My answer: Inability to stand up to or control its own extremists, and the willingness of many to tacitly, and sometimes even directly, use protest, street politics, and the threat of mob violence as a political first-resort (rather than as a last resort when institutions fail or are being unlawfully blocked). Protests that erupt from the dissatisfied and angry masses are a part of any healthy political system; protests endorsed and led by major party leaders and corporate media represent a breakdown of the political system.
This has been a deeply disturbing development. My faith in institutions was completely shaken by the riots in 2020. I lived in Portland at the time and had a front row seat to months of political violence conducted with the approval of political leaders and the media. I canтАЩt imagine what our political leaders are going to do if the left is threatened by a real loss of power in the next two election cycles.
In some ways, yes, but the level of official support for street violence on the left far exceeds the right. In Portland, from mid-2020 on, the prosecutor presumptively declined charges against rioters while state and even national politicians praised the mob. More recent events repeat this pattern. Where is the right using the legal system and mainstream politics to take a wink-and-nod approach to normalized mob violence?
I donтАЩt disagree, however, this problem is not unique to the democrats. We have a pretty big for example going on currently. The actual leader of not only a political party but the free world could catch the same shade. Only in the halls and floors of US institutions, not just a city park in Seattle, a few police stations and target department stores.
Criticizing the left doesnтАЩt a rightwinger make, if so IтАЩd be Mussa-fucking-lini. For my money, DC, youтАЩre all fair play big dog. The democrats┬о suck in myriad, itтАЩs a sad state that theyтАЩre the representatives of the left broadly.
DC answered that question far more articulately than I ever could and basically I totally agree with him with the exception that I don't believe the democrat party is incapable of controlling it's own extremists. As I think they've shown they have complete control over them and tend to use them exactly the way they intend to.
The democrat party intentionally creates political unrest and even violence by effectively funding and organizing these groups when it serves thier purposes.
And I agree with DC that this is a breakdown and perversion of our political system because "the party" is driving the policies and direction of it's members instead of the people directing the policies of the party. As an example, just look how the DNC rigged it's own primaries twice to exclude Bernie Sanders, Andrew Yang and Tulsi gabbard in favor of the establishment candidate and in contradiction of the will of it's constituents. The democrat party is basically the Dominant party of the Washington DC establishment and not of the American people.
So I definitely have no fondness of the republican party. Their gutless and often feeble feigns at opposing things like this is truly disgusting.
Unfortunately, there's currently no better alternative.
I'll add to this by saying that in my opinion, the democrat party rigging it's own primary against the populist candidates in favor of the Washington DC establishment is probably the biggest unknown travesty of politics in this decade.
Just think about the national conversations somebody like Andrew Yang and Bernie Sanders could bring to kitchen tables across America as a presidential candidate!
Neither perhaps could have won a national election against Donald Trump, but just consider how those conversations could direct policies for years to come.
I think it could create discussion that would eventually lead to tangible solutions for issues that matter to the American people by contrasting policies that most people have never thought of.
Those two alone as national candidates could force these discussions and subjects to the front and center of American politics win or lose.
The nation would be better for it in my opinion, but the establishment Democrats would be in a similar position that Donald Trump has put the establishment Republicans....on notice by their voters.
Yeah, I'm way more on this than the former (LOTS of thoughts on the former, not sure I want to spill them all out here, but like... oh man. Very irked by that). And not only killing Bernie's campaign and silencing Yang, but funding extremists Republicans in a midterm election where they're facing horrible headwinds? The fuck is that??? Now we're stuck with Biden -- who most of us didn't like -- and Kamala -- who no one likes. It's like... Jesus.
I think there's a legit chance that Bernie or Yang could've beat Trump (who knows, really). And yeah, that really could've changed the entire political conversation. I'm really hoping more dudes like John Fetterman (running for Senate in PA) start to reshape the Democratic Party. It's such a no brainer, but these Congressional Reps who've been around for over three decades just won't go away.
Do you feel like the Republican has the same problem? Or a different problem? The nativist sentiments that are being cultivated have an ugly history and it has a lot of us freaked out.
I think the republican party definitely has the same problem. Realistically the republican party has been in a sort of an internal struggle since the tea party of the late 1990s.
The difference is that the populist movement inside the republican party has the upper hand against the establishment side for the time being thanks to Donald Trump.
I really don't think the republican establishment expected him to win, so they allowed the populist side to win, and now they can't stop it. Which is great news for the American people because the republican party is now driven by it's supporters from the bottom up instead of vice versa like the current DNC establishment which is from the top down.
My opinion if your a populist progressive your options are to support populist republican candidates or try to "tea party" the DNC.
I personally would go for the populist side myself, republican or not and let the effects surge upward.
It's really a war between the establishment and the people. We need to see it as such and stop thinking in terms of blue or Red. Whether you're a leftist like yourself or a libertarian like myself and probably DC.
Funny you say this 'cause the leftists I know say the same thing about the Democratic party (myself included).
What makes the Democratic party so unacceptable in your viewpoint?
My answer: Inability to stand up to or control its own extremists, and the willingness of many to tacitly, and sometimes even directly, use protest, street politics, and the threat of mob violence as a political first-resort (rather than as a last resort when institutions fail or are being unlawfully blocked). Protests that erupt from the dissatisfied and angry masses are a part of any healthy political system; protests endorsed and led by major party leaders and corporate media represent a breakdown of the political system.
This has been a deeply disturbing development. My faith in institutions was completely shaken by the riots in 2020. I lived in Portland at the time and had a front row seat to months of political violence conducted with the approval of political leaders and the media. I canтАЩt imagine what our political leaders are going to do if the left is threatened by a real loss of power in the next two election cycles.
Same critique could be used vs the republican party.
In some ways, yes, but the level of official support for street violence on the left far exceeds the right. In Portland, from mid-2020 on, the prosecutor presumptively declined charges against rioters while state and even national politicians praised the mob. More recent events repeat this pattern. Where is the right using the legal system and mainstream politics to take a wink-and-nod approach to normalized mob violence?
I donтАЩt disagree, however, this problem is not unique to the democrats. We have a pretty big for example going on currently. The actual leader of not only a political party but the free world could catch the same shade. Only in the halls and floors of US institutions, not just a city park in Seattle, a few police stations and target department stores.
Criticizing the left doesnтАЩt a rightwinger make, if so IтАЩd be Mussa-fucking-lini. For my money, DC, youтАЩre all fair play big dog. The democrats┬о suck in myriad, itтАЩs a sad state that theyтАЩre the representatives of the left broadly.
You guys are all great.
DC answered that question far more articulately than I ever could and basically I totally agree with him with the exception that I don't believe the democrat party is incapable of controlling it's own extremists. As I think they've shown they have complete control over them and tend to use them exactly the way they intend to.
The democrat party intentionally creates political unrest and even violence by effectively funding and organizing these groups when it serves thier purposes.
And I agree with DC that this is a breakdown and perversion of our political system because "the party" is driving the policies and direction of it's members instead of the people directing the policies of the party. As an example, just look how the DNC rigged it's own primaries twice to exclude Bernie Sanders, Andrew Yang and Tulsi gabbard in favor of the establishment candidate and in contradiction of the will of it's constituents. The democrat party is basically the Dominant party of the Washington DC establishment and not of the American people.
So I definitely have no fondness of the republican party. Their gutless and often feeble feigns at opposing things like this is truly disgusting.
Unfortunately, there's currently no better alternative.
I'll add to this by saying that in my opinion, the democrat party rigging it's own primary against the populist candidates in favor of the Washington DC establishment is probably the biggest unknown travesty of politics in this decade.
Just think about the national conversations somebody like Andrew Yang and Bernie Sanders could bring to kitchen tables across America as a presidential candidate!
Neither perhaps could have won a national election against Donald Trump, but just consider how those conversations could direct policies for years to come.
I think it could create discussion that would eventually lead to tangible solutions for issues that matter to the American people by contrasting policies that most people have never thought of.
Those two alone as national candidates could force these discussions and subjects to the front and center of American politics win or lose.
The nation would be better for it in my opinion, but the establishment Democrats would be in a similar position that Donald Trump has put the establishment Republicans....on notice by their voters.
The democrat party just wasn't going to have it.
Yeah, I'm way more on this than the former (LOTS of thoughts on the former, not sure I want to spill them all out here, but like... oh man. Very irked by that). And not only killing Bernie's campaign and silencing Yang, but funding extremists Republicans in a midterm election where they're facing horrible headwinds? The fuck is that??? Now we're stuck with Biden -- who most of us didn't like -- and Kamala -- who no one likes. It's like... Jesus.
I think there's a legit chance that Bernie or Yang could've beat Trump (who knows, really). And yeah, that really could've changed the entire political conversation. I'm really hoping more dudes like John Fetterman (running for Senate in PA) start to reshape the Democratic Party. It's such a no brainer, but these Congressional Reps who've been around for over three decades just won't go away.
Do you feel like the Republican has the same problem? Or a different problem? The nativist sentiments that are being cultivated have an ugly history and it has a lot of us freaked out.
I think the republican party definitely has the same problem. Realistically the republican party has been in a sort of an internal struggle since the tea party of the late 1990s.
The difference is that the populist movement inside the republican party has the upper hand against the establishment side for the time being thanks to Donald Trump.
I really don't think the republican establishment expected him to win, so they allowed the populist side to win, and now they can't stop it. Which is great news for the American people because the republican party is now driven by it's supporters from the bottom up instead of vice versa like the current DNC establishment which is from the top down.
My opinion if your a populist progressive your options are to support populist republican candidates or try to "tea party" the DNC.
I personally would go for the populist side myself, republican or not and let the effects surge upward.
It's really a war between the establishment and the people. We need to see it as such and stop thinking in terms of blue or Red. Whether you're a leftist like yourself or a libertarian like myself and probably DC.
It's hilarious you said Fetterman in one sentence and no-brainer in the next.
What they did to Bernie was a shame. What they did to Tulsi was a travesty, because I actually believe she would make a great president.