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We'll have a long memory as things get worse for working class Americans, minorities and women (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/politicalmemes@lemmy.world
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[–] 73 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (69 children)

Abstaining or voting 3rd party to "make Dems listen" doesn't work. If anyone thinks they can play Mexican Standoff, you can't because the Dems have an out: the center voter. Every time they lose, they go to the center to find voters.

And remember they need all 3 of presidency, house of representatives, and senate to pass pretty much anything. If they don't have all 3 they will go to the center to find voters. Some people call this rachet effect, but really they're looking for voters. Want them to stop 'racheting'? Then give them consistent and overwhelming victories.

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  • [–] 13 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    I've thought about that recently.

    In Germany, the 2 historically biggest parties were SPD (used to be liberal-democrat) and CDU (conservative) and they often were the ones tugging it out while the smaller parties were filling in as coalition partners for one or the other.

    Over time, the SPD splintered into several semi-big offshoot parties (Linke, for example) while the CDU stayed as a whole. As a result, CDU is now commonly a favorite for getting most votes in an election.

    Is that consistent with politics across the globe? And if, why do liberal or center parties tend to split up more than conservatives?

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  • [–] 38 points 2 years ago

    Because conservatives gravitate towards authority, and progressives are looking to break the status quo.

    So conservatives value order, authority, and it causes them to fall in line.

    Progressives are looking to break that order, believing that things can be better than they are right now. That causes them to infight more often.

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  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)

    I commonly hear the left is a loose coalition of factions (which can split apart), while the right fall in line. I think there are fewer factions on the right, or the factions are not as far apart, so coming together is easier. They also unite in absolute hatred of the left, so will fall in line to slay that beast.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    100% agreed regarding coalitions, unfortunately centrists dont seem to know they are in a coalition, or that the party even has a platform. They are so spooked by trump that they will do or say anything to win. Anything.

    Centrists on this thread today accuse Progressives of being members of the far right as a ploy to hide the fact that they are the ones pushing far right policies themselves. The centrists are much closer to being republicans anymore than they are to adhering to the traditional democratic party platform. Real Democrats wouldnt risk the drinking water of the whole continent to enable more fracking to big oil company donations. They wouldnt be ok with more school shootings to pander to the NRA donations (especially when the NRA is heavily infiltrated by Russia). And they wouldnt sponsor and enable a far rightwing genocidal war in the middle east -- pitting us against the entire rest of the world-- to draw foreign lobbying donations. But American progressives are somehow willing to swallow every bit of that traitorous behavior except one to get over the finish line together, whereas centrists are willing to change not a single damn thing to win, and proceed to whine and threaten.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (33 children)

    So vote for them regardless and then they will listen?

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  • [–] 14 points 2 years ago* (10 children)

    Dems need all 3 (presidency, house of reps, Senate) to do pretty much anything. They've had that for [drumroll please] 4 out of the last 24 years. Or 6 of the last 32 years. Or 6 of the last 44 fucking years.

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  • [–] 17 points 2 years ago (7 children)

    They've had that for [drumroll please] 4 out of the last 24 years

    It was significantly shorter than that when you consider Senate control to be 60, which is what's needed to bypass the fillibuster.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    They honored the fillibuster by choice. They didnt have to.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    They never had 51 votes to repeal the fillibuster. Sinema and Manchin both refused to do so. Neither of which are Democrats anymore. We should elect more Democrats to the Senate that will.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    Dems need all 3 (presidency, house of reps, Senate) to do pretty much anything.

    Thats not how politics works buddy. If what you said were true neither the dems or republicans would have passed any bills in the history of the "republic". Clearly theres also horse trading, and bribery/lobbying you are pretending dont exist in order to make this weak point.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    With the obstructionist MAGA caucus in your government that would rather vote no to bipartisan bills because it would give a Democrat a win, barely any bills get passed!

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    This is an incorrect framing of the situation. You aren't being asked for a Yes/No vote on Democrats. You are being asked if you prefer Democrats or Republicans. Or for this election, if you prefer Democracy or Fascism. If you vote "no preference", that does not communicate "I prefer the Democrats, but want them to move further left", either logically or politically.

    There are lots of ways to communicate desired policy changes: letter-writing, primaries (including campaigning/funding for candidates), protests, marches, press, social-media, etc. Voting against your interest is not one of them.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    You are being asked if you prefer Democrats or Republicans.

    I understand why you'd say this. But you arent trying to understand why people are trying to pressure the dem leadership to be better.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    I absolutely understand the anger at the Democratic party. I mention several useful activities to work toward fixing its many failings. The Republican party is strictly worse. Giving equal support to both is counterproductive.

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  • [+] 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (18 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [+] 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (16 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago

    I dont think thats true all the time. as we have seen with Biden, If a dem president is a centrist or far right for a dem, it shifts the entire party and the judiciary rightward. These things have monentum.

    So I'd say its not simply the "D" that matters in overton shift. It also sets the topics in the political conversation, and either strengthens the party for the next election or leaves it in shattered and misaligned, like we are now about the unpopular far right wing genocide being pushed by a democratic US presidential administration.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (10 children)

    And remember they need all 3 of presidency, house of representatives, and senate to pass pretty much anything

    The odds of Democrats keeping the Senate seem dismal. So it sounds like we're giving the party license to do nothing for another two years

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (9 children)

    I like how you twist that to "party license". If the people voters vote that way, that is the will of the people voters. Don't like it? Vote. For Dems. (Though the GOP bear some responsibility being obstructionist pos.)

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  • [–] 26 points 2 years ago (8 children)

    If the people voters vote that way, that is the will of the people voters.

    Sorry 50M Californians, but 40k West Virginians decided to go a different way. Guess this means no civil rights for another two years.

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