported The Huffington Post. It’s a common thought among these Democrats that the party has lost its roots, and should attend back to those roots.
“It’s time to draw a line in the sand and not surrender our brand,” said Rickey Cole, Mississippi Democratic party chairman. “”We don’t need a New Coke formula. The problem is we’ve been out there trying to peddle Tab and RC Cola.”
Ever since Republicans began keying in on the religious voter decades ago, Democrats have had difficulty flourishing in the South where the voter base is deeply religious. But southerners are also really blue-collar. Cole believes that if the party can refocus its pro-worker message to that constituency, it will revitalize some Democratic support in the South. That would not only help secure African American support, but also recapture the long-lost white vote.
Everyone knows that Democrats lost badly in the midterm elections earlier this month, which can be attributed to lackluster campaigning and weak stance on issues. Democrats need to, as Cole mentioned, continue pushing voter rights laws, banking regulation, and “labor-friendly policies,” which are intended to win over the working-class white vote.
The party has weakened beyond all recognition. Anytime Democrats get demolished during an election cycle, they always move to the right a little bit more. They’re now so far right that the banks they support regulation of are now calling the shots on the left side of the Aisle. Democrats need to grow a spine, mobilize, and stick to their traditionally pro-worker guns.