• QueerCommie@lemmygrad.ml
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    1 year ago

    “Democrats failed to sufficiently oppose the horrible things Republicans are actively doing.”

    This suggests democrats do oppose bad things in the first place. When masses of protesters say “defund the police” Democrats say “we’re with BLM, but we interpret “defund the police” to mean “fund the police.” The Alaska pipeline that wasn’t going to happen under trump? Biden makes it happen. Biden campaigned on climate and ended up opening up vast swathes of public land to oil drilling. The democrats said they’d be better on immigration, but they’re worse than trump. Not because trump was good, but that it gets worse every administration whichever party’s in power. They didn’t “insufficiently oppose”Iraq, they were cheerleading bush’s invasion. They don’t “insufficiently oppose” Libya, Syria, or Ukraine, they are the main force behind those wars. Both parties are terrible and it’s absurd to act like dems are “a net good if small” which is exactly the narrative you seem to be promoting. You say blue states having abortion access is a win when that’s a given, but they had the chance to codify roe and chose not to. There is a reason why more people don’t vote than do for either major party.

    • MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml
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      1 year ago

      You’re talking about bad things Democrats do. I’m not arguing with any of that. I’ve said multiple times that Democrats are not good.

      What I’m talking about is the few good things Democrats do, and the areas where just being a warm body who’s not a Republican makes them better (think not redefining curricula to say slavery was job training). Americans look at that stuff and see a difference between the parties, and to argue otherwise is out of touch.

      Imagine two huge piles of shit, but one has a $20 bill in it and the other had a used needle. People here keep saying “they’re both piles of shit!,” which I agree with. What I disagree with is the idea that both piles are exactly the same. If you really need twenty bucks and you can choose one or the other, the difference is obvious.

      • rjs001@lemmygrad.ml
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        1 year ago

        I could argue that “good things” the Republicans did as well. Trump pulled US troops out of Somalia. But that doesn’t make him a good president nor even an acceptable one

        • MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml
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          1 year ago

          The material reality to Americans is that they can get an abortion in California and not Florida because of party control. They have paid sick leave in Minnesota but not Texas for the same reason.

          I’m talking about their material reality because the post is about domestic U.S. politics.

          • rjs001@lemmygrad.ml
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            1 year ago

            But the material condition in the US was also that state employees had a pay increase in Florida. So they also see that. If we are pointing at the tiny minuscule things that the Dems do for the working class, we can also find the tiny minuscule things that the Republicans do

            • MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml
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              1 year ago

              Yeah and if you count up all the material things each party does for Americans, Democrats come out ahead. You don’t have to walk sixth graders through stuff like this.

      • QueerCommie@lemmygrad.ml
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        1 year ago

        Americans look at that stuff and see a difference between the parties, and to argue otherwise is out of touch.

        I’m out of touch with the two thirds of Americans that don’t vote democrat?

        • MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml
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          1 year ago

          Most non-voters aren’t carefully examining all political options and making a conscientious decision to abstain from mainstream politics. They’re not voting for material reasons, like:

          • Having to work that day
          • Having to find your polling place, stand in line for who knows how long, figure out if you’re even registered, etc.
          • Being exhausted from work when you clock out
          • Having no support for household labor, so you have shit to do when you get off work
            • MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml
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              1 year ago

              Why do you insist on putting words in my mouth?

              Nowhere in this thread am I saying anything like “voting for Democrats is the best option.” I’m saying (for about the 30th time now) that there are real, material benefits Democrats provide over Republicans. Saying there is no difference between paid sick leave or no paid sick leave, or abortion access or no abortion access, makes us look stupid or out of touch.

              I look forward to having to explain for the 30th time that this does not make Democrats good, does not excuse what Democrats support abroad, and these are not even things Democrats universally support. Can’t wait to argue over more stuff I’m not even saying.

              • QueerCommie@lemmygrad.ml
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                1 year ago

                If there are real material benefits democrats provide over the alternative isn’t the logical conclusion from that that democrats are better than republicans and worth supporting as a “lesser evil?” If there are two groups and one kills 19 people and another kills 20 but gives a couple random people ten dollars do you say “yes both killed people, but the second group made a material difference in some other people’s lives, you’ve got to acknowledge that, stop pretending they’re the same?”

                • MarxMadness@lemmygrad.ml
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                  1 year ago

                  isn’t the logical conclusion from that that democrats are better than republicans and worth supporting as a “lesser evil?”

                  You know this is a bullshit argument. Do you see how dishonest it is to know it’s bullshit and try to pin it on someone who’s is not even close to making it?