I’m glad congressional Democrats are finally taking steps to deal with their sclerotic, ineffective and increasingly out-of-touch leadership and building a future with younger—oh wait.
The thing that made me so pessimistic about the future of this country was when I learned that the people who advised Hillary’s 2016 campaign were still advising Harris’ 2024 campaign. They failed multiple times and the consequences have been catastrophic, but they held on to their positions anyway. I have no reason to think they won’t be back in 2028, because the people who have a say in who gets party leadership are people selected by the old leadership. We need a borderline hostile takeover of the Democrat party, and after Trump did it to the Republicans, the existing powers in the Democrat party only entrenched themselves further.
the people who advised Hillary’s 2016 campaign were still advising Harris’ 2024 campaign.
And still running the DNC.
Biden and Kamala inherited everything from Hillary, the people behind the scenes are the same, and are still likely listening to Hillary
She’s like our Dick Cheney
I’d almost believe that Hillary ordered her people to sabotage the campaign if it wasn’t the exact same “centrist” message the establishment Dems have been pushing since Carter.
The future of this country is not in the hands of the Democratic party if this is the way of things.
The democrats still think the populace is smart enough to look at the alternative and choose the less-worse option.
The country proves them wrong at every turn.
The democrats still think the populace is smart enough to look at the alternative and choose the less-worse option.
The problem is this attitude and the literally brain dead take that this is in any way strategic voting.
Democrats are a “barely, sometimes maybe not, less-worse option”. And they get to stay that way by constantly being presented as the “less-worse” option. But they aren’t. They are the enablers of the “more-worse” option every time. They sell out their base at every turn.
Shit like this (Pelosi putting her thumb on the scale) is why people are questioning if they’ll ever vote Democrat again.
I don’t see an alternative
I want to point out how this (and I’m not doing this to single it you out, but you offer an example example of how a) lack of imagination about what is possible, is the precise kind of lack of vision that brought people to the conclusion that we “had” to support Biden in the primary, because you “can’t challenge an incumbent”: they were wrong. His brain was melting out of his ears and the establishment was telling you to not believe your lying eyes and ears. Authority takes advantage of this cynicisim and abuses you with it.
Its the kind of mindset that results in “Kamala has to be the nominee”, because she’s the only viable option; turns out, she wasn’t viable. We were told she had to turn to the right, to “get centrists”; turns out, there were no centrists. We were told her campaigning with Liz Cheney was 8d chess because she’ll get “never Trump Republicans”. How’d that work out.
We’ve been conditioned into a cynical fatalism, one that is truly not borne out by reality: it does not predict the future. I can not make that point any more emphatically. This toxic fatalism is in-opposition to the results we have on hand. New ways are possible, constantly. I have no problem with either cynicism or fatalism. However, I do have a problem with a world view being expressed which doesn’t predict future states of the world. BNMW, Blue Maga, the cynical fatalists who had elevated themselves into moderators of the Democratic process this election cycle: their cynical reductive fatalism is why Democrats can’t do better. Not because it isn’t possible, but because they refuse to ask for it, and for MONTHS they refused to allow the kinds of conversations necessary to carve and change a candidate like Harris into one who could get elected.
If anyone, here there or elsewhere, was suppressing speech challenging the narratives or strategies of the Harris campaign or Democratic party, challenges that would have led to a more viable candidate had they addressed them: these are the true enemies of democracy. There is a reason why Free Speech is the first amendment. It goes beyond what the government is allowed to do or not do: its about what we’re allowed to say or not allowed to say. Its about who has power, and who is allowed to challenge existing narratives. We can absolutely change this world, but first, we have to work on ourselves, and the communities we are a part of. This cynicism is a cancer we need to stamp out.
You have all the power you need to already to make the changes. If you need inspiration: Actions speak louder than words. You have to decide if you are part of the resistance or part of a costume party. Which is what some people, recently in the news, have decided.
The future is undefined. Pretending it isn’t is giving in.
That’s an awful lot of words to say absolutely nothing. What’s your suggested alternative that will get the 70+ million votes you need to stand a chance at the presidential level? Because encouraging people not to vote obviously didn’t work it this time. Unless a Trump win was your goal all along.
There was no more viable candidate out there in the wings. Dems lost this race before it even started, we just didn’t know it yet, because the vote is decided by how folks in swing states feel about the sitting President’s economic performance—a performance, by the way, which was stellar when compared to other countries. Everything besides the economy is theater.
I wholeheartedly agree with you about one thing, though. Vote for change in local elections. Not necessarily other parties, but the most progressive candidates within the Democratic Party. Change the organization from the bottom up. Reshape it into a more progressive institution.
You can add me to the list. I voted democrat this previous election in an effort to prevent *gestures around* this, but I didn’t want to for a number of reasons. I don’t trust the green party with Stein. I have no idea what I will do next election. I always vote for the most progressive “local” (I’m an overseas voter, but as long as I have to file taxes and get fucked by the IRS by not being able to use retirement accounts here, I’mma vote) candidate, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything other than D and R in my district except maybe an I once or twice.
Shit like this (Pelosi putting her thumb on the scale) is why people are questioning if they’ll ever vote Democrat again.
Yep, 100% this is at Pelosi’s feet. Fuck Nancy Pelosi, and honsestly fuck every D Boomer in congress who won’t get out of the way for the younger generations. You are actively holding us back.
I did that for years with nothing to show for it. No one ever (metaphorically) came knocking on my door asking how they could win my vote away from a third party. None of the candidates I voted for even came close, except Ross Perot and if he couldn’t do it, I guarantee no one else can. That dude’s whiteboard presentations were watched by 16.5 million people in an age where there were three channels and everyone watched TV. You can’t replicate his success today and he only got 20%
You want to change things, you have to change a major party from within, and that’s the effort of a lifetime, not an election cycle.
More like Americans should just not vote anymore.
Its not a popular take, but I agree that voting probably the least important thing any American could do, politically. Its a misattributed quote but its still a good one:
Voting is the least important thing you can do, politically. There are somethings that have happened recently in the news that have vastly more impact, politically.
Voting does change things. That’s why Republicans are trying to suppress your vote. So yes people do want to make voting illegal because it does change things.
I’m never voting Democrat.
edit: It would be election interference on account of being not American.
And unless they do much, much better in the future, you shouldn’t. Regardless of whether or not you agree with the philosophy of accelerationism, its clear thats the kind of environment we’re in. On the bright side, it might actually be the opening we need to truly break up the two party system.
AOC runs several investigations that lead to results.
Connelly… Is old and has seniority.
Great fucking job Democrats. Getting my seat warmer ready for 2022 2026 already!
AOC should abandon the Democratic party. She should join Bernie as an god-damned Independent.
She and Bernie should start a progressive party.
I’m tired of Democrats bowing to oligarchs.
We’re already spoiled due to a fucking useless DNC. A complete replacement is warranted at this point.
Replacement takes years, during which it’s spoiling every race and letting us slip into fascism.
They can worry about the spoiler effect… Or they can worry about the massive amount of people who don’t vote because they feel it’s pointless or barely muster enough care to do it.
The fact that these experienced politicians whose judgment you appear to trust, have both decided to work within the existing system should probably sway your opinion of what the optimal strategy is at least a bit more.
There are usually two parties because the game-theoretic dynamic of this electoral system has a significant channelizing effect on the likeliest outcomes. Once you’ve accepted that reality, the (admittedly unsatisfying) optimal strategy becomes apparent.
I say this all with zero rancor - I do not like these arguments either, but the logic of it is difficult to see past. I would prefer the system be overthrown entirely but, and this is key, you go into the revolution with the populace that exists - and they’re going to have their own ideas for what comes next. I’m not so sure I’d like what they bring to the table.
The spoiler effect will work in the short term, but if a progressive party can oust the DNC in even a few states Congress should look a lot different to how it is now. A bit of pain is worth it to escape the slow death promised by the DNC.
We’re not really in a position to sacrifice the short term to fascists right now
That’s a false worry.
As a Canadian with multiple political parties in our house of parliament, numbers don’t change.
If one left party gets 100 seats, the second left party gets 20, and the right leaning party gets 115 (for example) The right leaning party, yes technically, gets to say they’re in charge. But they can’t really do anything without cooperation from the left.
115 < 120 regardless of the number of parties.
Parties matter less than right vs left matters.
Yes, but if one left party gets 100 votes, the second left party gets 20 votes, and the right leaning party gets 115 (for example) The right leaning party gets the seat.
I’m sure you’ve seen examples of Liberal and NDP votes combined outnumbering the Conservative votes on a riding but the Conservative still won.
“Everyone sort of made the case that they would be the best to help change the message across the country. … He’s a very good communicator,” said Beyer.
Oh yeah that’s exactly what’s going to fix the problem Democrats have. Electing another old ass Clinton era Democrat to a position of power. It’s not like everybody’s pissed at them for losing the Presidency, the House, and the Senate all in one go.
See it from their perspective. They are doing their hardest to be as useless as possible and people still vote them.
At this point, how pissed everyone is matters jack shit because they know their public loves outrage for the sake of outrage, and the very same public that votes them, is totally neutered and incapable of choosing or voting for anything else
They are using the fact that people can’t go anywhere else and are weaponising that to do absolutely nothing.
