Summary
Democratic divisions intensified as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nancy Pelosi sharply criticized Chuck Schumer for supporting a Republican-led funding bill to avoid a government shutdown.
AOC called Schumer’s decision a “betrayal,” urging Senate Democrats to reject the legislation backed by Trump and Elon Musk. Pelosi called the bill a “devastating assault” on working families.
Schumer defended his stance, arguing a shutdown would empower Trump and Musk further.
The controversy sparked suggestions among Democrats that AOC might challenge Schumer in a primary.
Or… hear me out… It was a colossally terrible idea to not do this after the ratfucking of 2016. Or the ratfucking 0f 2020. Or the ratfucking of 2024. It was a colossally terrible idea to leave the clearly incapable managers of the Democratic party in place, and in lieu of replacing them, which doesn’t appear possible, to identify and adopt strategies that go around them.
We’ve done orders of magnitude more damage to ourselves by continuing to support Democrats when Democrats do not support us, in anything other than meaningless performative bullshit.
Getting off heroine is hard. Alcoholism detox can kill you. But not dealing with either of those things isn’t a solution to the problem.
The Democrats are not your freinds. They aren’t even your allies. They are a tool preventing you from having access to power and to prevent us collectively from making the kinds of changes that can kill fascist movements in the crib by not allowing the legitimate conditions that permit grievance politics to persist.
By occupying the space where real change, where an authentic attempt to better the lives of people would be, Democrats are a tool to prevent the addressing of the fundamental problems we have in society. Leaving these issues unaddressed give fascists legitimate grievances to co-opt into these kinds of racist and fascist movements.
You’re not arguing against Democrats, you are arguing against basic math. Here is a primer for why going third party is a complete non-starter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7tWHJfhiyo
The way forward is to transform the Democratic party from the inside out. It’s not impossible, Trump did it to the entire Republican party in the span of less than a decade. Vote in PRIMARY elections.
Good video on the problem with system we’re stuck with (the only ones who can change it are the ones who benefit from it). Another interesting related video is this one about the history of parties and once again you see that while sometimes extra party movements pop up, they always get absorbed into one of the two big ones.
It’s math. Until we change how we elect, it will always be this way. And just like you mention changing the Democratic party from within, so do we have to change how we vote from the lower to the higher. Some states have started better systems, and the more than do, the more likely it can be worked into the federal level.
Yes, I agree, any kind of ranked choice voting system would help to end the two-party duopoly. If you are lucky enough to have your state consider a ballot measure to introduce such a system, do everything in your power to help it pass.
Unfortunately, it will not be easy; for obvious reasons, there are many powerful political forces opposing such reform. Here is a page showing how well such measures have done in recent elections: https://ballotpedia.org/History_of_ranked-choice_voting_(RCV)_ballot_measures
By the way, if you liked the CGP Grey Animal Kingdom video, it continues as a short series: https://www.cgpgrey.com/politics-in-the-animal-kingdom/
I mean, you don’t legitimately think that we can do that in the current system do you?
Like, try and see the contradiction in your thinking.
It’s not contradiction, you’re talking about something different. I’m talking about First Past The Post elections vs. other systems that allow more than two parties to be competitive.
To be clear, you are repeating the same argument that has been being repeated, for effectively 25 years. This is exactly the same argument being made in the year 2000 when the Democrats rolled over on Bush V Gore.
If you want any one to take this argument seriously at this point, you need to tell me how the last 25 years of evidence showing that this approach to politics doesn’t work, will work this time. Because to be clear, your exact strategy is the theory of change thats been in application. And the result was the rise of fascism globally.
Give me a reason to take this argument, thats been repeated and repeated, again and again, seriously, when the data we have shows that pushing for change from within the DNC isn’t working.
Your strategy is quite literally the only strategy thats been attempted, and what we got for it was the rise of fascism. So whats different this time? Why should we take you seriously?
Trump would’ve won 2020. You do realize that right?
Vote in primaries. Kick out the pelosis and schumers. Give the reins to the AOC’s. If that’s not possible it only proves there is no political appetite among Americans for progressive politics, which is our loss.
Okay so just keep doing the things that haven’t worked in the past?
I just want to be clear what your argument is. You want the strategy to be the same thing that people have been trying to do for 25 years?
Oh so we voted them out?
Republicans voted out their corporate overlords for fascists and racists.
Democrats failed to do so. Now the Democrats can’t win an election to save their life.
🤔
Yeah that’s what I thought 🤷♂️
3 of the last 5 presidential terms had a Democrat in office. 3 of the last 5 presidents were democrats period. They just barely lost their first popular vote since 2004. They won the 3 before that as well.
Democrats have taken control of either or both chambers on a consistent basis. They have not had some notable run of losses. In fact it’s the GOP that is struggling to keep its majorities even in favorable electoral conditions.
The majority of the country is represented or otherwise governed by democrats and have been for…20 years now I believe?
So what exactly are you talking about?