Authoritarian Blitz: The Republican Party’s attempts to suspend the rule of law can only be stopped if Democratic leaders show the moral clarity and political courage of a normal party of opposition.
Authoritarian Blitz: The Republican Party’s attempts to suspend the rule of law can only be stopped if Democratic leaders show the moral clarity and political courage of a normal party of opposition.
Unfortunately, your typical Democratic official—whether it’s Biden or Schumer or Jeffries or House Oversight Committee ranking member Gerry Connolly or the recently elected DNC chair Ken Martin—didn’t get into politics to defeat the Republican Party, to zealously advance the interests of ordinary people, or to protect democracy. They didn’t rise within the party ranks because of their talent for public service. In a functioning democracy, that wouldn’t matter as much. Nobody really cares if a politician’s inner life is absorbed in personal ambition. But at this moment of national and planetary emergency, pathological careerism is unacceptable. People should either step up or, if they don’t fancy the fray, follow the example of Senator Gary Peters, who recently announced, like a normal person in his late sixties, that he’ll retire in 2026.
The sorry truth is that without enormous pressure from the party base, a significant number of senators and representatives won’t have it in them to oppose Trump. We, the concerned citizens, will have to force them to do their duty. We’ll also have to march, sooner rather than later. But that’s a separate topic. For now, these are our guys. We go with what we’ve got. And let’s not forget: Republicans can’t govern, they’re unpopular, and they’re led by the most idiotic president in living memory. They are beatable.
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The extraordinary cowardice of this party should be highlighted in the context of the persistent and belligerent calls to carry water for this party, or else, over the previous 25 years of politics.
They sacrificed freedom of speech on college campuses to lose an election on behalf of a genocidal ethnostate and the "good" billionaires. If you were (and many of you were) telling people that they "had to support Democrats, or else", the current state of the nation is a direct result of your actions. Democrats have put most of their effort into creating a narrative landscape within which they escape accountability. Its a magical world where the leaders of the Democratic party are persistently and perpetually without agency; a party which can make nothing happen, but to whom which everything happens to: A party and a leadership which has never themselves fail, and is only failed.
The state of this shit parade is 100% on the shoulders of Democrats and their Aquarian cowards and sycophants who belligerently asked a nation to support a genocide instead of demanding the Democratic candidate actually adopt an electable position. Who asked a generation to give up on climate change to get, as long as the parliamentarian approves, a half of a half of a half of what was discussed. Who silenced and rejected the involvement of the youth in the participatory process of Democracy.
100%?
100%
Thanks, Obama.
I’m going to preface this by saying that I agree with you, the democrats will never be the opposition that we need them to be and we need a true left (hell, even liberal at this point) party in this country to see real positive change. I actually put my money where my mouth is and changed party affiliation to independent after the election.
That having been said, I believe in harm reduction and there was only one other viable candidate who could have stopped Trump from coming into power. In the context of the 2024 election and the first past the post electoral system that we live under, what else should we have done?
It's not harm reduction if it results in the worse outcome.
The answer if what to do was to, was to stop focusing the criticism on those who said a genocide is a bridge to far, and our that ire into the Democratic party, demanding they shift their position.
The answer was to listen, and support and acknowledge the importance of people saying, As early as March of 2024, that Biden wasn't going to win and we needed something more than a sham primary.
The answer was, when Kamala got the nomination, to create enough of an uproar regarding their dismissal of the Gazan delegates at the convention that they would know and understand that it was a significant problem.
What was being engaged in was not harm reduction when it directly contributed to the worst possible outcome. The silencing of dissent. The being told to shut the fuck up and cute blue no matter who by Blue MAGA: it was all over this place under the pretense of harm reduction; and it was the very thing that lost them the election.
They threw this election and abandoned their base for the "harm reduction" if the lessor evil, as if Republicans voters were going to vote for Diet Evil when they had full strength evil at home.
I think you’re a little confused. The harm reduction I’m referring to is making sure the next president of the United States doesn’t want to turn Gaza into a luxury resort, roll out the red carpet for Russia and return our country to the dark ages.
It doesn’t matter how corrupt and useless the DNC is if our country is taken over by fascists. Absolutely you fight and tell Kamala exactly where to shove it but on Election Day either you vote or you shut the fuck up.
I think you’re a little confused.
No, you miss the point, or perhaps, just don't want to be held to account. When I scratch an accounts comment history, what will I find? This is a good example: https://lemmy.world/comment/10202527
Claiming that we "needed" to vote for a pro-genocide candidate, instead of working for or calling on that candidate to change their position: That isn't harm reduction; thats directly causing harm. When you made that comment 9 months ago, you, in part, contributed to Donald Trumps victory. She couldn't win with that campaign strategy. By being an apologist for genocide, you, in part, gave her the freedom to not have to shift her position to a more popular, more electable, anti-genocide stance.
Harm reduction is only harm reduction if it reduces harm. The VAST majority of what was being done under the name of "harm reduction" and especially here on lemmy, your example included, led directly to the outcome of Harris blowing the election. What you were doing was not harm reduction: it was harm.
The apologists who worked AGAINST the effort to move the candidate from where they were, to where they needed to be, did significant harm to our ability to stop Trump.
Well shit, you caught me. I’m the reason why Harris got millions fewer votes than Biden did in the last election: because I told people to vote for her. You can be mad at me all you want, I was right then and I’m still right now. You can’t make any political change by refusing to play the hand you’re dealt.
But hey, good news! You got what you wanted. A genocide supporter didn’t get elected. Gaza is saved! I’m sure the war will be over any day now.
But hey, good news! You got what you wanted. A genocide supporter didn’t get elected. Gaza is saved! I’m sure the war will be over any day now.
Shitlibs and not being interested in why they lost: name a more iconic duo!
You aren't arguing with me when you make that accusation: you are arguing with the literal millions who voted for Biden, and then didn't vote for Harris. And its exactly because of what you are doing right fucking now you fucking oblivious election throwing dummy.
Those were the fucking people we needed to get to show up for Harris and those were PRECISELY THE FUCKING PEOPLE YOU PUSHED AWAY FROM DEMOCRATS BY DOING EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE DOING, RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!
+1
you still have to use a corrupt system to your advantage when you can, if that is the system within which you are confined. non-participation and protest votes only dilute the power of a united people.
I can't help my brothers and sisters get free, if I'm also in shackles.
It's not harm reduction if it results in the worse outcome.
If you think Harris winning would have been worse, you're not intelligent enough to be involved in politics. Find a different hobby.
Jesus fucking christ, if you are this intentionally obtuse, there is literally no hope for the future of this country.
And if its not intentional, please for the love of any chance of this country getting back on rails, open you eyes and ears.
(please try to read this in the "royal" you; not you in particular, but you are expressing this perspective, so you get the focus)
You took the bludgeon the voters into voting for Harris strategy.
You were told that the bludgeon the voters into voting for the candidate would backfire.
The bludgeon the voters into voting for the candidate strategy backfired.
and you want to blame the person who told you what you were doing was fucking stupid and would backfire?