Hi there, as a Seattle local I have a legitimate question for you. The local democrats I voted for turned around and gerrymandered the socialist 3 term serving city council member out of office. The only member that was actually pushing for the working class politics I wanted from my district representative. What kind of incremental change can I expect to really see when that is how the party at large operates?
Edit: laughing at these down votes, yall are deeply unseriouse people.
What kind of incremental change can I expect to really see when that is how the party at large operates?
It’s literally not how the party at large operates. As you said, it was your local city council. Why do you think the entire party is like this?
And the answer is, vote them out. If it’s bad enough, impeach them. There’s no way in our current configuration of democracy to prevent candidates from turning around and going back on their promises other than refusing to vote for them ever again.
You already know the answer, and it’s not “throw your hands up and abandon the whole system of democracy”.
You’re not paying attention. This is a huge problem with liberal voters, they are highly engaged when opposition is in power, yet completely oblivious while “their party” is in charge. Or somehow worse, they will decry obvious issues as helping the opposition (as we see in this thread) so that the needle only ever shifts slightly to the right as the party appeals to “moderates”.
I’m paying plenty of attention. I know Republicans have been using gerrymandering to have an outsize impact for decades. I know Democrats recently decided to stoop to their level rather than continuously taking the high road and losing because of it. I know that no sane person would decide to stop supporting the Democrats because of this tactic.
Gerrymandering has been apart of American politics since the country’s founding, before the concept was even given a name in 1812. When the parties weren’t polarized from 1964–1992 there wasn’t a need for drastic gerrymandering like we see currently, but it still happened from both parties to secure incumbent power. It’s why it was never legislated against, both parties prefer to keep it around as it is yet another method of keeping the broken two party system in place.
I’m being genuine, authentic, and fucking real with you. Both parties are shit and we deserve better. Democrats will never truly save you from the looming threat of Republicans because they are two sides to the same imperialist coin.
Unfortunately gerrymandering is a flaw in the democratic process. At least in the US, the Voting Rights Act makes it so political parties cannot redraw districts to decrease the political influence of racial or ethnic groups. It says nothing about other political parties, so whichever party is in power when voting lines need to be redrawn will inevitably try to redraw the lines in their favor. Until that sort of gerrymandering is outlawed, it will continue to happen. The party in power isn’t going to make it fair for their competition out of the kindness of their heart.
Right but none of what you said answers the question: What kind of incremental change can I expect to really see when that is how the party at large operates?
When true change is threatened it is dealt with in two ways, recuperation or rejection. Anything else is not change that threatens the systems of power and is allowed to be squabbled over.
Talk politics with people in your area, get to know people IRL, show up to city council things, do the leg work when you can. Again local elections happen locally with the people in your locality.
The incremental change that is had in this situation is not having the GQP win. Yeah the maps got redrawn in a way you don’t like this time but don’t stop fighting for what you see is right.
When you stop fighting the people you fight against will be able to steam roll through.
FYI I downvoted you because you whined about your downvotes. Just thought you should know.
Next time vote for someone else. Local races are where “vote blue, no matter who” means the least. They’re the most likely place to see progressive change. If you saw unfortunate result because you put a check mark next to a D and expected something miraculous to happen, maybe you should start looking into the candidates instead of their party more often.
But, most of all. Don’t expect everyone to think the same way you do. Often they will have different ideas of what progress is. Sometimes that means you’ll see a step to the center, even if it’s a step forward. Don’t be disheartened just because you didn’t get everything you wanted this time, and show up again. And again. And again. Because the only way progress will stall is if you stop showing up.
Hi there, as a Seattle local I have a legitimate question for you. The local democrats I voted for turned around and gerrymandered the socialist 3 term serving city council member out of office. The only member that was actually pushing for the working class politics I wanted from my district representative. What kind of incremental change can I expect to really see when that is how the party at large operates?
Edit: laughing at these down votes, yall are deeply unseriouse people.
It’s literally not how the party at large operates. As you said, it was your local city council. Why do you think the entire party is like this?
And the answer is, vote them out. If it’s bad enough, impeach them. There’s no way in our current configuration of democracy to prevent candidates from turning around and going back on their promises other than refusing to vote for them ever again.
You already know the answer, and it’s not “throw your hands up and abandon the whole system of democracy”.
You’re not paying attention. This is a huge problem with liberal voters, they are highly engaged when opposition is in power, yet completely oblivious while “their party” is in charge. Or somehow worse, they will decry obvious issues as helping the opposition (as we see in this thread) so that the needle only ever shifts slightly to the right as the party appeals to “moderates”.
I’m paying plenty of attention. I know Republicans have been using gerrymandering to have an outsize impact for decades. I know Democrats recently decided to stoop to their level rather than continuously taking the high road and losing because of it. I know that no sane person would decide to stop supporting the Democrats because of this tactic.
I suspect you’re not being genuine here.
Gerrymandering has been apart of American politics since the country’s founding, before the concept was even given a name in 1812. When the parties weren’t polarized from 1964–1992 there wasn’t a need for drastic gerrymandering like we see currently, but it still happened from both parties to secure incumbent power. It’s why it was never legislated against, both parties prefer to keep it around as it is yet another method of keeping the broken two party system in place.
I’m being genuine, authentic, and fucking real with you. Both parties are shit and we deserve better. Democrats will never truly save you from the looming threat of Republicans because they are two sides to the same imperialist coin.
Unfortunately gerrymandering is a flaw in the democratic process. At least in the US, the Voting Rights Act makes it so political parties cannot redraw districts to decrease the political influence of racial or ethnic groups. It says nothing about other political parties, so whichever party is in power when voting lines need to be redrawn will inevitably try to redraw the lines in their favor. Until that sort of gerrymandering is outlawed, it will continue to happen. The party in power isn’t going to make it fair for their competition out of the kindness of their heart.
Right but none of what you said answers the question: What kind of incremental change can I expect to really see when that is how the party at large operates?
When true change is threatened it is dealt with in two ways, recuperation or rejection. Anything else is not change that threatens the systems of power and is allowed to be squabbled over.
Talk politics with people in your area, get to know people IRL, show up to city council things, do the leg work when you can. Again local elections happen locally with the people in your locality.
The incremental change that is had in this situation is not having the GQP win. Yeah the maps got redrawn in a way you don’t like this time but don’t stop fighting for what you see is right.
When you stop fighting the people you fight against will be able to steam roll through.
FYI I downvoted you because you whined about your downvotes. Just thought you should know.
Next time vote for someone else. Local races are where “vote blue, no matter who” means the least. They’re the most likely place to see progressive change. If you saw unfortunate result because you put a check mark next to a D and expected something miraculous to happen, maybe you should start looking into the candidates instead of their party more often.
But, most of all. Don’t expect everyone to think the same way you do. Often they will have different ideas of what progress is. Sometimes that means you’ll see a step to the center, even if it’s a step forward. Don’t be disheartened just because you didn’t get everything you wanted this time, and show up again. And again. And again. Because the only way progress will stall is if you stop showing up.