Sometimes you have to pace your “NOs.”
3 Likes
You need moderates in moderate times, when the world runs on an even keel, there’s no point in rocking the boat. These are revolutionary times- the economy as we’ve envisioned it for generations is collapsing around our ears, the various super-states of the world are starting to wonder if the problem with “proxy wars” is the “proxy” part, and we have some serious threats that are getting more serious regarding the environment.
You can’t moderate your way out of that. You can’t compromise on any of those points- you either make radical changes to the status quo or you watch everything collapse. And the American public was smart enough to realize that, by and large. It’s why Trump was nominated by the Republican party, it’s why Sanders saw such a groundswell. People know shit is fucked, and they know that radical change is required.
Sadly, Trump isn’t a radical, despite his branding. He’s an incompetent, a moron, a narcissist, and a protofascist.
As the saying goes: “All things in moderation, especially moderation.”
14 Likes
Yes, but, the US standard for ‘moderate’ is pretty right-wing compared to many other Western nations…
9 Likes
Let me have my fantasies, OK?
1 Like
The base is actually quite plentiful everywhere, even in those red states. Mid-terms generally go to the party not in the white house. And yes, appearances matter in this case. The base wants a huge fight, not a capitulation like a dog begging for a belly scratch, and that’s what these votes on his cabinet picks look like. Right now they’ve got a movement ready to go… in two years, if they keep on rolling over, they’ll have nothing left but a broken party and more infighting about folks voting their conscience versus folks voting for the Democrats to stop the other guy. That’s no longer enough.
And honestly, we don’t need or want the DNC to lead us. They’ve already proven they are incapable of that. Now what they need to do is, even if it’s only symbolic, stand with the rest of us who are moving forward. That will go a long way to keep folks unified and working together. Being the “bigger” person isn’t going to work anymore, the GOP showed that. They won’t compromise, period. Neither should we.
I do agree with you, though, now is the time to build the ground game. I want locals to do that, and the Dems to stand to the side and back them up, not the other way around. The Dems need to be redirected back to their old grassroots ways, guys like Shumer simply aren’t going to get there on their own by playing the same old games of trying to be conciliatory with the opposition.
We need leaders - and fighters - not Shumers. People like Kirsten Gillibrand, the only Dem to show some backbone during these votes and vote down inept, unqualified candidates.
8 Likes
Right. Chuck Schumer built his career on backing every headline grabbing bit of nonsense that looked good for five minutes while quietly ignoring or killing less flashy but more important legislation.
He’s the “leader of the resistance” because he says he is. And he only says it because he thinks it looks good for the moment. Cuomo is cut from the same cloth. Both are going to treat “resisting” as if the most important thing you can do is say nice things about Bernie Sanders.
7 Likes
Democrat behaves like typical Democrat. Film at eleven, you know, if the Republicans are okay with that- We should really reach out to them first and make sure.
3 Likes
But look! A Russian!
As Glenn Greenwald says, the Democrats appear to have gone completely insane.
4 Likes
Of course.
1 Like
I would like to nominate Grumpy Cat as the democratic resistance leader.
4 Likes
I could be incorrect, but after Hillary’s loss I believe seeing reports Gillbrand immediately went to Wall Street to shore up support for a Presidential run.
It is likely she is putting on the show. She is in a very blue state which means she can say whatever she wants without any repercussions.
It’s sorry to say but many of the Democrats in the Senate across the country are wishy washy because voters let them get that way. The Trump and Sanders campaign phenomena demonstrate the conventions of the system can be challenged.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing if Democrats start encouraging members of the party to get more engaged. Everything helps at this point.
Personally I would like to see a little honesty on the complacency those those of us on the left had during the Obama years. Many of us should have been doing more. It’s not just about the money. It’s about reining mass cynicism coupled with good times seeking that made off election cycle organizing a secondary activity for many of us.
3 Likes
The guy is making a political calculation - that voting against these guys, when his vote won’t make a difference, will burn the democrats in the future when they need the GOP to vote for their guys. Its why Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders voted to confirm Ben Carson too.
I dunno if that’s a smart analysis or not. The GOP, under McConnell in particular, seems to have a strategy of taking everything they can get and giving nothing back when it is their turn.
The democrats want to be the party of reason. I want them to be the party of reason (well I want both parties to be reasonable). I’m not sure going full obstructionist would make much difference either way.
2 Likes
She’s a bog standard Wall Street Democrat. But at least she understands the importance of appearing to provide opposition. And she’s totally aiming at 2020, no doubt. Obama showed that appearing to be a reformer is enough. You don’t really need to change all that much once your foot is in the door.
Let the GOP be the only people that confirm Trump’s cabinet and judges. Let them be fully responsible for all that they do.
Why collaborate at all with the Republicans that obstructed everything Obama tried for 4 years? What on earth is the point? Zero chance they’ll reciprocate if/when the Dems get back in. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
9 Likes
Nope.
The American electorate is not composed of “GOP partisans, Dem partisans, and people ideologically torn between the two”. It’s “GOP partisans, Dem partisans, a mass of disenfranchised plus a huge number of people so disgusted by bipartisan corruption that they’ve withdrawn from participation”.
Yet another amoral corrupt centrist is exactly the opposite of what you need to activate the non-voters, and the only way to convert the GOP base is to out-fascist Trump.
Work on voter suppression and disenfranchisement, and find honest cleanskin candidates who can legitimately appeal to the working class. Not with corporate-funded poll-tested focus-grouped advertising, but with worker-driven policy designed to make a genuine and lasting improvement in their wages, working conditions and life security.
10 Likes
Here’s the thing though, those swing states aren’t won largely by some mythical block of voters who wants a Democrat, but one who won’t oppose anything. As an example, I’m a reliable Democratic vote in a swing state. I literally screamed outloud, last night fuck, Sherrod Brown. Its one thing to chase a large block of undecided voters at the cost of a few votes from your base, but enraging your base is usually poor politics.
2 Likes
1 Like
The quote from that that caught me
“Carson knows nothing about housing policy, which is pretty bad, but at least he’s shown some respect for the department itself,” said one Senate Democratic aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Which is pretty fair in this case. Support for many of the other nominations still piss me the fuck off however.
1 Like
Enraging their base is what caused Labour to lose Scotland to the SNP. 20 years ago it caused the Conservatives to lose all their Scottish seats.
Democrats, do NOT fuck off your base any further.
8 Likes
So apparently the new standard for “qualified cabinet member” is “didn’t promise to destroy the department they’ve been nominated to oversee.”
Got it.
13 Likes
I guess in Rick Perry’s case, he forgot he wanted to destroy the Department of Energy, so it still fits.
2 Likes
