timemachineyeah
drives me up a wall living in a very very red district, like "no democrat is ever going to win any local election, let alone a real leftist" district, like "our school board members ran on who was the most anti-mask" red, like "I pass white supremacist signs on the way to buy weed" red
and being in the local leftist community and the guy who runs the anarchist book club and the lady who helps keep the warming shelters open and the people who marched on city hall when a local business was getting death threats for having a drag show are all members of a discord and we get on this discord and have frank discussions about how best to vote
the people who do the protests and the mutual aid and all the real work
going "okay, they're both fascists, but this one lacks ambition and seems happy to just glide in the position" or "they both suck, but this one can be reasoned with if you frame it patriotically enough" like we don't even have a democrat to vote for. we know what a vote is. we know what we hope accomplish with it. we know what it can do, and we know what it can't.
and going from those discussions to here where people think that your vote is some kind of fucking??? enabling maneuver??? as if someone isn't going to end up in that seat regardless of what you do???
we didn't build this system, we just live in it. we're just trying to survive. a vote isn't a statement of your values, it's not an endorsement, it's not a marriage contract, it's a strategic play you make to keep alive.
the biggest mistake I see leftists making is overestimating their own popularity. "well but everyone would be leftist if they just-" no, stop, 1) you can't possibly know that 2) everyone will not just
Name one material compromise Biden has made with progressives and leftists over his term. Name one situation where moderates and liberals wanted one thing, progressives and leftists wanted something else and a material decision was made in favor of leftists and progressives. There is not a single example.
Progressives and leftists are getting nothing out of this relationship.
Here's things Biden could do today:
I used to include "stop sending weapons to Israel" but now he's got Congress doing that. Fucking piece of shit.
And before you say "it's too late the election is here we gotta just gotta focus on that first". Fuck. No. You know why it's too late? Because liberals and moderates fucked around for too long. Biden fucked around for too long. Get it done now or fuck off.
Progressives and leftists cannot be both 100% responsible for Biden's loss while having a near zero, not half, not even half of a half, near zero influence on policy. You don't want to compromise with us? Fine. Elect your procorporate trash candidate on your own.
I'll premise this list of (far more than one) progressive thing Biden has done with something I'd like you to consider. It seems from your tone that you think progressives can only count something as a win if it hurts or angers the center-left. That's not the case. Now...the list:
Inflation Reduction Act, that a MINIMUM of $386B in green energy subsidies, tax credits and incentives and directs that money in a way that encourages domestic production.
$1 trillion Infrastructure package
Withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan
Lower prescription drug prices, specifically giving government the ability to negotiate those prices and capping others.
Millions in student debt relief
Thousands of simple drug possession pardons
$1 trillion in covid relief directly to families
Lower inflation than most of the western world
Doubled the child tax credit
Expanded gun background checks
Largest number of progressive judicial appointments in loving memory
CHIPS act
Repealed DOMA and ensured states must recommend same-sex marriages
ECRA takes away one avenue Trump used in his attempted overthrow of the government.
Rolled back racist and xenophobic travel restrictions
You mean the BBB stripped of everything progressives and leftists were excited about? It was a win for moderates and liberals. For leftists and progressives it was just another slap in the face.
So when you said "I’m willing to compromise" what you really meant is you'd like the opportunity to do some more finger wagging. Do you realize how pathetic this behavior is? You are offering nothing but speaking to me as if a stern lecture is going to whip me into shape. Are we on the verge of losing our democracy or not? Wake the fuck up and start offering real compromises to leftists and progressives or lose to MAGA. Make a choice.