dims have failed to lead, to help build civil society as they have focused mainly on micro-data and fundraising the past 40+ years. shameful. it is up to citizens and small d democrats. we must rebuild civil society and make it better.
preaching to the converted here, and making me want to turn from Substack to a long and complex dystopian novel in which the good guys eventually win. Sigh.
A referendum on democracy, yes. But a lopsided one. The ‘22 election also was about democracy, yet the party we elected to protect and bolster democracy did nothing to stem the tide of authoritarianism. Now we’re being asked to ensure their victory again. Some of us are being branded agents of Putin for demanding ceasefire in Gaza - while simultaneously getting hit up for contributions. And the people demanding we all get on board with the lesser of two evils come with zero demands to Dem leadership. No one is saying “reelect Biden… and we’ll end the filibuster. Re-elect and SCOTUS will see term limits or expansion. Re-elect and we’ll fight to end the electoral college.” At some point it begs the question: How sustainable is it to keep reelecting a party that allows authoritarianism to expand - at least at the state level - the whole time they’re in office, and seems perfectly content overseeing the least democratic, most counter-majoritarian of all modern democracies? Is there any reason to expect that, short of a painful confrontation with fully empowered fascism, we will ever have a real opposition party in the US?
I don't think it's a choice between the lesser of two evils. Trump is a narcissistic sociopath willing to destroy a democracy for his own gain. Biden is a good man and a good president. He did pass pro-democracy legislation: The Electoral Count Reform Act among many others. He also got the Inflation Reduction Act passed and helped protect gay marriage with the Respect for marriage act. When Bolsonaro tried his Trump inspired coup, he expected the military to back him up. The Brazilian generals didn't because the Biden administration pressured them not to. We are here because Republicans have taken their wins where they could get them and kept grinding on for the last fifty years. That's what we have to do. A lot of people thought Gore and Bush were the same so they voted for Ralf Nader. Well, Bush put Alito and Roberts on the court. It certainly wasn't all the same to the 13 year old girl who was raped on her front lawn and forced to giver birth in Mississippi.
Well said. And I strongly agree that Biden is a truly decent human being, and I think he's the best president of my lifetime--which began during the first summer of the Eisenhower Administration.
He has several things going for him. He's the most experienced president ever. That experience has taught him how to work with people who are on the other side of the aisle. After months of communication with Mike Johnson, he finally got Johnson to release the money to Ukraine, so they could keep keeping Russia out. I was amazed when Johnson came out all for Ukraine! And Biden's passed a slew of good legislation despite the Dems having the narrowest of margins in the Senate, and the GOP having hung onto the House.
I think part of what makes Biden successful is that he really cares about the people of our country, as well as people elsewhere. Netanyahu's basically an Israeli version of Trump--and I'm saying that as a Jew who cares about Israel. Netanyahu is decimating Gaza, which is not helping Israel. So Biden has backed off on sending a slew of bombs to Israel, in order to save the people of Gaza, and to prevent Israel from shooting--or bombing itself in the feet. (Or something like that.)
This post is a cold water shower and a very helpful alert. Thank you!
dims have failed to lead, to help build civil society as they have focused mainly on micro-data and fundraising the past 40+ years. shameful. it is up to citizens and small d democrats. we must rebuild civil society and make it better.
Sean, I wish we were simply voting on who the better guy is. No contest there.
preaching to the converted here, and making me want to turn from Substack to a long and complex dystopian novel in which the good guys eventually win. Sigh.
A referendum on democracy, yes. But a lopsided one. The ‘22 election also was about democracy, yet the party we elected to protect and bolster democracy did nothing to stem the tide of authoritarianism. Now we’re being asked to ensure their victory again. Some of us are being branded agents of Putin for demanding ceasefire in Gaza - while simultaneously getting hit up for contributions. And the people demanding we all get on board with the lesser of two evils come with zero demands to Dem leadership. No one is saying “reelect Biden… and we’ll end the filibuster. Re-elect and SCOTUS will see term limits or expansion. Re-elect and we’ll fight to end the electoral college.” At some point it begs the question: How sustainable is it to keep reelecting a party that allows authoritarianism to expand - at least at the state level - the whole time they’re in office, and seems perfectly content overseeing the least democratic, most counter-majoritarian of all modern democracies? Is there any reason to expect that, short of a painful confrontation with fully empowered fascism, we will ever have a real opposition party in the US?
I don't think it's a choice between the lesser of two evils. Trump is a narcissistic sociopath willing to destroy a democracy for his own gain. Biden is a good man and a good president. He did pass pro-democracy legislation: The Electoral Count Reform Act among many others. He also got the Inflation Reduction Act passed and helped protect gay marriage with the Respect for marriage act. When Bolsonaro tried his Trump inspired coup, he expected the military to back him up. The Brazilian generals didn't because the Biden administration pressured them not to. We are here because Republicans have taken their wins where they could get them and kept grinding on for the last fifty years. That's what we have to do. A lot of people thought Gore and Bush were the same so they voted for Ralf Nader. Well, Bush put Alito and Roberts on the court. It certainly wasn't all the same to the 13 year old girl who was raped on her front lawn and forced to giver birth in Mississippi.
https://www.mississippifreepress.org/35682/13-year-old-rape-victim-from-clarksdale-gives-birth-no-abortion-access-in-mississippi
https://protectdemocracy.org/work/legislative-wins-for-democracy-in-2022/
https://www.npr.org/2023/01/01/1143149435/despite-infighting-its-been-a-surprisingly-productive-2-years-for-democrats
Well said. And I strongly agree that Biden is a truly decent human being, and I think he's the best president of my lifetime--which began during the first summer of the Eisenhower Administration.
He has several things going for him. He's the most experienced president ever. That experience has taught him how to work with people who are on the other side of the aisle. After months of communication with Mike Johnson, he finally got Johnson to release the money to Ukraine, so they could keep keeping Russia out. I was amazed when Johnson came out all for Ukraine! And Biden's passed a slew of good legislation despite the Dems having the narrowest of margins in the Senate, and the GOP having hung onto the House.
I think part of what makes Biden successful is that he really cares about the people of our country, as well as people elsewhere. Netanyahu's basically an Israeli version of Trump--and I'm saying that as a Jew who cares about Israel. Netanyahu is decimating Gaza, which is not helping Israel. So Biden has backed off on sending a slew of bombs to Israel, in order to save the people of Gaza, and to prevent Israel from shooting--or bombing itself in the feet. (Or something like that.)