Democrats have all the spontaneity of the House of Windsor. Or, closer to home, they’re closer to what Republicans once were, a party that falls in line not in love.
Democrats have all the spontaneity of the House of Windsor. Or, closer to home, they’re closer to what Republicans once were, a party that falls in line not in love.
It’s ridiculous that the DNC doesn’t understand this shit depresses turnout.
People want to choose who to vote for, voting for someone you dislike because the other candidate is worse doesn’t get enough voters to comfortably win
Biden is going to fuck around and lose, and the “moderates” are going to blame it on progressives (even tho they always show up) and say the 2028 candidate has to be even more rightwing
Or, Biden squeaks out a victory, and the party says that also proves the party needs to go more rightwing
No matter what happens, both parties keep drifting right.
And that reality is why we spend 100s of millions every election, and still barely crack 2/3s turnout.
Any democracy based on FPTP voting will trend rightward. It’s a fundamental flaw in the voting system from a game theory perspective. The dynamics of a two party system will always support a good cop/bad cop dominant strategy (think of spoiler candidates, and how we always are faced with the prospect of voting against a bad candidate rather than for a preferable one). Good candidates exist, but our preferences are not a priority inherent to the design of the system.
We would do better with approval voting or Concorcet, but the only way to change the voting system is to get buy-in from the parties to whom it would be certainly fatal.
Except American democracy has existed for longer than this issue…
FDR won in a two party system, sure, the parties instituted term limits to get rid of him, but he won in FPTP.
But the reason both parties drift right is because of the neoliberal movement that’s only been around 30 years.
It’s been working out terribly, but party leadership doesn’t care because there’s more money in being rightwing
Dark money out of politics would alleviate a lot of the issues we’ve been seeing. The voting system is still the game we have to play if we want democracy, and badly designed games are only fun for the winners. An approval vote would get us more broad consensus in leadership, and a return to government based on a shared vision of society, rather than a Congress perpetually locked in a darkly comedic reimagining of the French National Assembly.
But republicans will always be against that, and so will neoliberals.
Doesn’t mean we can’t do it, but we need to wrest control of the Dem party from neoliberals, and primary a bunch of incumbent Dems first.
It’s like climate change, it’s not a quick fix, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be trying immediately, just that we’re not going to see noticeable results for a long time.
Which is why I feel like I’m insane no one else is losing their shit that NH got their primary taken away for a law only state republicans could have changed. The DNC told NH Dems if they didn’t violate state law, they didn’t get primary delegates. And then followed thru.
It’s not a coincidence NH has been voting progressive in primaries over the party pick.
If they did it this year, what’s stopping them from doing it in 2028?
Without a primary, voters have zero say. And legally the DNC can do whatever they want in a primary, even outright ignoring the result.
If we lose the Dem party, we’re all fucked.
The party wanted to punish New Hampshire and reward South Carolina because the former went for Sanders and the latter proved pivotal for Biden in 2020.
You don’t sound crazy to me at all. The only part where I differ is that I lost hope a few years ago and emigrated. My family was only there for a generation and it hasn’t worked out. I still follow US politics because it’s all I know. Every time I try to learn UK politics I get uncanny valley vibes.
I left to Germany and uncanny valley is a perfect way to describe it. 98% of the politics are so much easier to handle than American politics, because people are working off of a much higher floor. 2% of politics are fucking terrifying in a very different way. Plus, nuclear and homeopathy are Germany’s southern baptists: it’s hard to understand if you’re not from here and leads to mostly super backward laws, but it’s a weirdly deeply rooted part of the culture.
But the longer I’m here, the less I can understand American politics. Like, how can ~15 states decide to take money for food out of their children’s mouths? What is the actual point of a nation, if not mutual support, especially for children? I used to think that there was a lot of brainwashing and misinformation, but I’m starting to think nobody needs to be tricked into supporting awful causes anymore.
Not anymore. America’s social fabric has been destroyed and not enough people have a shared vision of the society they want to live in.
And the people currently complaining are either shills or weren’t willing to do the required hard work when the time came.
Why don’t the Republicans try to move left? Who are the right wingers going to vote for if they do and try and take some of the moderates from the Democrats?
Go back 20 years and the Democrats had a significant anti-abortion faction, formally opposed gay marriage, even acknowledging trans people was taboo, the core of John Kerry’s health care plan was some minor government subsidies for employer-based plans, any acknowledgment of police racism was absolutely not done, Kerry voted for the Iraq war with no regrets, and I could go on.
To say that the Democratic party is more right-wing today doesn’t hold up to a second of actual scrutiny.
Same as Biden and Clinton
The populace has gotten more progressive on a few individual issues and forced Democratic lawmakers to update their talking points a bit, but actual policy on things like the roll of the federal government in regulating and subsidizing businesses, campaign finance regulations, civil liberties and surveillance, and granting asylum to migrants has all gotten markedly more regressive
Thats because Clinton ushered in the neoliberal era after dems got trounced by Reagan.
Nixon, the Republican, would be seen as leftie today. Dude liked high taxes and started the EPA.
Progressive on social issues, regressive/conservative on a lot of economic issues. Neoliberalism is back 19th century style.
Shit, this is so fucking true and so fucking depressing. Thanks, truly, for being real.
Meanwhile, back in consensual reality, Biden is the most Progressive president we’ve had in my lifetime in terms of policy actually passed into law.
p.s. I’m never going to block you. It’s far too important to show the rest of the class why you’re wrong.
In your lifetime, sure. Id argue Nixon.was far more progressive, and he was a Republican. Go look up the tax rates back then. Now look go who started the EPA.
Yeah, that’s not in my lifetime & that was a single, though very important agency.
That Nixon’s own party is about to dismantle his greatest accomplishment isn’t lost on me.
Maybe you’re just really really young?
Obama was a lot more progressive than Biden, and he left office in 2016?
Obama’s healthcare reform wasn’t perfect, but what has Biden done that you think is more progressive?
Maybe I’m almost 50 & you’re just not aware of what Biden has actually accomplished.
What Progressive laws did Obama get passed in his TWO terms? I’ll start: AHCA & Cash for Clunkers.
What else?
I’m a lot older than you and have better news sources than the average MSM consuming crowd. From my gleanings Biden is a lot more progressive than I expected him to be but one wouldn’t even suspect it from the corporate news. He has managed to get student loan forgiveness, champion support of unions and pass infrastructure reform - hardly right wing agendas. It just that Biden’s successes do not get a lot of press.
When I hear complaints about Biden I recall this quote: “I look with commiseration over the great body of my fellow citizens who, reading newspapers, live and die in the belief they have known something of what has been passing in the world around them” - Harry Truman
Well, the first article is about things he said he would do…
The second is this:
I thought if it took a law, Biden had no power? That’s the excuse for him not doing most of his campaign promises.
But here’s a law, and youre giving Biden sole credit for it?
We’re not republicans, we’re not that welcoming of hypocrisy
Oh my god. Anyone still refusing what this administration has achieved despite having a republican supermajority in the house is living under a rock or has an alternate agenda.
They obviously have an agenda.
Oh, ok. You’re just not aware of how our system of government works.
Thanks for clearing that up for me.
I just recognized your name…
I’ve tried to bock you I don’t know how many times, but I still see your comments, and your post history is blank whether I have you as blocked or not
It’s incredibly annoying because obviously nothing productive is going to come from us talking. Since I apparently can’t block you, can you just block me at least?
I never want to have to talk to you again, and it feels mutual.
But you also keep replying to my comments in different threads, so I’ll probably just have to remember exchanging you with is a giant waste of time. I’d rather just forget you exist
LOL.
Next time just say “I can’t defend my position” & move on.
p.s. I’m never going to block you. It’s far too important to show the rest of the class why you’re wrong.
Progressives do not show up to vote. What state are you looking at? Biden is a clear representation of his electorate. If young people actually bothered to vote the landscape would be so much different. The good news is young people are actually starting to be more politically active now.
Edit: you can downvote, but we can also look at the stats. I don’t get this anti-reality sentiment on Lemmy.
2nd edit. Just in case it’s not clear for those needing sources (even though this is extremely researched):
Pew research 2022 election.
If you still believe that, no amount of evidence is going to change your mind bud …
But feel free to keep shouting into the void that you don’t understand it, maybe someone will try and explain it.
What are you talking about? Progressives are the least reliable voting block in the US. This isn’t some speculation, it is a known, well-studied fact. It is the very same fact that leads to the Dems becoming more conservative.
As soon as I’m done explaining nuclear physics to my dog, I’ll get right back to you.
I try to manage my time by putting the easiest tasks first.
It’s always the most uninformed that speak with the most confidence.
Pew research on 2022 turnout. No need for condescending tone brother. We are all in the same fight but we need facts on our side.