Tbf I expected way better of Americans than to fall for Trump twice.
The Democratic Party might as well give up if they are still going to try to keep rooting for same old, same old. Blame media both sidesing and sanewashing, blame unlimited money in politics, blame your average voter’s lack of critical thought. If the party leadership doesn’t want change, if media doesn’t want actual change, then it’s hard to expect anything good from them for the time being. Governor Kathy Hochul is a prime example, she keeps kneecapping good policies at the last second like proper right to repair and congestion pricing, thinking like playing political games is going to help anyone. It’s not, it only hurts us.
All blue states and blue cities in purple and red states can do right now is show themselves as shining beacons of democracy and progress as the remainder of states get absolutely screwed by the feds. The Dem party as a whole needs to take a moment and rethink its strategy.
TFW you read the article, read the comments, then reread the article assuming you must have missed something.
You didn’t.
I’m still processing.
I’m definitely not giving up. I’ve thought about just being more blunt with people. But I’m naturally an empathetic person. So I’ll probably still listen to people and try to understand. Some people are just freaking ignorant though. And it’s frustrating to see people who disagree with everything Trump stands for still vote for him because they don’t like Democratic vibes.
I’m not giving up on America. But for now I’ve given up on Americans.
The reason is that we agree on all of the concerns, working class families should be getting attention and support and they’re not. The rich are eating us alive. Mainstream politics isn’t helping.
But it’s clearly substantially more the fault of the right, who are lying through their teeth to the working class while accelerating wealth disparities, anti-worker policies, and removing their upward-mobility as well as democratic, institutional and social protections they actually rely on.
And if Americans are so uninterested in facing reality that they’d rather be lied to than put in a little effort to actually check the candidates’ policies, if they’ll vote against their interests and give in to blatant propaganda and manipulation, when everyone is telling them what well happen… Well, what can we say but, “Ok, face-eating leopards it is. Enjoy. Let us know when you’re tired of that.”
I think the reason why Democratic politicians have so much trouble articulating their vision is that their voters will call them out on blatant lies, so their positions need to have some logical consistency, or else those politicians will not win their support.
Republicans are not so encumbered. I think their base enjoys being lied to.
That’s part of it. The other part is that they can’t be honest about their vision because it (perpetrating the neoliberal status quo) isn’t actually what the working class wants.
Or rather, they can be honest about it, but then they lose. Then, of course, they learn the wrong lesson, blame anybody but themselves, rinse and repeat.
[Edit: LOL, I just realized I accidentally wrote “perpetrating” instead of “perpetuating.” Oh well, it fits so I’ll leave it.]
I’d say you can lead a horse to water etc etc but the Democratic Party can barely even lead the horse anymore.
Pundits are losing their minds, but I don’t think the Democratic party leaders are giving up.
My hunch is that they are playing the long game. They are counting on three things. First, Trump’s plans will crash the economy. Second, the Trump White House always turns on its own. Third, with a GOP trifecta there isn’t much Democrats can do to stop Trump - for now.
So any demands they make now will be ignored, and even used in the future to blame Democrats as obstructionist. I think they are lying low and giving the GOP what they need to hang themselves. When the public is furious about the economy, it will be time to start making demands.
Basically, it’s the political equivalent of the Willy Wonka gif
They kind of have to, I suspect. But it won’t work. They’ll see things go bad, put in their sound bite as “we need to do something about ___!” And the average American won’t see it, and instead be inundated with right wing “Democrats are screwing it all up!” And not think of the logic that the Democratic party can’t do anything. And they’ll vote Republican again.
Democrats need to get better at media.
