Has Maimane failed to lead the DA?

[TheChamp]

It's better to engage meaningfully than to make faces, say exactly what is on your mind.

 

[BeerIsNotGood...]

It's better to engage meaningfully than to make faces, say exactly what is on your mind.

Nah it's like talking to a brick

 

[thestaggy]

Any white DA voter must have known that in order for their party to grow, it NEEDS to grow its black vote. In order to do that most resources will have to be used in that demographic. Understanding that, how can a white voter then feel alienated?

Because I don't want to vote in approval of race-based policy?

I loathe the ANC and EFF because of their race and racist platforms, so how do I then go and vote for another party that uses race as a platform?

And if you have a problem with your party leader, how come is your problem now with your party. You can still NOT like Maimane and still vote DA.

DA sets policy as a party, on top of what Maimane says in his capacity as leader.

If there is no room in SA for a truly equal and liberal party then that is the fault of the black voters. If they can only vote for a party that pushes things like BEE and black disadvantage then that is their shortcoming.

 

[The_MAC]

He tries too hard... "Obama of Soweto"... Hahaha. You can not succeed as a pastor and politician at the same time.

These days I cannot tell the 2 apart, they walk the same, dress the same, drive the same cars, sing the same tune..

 

[Gaz{M}]

This election boils down to: Do you support the continued looting of the ANC or not? Do you want to enable the EFF looting or not? There will be time for principles and moral values in 2024. For now, help the country, PLEASE.

 

[thestaggy]

This election boils down to: Do you support the continued looting of the ANC or not? Do you want to enable the EFF looting or not? There will be time for principles and moral values in 2024. For now, help the country, PLEASE.

Of course I will vote.

Just that my guaranteed DA vote is no longer that. I voted for them in 2004, 2009 and 2014 but they are a difficult pill to swallow at the moment.

 

[Geoff.D]

How in the hell is that racism?

The DA, going back to its PFP, IP and DP roots was a genuine liberal party. There were no racial agendas or policies. The minute DA and Maimane started coming up with the ''race is disadvantage'' BS and committed to embracing BEE instead of rebuking it they stopped being a liberal party.

If those whites were the intolerant bunch you accuse them of being why did the nationalist NP die while the liberal DP grew? Why has the VF+ - a conservative nationalist party at its heart - shown no signs of major growth? In fact, the VF+ has stagnated in the past 4 general elections.

The vast majority of whites in SA don't want to vote for exclusive minority parties, they want to vote for a party void of any racial identity, preferences or biases because we know that this is the only way the country will ever get anywhere. A party of merit and true equality. Not a party with disclaimers and asterisks.

The best post in this entire thread to date. I would change it in one small way.

The vast majority of thinking South Africans want to vote for a ...party void of any racial identity, preferences or biases because we know that this is the only way the country will ever get anywhere. A party of merit and true equality. Not a party with disclaimers and asterisks.

The problem is there is not one single party out of the 48 that have made it to the ballot paper that meets this definition, not one. So we are left as we have for my entire voting life in this country, having to choose "the lesser of the weavils on the plate".

That means to vote one has to compromise on your own values. Presumably, those that have truly thought through the process, and have chosen not to vote, have reached a point where they refuse to compromise on their own values in any way whatsoever. A very naive view I am sure. I know I am going to vote. I know that is going to cause me to compromise on my own values. The only thing still uncertain is just how far I am prepared to compromise.

 

[ForceFate]

Ah yes, Phumzile Van Damme is another electoral turnoff for the DA. I forgot about that. She engages in lots of nonsense on Twitter.

Why have the DA called on Leon and Zille? Because they are electoral assets to the DA, despite what some might think on here.

Most of the younger DA leaders engage in nonsense on twitter. I find DASO crowd a lot more mature than their seniors.

 

[thestaggy]

The problem is there is not one single party out of the 48 that have made it to the ballot paper that meets this definition, not one. So we are left as we have for my entire voting life in this country, having to choose "the lesser of the weavils on the plate"

Yep, that's the truth.

 

[BBSA]

This election boils down to: Do you support the continued looting of the ANC or not? Do you want to enable the EFF looting or not? There will be time for principles and moral values in 2024. For now, help the country, PLEASE.

A vote for one of the the DA alliance partner is good enough to help our country.

 

[JustAsk]

Because I don't want to vote in approval of race-based policy?

Huh? Are you now saying now wanting to grow your party in the rest of the voter block (that happens to be black) is race-based policy? Where do you think their growth will come from? Is it not from the rest of the voters that didn't vote for them?

It is math, not race-based.

DA sets policy as a party, on top of what Maimane says in his capacity as leader.

Policy is documented, what a leader say, if it's not in the doc its not party policy. You DID vote for a party, didn't you?

If there is no room in SA for a truly equal and liberal party then that is the fault of the black voters.

Really? The people that was comfortable voting for a white majority party, then the whites started to feel "alienated".

I guess blacks really is the architects of apartheid..

 

[¯\_(ツ)_/¯]

I just don't understand this type of reasoning. Aren't you a DA voter because of their policies? How come individual person's twitter nonsense suddenly makes you move away from your strong felt policies?

Zille's twitter nonsense was much more damaging for the party, yet no outrage from those outraged about Maimane now. Whether you agree with Zille's tweets or not, it still was more damaging to the brand.
As a DA supporter shouldn't your concerns be with the growth of the party, yet Zille was defended by that core group.

Please allow me to de-confuse you.

Musi & Co apparently went over your head. It's a sarcastic reference to the DA. So it's not really about an individual, is it?

Me a DA voter? You know more than I do.

As for moving away from my strong felt policies: I vote for the lesser evil and strategically. While I have stayed true to what I believe in, the DA has drifted from a more or less okay safe party to vote for, to becoming the ANC-lite.

But let me JustAsk you this : Do you really believe a party should chase populism at the cost of integrity? This is most certainly what you're implying. To me it seems you're drinking bad Cool Aid.

 

[Geoff.D]

@JustAsk you cannot use the word "Race". You denied in another thread that the term has any meaning.

If you refuse to admit that there are differences in the people of South Africa, you cannot use any label you like to label people as different, whether it is "Race" or "Black" or "White".

 

[JustAsk]

Please allow me to de-confuse you.

Snotty remarks normally don't deserve engagement, but i'll bite.

The question "Aren't you a DA voter because of their policies?" was rhetorical, it is really obvious.

I have challenged your reasoning. You came into this thread with

Let's just ignore the fact that Musi & Co jumped onto the racist twitter bandwagon prematurely a few times, never apologizing.

Which will only be relevant to a DA voter or a potential one.

I find there's a certain segment of South Africans that sheepishly change their stance every day about their politics depending on what happens on twitter. That tells me these type of people don't really care about policies but react to carrots.

 

[JustAsk]

@JustAsk you cannot use the word "Race". You denied in another thread that the term has any meaning.

If you refuse to admit that there are differences in the people of South Africa, you cannot use any label you like to label people as different, whether it is "Race" or "Black" or "White".

That's true, but if i engage with the Japanese, i have to use some Japanese words.

 

[marine1]

Prefer John Steenhuisen , he is electric and when he talks, you listen

 

[jack_spratt]

That's true, but if i engage with the Japanese, i have to use some Japanese words.

Depends, I know Japanese who only speak English or only want to learn English.

 

[Geoff.D]

That's true, but if i engage with the Japanese, i have to use some Japanese words.

Oh, so you admit that language spoken is another characteristic of a specific group of people?

Therefore classifications of people are as unavoidable as death and taxes? Therefore the term "Race" remains valid as a generalisation with a number of ways in which to define a specific group such as:

(1) Colour
(2) Physical genetically derived characteristics such as bone structure, hair etc.
(3) language
(4) geographical location

 

[AstroTurf]

They support BEE and AA.

I don't.

 

[Geoff.D]

Prefer John Steenhuisen , he is electric and when he talks, you listen

Because he is one of the few individuals in Parliament that always has something really important to say.
The rest just make noises, sleep, pick their noses, lick their coffee cups and snore.