Mastodawn

One of the biggest obstacles the liberal, or left-leaning, or progressive wing of the Democratic party faces in the US is the weak sense of solidarity of many of us on the left. We create ENDLESS divisive purity tests to rule everyone but our own tiny elite of purists out of the movement. We can't even welcome cracks in the massive solidarity of the Republican party when they come to us from deeply flawed Republicans now willing to speak out against Trump.

#Democrats #Trump #Republicans
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This is so self-defeating. It's so puerile and downright stupid, doing the work of the right for it by tearing at each other and fraying bonds of solidarity we sorely need to combat a creeping fascism with huge wealth and power standing behind it. The waste of time and energy we would so much better spend critiquing and challenging the political right, as we gnaw at each other — just colossally stupid.

#Democrats #Trump #Republicans #purism #solidarity
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Pedestriansfirst Jun 20, 2023

@wdlindsy You think you have problems! The UK left is split into left wing Labour (being culled), right wing Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens. Hence a minority far right party gains the power to enable its cronies. Tragic. #tories #labour #greens #libdems

@pedestrians1st Yes, I think this fragmentation and dissolving of solidarity is a problem with the political and cultural left in general, in many places. The right has been adroit about exploiting even the tiniest of fractures in the left, and we on the left have been all too willing to let ourselves be divided by a right wing with huge wealth funding it, with much influence in major media institutions, with richly-funded think tanks. We have let ourselves be played for fools.

Pedestriansfirst Jun 20, 2023

@wdlindsy Nicely summed up.

@pedestrians1st Thank you.

mmalc Jun 20, 2023

@wdlindsy
FWIW I’ve been suggesting something akin to this for a couple of decades.
My analogy is with Tony Blair. For all his faults, he managed to achieve the remarkable in getting most of Labour to fall in line and become electable. Nobody on the left got everything they wanted, but I suspect all got something better than they would have had the Tories gained power.

Barbara Monaco Jun 20, 2023

@wdlindsy I am old enough to remember the "Nader Effect" in 2000. Although far left still disputes this, Nader probably cost Al Gore the election and put Bush ll in the Oval office, and the rest is history.
I don't want to see trump ride to power on the coattails of Yang, West, or any other third party candidate.

@Barbramon1 Same here. And remember all those who were too good and pure to vote for Hillary in 2016–when the alternative was Donald Trump! They bear strong responsibility for putting us in the situation we’re in right now.

Barbara Monaco Jun 20, 2023

@wdlindsy I will never forget, and try as I might I have a hard time forgiving them. I supported Bernie early in the 2016 primaries, but got behind Clinton when it was evident that she was the nominee and the better candidate. I was aghast at the behavior of some of Bernie's followers and far leftists at the convention and throughout the campaign. Have they learned anything?

Aviva Gary Jun 20, 2023

@wdlindsy Truth but that would mean everyone would have to get over themselves and get to work... not many people like to do that in positions of power unfortunately...

@Aviva_Gary Yes — and where you say "but," I'd say "and." And that would mean everyone would have to get over themselves and get to work.

The Republicans do that well as a rabid minority. Democrats can learn to do it, too, if we choose.

Aviva Gary Jun 20, 2023

@wdlindsy true

Jon R Jun 20, 2023

@wdlindsy Oh, if they come to power, they’ll still let you vote every election. That’s important for maintaining the pretense of democracy. Russians still vote under Putin; Hungarians still vote under Orban. It’s just a foregone conclusion that the Glorious Leader will win every election.

@JonR They'll still let "you" vote, though with great difficulty, if "you" is a young person, a Black person, a person with immigrant background. And they'll gerrymander things so that your vote doesn't really count.

Jon R Jun 20, 2023

@wdlindsy Yup. They’ve already done quite a bit of that in my state.

Geof Hughes 🖤Jun 20, 2023

@wdlindsy https://thejaffer.wordpress.com/2023/06/20/the-enormous-potential-of-cornel-wests-independent-campaign-for-president/

The enormous potential of Cornel West’s independent campaign for President:

Visit the post for more.

Jaffer's blog

@BogLoper Count me skeptical about the claim of this title — as much as I like Cornel West and have long read his work with interest. As things are now configured, a vote for a third-party candidate is effectively a vote for the Republican candidate, who will almost certainly be Trump or DeSantis. There's a reason Republicans are doing all they can to set up third-party candidates and promote folks like RFK Jr.

Geof Hughes 🖤Jun 20, 2023

@wdlindsy As a Brit I don't pretend to understand the US politics. However we can all dream. 💤

Edelruth, PBS Passport Holder Jun 20, 2023

@wdlindsy

Also, don't be the guy that everyone groans, grabs their head, and says, "oh no, not that guy again" as soon as they see your photo.

Jun 21, 2023

@Edelruth Sorry, I’m unclear about what your response to Greg Olear means.

Edelruth, PBS Passport Holder Jun 21, 2023

@wdlindsy It means I saw Ralph Nader and my instant response was, "Oh no! Not that guy again!"

Jun 21, 2023

@Edelruth Thanks for helping me to understand. I really didn't have a clue what you meant. I think I might well have responded to him just as you did!

Tom Ritchford Jun 21, 2023

@wdlindsy I remember first hearing this in the early 80s.

Soon I realized that "this is not the moment" means "never" - that there would always be the choice of two right-wing parties, and nothing else. There would never be an anti-war party, never a pro-labor party, never an anti-capitalist party, and particularly, never an anti-fossil fuel party.

Billionaires would continue to loot society, fossil fuel companies to destroy all our futures, and "nothing would fundamentally change" - Biden.