• Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Even tougher when you stubbornly insist that it’s impossible to change it to more resemble the better one that we “imagine”.

    If you always act on the presumption that you can’t do anything, you’ll be proven as weak and ineffectual as you think you are.

    You should think more like labor unions and civil rights activists and less like Nancy Pelosi or her protégé, the somehow even worse Hakeem Jeffries.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Labor unions and civil rights activists want to change the party from within. A third party to the left of the Democrats will do nothing but ensure Republican victories from hereon in. They are aware of this. I’m not sure why you aren’t.

      • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        You’re wrong on both points. While some progressives support them and some neoliberals pay them lip service while actively supporting and accepting support from cops and billionaires, many labor unions and civil rights movements (especially the ones with a lot of millennial and gen Z members) have no party affiliation because they’ve been fucked over by the Dem leadership for the last 30+ years.

        The best way to make sure Republicans don’t win isn’t to keep rushing for the middle ground every time they move farther right, to the point of now being a center right to right wing party. It’s staking out and defending a principled left wing position that’s much more in line with the actual policy priorities of the majority of the.

        • Godric@lemmy.worldOP
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          1 year ago

          Tell me more about how splitting the vote is good thing in a two party system, I need a good fairy tale to send me to sleep

          • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Tell me more about how the world is a tribal binary and has to forever stay that way. When you’re done with that, tell me how being almost exactly like your opponents is better for turnout than embracing the policy positions that your constituents want. I need a good emetic to help me puke up the crap you’ve been feeding me.

            • Godric@lemmy.worldOP
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              1 year ago

              Actually, no, I won’t tell you more about how splitting the vote in a 50% to win system is moronic, as I lack the patience and inclination of an educator.

              I am sorry you were given the education that you have, nobody deserves such a poor grasp on basic civics and mathematics.

              • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Yeah because basic civics and math dictates that a first past the post binary system is inevitable, systemic change is impossible and everyone arguing for something better is just a simpleton arguing from ignorance rather than suggesting solutions to problems 🙄

                How does that establishment boot taste?

                • dragonflyteaparty@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  The voting system needs to change, absolutely. But voting third party at the current moment does split the vote as they describe. Yes, it should be changed. You’re right. But that doesn’t mean that voting third party is suddenly effective until the more than 50% of the voting population does it.

          • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Currently, there’s a fascist party and a more moderate right wing party and both of them are cooperating to avoid anyone to the left of center getting any power.

            Tens of millions of voters are de facto disenfranchised by nobody from either party representing their interests. Hell, a lot of the poor people who have been tricked into voting Republican because they at least PRETEND to care about poor people would NEVER vote for a corporate pro-billionare democrat but would be very likely to vote for a progressive one that ACTUALLY fights for them.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              I think you have a lot more faith in people who don’t vote than I do if you think it’s about political idealism and not just good old American laziness.

              • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                I do, yeah. You can say a lot about the American people, but laziness is absolutely NOT a defining trait of the population.

                The mainstream (both the neoliberal part and the fascist mainstream like Faux News) gaslighting people of good will into THINKING that anyone victimized by the system and/or the people supposed to represent their best interests are just lazy or otherwise to blame for their disenfranchisement, though? THAT’S as American as apple pie!

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  You can say a lot about the American people, but laziness is absolutely NOT a defining trait of the population.

                  Are you joking? Have you seen the number of obese people we have? They aren’t getting out there and working hard.

                  • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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                    1 year ago

                    Yeah, because it’s just a coincidence that a disproportionately big (no pun intended) share of obese people are poor and live in food deserts where fresh fruit and veg are unavailable and fast food costs less than what healthy food IS available.

                    It’s also just a coincidence that millions if not tens of millions work the equivalent of two or more full time jobs at ridiculously low wages, leaving no time, money or energy for exercise, healthy food and cooking.

                    You need to get your head out of the ass of corporate stooge media and read more about the greed and abuse that’s ACTUALLY the main causes behind most of the country’s biggest problems, INCLUDING the obesity epidemic.

            • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Tens of millions of voters are de facto disenfranchised by nobody from either party representing their interests. Hell, a lot of the poor people who have been tricked into voting Republican because they at least PRETEND to care about poor people would NEVER vote for a corporate pro-billionare democrat but would be very likely to vote for a progressive one that ACTUALLY fights for them.

              As a progressive, let me say, you are delusional. Sanders proved three things:

              1. You can legitimately champion free college, legal weed, free healthcare, and student loan forgiveness, and young people still won’t go to the polls in overwhelming numbers. If they did, they’d easily decide the winner in every single election. And as someone who also falls into the young person category, there is no excuse that older folks don’t also have to deal with.

              2. If a silent majority of pro progressive non voters existed, it clearly pales in comparison to regular voters.

              3. Or, this silent majority doesn’t exist.

              You’re looking for a hail Mary where there is none. Either you work in a left of center coalition to make as much progress as you can against people who want children to starve, or you can continue to wait for an ideologically pure path to show itself.

                • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  Damn it’s almost like some progressives want to get things done instead of lying around bitching and letting Republicans win

                  • Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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                    1 year ago

                    ALL progressives want to get things done. It’s liberals that start negotiations at “wholly inadequate”, offer a shitload more concessions to Republicans and GOP lite obstructionists and then pretend that it’s the natural and unchangeable state of things and anyone who disagrees wants the Republicans to win.

                    Then when elections come around, they pretend to want unity with the left while actually demanding obedience. They’ll give tons of concessions to literal fascists, but none to the left wing of their own party, let alone anyone to the left of that.