I used to want them to give some ground. Now I want us to take it. It's become absolutely clear that they don't just beat us down for advantage, they hate us and want us dead or suffering.
We have the power, but they have us using it to fight each-others. It's time for the people to unify and use our power to tell the wealthy what the new rules are going to be.
But America brings so much to the table! There's all the goods manufactured in America, there is all the creativity coming out of the American TV and movie industries, there is all the scientific research and knowledge that is totally not leaving. What about innovative software (licenses) and enshitified streaming services. America is on the cutting edge of defense and it's partners totally trust that America would never yank away support for those weapons at the whim of a mad king or anything.
Most importantly, how will the world ever get by without the American financial system that contributes nothing to the world and demands all the wealth in return? I think the world will find America hard to shake.
(Massive /s, just in case it's not obvious.)
Let's just put our heads in the sand and pretend that Democrats didn't lose the entire fucking country. They did everything right, it's just dumb luck.
It's not even just the federal government. Not only did Obama lose the House and the Senate, he also lost the Democrats over a thousand statewide seats. At some point there has to be a come to Jesus moment. If things haven't gotten bad enough now, what will it take?
Not just Obama, but he is a perfect example of the kinds of Democrats that made fascism inevitable.
Americans have had 50 years of "progress" where all the great things Democrats say they do don't seem to help. Technocratic improvements and even material improvements don't even register with people anymore. Voters (regardless of what they might say) want transformative change. Forgiving some student loans is good, but free college is transformative.
Republicans offer transformative change. In the absence of anything on offer from the Democrats, the culture moves right. 50 years later and here we are.
What does the left have to do with it?
Meh. We'll see what happens when it threatens their office. A lot of them have already started changing their rhetoric.
This time the Democrats have an actual flesh and blood candidate who actually stands for something. If he wins, will that alter your perspective at all?
American voters suck, just like they have always sucked, just like voters suck everyplace else. That's the field in which the game is played.
Being the lesser of two evils is not a good strategy. The greater evil gets all the attention and therefore enthusiasm. Good vs evil is a whole different dynamic.
Now it's time for the "vote blue no matter who" crowd to put up or shut up. So far, party loyalty doesn't seem very important to a lot of the establishment.
So was Obama, who led us directly to Trump. At some point, Democrats have to actually stand for something more than mere competence and being the lesser evil.
Voters vote in primaries too you know. Biden beat Bernie almost entirely on a myth that he was the most electable. That shit has to go, and Rachel Maddow and Chris Cuomo aren't going to do that for us.
You are right, but the problem is less about corruption in politics and more about the weakness of voters. As bad as shit is, it's pretty much exactly what we voted for.