• Lord_ToRA@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Democrats’ only real incentive is to be better than Republicans. Since that bar is so low, it makes it easier to make much less progress and still be more electable than the Republican alternative. Also, because it’s important to get elected and garnering at least some Republican votes is often necessary, then they have more incentive to play it safe.

    If Republicans got their heads out of their asses and started making progress, instead of pushing for regression, then Democrats would have more incentive to push harder on their policies.

    • TheDoozer@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I feel like if our voting system wasn’t skewed so heavily toward Republicans (between the Electoral College, gerrymandering being legal, and a general “states can run their elections however they want” to allow Republican-controlled states to make whatever changes they want to favor themselves), we’d see a lot more progress. Instead, it’s harder and harder for liberals to vote, the votes count for less and less, and we’re barely scraping to just vote out fascists (if possible).

      Fix the voting system, and we might get something worthwhile out of Democrats other than undoing some of their predecessors terrible actions and giving just enough to their supporters to whet their appetite without ever leaving them satisfied.

    • chakan2@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Democrats’ only real incentive is to be better than Republicans.

      I disagree with that…their only incentive these days is to NOT be Republicans. They’ve taken up traditional right leaning republican policy at this point and are getting away with it. For example: The ACA is terrible, we NEED universal healthcare, however, the D’s are content letting big health insurance continue to rape the US. The D’s have also strongly backed off climate protections, and honestly, it’s too late for climate change so that’s maybe moot.

      The point is, they don’t have any incentive to actually push policy…they just need to point and say “Republicans are bad” and the donations roll in.

      • Lord_ToRA@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        By “better than Republicans” I mean, not pushing bigoted or fascist policies the same way the Republicans have been. That’s an extremely low bar.

    • hglman@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Wait so your plan is to wait for the republican party to become progressive?

      • Lord_ToRA@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Wait before voting 3rd party? Yes. Our voting system needs to change before that is a viable option.

        • Test_Tickles@lemmynsfw.com
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          1 year ago

          There is no 3rd party. Voting for a third party candidate is no different than just not voting at all. The only message that you are sending is that you are fine with whoever actually ends up winning.

          You want to voice your dissatisfaction with the system? Then vote vote more, not less. The reason you get nothing but shit candidates is because you aren’t voting in the elections that actually matter the most… the small, local elections determine who is running your schools, who is running your elections, they determine who is at the base of the power pyramid. It may seem like taking out one bit of support here or there does nothing, but one drop of water doesn’t make a flood. It takes constant, repeated drops to saturate the earth and let other drops build up.

          Venice is sinking into the mud. The ground it sits on is unstable and slowly shifts out from below it, and it continues to sink. They are fighting to keep it up. They poor tons of money into jacking it up and trying to stabilize it, but it just keeps sinking. You want change? Be the sifting sand. Liquify the particles around you and remove the base that supports these shitty parties. And, you can’t do that if the people you vote for don’t win.

          • Lord_ToRA@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I am voting for people who support changing it. Ranked choice voting is definitely being pushed where I live, which would be great because many Democrats have to use their votes in a way that does not accurately represent their actual preferences.

            Additionally, since Republicans have a closed primary (which is scummy as fuck) many Democrats have to register as Republican just to have any say in who will run our government.

          • Lord_ToRA@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Crazy how you’re so wrong with your considerable experience seeing a joke in the mirror every day.

      • Cowbee@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Dems and Reps aren’t the only groups that can get things done, and I’m not talking about voting third party.

        Electoralism is purely harm reduction for leftists, no leftist policy will get through in a 2-party Capitalist state. Instead, change must happen at the grassroots level.

        Organize, unionize, protest, all that good stuff.