Totally agree. But pressure is both positive and negative. It means rewarding good policy, not just criticizing everything. Biden has made many moves to satisfy progressives. But if none of it matters electorally, why even try? Why not go back to pandering to centrists and conservatives?
The progressive vote is hardly guaranteed. It’s fickle, hyper critical, divided, which enervates us as a voting bloc. Conservatives are the most reliable voters, and, surprise surprise, they wield outsized political power.
Oh really? So what do you think all that pandering to “centrists” makes them? After republicans have pushed so far to the right and with democrats following after them for so long, insisting that “we must work with republicans” (while republicans are free to obstruct and undermine), republican-lite is an accurate description.
This shows you don’t understand the US political system at all. The US system is intentionally designed to require compromise. The US also has extremely weak party discipline. Voting against your own party is unheard of in most parliamentary systems, but it’s normal in the US. That means there needs to be compromise even within a single party. If you want progressive policies, more progressive Dems need to be voted in.
There are people like you on the Republican side too. People who would rather the government shut down than compromise with Democrats.
Edit: if you seriously think a president Bernie Sanders wouldn’t also compromise with Republicans, then you don’t know the first thing about how legislation is passed.
You mean like when the republicans compromised with the democrats on the supreme court where Obama picked basically a conservative judge (Merrick Garland) as a compromise and the republicans didn’t hold a hearing for him anyway? Yeah, the republicans were soooo punished for pulling that stunt with a majority batshit insane conservative court. You don’t understand the US political system at all because you’re taking democrats with their talk of “decorum” and “compromise” at face value. Democrats compromise with republicans but will not compromise with progressives. Democrats will try to primary progressive candidates and we all know how they treated Bernie during his two presidential bids.
Bernie would probably compromise with republicans because he isn’t as fervent as republicans. I wish we had a progressive that fights as fiercely and as dirty as the tea party republicans. When you’re in a mud wrestling match, you can’t be afraid to get down and dirty. However, Bernie would be far more likely to push for progressive policies.
No. This is extremely lacking in nuance. I am not defending all compromise. Some compromises are garbage. But being against any compromise, and praising the Tea Party, is a lazy ignorant position. Obama was an overrated moderate president, unlike Biden who has tried very hard to pass progressive policies.
Even with a Republican president and senate, House Democrats somehow managed to pass some of the most generous and progressive Covid relief in the world (even more than Scandinavian countries), including expanding child benefits and Medicare, and the US is benefiting from the strongest economic recovery in the world because of it. Biden has eliminated $130 billion worth of student loans. The Inflation Reduction Act was the biggest environmental legislation in a generation, and recommits the US to the Paris agreement. You know who voted for all these good compromises? Bernie Sanders.
Calling that “Republican-lite” is straight up ignorant. Republicans wouldn’t do any of that.
Totally agree. But pressure is both positive and negative. It means rewarding good policy, not just criticizing everything. Biden has made many moves to satisfy progressives. But if none of it matters electorally, why even try? Why not go back to pandering to centrists and conservatives?
I reward them with my guaranteed vote, which happens to be guaranteed because the alternative is worse.
The progressive vote is hardly guaranteed. It’s fickle, hyper critical, divided, which enervates us as a voting bloc. Conservatives are the most reliable voters, and, surprise surprise, they wield outsized political power.
The progressive vote would be guaranteed if democrats would push progressive policies in earnest instead of constantly trying to be republican-lite.
Exhibit A. That is exactly what they are not doing. Anyone who thinks they are Republican lite is not paying attention.
Oh really? So what do you think all that pandering to “centrists” makes them? After republicans have pushed so far to the right and with democrats following after them for so long, insisting that “we must work with republicans” (while republicans are free to obstruct and undermine), republican-lite is an accurate description.
This shows you don’t understand the US political system at all. The US system is intentionally designed to require compromise. The US also has extremely weak party discipline. Voting against your own party is unheard of in most parliamentary systems, but it’s normal in the US. That means there needs to be compromise even within a single party. If you want progressive policies, more progressive Dems need to be voted in.
There are people like you on the Republican side too. People who would rather the government shut down than compromise with Democrats.
Edit: if you seriously think a president Bernie Sanders wouldn’t also compromise with Republicans, then you don’t know the first thing about how legislation is passed.
You mean like when the republicans compromised with the democrats on the supreme court where Obama picked basically a conservative judge (Merrick Garland) as a compromise and the republicans didn’t hold a hearing for him anyway? Yeah, the republicans were soooo punished for pulling that stunt with a majority batshit insane conservative court. You don’t understand the US political system at all because you’re taking democrats with their talk of “decorum” and “compromise” at face value. Democrats compromise with republicans but will not compromise with progressives. Democrats will try to primary progressive candidates and we all know how they treated Bernie during his two presidential bids.
Bernie would probably compromise with republicans because he isn’t as fervent as republicans. I wish we had a progressive that fights as fiercely and as dirty as the tea party republicans. When you’re in a mud wrestling match, you can’t be afraid to get down and dirty. However, Bernie would be far more likely to push for progressive policies.
No. This is extremely lacking in nuance. I am not defending all compromise. Some compromises are garbage. But being against any compromise, and praising the Tea Party, is a lazy ignorant position. Obama was an overrated moderate president, unlike Biden who has tried very hard to pass progressive policies.
Even with a Republican president and senate, House Democrats somehow managed to pass some of the most generous and progressive Covid relief in the world (even more than Scandinavian countries), including expanding child benefits and Medicare, and the US is benefiting from the strongest economic recovery in the world because of it. Biden has eliminated $130 billion worth of student loans. The Inflation Reduction Act was the biggest environmental legislation in a generation, and recommits the US to the Paris agreement. You know who voted for all these good compromises? Bernie Sanders.
Calling that “Republican-lite” is straight up ignorant. Republicans wouldn’t do any of that.