In light of the recent election, itās clear that the Democratic Party needs a significant leftward shift to better address the needs and concerns of the American people. The partyās centrist approach is increasingly out of touch, limiting its ability to appeal to a broader base and especially to young voters, who are looking for bold and transformative policies. The fact that young men became a substantial part of the conservative voting bloc should be a wake-up callāitās essential that the Democratic Party broadens its appeal by offering real solutions that resonate with this demographic.
Furthermore, one major missed opportunity was the decision to forgo primaries, which could have brought new energy and ideas to the ticket. Joe Bidenās choice to run for a second term, despite earlier implications of a one-term presidency, may have ultimately contributed to the loss by undermining trust in his promises. Had the party explored alternative candidates in a primary process, the outcome could have been vastly different. It is now imperative for the Working Families Party and the Progressive Caucus to push for a stronger, unapologetically progressive agenda within the Democratic Party. The time for centrist compromises has passed, as evidenced by setbacks dating back to Hillary Clintonās 2016 loss, the persistently low approval ratings for Biden since 2022, and Kamala Harrisās recent campaign, which left many progressives feeling alienated. To regain momentum and genuinely connect with the electorate, a clear departure from moderate politics is essential.
Yes, Clinton got fewer total votes in a lower turnout election, but by every other metric the election was less bad than this one was for Harris, whether we look at the EC or votes compared to the other side.
As for Gaza, there is one very simple and straightforward action that Biden could have taken (or still could actually) or that Harris could have said sheāll do: place conditions on arms shipments to Israel (or even just stop them entirely). Refusing to do that is a complete endorsement of Israelās actions. Like I said, itās like saying that you disapprove of a mass shooterās actions while handing him another clip. Words and speeches are completely meaningless unless that is addressed, all she ever said was essentially, āWouldnāt it be nice if they could resolve their differences without fighting? But of course I fully support Israelās right to defend itself and will keep arming them unconditionally.ā There is no indication that she wouldāve been at all willing to take meaningful action.
It used to be the case that politicians would promise to do good things, and then maybe sometimes theyād actually keep their promises. Nowadays they donāt even promise anything and people just convince themselves theyāll do what they want regardless. Like, even if she had said that sheād stop shipments, sure I would support her, but it would not be entirely unreasonable to question whether sheād follow through. But in the case where she couldnāt even say it, the chances of her doing it are basically zero.
No need to rehash what I said above, beyond that Iām still waiting for the data.
Agreed. Now, my understanding is that Harris as VP canāt actually do this, that authority runs from Biden down to his cabinet secretaries. But she could have made that promise. Itās still not taking action, but maybe it would have been enough.
So minor disagreement here. You say complete, or 100%, while Iād say like 95% or 97%. Perhaps an immaterial difference.
But your proposal above, for Harris, is just more mere words: āHarris could have saidā
I think calling for a cease-fire is a mite bit stronger than that, but again perhaps the difference between us is so small as to be immaterial.
Agreed, definitely a problem. No need to rehash about the Jewish voting bloc stuff - we understand why this was done and we saw first hand that it didnāt work out. So with 20/20 hindsightā¦
After Oct 7, 2024, I would too. To say otherwise is an insult to the families of the hostages - telling them that they arenāt important enough to protect, that itās okay for this to happen to them again.
On here we completely disagree. āI will stop the Gaza war by any means necessary.ā seems like a pretty big indication.
Meanwhile,
Source: https://www.commondreams.org/news/netanyahu-trump-cease-fire (link to quote in the āfree reinā link on that page)
To be fair, the above is also a really big indication.
Thatās why I used the word, āunless.ā If the words are addressing that point, then theyāre meaningful, but as long as they arenāt, they are not.
Does it now? There are lots of ways to stop a war, for example, by destroying the other sideās willingness or capability to keep fighting. You know, like Trump said, āfinish the job,ā and then there wonāt be any more fighting because one side would all be dead. Youāre choosing to interpret it to mean what you want it to mean, and a supporter of Israel would interpret it to mean what they want it to mean, typical equivocation with no indication of what it actually means in practical terms.
What you donāt understand is that politicians are most responsive to voters in the lead-up to an election. After they get elected, then theyāve already gotten the votes they needed, so they can focus more on lobbyists and corporate donors. Thatās why there is zero chance that she wouldāve become more pro-Palestinian when in office, because the voters are far more favorable to Palestine than the donors and lobbyists are.
Ah I think I got your meaning now.
Yes.
I assume this is just an example and you arenāt seriously suggesting this is what Harris means. Harris has been very clear on the need for an immediate ceasefire.
Well, the alternative meaning doesnāt fit with what Harris has said about getting to an immediate ceasefire - you canāt have a ceasefire if youāre trying to kill every last person on the enemy side. That contradiction makes me think Iāve interpreted it correctly.
I got that. I figured this was an important constraint on Harris being able to speak in support on Gaza in fact - AIPAC withdrawing their support of her.
This is a good point, AIPAC would still be around after the election.
I think zero chance is too extreme. Consider this,
Source: https://www.politico.com/story/2012/05/obama-expected-to-speak-on-gay-marriage-076103
Also, the goal wasnāt necessarily to make Harris pro-Palestine, but simply more anti-genocide. As the situation in Gaza worsens, I could see a possibility where from the grassroots a movement of change, going thru e.g. Sanders and AOC, would eventually convince Harris to evolve her position here as well.
Now, as you point out there are powerful forces that would resist that, but the outcome of that battle would not have been a foregone conclusion.
Quick question, how do you feel about Trump talking about immediately ending the war in Ukraine?
Optimistic. As per https://sopuli.xyz/post/18928087 it seems that āZelensky was somewhat reassuredā
Previously I had thought that this guy would just withdraw all support and hand free reign to Russia, but Zelensky is no fool. If heās feeling it, then Iām very happy indeed to be proven wrong about this point.
Another silver lining - if the US withdraws from NATO, then at least, they canāt block Ukraine from joiningā¦
My point is that calling for peace doesnāt necessarily mean very much unless thereās terms and/or a plan for how to bring people to the table if they donāt want to cooperate.
From a personal point of view, Iād still take the promise, provide that I can the person making it as being reliable.
But from a wider point of view, agreed. Perhaps there was something more Harris could have said, earlier, to back up those statements and give this voting bloc a stronger reason to believe in her without causing the Jewish voting bloc to move away from her. Alternatively, maybe the risk of alienating that other bloc with more concrete steps or plans should have been taken - as stepping to hard to avoid alienating them clearly didnāt work out.