What can the Democrats do?

[Lexicus]

Have you met many fellow citizens who expouse that viewpoint?

I've met many people with incoherent and ostensibly mutually-exclusive views that could be pulled from various parts of a theoretical political spectrum.

 

[Zardnaar]

TBH, as long as there is this dumb FPTP system, people who would normally don't even be in the same party and have widely different opinions will still end up somehow forced together and I can see how this would cause feeling of bitterness and betrayal.

It doesn't change that much in proportional.

The centrists gave even more power as you have to woo them nationwide not just in 7 states.

It dials down the extremists though. Those extremists being the sub 10% of the vote.

 

[Zardnaar]

is it better to form coalitions of power before an election or after?

Depends.

 

[Zardnaar]

That's fine. I've never felt very good at using these labels to describe myself. No, I would never equate both sides; one side is off its rocker!

One sides off its ricker, the extremists on the other side make your teeth itchy.

People who make their politics their personality count as extremists here. They're generally incapable of comprehending other views or automatically think they're right. Prone to groupthink.

My ideal is sone sort of Democratic Socialism like pre 1984 NZ or Scandinavia thats sustainable and flexible to crisis or if something isn't working out. How we get there is less important.

Eg immigration is a tap. Need more open it. Need less tur it down. Not blind allegiance to immigrants bad or illegals should get benefits of they arrive. Illegals and refugees aren't big problems here anyway hats not true in other countries.

Economic issues are the most important. Social stuff will follow that. Doesn't work other way around.

 

[Samson]

I have not been reading this thread, so I do not know if it has come up, but I think this is what democrats cat do to fix the problem:

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Ups The Ante As He Calls For A General Strike

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson boldly called for Americans to stage a general strike during his speech at his city’s ‘No Kings’ rally on Saturday.

Summoning people of all backgrounds to unite and take a stand against President Donald Trump’s “tyranny,” the “ultra-wealthy” and corporate greed, Johnson said, “We are going to make them pay their fair share in taxes to fund our school, to fund jobs, to fund healthcare, to fund transportation.”

“Democracy will live on because of this generation,” he proclaimed. “Are you ready to take it to the courts and to the streets?”

 

[Ordnael]

I agree a general strike would put the Hog Emperor of Doom on his toes...otoh it might give him an excuse to mobilise the national guard or the army to quell the strikers. I suggest do not leave the houses, just go on strike, a silent strike, don't leave the house to work or to consume.

 

[amadeus]

Johnson’s approval rating is 26% in Chicago, Trump’s is 44% across the country. The math says there’s room there for somebody, but it ain’t the mayor of Chi-town and his general strike.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I'd stop buying stuff for four or five days, even a week.

 

[danjuno]

Johnson’s approval rating is 26% in Chicago, Trump’s is 44% across the country. The math says there’s room there for somebody, but it ain’t the mayor of Chi-town and his general strike.

The first person to suggest it is not the sole indicator of whether it'll gain traction.

Also, are any of those approval polls from after ICE came in and started sacking Chicago? I imagine publicly opposing Trump like this would probably benefit any mayor's ratings.

 

[Samson]

Also, are any of those approval polls from after ICE came in and started sacking Chicago? I imagine publicly opposing Trump like this would probably benefit any mayor's ratings.

I was wondering this. There is nothing like a common enemy to fix electoral issues.

 

[Lexicus]

US unions at present are basically fascist on average. The fascists aren't even trying to purge or destroy the unions because they don't really need to (with the exception of the federal employee unions standing directly in the way of some of their plans for remaking the government - but the rest of the unions have by and large not acted in solidarity). A general strike would be great in theory, but a lot of work needs to go into it first. And to be clear that includes the political work of purging conservatism from the existing labor movement.

 

[Samson]

US unions at present are basically fascist on average. The fascists aren't even trying to purge or destroy the unions because they don't really need to (with the exception of the federal employee unions standing directly in the way of some of their plans for remaking the government - but the rest of the unions have by and large not acted in solidarity). A general strike would be great in theory, but a lot of work needs to go into it first.

The huff post I linked above says the Taft-Hartley act makes it illegal for the unions to organise a general strike, so it would have to be other organisers anyway.

 

[Lexicus]

The huff post I linked above says the Taft-Hartley act makes it illegal for the unions to organise a general strike, so it would have to be other organisers anyway.

Sort of, it is illegal to do sympathy strikes and generally illegal to do strikes for political reasons not directly connected to workplace issues. There is probably a way to do a wink wink nudge nudge general strike in a way that is legal, but part of the point of my post was that US union leadership by and large has no interest in this anyway. If you assume a sufficiently militant labor movement then doing an illegal general strike is relatively easy.

 

[soundjata]

@Lexicus Conservatism or crass corruption?

 

[IglooDame]

I'd stop buying stuff for four or five days, even a week.

That seems like it really wouldn't have much impact, since even when people do that, there's a presumption that they're still consuming whatever, so they're likely only delaying purchases rather than skipping them. And that's aside from all the monthly-billed services out there, too.

Strikes seem to have a more immediate impact, both to businesses themselves, and to patrons of those businesses that are directly impacted.

 

[Birdjaguar]

That seems like it really wouldn't have much impact, since even when people do that, there's a presumption that they're still consuming whatever, so they're likely only delaying purchases rather than skipping them. And that's aside from all the monthly-billed services out there, too.

Strikes seem to have a more immediate impact, both to businesses themselves, and to patrons of those businesses that are directly impacted.

Strikes might be better, but they are not likely. A week of no sales demonstrates group power and willingness to act.

 

[Arwon]

In 2016, I was able to convince @Lexicus to vote for the lesser of two evils; in 2024, I was not able to do so. I never faulted him for that second vote.

Doesn't he live in DC making his vote perfectly irrelevant

 

[EnglishEdward]

Obviously win the mid term elections.

By putting up good candidates with good policies.

 

[Ordnael]

US unions at present are basically fascist on average.

If you deem unions fascist I wonder what isn't fascist these days in the US?

That seems like it really wouldn't have much impact, since even when people do that, there's a presumption that they're still consuming whatever, so they're likely only delaying purchases rather than skipping them. And that's aside from all the monthly-billed services out there, too.

Yeah but think of all those big wall-mart like spaces empty for a week or so but with utilities still running.

 

[EnglishEdward]

Some people have not yet worked out that by mis-labelling nearly everything
as fascist, the primary consequence is to help enable genuine fascism.