I am in favor of strategic voting but regardless of your opinion on this topic we need to be clear eyed that this election will not solve the US’s many very serious problems, regardless of its outcome.
That can only be achieved by on the ground organizing. So I hope that all of the people who spend so much energy arguing about this topic are out there building local political coalitions that can force our representatives to do what is needed. That’s the only way real change will happen.
I think that’s the point of the chart. Your elected officials are not going to magically know what you want and bend over backwards to give it to you. If you are serious about a topic, it’s on you to join the political process and have your points heard. That’s what they mean by “we work to find a fair balance.” The work part is a lot of political arguing back and forth. If you want to have influence, you have to make an informed argument for why what you want is better than what we have, and you have to square off with the group on the other side that thinks they have a better solution and will make their case too.
The Democrats don’t guarantee you that the compromise will break your way. The guarantee is that you do get a voice if you choose to participate in the political process, which is not something that’s on offer with the other party.
And to those that are annoyed by the Dems due to lack of progress or any other reason, we get it. Don’t think I’m not annoyed too. The difference between you and me is not that I don’t find the Dems disappointing, the difference is that I understand I would be disappointed with anyone because politics are about negotiation and compromise, not about having our whims fulfilled.
People forget how much he has done and how progressive he’s been compared to even Obama. People complain that Bernie got sidetracked, but Bernie’s movement is still in the conversation and pushed the Dems further left on a ton of things. That’s what discourse looks like, and if you want real change you have to get involved with the only party that is offering a path. That’s why Bernie and AOC caucus with the Dems, because being sour about what you want solves nothing, but getting involved is a real path.
Vote for the only party that offers discourse and power to change things, and then get your voice in the mix as much as you’d like. Bernie is not sour, he is in the Senate getting things done, he is campaigning influencing the conversation, and he is constantly in the media making his points. A voice from within the system is way more powerful than one sitting on the sidelines pouting. Vote, and then tell your Officials what you want.
How did raising the min wage to $15/hr help the elites? Defending medicare, strengthening bank regulations, coming after junk fees, fighting the GOP on student loan forgiveness… or standing with unions on the picket line, and so forth. I bet I could write a list of 200 things he’s done in less than 4 years that were intended to help American workers, while I’d be surprised if anyone can come up with a list of a dozen things he did that helped only the rich and corporations.
And if anyone is wondering if I’m exaggerating about “200 things,” you should consider how much the media’s low-effort coverage and Trump’s BS circus are keeping real stuff out of the news. Biden signed 52 executive orders in the first 100 days alone. A list of 200 things he’s done for regular people vs elites would be the highlights, not the full list.
maybe one or two items on it might make a difference in US households maybe
no healthcare, no raising of the minimum wage, nothing about women’s rights, no police reform minus the scrap about federal prisons, and these are just some things
Perhaps the link is loading something different for you and me?
Because just in the first 7 items I see:
Raised the minimum wage
Reverse draconian Trump policies on refugees and travelers
Defended democracy by sanctioning Russia’s meddling
Presidential commission to begin discussions to fix the SCOTUS
Defended human rights by reversing bad Trump policies on the ICC
New council on gender equality and equity
Protect students from discrimination
That’s just the first 7 items, of the list of 52 items covering only executive actions in the first 100 days. Keep reading just a few more points and you’ll see more defense of democracy, protection of minorities, improvements to the economy, etc. Again, I could be here all day talking about how Biden has done so much for people - if we include signed bills and Bully Pulpit work, it would take hundreds of items to cover even the highlights.
But one side will create many more problems, perscute many more people, and lead to many more unnecessary deaths. While the other would atleast keep the status quo, and try to marginally improve things.
I don’t disagree but the status quo is quite bad, and will remain bad with small incremental improvements. So yes, vote for harm reduction but that is the bare minimum. Find like-minded orgs in your area and get involved. I think one reason the US is in such a sorry state today is that most people think voting is the beginning and end of their involvement in democracy. I felt this way for most of my life but gradually I realized that no matter how good the intentions of the person you vote into office, the system will force them to stay within the bounds outlined by the powers that be and their interests. That’s why we need to build an equal or greater mass movement to demand leaders fight back. Obama spoke of this when he was in office but I didn’t quite understand what he meant at the time.
Mostly agree, but as someone disabled and unable to work, so fully reliant on the state for survival, I find minimising voting / both sides are evil rhetoric is terrifying.
It takes one very good election for the GOP, for me to become homeless, due to their proposes benefit cuts, and if I’m homeless I die. I’m severely immunodeficient and bedridden.
Damn that’s scary. Best of luck to you. But I still think your interests are best defended by grass-roots organizing. Of course my whole point is that this strategy is completely compatible with voting, so we need to do that as well.
I am in favor of strategic voting but regardless of your opinion on this topic we need to be clear eyed that this election will not solve the US’s many very serious problems, regardless of its outcome.
That can only be achieved by on the ground organizing. So I hope that all of the people who spend so much energy arguing about this topic are out there building local political coalitions that can force our representatives to do what is needed. That’s the only way real change will happen.
I think that’s the point of the chart. Your elected officials are not going to magically know what you want and bend over backwards to give it to you. If you are serious about a topic, it’s on you to join the political process and have your points heard. That’s what they mean by “we work to find a fair balance.” The work part is a lot of political arguing back and forth. If you want to have influence, you have to make an informed argument for why what you want is better than what we have, and you have to square off with the group on the other side that thinks they have a better solution and will make their case too.
The Democrats don’t guarantee you that the compromise will break your way. The guarantee is that you do get a voice if you choose to participate in the political process, which is not something that’s on offer with the other party.
And to those that are annoyed by the Dems due to lack of progress or any other reason, we get it. Don’t think I’m not annoyed too. The difference between you and me is not that I don’t find the Dems disappointing, the difference is that I understand I would be disappointed with anyone because politics are about negotiation and compromise, not about having our whims fulfilled.
We have to take the wins we can get, and then work on pushing for the next thing. Objectively, Biden has been one of the most progressive and effective presidents in history, let alone my lifetime. One of the first things he did within days of taking Office was move the min wage of gov positions to $15/hr. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-sign-executive-order-raising-federal-contractors-minimum-wage-15-n1265427
People forget how much he has done and how progressive he’s been compared to even Obama. People complain that Bernie got sidetracked, but Bernie’s movement is still in the conversation and pushed the Dems further left on a ton of things. That’s what discourse looks like, and if you want real change you have to get involved with the only party that is offering a path. That’s why Bernie and AOC caucus with the Dems, because being sour about what you want solves nothing, but getting involved is a real path.
Vote for the only party that offers discourse and power to change things, and then get your voice in the mix as much as you’d like. Bernie is not sour, he is in the Senate getting things done, he is campaigning influencing the conversation, and he is constantly in the media making his points. A voice from within the system is way more powerful than one sitting on the sidelines pouting. Vote, and then tell your Officials what you want.
easy to forget when everything he did get accomplished never trickled down to most US citizens but certainly helped the elites
How did raising the min wage to $15/hr help the elites? Defending medicare, strengthening bank regulations, coming after junk fees, fighting the GOP on student loan forgiveness… or standing with unions on the picket line, and so forth. I bet I could write a list of 200 things he’s done in less than 4 years that were intended to help American workers, while I’d be surprised if anyone can come up with a list of a dozen things he did that helped only the rich and corporations.
And if anyone is wondering if I’m exaggerating about “200 things,” you should consider how much the media’s low-effort coverage and Trump’s BS circus are keeping real stuff out of the news. Biden signed 52 executive orders in the first 100 days alone. A list of 200 things he’s done for regular people vs elites would be the highlights, not the full list.
Here are his first 52 executive orders if you want to review his work: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/politics/biden-executive-orders/index.html
That massive list only gets you to April 2021.
did you read that list
maybe one or two items on it might make a difference in US households maybe
no healthcare, no raising of the minimum wage, nothing about women’s rights, no police reform minus the scrap about federal prisons, and these are just some things
Perhaps the link is loading something different for you and me? Because just in the first 7 items I see:
Raised the minimum wage Reverse draconian Trump policies on refugees and travelers Defended democracy by sanctioning Russia’s meddling Presidential commission to begin discussions to fix the SCOTUS Defended human rights by reversing bad Trump policies on the ICC New council on gender equality and equity Protect students from discrimination
That’s just the first 7 items, of the list of 52 items covering only executive actions in the first 100 days. Keep reading just a few more points and you’ll see more defense of democracy, protection of minorities, improvements to the economy, etc. Again, I could be here all day talking about how Biden has done so much for people - if we include signed bills and Bully Pulpit work, it would take hundreds of items to cover even the highlights.
Perhaps look into it a bit closer, here is a more complete list of 118 executive actions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_executive_actions_by_Joe_Biden
But one side will create many more problems, perscute many more people, and lead to many more unnecessary deaths. While the other would atleast keep the status quo, and try to marginally improve things.
I don’t disagree but the status quo is quite bad, and will remain bad with small incremental improvements. So yes, vote for harm reduction but that is the bare minimum. Find like-minded orgs in your area and get involved. I think one reason the US is in such a sorry state today is that most people think voting is the beginning and end of their involvement in democracy. I felt this way for most of my life but gradually I realized that no matter how good the intentions of the person you vote into office, the system will force them to stay within the bounds outlined by the powers that be and their interests. That’s why we need to build an equal or greater mass movement to demand leaders fight back. Obama spoke of this when he was in office but I didn’t quite understand what he meant at the time.
Mostly agree, but as someone disabled and unable to work, so fully reliant on the state for survival, I find minimising voting / both sides are evil rhetoric is terrifying.
It takes one very good election for the GOP, for me to become homeless, due to their proposes benefit cuts, and if I’m homeless I die. I’m severely immunodeficient and bedridden.
Damn that’s scary. Best of luck to you. But I still think your interests are best defended by grass-roots organizing. Of course my whole point is that this strategy is completely compatible with voting, so we need to do that as well.