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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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.
+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.