• Mario_Dies.wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    10 months ago

    Every Democrat I know irl is a kind, considerate person with empathetic views.

    So it’s amazing to me that the party seems to go out of its way to find the most horrific ghouls and status quo warriors to set forth in a federal election, especially really fucking important elections

      • Eldritch@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        They care about you less if you don’t vote.

        If we want better candidates we should be prepping for 2028 and 2032 now. Not 2024. We have a big chance coming up. So many of the boomers that have been in control of all levels of government for the last several decades. Neocons and neoliberals are all dying out. And being forced to retire. Change is coming one way or another.

    • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      So it’s amazing to me that the party seems to go out of its way to find the most horrific ghouls and status quo warriors to set forth in a federal election, especially really fucking important elections

      I think its useful to distinguish between Democrats and democrats. I try to use Democrats for party officials, elected officials, talking heads within the party etc. I try to use democrats for democratic voters.

      Democrats do not have the priorities of their voters in mind, and have, since the 90’s, wished that they actually had republicans for voters. Democrats don’t want to be managing a leftwing party (the votership they largely have), they want to be managing a rightwing party. The Democratic party reconfigured its self to be diet Republican after Carter and have been failing forwards ever since.

      • Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
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        10 months ago

        I lived through all of that and you put it just right: They kept failing forward. If they weren’t the only alternative to the Republicans the party would have died after 1984.

          • Monument@lemmy.sdf.org
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            10 months ago

            It’s the system, honestly.

            The U.S. government was always designed so that it would be ruled by ‘the top’. Through failures of imagination, inability to build in flexibility, and the entrenched powers doing what they can to grow their power, we’ve wound up with a system where money is power and people are merely numbers that can be shuffled to produce desired end results.

            I’m quickly approaching a point of throwing up my hands, but if there is a needle that can be threaded by ‘the people’ to stitch back together our fraying democracy, it’s this —
            A state-by-state ballot initiative effort to remove political drawing of electoral maps.
            Changing voting (likely also ballot initiative) to remove the first past the poll system, so that we use instant run-off (aka ranked choice) to give people the opportunity to vote for who they want without throwing their vote away.
            Removing barriers to voting and establishing a national holiday during election days.
            Overturn Citizens United. Overhaul campaign finance. Eliminate unknown funding sources from politics. Eliminate business contributions and PAC’s entirely. Narrowly define acceptable lobbying, and broadly define what lobbying can’t be.
            Strong consumer privacy laws that have teeth, so that micro targeted campaigns can’t be used to manipulate people into swinging elections. Case in point - Trump only won the swing states by 11,000 votes (total) in 2016.
            And using ballot initiatives to have enough states join the national popular vote interstate compact to render the electoral college moot.

      • GodlessCommie@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        I suspect the DNC is gonna try another Bill Clinton style southern strategy and appeal to disenfranchised conservatives by shifting further to the right. And current democrat voters will shift to the right with them, defending their right wing actions tooth and nail.

        • donuts@kbin.social
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          10 months ago

          Feelings aside, Biden is objectively one of the most, if not the most, progressive President we’ve had in modern history.

          [Bernie] Sanders said that some of the early goals that the Biden administration and a Democratic Congress were able to accomplish in the first two years of Biden’s presidency were progressive victories, including the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

          “I think the American Rescue Plan that we passed early in his agenda, in the midst of the terrible pandemic, the economic collapse, was, in fact, one of the most significant pieces of legislation for the working class in this country, in the modern history of America,” Sanders said.

          https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/3865355-sanders-biden-a-more-progressive-president-than-he-was-as-senator/

              • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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                10 months ago

                No, I know who you’re responding to, but pointing out that Biden is marginally more left-leaning than the guy who repealed Glass-Steagall and the guy who created the assassination-robot squad doesn’t really undermine his point. FDR’s party gutted the New Deal, Biden being slightly more pro-union doesn’t really mean much to the overall trend.

                • donuts@kbin.social
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                  10 months ago

                  For all of his progressive economic accomplishments, FDR also interned in the Japanese and allowed for the creation of one of the world’s worst toxic waste sites.

                  The point being that I don’t expect inhuman levels of perfection for my political leaders, and I don’t think you should either. There was much more to FDR’s administration than the New Deal, and when it comes the historical comparison Biden may have fallen short on matching the New Deal (although objectively he passed the biggest infrastructure and progressive economics bill since the New Deal), he has an undeniably better track record than FDR in terms of human rights, civil rights and environmental protection. There’s really no comparison.

                  (FWIW, it’s also worth noting that FDR had a significantly stronger Democratic backing in congress, with IIRC, a large supermajority in the Senate for multiple years. Historical political context is also important.)

                  Like it or not, It’s just a point of fact that Biden is the most progressive president we’ve had in at least 50 years, if not a century, when looking at the entirety of his record so far.

                  • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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                    10 months ago

                    he has an undeniably better track record than FDR in terms of human rights, civil rights and environmental protection. There’s really no comparison.

                    Biden is currently supporting the Palestinian genocide as we speak.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      If you don’t like it, vote in the primary!

      (Unless you live in NH, then you don’t get a primary. Also the DNC reserves all rights to ignore any primary election)

      Either we get rid of the two party system, or it’s gonna be the death of democracy.

      There can’t just be two options picked by private organizations… That’s just the illusion of choice when billionaires and corporations donate to both parties.

      • Zorque@kbin.social
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        10 months ago

        Vote in all primaries. Vote in state and local. Vote on your local dog-catcher.

        The President isn’t the only office that matters, and really it doesn’t even make up a majority of the importance. It’s just easier to get people to focus on it, and ignore all the other just as important elections.

        • Mario_Dies.wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          10 months ago

          I get what you’re saying, and I’m very involved locally, have even considered running myself, but then what? We’ve still got immigrants and refugees in concentration camps, still can’t get anyone, especially women or trans youth, access to healthcare, can’t redistribute wealth, can’t give land back to the tribes. I still feel powerless. Now what? Just be content with that?

    • Deceptichum@kbin.social
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      10 months ago

      Well it’s simple, what are the Democrat voters going to do, vote 3rd party?

      They’re held hostage to the party, so the party has no need to reflect them, it just has to be less bad than the Republicans.

      • Maeve@kbin.social
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        10 months ago

        Of everyone who claims no third party could win would actually coalesce around and vote for a third party candidate, the third party would win. Their children apparently aren’t suffering and starving enough, yet.

        • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          That’s not true for the president. They are not picked by popular vote but the electoral college, and it’s “first to get half the Electoral College votes”, not who ever gets the most. It takes a literal majority, otherwise Congress or some other suits just get to pick.

          The US is absolutely not a democracy when it comes to 2/3rds of its branches of government.

          • Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
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            10 months ago

            Considering the Senate is just two assholes per state and the House would have over a 1,000 members if we had the same ratio as 1789 I’d expand that to all three branches.

            It’s not a legitimate government, but we all pretend it is. Especially the people with guns.

            • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              Well, a “legitimate” government just needs to retain control, and they definitely have control. Though yes, the US is definitely not a legitimate democracy.

          • Maeve@kbin.social
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            10 months ago

            Idk about that. Maybe, but if we keep doing the same thing expecting different results, we’re definitely not getting them.

            • Zorque@kbin.social
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              10 months ago

              The problem is you’re only focusing on one branch.

              Congress has an amazing amount of power… the problem is a majority of them are really only concerned with their own piece of the United States of Pie. Their first, second, and only concern is being re-electable. Start focusing on electing more people who actually have the people’s (all the people, not just their specific constituents, mind) best interest at heart and you can have effective change.

              Constantly focusing on the Presidential election, and only the Presidential election and you lose out on most of the power in this country.

              • Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
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                10 months ago

                Start focusing on electing more people who actually have the people’s (all the people, not just their specific constituents, mind) best interest at heart and you can have effective change.

                The problem is that the person you want to elect will lose to someone who selfishly serves their constituents, because their constituents vote for them.

          • Maeve@kbin.social
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            10 months ago

            That’s true but many actual leftists will coalesce behind a better option.

        • Zorque@kbin.social
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          10 months ago

          No they wouldn’t, it would, at most, be a deadlock between the three parties that the House would decide on. One would hope they would go with the one with the most votes, but in reality they can pick anyone. Including someone who wasn’t even one of the top three candidates.

          Not to mention all the people who want a “third party” aren’t necessarily going to vote for the same third party. They all want their own person. Most likely none of them would get anywhere near the majority popular vote, much less any electoral votes.

      • seathru@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        what are the Democrat voters going to do, vote 3rd party?

        Sit on their hands like they did in 2016.

        • krashmo@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          You mean the election that had record voter turnout all over the country? Is that what sitting on your hands means?

        • Deceptichum@kbin.social
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          10 months ago

          Unless you’re in Nee Hampshire right?

          Or like we saw with Bernie, they’ll sabotage your campaign and rig the DNC.

    • seathru@lemm.ee
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      10 months ago

      “Genocide Joe” is a little crass, but he absolutely deserves to be taken to task for his blind support of the IDF/IOF. That’s more important to me as a voter than hearing circle jerk promises about known positions. We know he’s pro abortion rights, he’s shown that. Now it’s time to address the elephant in the room.

    • donuts@kbin.social
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      10 months ago

      So it’s amazing to me that the party seems to go out of its way to find the most horrific ghouls and status quo warriors to set forth in a federal election, especially really fucking important elections

      Can you elaborate on what you mean that “the party seems to go out of its way to find the most horrific ghouls and status quo warriors to set forth in a federal election”? Are you unaware of the fact that Biden is the incumbent President?

      He was nominated by a wide margin against a dozen other candidates (including over my preferred candidate), and elected with solid EC majority and a record number of individual votes.

      To suggest that he was somehow appointed by the party establishment, when he’s simply running for reelection like almost every incumbent President in American history has done after their first term seems like a very disingenuous statement. It’s interesting that nobody leveled that argument against Trump when he ran for reelection in 2020, not to mention every other time it’s happened, considering it’s been the norm for decades.

      • timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works
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        10 months ago

        Let the “majority” of “progressives” bitch they don’t get their way when they don’t even bother showing up even half the time.

        Why court someone who doesn’t vote every. Single. Election?

        But hey, at least they get that smug feeling of self righteousness.

        • danciestlobster@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          A lot of us live in states that didnt get to vote in the primaries, and a lot of us show up to every election even when neither option really represents our views (albeit one much more than the other). To say we aren’t getting our way cause we aren’t voting, though undoubtedly true for some, is a bad take

          This is not even touching on the DNC putting their finger on the scales in the primaries that did happen

          • timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works
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            10 months ago

            How is it not? There are two options:

            1. There is a large amount of progressives who support progressive ideals but don’t show up to vote in primaries or push politicians left. Hence- they just don’t show up.

            2. Progressive goals just aren’t that popular and there is no large cohort abstaining from voting.

            Don’t get me wrong- I like some progressive ideals (though not nearly left as some on lemmy notably are.) I support fixing healthcare via single payer or at least some universal scheme with a public option, etc., I agree it’s genocide in the Gaza Strip and we shouldn’t at all be supporting Israel, etc.

            But look at the results. Either progressives are sitting out A LOT or the party actually is just representing what the majority wants (like the OP stated.)

            • danciestlobster@lemmy.world
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              10 months ago

              I think the general feeling of disenfranchisement comes from the DNC influence in primaries. Who they throw their weight behind in terms of advertising dollars and publicity makes a big difference in how the primaries go. Also very relevant is which states have their primaries when, as most times the primaries are called before every state has theirs. This is also hearsay and way harder to substantiate, but there are also some that cry foul that there isn’t actually much in place to monitor primaries like there are in standard elections and there is significantly higher potential for fudged numbers and misrepresented results.

              Of course I would still love to see more left candidates get the nomination despite that, but it is certainly still possible that I am in the minority in that desire.

              For 2024, though, it doesn’t much matter if Biden is who the left wants. When running against a literal fascist, there isn’t really as much room to voice complaints about the alternatives. I voted for Biden in 2020 and will again in 2024 even though he is much further right than my political leaning, and even for those of us on the left who are not happy with how Biden has been doing, there isn’t really room to show that with voting because the alternative is so much worse. In this scenario, votes for Biden can easily be misconstrued as support for Biden which is not really the case

              • timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works
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                10 months ago

                Most of your complaints seem to revolve around just presidential primaries. I’m not gonna argue that it’s stupid how they do it but it’s also just one position.

                Why are people not voting in every single primary for local and state positions too to get left leaning candidates as the Dem candidate? Congresspeople have far more weight and more impact than just the president. Witness the overton window shifting far, far right due to crazy Tea Party and Freedom Caucus candidates, etc. etc.

        • ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Did every centrist decide to tediously lecture the left 5 times a day? I’ve voted in every election since I turned 18 and I see at least 10 dipshit centrists lecturing someone to vote or there will be fascism. I’m pretty sure leftists already know about fucking fascism, the thing we’ve been consistently resisting since like 1930. Stop being a fucking nag and we’ll vote for Biden.

          Also, it’s also good if someone cares about ethnic cleansing and settler-driven apartheid. It’s kind of horrifying more people don’t. Sorry if I come off as smug when objecting to crimes against humanity.

        • Pips@lemmy.sdf.org
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          10 months ago

          He was also at an abortion rights rally when the protest occurred, which many people are glossing over.

      • Mario_Dies.wav@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        10 months ago

        “A vote for our candidate is slightly better than chopping off your nuts with a rusty cleaver and pouring salt on the gaping wound. Vote Blue!”

    • Maeve@kbin.social
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      10 months ago

      I know plenty of Dems who voted trump because abortion. I think a lot is the demographics’ religion. I’ve heard too many say they will vote for trump because at least he gave them $1200. And a friend told me in conversation he visited a (all black) church where the pastor said he doesn’t care if trump is elected, because “God has a plan.”

      Biden leaves much to be desired, and waited until election year to mention price-gouging, even try to contend with border red states and abortion. Facts are, both establishment parties are on the same Team Gazillionaire, which isn’t us, and they don’t want it to ever be us. It’s time we wake up that one party is just more sneaky about it, and they’re really not that sneaky. And the EC is still in place.

      • donuts@kbin.social
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        10 months ago

        Biden leaves much to be desired, and waited until election year to mention price-gouging, even try to contend with border red states and abortion. Facts are, both establishment parties are on the same Team Gazillionaire, which isn’t us, and they don’t want it to ever be us. It’s time we wake up that one party is just more sneaky about it, and they’re really not that sneaky. And the EC is still in place.

        You can’t convince me that a native English-speaker wrote this.

        • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          10 months ago

          Is there some reason you think people who aren’t native English speakers shouldn’t be involved in American politics? 🤨

          • donuts@kbin.social
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            10 months ago

            No. I do expect coherent and factual arguments from those who do, however. I’ve had my fill of word salad for 2024 already. Am I asking too much?

            • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              10 months ago

              Is that why you didn’t mention any of that in your comment and instead focused on whether or not they spoke English as a first language?

              • donuts@kbin.social
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                10 months ago

                That’s fair. You’re right.

                I just thought it was funnier than going point by point through that incoherent nonsense to try to correct it, because sometimes I feel like it’s better to laugh than it is to try to engage with political talking points that are so mired in bullshit that they are hard to take in good faith. It’s also flawed to assume that everybody who is engaging in conversations around American politics are American citizens acting in good-faith, based on what we know about the history of foreign meddling in global elections, but I digress.

                It’s possible that you’ve taken it more seriously than I meant it to be, but ultimately I said something that may have been offensive and exclusionary to ESL speaking people, and for that I’ll just say sorry.

                • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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                  10 months ago

                  I appreciate that you were willing to hear what I was saying. FWIW I recognize there was a legitimate problem with troll campaigns in at least the past 2 presidential elections and I’m sure already is a problem in the upcoming one, but defaulting to ‘someone isn’t using perfect English, they’re a shill!’ (in addition to being exclusionary to ESL speakers) casts too wide a net and includes a lot of people who legitimately do speak English as a first language (ask any English teacher, lol).

                • Maeve@kbin.social
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                  10 months ago

                  It’s my first language and after four decades of voting, this is what it’s been.