Democrats bet on appeals to neoconservatives — including war criminals like Dick Cheney — and touted harsh border policies, bolstering rather than challenging Republican anti-immigrant frameworks.
Kamala Harris may have relied on women to vote for abortion rights, but she promised little more than a potential return to the flawed and insufficient norm of Roe v. Wade, at best. Like President Joe Biden, she supported a genocide and failed to distinguish herself from extremist Zionists like Trump.
For Democrats, appealing to the right has been a disaster of realpolitik, especially in an electoral system that structurally favors Republicans anyway. But what’s worse, Democratic strategies have failed and harmed the most vulnerable communities both in the U.S. and those who suffer under the yoke of U.S.-backed wars.
There is an urgent need for social justice movement organizing, growing unions and union power, antagonism rather than acquiescence to existing power structures, and expansive networks of care and support. The most powerful social movements of the last decades did not primarily build on support from Democratic leadership under Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, or Joe Biden. Nor did they collapse during Trump’s first tenure.
Need more options. Ranked Choice Voting.
This is the breaking point where the Dems are going to have to collectively realize and commit to learning from their mistakes.
That Trump was successfull is an indictment of their approach that failed with Clinton and failed again with Harris. They need to invert, maybe they need to start campaigning on fear and hate (of fascism and what it does to the average person and how it sows the seeds of the nation’s destruction including gas prices and bread but also the circuses and people we all love that are no less parts of human life itself.
Maybe start getting their hands a little dirtier. This is an existential war at this point, gloves need to come off and the old guard probably needs to fuck off like forever.
They’ve been campaigning on fear. The Democratic party is not going to save you. They never were. Their empty promises are carrots they dangle to get your votes. They haven’t tried hatred yet, but I think that’s reserved for the uneducated.
Aside from the abomination that is the two party system and electoral college, the real problem is that we are trying to set the same rules across a country that is too big and too divisive to possibly work for everybody. I think it’s time for liberal bubbles to actually secede.
CA and NY make up about 21% of GDP and they contain about 18% of population. Other states are welcome to join. They’d be fine on their own and they’d have land on either coast.
That, or implement tariffs between blue and red states.
Liberals could also leave their bubbles and move to swing states.
Hyperbolic, but in actuality it’s the only way to get what you want, else half of the country is always going to be feeling how everybody on Lemmy is feeling today.
I hate to say it, because being together makes us stronger and I’d hate to need a passport to visit my friends in other states, but I think I might be with you. It’s not like we’ve ever done anything good with our united strength anyway except for stomp around the world taking resources and sparking coups (except once in WW2). Our empire needs to crumble, like England, France, Spain, and Portgual’s. It’s too big, too unwieldy, too hard to make change or improve things and get consensus from this wide area. Plus, it’s a lot easier to fight for our rights if we just need to travel a couple hundred miles to a state capital rather than across the country to Washington, DC or to convince Southern and Midwestern rural voters.
Yeah we’re such a young nation. We’re destined to experience the changes that other nations have.
The other option is to dilute swing states with an influx of liberals, but doesn’t solve the problem of half the country feeling unrepresented.
As if they’d let you secede.
Another solution would be liberals leaving their bubbles and moving to swing states.
When you say get our hands dirtier or gloves coming off, what do you mean?
They mean triggering a Civil War that will likely kill millions of people, but they aren’t going to come out and say it.
We tried in Oregon. The real problem is that both Democrat establishment and Republican establishment hate RCV because it diminishes their power. It may be time for progressives to separate from Dems a bit more at local and state levels. Look at Osborn in NE
RCV was also on the ballot in Colorado, but for some reason they bundled it with a “jungle primary” for governor and a bunch of other seats, where the four choices on the ballot for governor in the general election would be the top four from the ranked choice primaries, regardless of party (so you could end up with four options from the same party in theory). The latter addition was pretty unpopular with both parties, who put out tons of messaging against it and especially conflated it with RCV. It got voted down with a significant margin.
I’m not opposed to either measure, but I’m really struggling to understand why they rolled the two together into one ballot initiative instead of separating it. Alas, I’m just a lowly voter not privy to such advanced political reasoning. Fortunately most of Colorado’s other ballot initiatives went well, at least according to my preferences.
I’m not opposed to either measure, but I’m really struggling to understand why they rolled the two together into one ballot initiative instead of separating it.
It was backed and bankrolled by some local rich fuck and “adjusted” to benefit the rich ofc. It’s good that it failed IMO, unsure what Oregon’s deal about it was though
Jungle primaries are great to reduce the power of nonmajority parties. If you have a primary with 4 Democrat and 4 Republican candidates, the winners will tend to be the 4 from the majority party as all votes get split relatively even. This leaves the minority party with no candidate in the general election.
Some counties in Oregon use RCV or Star for some elections. It’s progress.
But I agree, nobody wants to love power on either side so there’s no support. Dems are not our saviors. Up to the people.
I feel like progressives separating from Dems just gave us another Trump admin.
We had it on the ballot here in Oregon, and it got rejected. It probably didn’t help that I didn’t see a single bit of outreach from state Dems who’ve been controlling the state for the past 40 years, but that’s probably because they’re more concerned about retaining power for the party than actually fixing things, so they didn’t want it to pass.
You’re never going to vote on a national level again, what use is ranked at this point?
Why not voting at national level again?
He literally said they’re going to fix the elections.
Reading a lot into that. He didn’t mean it literally and even if he did he says a lot of things he can’t promise
He’s asked all sorts of people to do all sorts of terrible things, and though some stood in his way, usually tendering their resignation in doing so, I think that’s reason enough to take it very seriously. There are supporters of his who absolutely seriously suggest instating him as president permanently, and with control of every branch of government, there’s opportunity to do so.
Maybe. I think we should take his threats seriously.
He also sent 84 fake electors to 7 states in 2020, I think he’s pretty serious about it.
Yeah he meant it.
Ranked choice voting actually failed to pass on multiple ballot measures across the country. But yeah if all of the Stein and Oliver votes went to Harris then it would have been her victory.
We’ll see if any of that comes to fruition, or is allowed to do so by the fascists just put into power, unlike the last thousand times the far-right in a country has won elections.
As a foreigner looking in, I’m worried about how things like widespread protest suppression and union-busting will affect the called-for attempts at change. Some of that stuff was bipartisan, and it’s unlikely to get better now that the far right has control of the Presidency, Senate, SCOTUS, and perhaps the House.
It’s definitely a valid concern. In 2020, Trump had federal police descend on Portland in plain clothes and unmarked vans to literally kidnap protestors off the streets.
Oh it’s 100% going to suck for sure. It will be hard and difficult and painful. But our ancestors fought for unions when unions were illegal, and union busting didn’t just mean saying “stop” or “you’re all fired”, it meant hiring private mercenaries to spray bullets into crowds and beat unarmed people with sticks. Women got the right to vote with protests and were often arrested for vandalism, arson, and all sorts of shit they did during them (and for prohibition, which I know didn’t really work, but hey, they got that amendment in anyway).
And I don’t even mean ancient ancestors, I mean like great grandparents. If they did it, so can we.
Less surveillance and death machines back then. Resistance will be harder.
True. Paying attention to our online footprint, keeping privacy technology and encryption available will be a huge part of it. No more “if you aren’t doing something wrong then you don’t need to worry about it” or whatever people said that Snowden tried to point out was dumb.
My GG grandfather was killed when soldiers fired into an unarmed crowd that was protesting for basic human rights. This was in Marineo, Sicily, on 3 January 1894. His widow had to flee to the NYC tenements with their 6 children to start fresh - as progressive sympathizers were not safe.
She was poor in Sicily, she was destitute when she arrived in the US. Like many others, she did garment piece work to get by. Other Sicilian immigrants arrived in a wave and they made a new community.
When the Triangle Fire happened, real labor reform began to happen through the work of the ILGWU and others. They did not stop protesting until they got results.
Yes. Hard times ahead. Hard times behind may show us the way forward. Ad astra per áspera.
Oh it’s 100% going to suck for sure. It will be hard and difficult and painful. But our ancestors fought for unions when unions were illegal, and union busting didn’t just mean saying “stop” or “you’re all fired”, it meant hiring private mercenaries to spray bullets into crowds and beat unarmed people with sticks. Women got the right to vote with protests and were often arrested for vandalism, arson, and all sorts of shit they did during them (and for prohibition, which I know didn’t really work, but hey, they got that amendment in anyway).
And I don’t even mean ancient ancestors, I mean like great grandparents. If they did it, so can we.
Okay. Where do I sign up?
That’s always the question, isn’t it? Like the people on Lemmy who keep calling for revolution. Okay, when and where are we meeting with the torches and pitchforks?
Mutual Aid is far more useful than revolution. In this kind of environment, the act of helping one another is revolutionary.
We are hoping for aid from this group. I’m trying to formulate an email right now.
Do you really wonder why people dont post meetups for revolutionary activity or other incriminating things on a public forum that has an explicit no violence rule?
Not really. I’m sure they happily do their revolution cosplay somewhere else. Wake me up when the revolution actually happens because I’m 47 and I’ve been hearing about it for decades and I’m not getting any younger.
How do you think revolution works? You cannot simply violently take to the streets whenever you feel like it. You need to build up critical amounts of support or you’ll just be considered terrorists at best. A poll a while ago showed more Americans want a party to the right of repiblicans than ones who want one to the left of democrats. There are less leftists in America than any other political group and we have to fight against the entire US medias narrative to build that critical support. I love the open hostility to the smallest political group in America for not being able to save the whole fucking country with violence.
I think revolution works by having people revolt.
Again, this glorious revolution has been coming for my whole life. And before it. Phil Ochs sang a song about it in 1966.
And yet, it never comes. So how many more decades is it going to take?
If it happens after I’m dead, it’s not especially helpful.
If you think a revolution is a simple as revolting, I encourage you to go do that instead of insisting others make the world better for you. You clearly must know something no other leftist has figured out with how simple your revolution plan is.
I would argue that a small group of people taking actual action would indeed inspire others to do the same. It’s just that nobody wants to take the risk of being that first person carrying the torch.
Well I can’t say nobody, two have tried so far.
I think that if it hasn’t happened in the last 60 years, it’s probably not going to happen in the next 60.
And I’m not the one constantly talking about guillotines.
So go revolt. You said you’re 47. What do you have to lose? Start. Pick a Target.
What have I got to lose? My daughter, first of all. Also, when has a lone revolutionary picking a random target every accomplished anything they set out to do?
The answer will depend on what orgs are in your local area. If you’re willing to share a general location and any specific interests I could do some digging.
I don’t know anything about this site but I just found it by searching: https://www.mutualaidhub.org/
Or if you’d rather search on your own, I’d look for things like [your city/region] mutual aid, resist, antifa (the last one going to be about more confrontational action so consider whether that’s your specific niche).
Another approach is to just ask friends who seem politically connected if they’ve heard of any local orgs.
Personally I would be wary of any highly top-down orgs that enforce a particular narrow ideology. Some of these can be a bit cult-like. Also get a feel for how people interact and leadership operates. Are people supportive and kind to one another or is there a lot of tension and fear? Personally I haven’t had any bad experiences yet but it’s something to be aware of if you don’t have the lay of the land in your local area.
In most cities there will be a variety of groups with different approaches and focuses, so shop around a bit and find the one that is a good fit for you.
Wow, finally a news outlet that calls it out like it is. Wait for CNN’s take that blames black people, progressives, and Muslims.
Don’t forget Hispanics!
Cue that Onion video that just came out lol
Please I need to see that. Got a link?
I mean blueMAGA has been doing it for them, but yeah not looking forward to that shitstorm.
Not for nothing but the American voter spoke pretty strongly maybe they want tougher immigration policies.
Also not for nothing but Joe Biden describes himself as a Zionist as well.
But they got tougher immigration policies under Biden, he supported them and signed them into law.
He also put back the Obama Era criminal only ICE focus that resulted in more deportations than the Trump era.
Trump is weak on Immigration, he just ends up wasting border security money on indefinitely detaining women and children, and ineffective walls.
Not Tough Enough apparently, and more importantly, not advertised enough. There’s a post somewhere on here about exit polling data that showed that immigration was the second largest issue for voters and that it was more than five times more important than it was in 2020. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what actual numbers are it just matters what voters think they are. We can bemoan that all we want but it’s what elections are made on. Elections are about selling yourself and selling your vision. Certainly I can’t say that I found a coherent Vision being sold to me by democrats when it came to immigration.
For sure it was a major motivator, but also anybody motivated by it was an absolute moron.
Well I guess that’s the problem there, the the morons showed up while the Alternatives did not. So you have to ask yourself, who are the real morons?
Radical bitching is what North American born young people are good at. They grew up in comfort and only have this vague, passing knowledge of real oppression. I feel like for years, no matter how hard you try to push them into action they just wanna talk. They wanna complain online or hold up signs, but that’s as far as they’ll ever go. Their life is too comfortable to actually risk
Is your username ironic or did you really think that those tankies were your friends until a little while ago?
What? The name just an edgy pun, I’m anti-authoritian, anti-capitalist, and leftist. What tankies? I’m critical of all Colonialism and Imperialism, regardless of what country is the perpetrator. That goes for Russia, China, America, and every other country. I will always be anti-war and anti-genocide. I will also always advocate for policies that improve the material conditions of everyone. The Democratic Campaign tacking to the right, instead of popular progressive policies, at the expense of alienating their own base is by far the major reason for Harris losing this election. Their terrible campaign strategy is responsible for the loss of millions in turnout.
I’ve only ever seen you run defense for Israel. A Settler Colonialist Ethnostate committing a genocide..Edit: I completely retract that statement, it is false
I’ve never run defense for Israeli government, likely never will. I think the US Military should have gone in and put a bullet in Netanyahu a year ago, taken control of the situation.
Actually, looking back I think I have you confused with someone else. My apologies. I think we’ve only had some minor disagreements in the past. I’ll happily retract my last statement, I don’t see any defense of Israel or it’s actions in your history.
I’m glad you also agree that International intervention is needed to end this genocide, I 100% agree
Do you also agree that Israel was founded on the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, which has always been fundamental to Zionism? That Israel is an Apartheid State? That Zionism is not Judaism and by no means represents all Jewish people? Are you in support of a One-State Solution where both Israelis and Palestinians have equal rights under a new Secular government?
If so I admit I completely had the wrong idea about you and I’m happy to be corrected. I appreciate everyone who stands up for human rights
supported a genocide and failed to distinguish herself from extremist Zionists like Trump.
This is how I know the writer has no concept of political flip-flopping and how it tanks a candidacy.
Can we get someone with a clue to proof-read this drivel, please ?
Flip-flopping hasn’t been a real thing in politics since Trump came down the escalator. To make that model work the video host has to take on actual paying customers : advertisers. To see what that looks like and what it takes to actually be profitable serving and hosting videos for free with ads, just look at any free porn site. Intrusive ads everywhere, and an aggressive, never-ending arms race against ad blockers.
Does it sound better when it’s Bernie saying it? Because he posted a statement saying the exact same thing today.
