I will always blame Susan Sarandon, and Ralph Nader, and all of the Bernie bros, for this miserable American century. Yes, the system is stacked against us, but it’s not like we suddenly found that out. I am beyond disgusted by any sentient beings who sacrifice the possible for the impossible perfect and thus burden the rest of us with the unbearable.
Does infighting help promote coalition victories, though? I'm suggesting that maybe holding onto grudges in this way distracts from fighting the main enemy, which is part of how you end up with worse outcomes.
When I hear an apology, or at least an acknowledgment of the role they played in bequeathing us this hell, I can begin to consider forgiveness. Until then, I assume they see nothing wrong with their self-destructive sanctimony and will continue to deploy it.
THEY are the ones who are holding onto grudges! They aren't interested in fighting the main enemy, they just want to win the contest for most social media followers. They refuse to be in coalition with anyone who deviates from their strict policy agenda. I fully support their policy agenda but I recognize the need to compromise that is the foundation of the American system's design. It will be interesting to see how the Pennsylvania Senate race goes down, with the "leftest" candidate taking pro-fracking and anti-immigration positions that would definitely cancel anyone who didn't have tattoos and a spliff.
Pro fracking is ok with me as long as we are also playing the long game which is to get off fossil fuels altogether. We don’t have to like it but only 3% of cars are electric right now. The world still needs a lot of oil.
Strong disagree with you, Noah Berlatsky. The Sarandon/AOC/Bernie Bro Left refuses to accept the SYSTEM. Making policy changes and changing the system are two different things, and are done on different platforms. If you want to change the system, getting elected to Congress is not the way to do it. Representative governmental bodies are inherently about compromise. Refusing to compromise brings everyone down, as the Republicans so clearly demonstrate. Pundits and the Democratic Party would be wise to listen to Rachel Bitecofer and develop some messages that have broader, more positive appeal. Until we speak with a unified voice about what we are getting right we are going to continue to be a bunch of babies throwing sand at each other on the playground.
The Democrats campaign and govern from fear of alienating voters who would NEVER EVER EVER vote for them. Much as I love Michelle Obama, “When they go low, we go high” is the very worst political advice I’ve ever heard. I say, “When they go low, we CURB THEIR F*CKING TEETH”!
I agree up to the point where you call for policies with “broader appeal”. What exactly are you proposing, and what are we doing wrong now? Our position on guns abortion and the Green New Deal are broadly popular. If you’ve got something more popular I’d like to hear it.
I mean, why not both? It's a double load. The Susan Sarandons of the world are infuriating because of their insistence that there's no difference between the Democrats and Republicans, and there clearly is. It's the perfect solution fallacy in action.
The structural problem in the Senate is huge, but it's not the only problem. I live in a red area of a purple state (PA) and I'm continually frustrated by leftists who live in places where they never need to fight a tight general election. The left, for all its claims, hasn't been out there winning those seats, or protecting statehouses.
I don't know much about Cuellar or his opponent, but I do know that there is more than one issue affecting Americans, so branding democrats "feckless" for "rallying around Cuellar" and relying upon a single issue -- abortion -- as the support for this statement is, simply, not a credible argument.
Cueller's bad on gun control and most everything else. Also abortion is a major issue, especially right now. If you don't think so we just strongly disagree.
Respectfully I disagree. Elections are first and foremost about turning out the base. Milquetoast “centrist” policies alienate the base. We need to lean hard into a Green New Deal, abortion, and guns. And not just for now, but for the next 30 years. Can’t anyone here play this game? And IDGAF any more about Sarandon or Sanders or Nader. They screwed us hard but that’s in the past. We need to look to the future.
The problem with this theory is that the base is too concentrated in not enough places. If we followed this strategy, we'd lose. The thing about the parties, besides the rural bias, is that there's different levels of concentration. Democrats win their big city seats with 80-90% of the vote. Republicans rarely manage that kind of concentration, so they win more seats with the same number of votes. In order to win outside big cities, Democrats need to have broader appeal.
On top of that, the Democratic base is composed of different segments. We often treat the Black community as monolithic, but do you think that rural Southern voters are really the same as ones in Chicago or NYC?
I will always blame Susan Sarandon, and Ralph Nader, and all of the Bernie bros, for this miserable American century. Yes, the system is stacked against us, but it’s not like we suddenly found that out. I am beyond disgusted by any sentient beings who sacrifice the possible for the impossible perfect and thus burden the rest of us with the unbearable.
Does infighting help promote coalition victories, though? I'm suggesting that maybe holding onto grudges in this way distracts from fighting the main enemy, which is part of how you end up with worse outcomes.
When I hear an apology, or at least an acknowledgment of the role they played in bequeathing us this hell, I can begin to consider forgiveness. Until then, I assume they see nothing wrong with their self-destructive sanctimony and will continue to deploy it.
THEY are the ones who are holding onto grudges! They aren't interested in fighting the main enemy, they just want to win the contest for most social media followers. They refuse to be in coalition with anyone who deviates from their strict policy agenda. I fully support their policy agenda but I recognize the need to compromise that is the foundation of the American system's design. It will be interesting to see how the Pennsylvania Senate race goes down, with the "leftest" candidate taking pro-fracking and anti-immigration positions that would definitely cancel anyone who didn't have tattoos and a spliff.
Pro fracking is ok with me as long as we are also playing the long game which is to get off fossil fuels altogether. We don’t have to like it but only 3% of cars are electric right now. The world still needs a lot of oil.
Strong disagree with you, Noah Berlatsky. The Sarandon/AOC/Bernie Bro Left refuses to accept the SYSTEM. Making policy changes and changing the system are two different things, and are done on different platforms. If you want to change the system, getting elected to Congress is not the way to do it. Representative governmental bodies are inherently about compromise. Refusing to compromise brings everyone down, as the Republicans so clearly demonstrate. Pundits and the Democratic Party would be wise to listen to Rachel Bitecofer and develop some messages that have broader, more positive appeal. Until we speak with a unified voice about what we are getting right we are going to continue to be a bunch of babies throwing sand at each other on the playground.
The Democrats campaign and govern from fear of alienating voters who would NEVER EVER EVER vote for them. Much as I love Michelle Obama, “When they go low, we go high” is the very worst political advice I’ve ever heard. I say, “When they go low, we CURB THEIR F*CKING TEETH”!
Seconded.
100%
I agree up to the point where you call for policies with “broader appeal”. What exactly are you proposing, and what are we doing wrong now? Our position on guns abortion and the Green New Deal are broadly popular. If you’ve got something more popular I’d like to hear it.
Rachel Bitecofer calls on Democrats to emphasize how they are adding hundreds of thousands of jobs, expanding Medicare, and making sure kids get fed.
I mean, why not both? It's a double load. The Susan Sarandons of the world are infuriating because of their insistence that there's no difference between the Democrats and Republicans, and there clearly is. It's the perfect solution fallacy in action.
The structural problem in the Senate is huge, but it's not the only problem. I live in a red area of a purple state (PA) and I'm continually frustrated by leftists who live in places where they never need to fight a tight general election. The left, for all its claims, hasn't been out there winning those seats, or protecting statehouses.
Here in Los Angeles this interest group is again running someone against ADAM SCHIFF. Who thinks Adam Schiff deserves to be primaried from the left?
I don't know much about Cuellar or his opponent, but I do know that there is more than one issue affecting Americans, so branding democrats "feckless" for "rallying around Cuellar" and relying upon a single issue -- abortion -- as the support for this statement is, simply, not a credible argument.
Cueller's bad on gun control and most everything else. Also abortion is a major issue, especially right now. If you don't think so we just strongly disagree.
Respectfully I disagree. Elections are first and foremost about turning out the base. Milquetoast “centrist” policies alienate the base. We need to lean hard into a Green New Deal, abortion, and guns. And not just for now, but for the next 30 years. Can’t anyone here play this game? And IDGAF any more about Sarandon or Sanders or Nader. They screwed us hard but that’s in the past. We need to look to the future.
The problem with this theory is that the base is too concentrated in not enough places. If we followed this strategy, we'd lose. The thing about the parties, besides the rural bias, is that there's different levels of concentration. Democrats win their big city seats with 80-90% of the vote. Republicans rarely manage that kind of concentration, so they win more seats with the same number of votes. In order to win outside big cities, Democrats need to have broader appeal.
On top of that, the Democratic base is composed of different segments. We often treat the Black community as monolithic, but do you think that rural Southern voters are really the same as ones in Chicago or NYC?
We’re not really winning now so…
I would not have minded Sarandon so much if she had not actively discouraged her followers from voting. That took it to a different level for me.