Your cynicism throws the powerful spotlight of truth on our current politics. It contains more validity than all the current talking head palaver. While MAGA and DJT are an abomination and have a death wish for democracy, for the past decades the Democrats have been willing allies in creating and accepting the compromises that stole the American Dream, creating a unified government of end stage capitalism, helping the plutocrats steal America's wealth for themselves and subjecting the vast majority of Americans to precarity while ignoring their basic needs, not to mind their hopes. We have a "Peoples' Government" that makes the urge for education a profit center and burdens generations with debt during their most creative years; we have a commercialized medical system that places (huge) profit over caring and cure: we have waged senseless wars and spent young blood on the whims of corporate avarice; we have a tax code that legalizes the plunder of increased productivity for the favored rich creating obscene wealth (and power) for the few; we indulge racism, finally loosing the Civil War, by finding affirmative action undemocratic. Why ever would this deep seated cooperation change now?
Furthermore your insight bode ill for the future. Once the pendulum swings and MAGA is tamed, the worst plan would be to return to the status quo ante. Thus the Democrats (and most everyone else) need to be criticized not only for many months of inaction, but also for not offering a vision of a better, more equitable and functioning democracy for our kids' future, throwing off the shackles of capitalist exploitation.
It’s the uni party. This is no different from Trump having the GOP kill immigration reform when he was out of power. He explicitly said he wanted to exploit the issue and now we have Nazi masked goons and soldiers in blue cities. They’re all scum seeking your money while contributing to deteriorating a nation.
I like to think of the Democrats as controlled opposition, even if they don't. Schumer proved it by surrendering whatever leverage he had. I also think that any desire to protect the filibuster is a desire to retain minoritarian rule.
The filibuster was never about bipartisan consensus. It has always been about making sure the minority, in this case, the top 1%, continue to rule.
The fear of repeal is the true motivation for compromise, not the fear of never seeing a bill come to the floor for a vote. Removing the filibuster would actually dampen extremism, though I'm not so sure that "feeding the people" and "access to healthcare" are so extreme.
The Dems have a decent out or explanation for the shutdown mess. Will they take it? They shut the government down because healthcare costs under the big beautiful bill are unaffordable. They can say we hoped some Repubs would come around and care for Americans. However, the Repubs did not care and the shutdown is contributing to further economic damage. They can continue to say that since the Dems do not control any branch of government, healthcare is in the hands of the Repubs and Trump. Truly, the Dems can't do anything. Put it back on trump. Of course, then we will expect a healthcare system that the Repubs cannot destroy as they continue to do with the ACA. It shouldn't be so weirdly complicated.
I agree with the performative bullshit of the Dems in the shutdown. It is both pathetic and business as usual. I don’t agree it strengthens Trump, a lot of those who will suffer most on healthcare are MAGA and they are already hurting (like everyone) from the costs of everything. For me, the rot in the system is finally coming to the surface and neither Trump nor establishment Democrats will be able to control the rage. I’m hoping we are finally reaching the tipping point, where disgust turns to action and we throw all these bums out!
But a lot of these Americans who rely on food stamps and healthcare have been hurt by Trump's policies in the past, and their cognitive dissonance always pushes them to fall for MAGA rhetoric again and again. I know at least a few people who had absolutely no rational reason to vote for Trump last year, but they did it anyway. Consider how "done" Trump looked mid-2024. Everyone was so confident he was going to lose by wide margins. You can't predict what MAGA will do based on anything resembling logic. You just can't. They have their own logic, and I don't think most Democrats understand it. The leadership certainly doesn't.
Your cynicism throws the powerful spotlight of truth on our current politics. It contains more validity than all the current talking head palaver. While MAGA and DJT are an abomination and have a death wish for democracy, for the past decades the Democrats have been willing allies in creating and accepting the compromises that stole the American Dream, creating a unified government of end stage capitalism, helping the plutocrats steal America's wealth for themselves and subjecting the vast majority of Americans to precarity while ignoring their basic needs, not to mind their hopes. We have a "Peoples' Government" that makes the urge for education a profit center and burdens generations with debt during their most creative years; we have a commercialized medical system that places (huge) profit over caring and cure: we have waged senseless wars and spent young blood on the whims of corporate avarice; we have a tax code that legalizes the plunder of increased productivity for the favored rich creating obscene wealth (and power) for the few; we indulge racism, finally loosing the Civil War, by finding affirmative action undemocratic. Why ever would this deep seated cooperation change now?
Furthermore your insight bode ill for the future. Once the pendulum swings and MAGA is tamed, the worst plan would be to return to the status quo ante. Thus the Democrats (and most everyone else) need to be criticized not only for many months of inaction, but also for not offering a vision of a better, more equitable and functioning democracy for our kids' future, throwing off the shackles of capitalist exploitation.
I fear the future..
I agree 100 percent.
I appreciate your political analysis as well as your prepper topics.
Thank you. Too bad we can't be analyzing something else, huh?
And the timing of the Epstein email drop uni party corollary
https://substack.com/@fredericpoag/note/c-176444601?r=4pli7r&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
It’s the uni party. This is no different from Trump having the GOP kill immigration reform when he was out of power. He explicitly said he wanted to exploit the issue and now we have Nazi masked goons and soldiers in blue cities. They’re all scum seeking your money while contributing to deteriorating a nation.
I like to think of the Democrats as controlled opposition, even if they don't. Schumer proved it by surrendering whatever leverage he had. I also think that any desire to protect the filibuster is a desire to retain minoritarian rule.
The filibuster was never about bipartisan consensus. It has always been about making sure the minority, in this case, the top 1%, continue to rule.
The fear of repeal is the true motivation for compromise, not the fear of never seeing a bill come to the floor for a vote. Removing the filibuster would actually dampen extremism, though I'm not so sure that "feeding the people" and "access to healthcare" are so extreme.
The Dems have a decent out or explanation for the shutdown mess. Will they take it? They shut the government down because healthcare costs under the big beautiful bill are unaffordable. They can say we hoped some Repubs would come around and care for Americans. However, the Repubs did not care and the shutdown is contributing to further economic damage. They can continue to say that since the Dems do not control any branch of government, healthcare is in the hands of the Repubs and Trump. Truly, the Dems can't do anything. Put it back on trump. Of course, then we will expect a healthcare system that the Repubs cannot destroy as they continue to do with the ACA. It shouldn't be so weirdly complicated.
I agree with the performative bullshit of the Dems in the shutdown. It is both pathetic and business as usual. I don’t agree it strengthens Trump, a lot of those who will suffer most on healthcare are MAGA and they are already hurting (like everyone) from the costs of everything. For me, the rot in the system is finally coming to the surface and neither Trump nor establishment Democrats will be able to control the rage. I’m hoping we are finally reaching the tipping point, where disgust turns to action and we throw all these bums out!
But a lot of these Americans who rely on food stamps and healthcare have been hurt by Trump's policies in the past, and their cognitive dissonance always pushes them to fall for MAGA rhetoric again and again. I know at least a few people who had absolutely no rational reason to vote for Trump last year, but they did it anyway. Consider how "done" Trump looked mid-2024. Everyone was so confident he was going to lose by wide margins. You can't predict what MAGA will do based on anything resembling logic. You just can't. They have their own logic, and I don't think most Democrats understand it. The leadership certainly doesn't.
I can’t disagree with you, I just believe that this decade-long shitshow con is finally coming to an end. At least I hope it is.