this post was submitted on 17 Nov 2024
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Opinion - Democrats, next time try fighting for the working class (www.aljazeera.com)
submitted 22 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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A week before the election, my dad was visiting and talked to me about his gut feeling that former President Donald Trump might win. He was clear about his choice to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. “But what are they doing?” he asked me, exasperated.

“They need to level with people about the economy,” he continued. “I know so many people who can’t afford a place to live any more. People do not want to hear, ‘Well, actually the economy is good.’”

Then suddenly he pivoted away from Harris to liberals more generally, and away from the economy into culture.

“You know, another thing: I’m tired of feeling like I’m going to get jumped on for saying something wrong, for using the wrong words,” my dad confided, becoming uncharacteristically emotional. “I don’t want to say things that will offend anyone. I want to be respectful. But I think Trump is reaching a lot of people like me who didn’t learn a special way to talk at college and feel constantly talked down to by people who have.”

At 71 years old, my dad is still working full time, helping to run a delicatessen at a local farmers’ market. He didn’t go to college. Raised Mennonite and socially conservative, he is nonetheless open-minded and curious. When his cousins came out as gay in the 1980s, he accepted them for who they are.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 13 hours ago

"the economy is the best it's ever been" for whom? I'm broke, worried about making rent and it's Christmas season. The only thing I have to give is my usual "humbug" attitude as I worry about how I am going to manage after the holidays.

The economy sucks. Businesses aren't people. They don't have to worry about eating. I do. They don't have to worry about missing a rent payment because they have credit. I don't have enough. The entire system is rigged and the Democrats keep ignoring us. I hated Harris when she ran for herself but I voted for her because I didn't want to lose my freedom - but with Dems it's some other loss of freedom no one talks about or admits exists. We are practically bound to our work, many people us identify as the job we have. "Oh hi Bob, what do you do?" Is boomer code for knowing what kind of respect to give a person. Democrats support losing our identity to the industry that employs us.

Business centric politics is hurting the people who are making the business run.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (2 children)

Typical Boomer sentiment. "I never had to adapt or learn, despite having every opportunity, and now anytime someone doesn't cater to me, I'm offended."

Meanwhile Millennials have been riding an unceasing wave of technology advancement since elementary school, while learning all the fundamentals of Boomer educations, AND modern living AND adapting to changes in the information landscape and workplace. AND getting a significantly lower ROI for their efforts. Boomers broke the social contract. Their egg on the face bellyaching is just more evidence that the world has moved past them.

We need age caps on voting. These elderly chucklefucks are dragging us 100 years backwards.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (2 children)

Typical Boomer sentiment. “I never had to adapt or learn, despite having every opportunity, and now anytime someone doesn’t cater to me, I’m offended.”

Boomers shouldn't have to work at all. Our social safety net should be taking care of all of their needs, and it would be if our country were located somewhere in Europe. Instead, the US decided it would rather have 600-700 billionaires than take care of its people.

The bigger problem here, though, is that it's not just the Boomers. The vast majority of Americans are working their asses off only to barely survive in this country.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 21 hours ago

Who do you think set the stage? Baby Boomers voted for 50 years to only enrich themselves while pulling up every ladder they had for advancement. They are 100% the "fuck you, I got mine" mentality.

Of COURSE we should have social safety nets and a more enlightened society. The reason we do NOT is that a massive cohort of incredibly narcissistic personalities had control of the government for 50 years. And even now, many Boomers refuse to step down from their "leadership" positions. "Generation Me" has been remarkably consistent in their attitudes, for roughly 55 years.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 16 hours ago

Our generation can’t retire. Why should boomers? Old people, who depredated this planet, should not have access to social security or any other safety nets, which they fought so hard to destroy.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

So I'm interested in winning elections so that better people can have control of the vast power of the federal government.

Like it or not, these people- most people are the people we need to vote for our ticket, and we need to be listening to them and making adjustments, not saying "typical asshole, they shouldn't be allowed to vote!" Come on.

We can't have the electorate you'd like to have. These folks exist and will never hear your criticisms of them in this progressive silo. We cannot keep the government out of the hands of the MAGA people without their votes no matter how much you hold them in contempt.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

We have two parties. TWO.
The GOP is obviously never coming to anyone's aid. You think the DNC is going to somehow morph into a team of winners? They're categorical losers. They're a party of neoliberal minds, insulated from the outcomes of their own failures.

Yes, I'd like other options, and yes, the electorate should be inclusive. But the party that determines who runs and the party that sets strategy, and the party that is supposed to be fighting for the common person, is NOT.

And many of those party heads are incredibly old and out of touch, and frankly, just in the way, as they manufacture reasons why they continually lose, yet simultaneously grow their own wealth and influence. The duopoly of being the brightest and best political minds is not congruent with being perennial losers. So they're just not trying to win. That is not their goal. They are there to gratify themselves, while losing.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

People do not want to hear, ‘Well, actually the economy is good.’”

In four years these same people are going to line hearing that, regardless of reality.

It's not about the message. It's about the color of the team saying it. Red, orange, and white over blue, brown, and white.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 19 hours ago

Haha assuming there will be a next time. So optimistic.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (2 children)

Saw this on Al Jazeera and I think it's a fairly solid opinion. My parents are in their eighties and driving for DoorDash (in my car, on loan), and if they don't, no one in the Biden/Harris administration would lift a finger to help them, and they know it. I'm almost certain they voted Trump but we have a family rule where we don't talk about politics anymore.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Not talking about politics is what got us into this situation in the first place.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

No.

People making their entire identity political got us into this situation in the first place.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

lol, and just whom do you think that was?

Who is most likely to disseminate incorrect information? Who never bothers to verify facts? Who couldn't be arsed to apply critical thinking to the information presented?

Why do you think foreign agitators targeted Facebook in 2016 and beyond? It's because Baby Boomer rubes are the easiest targets available. Who voted for Brexit?

There's no critical thinking there, no challenging of statements. They just assume they'll fail upwards no matter what course of action they take, because for most of their lives that has been true.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago

lol, and just whom do you think that was?

99% of voters.

Y'all clearly do not care about the quality of people you elect, judging by the effects of their governance. The world can burn and people can starve so long as the person in charge wears blue and says nice things.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago) (1 children)

Ironically, people in the Biden/Harris administration are the only ones “lifting a finger” to help your parents.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 hours ago

Sure, Jan.