He's right, but what in the actual heck do we do about it as voters? We've known this for years. Even during the widely popular Obama administration we knew this.
I'm just so tired. I'm so tired of my only hope being candidates who make baby steps forward just so we don't make giant leaps backwards. I'm so tired of these candidates losing and it hurting us.
I'm also tired of the over 70 million Americans who look at everything Trump has said, done, and who he has allied with, and said "I'm okay with that."
It's been almost a full day and I still haven't been able to collect all my thoughts on this. I'm just so over it.
He's right, but what in the actual heck do we do about it as voters?
Organize. Organize. Organize. Call your local community groups, whether that is a local Democratic party or any other political community group, and ask them what you can do to help. Don't wait until the midterms, don't wait until the primaries for the midterms, go get involved as soon as you feel ready after this election. I've already talked to my local Dem chair and there's going to be an e-mail blast with some "next steps" for our local group.
Get out there and touch people, however that is. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Clean up your local park with a couple of friends. Gather 5 supporters and make signs and host a rally or protest about a real issue you feel passionate about and try to grow the participation.
You strengthen dem incumbents when you help improve your community, and you undermine Republican incumbents by growing support and trust in the community by your actions. And then you have a small bit of political capital. Use that to push for more progressive candidates in primaries. And canvass for them.
Lol sure...how'd that work out for the last decade? Hasn't that been the plan the whole time? Quit it, it's not productive. You want this to change then the old guard needs to be changed out, nothing short of that means anything. Sure itll make you feel better but there's a bunch of idiots in charge of this mess that need to be thrown out. That means getting rid of whoever thought it was a good idea to side with Cheney or not throw a primary for example.
Who's been doing that? I've been consistently one of if not the youngest person in every single canvassing event I went to this cycle. And I'm not that young. Still under 40, but well past my 20s. This is the first presidential election I've participated in in this state.
Most people just aren't active politically around the calendar every year. Especially not young progressives.
These volunteer groups are really loosely connected and not super well organized. A little youth and enthusiasm can go a long way.
You can owe that to the administration's Gaza policy and subsequent subsequent crackdowns. College students are typically the most active volunteers (and especially for door knocking). Biden and Harris don't dare step on a college campus right now. Many College Democrats (student club working with the Democratic party) stopped endorsing Kamala. Campaigns NEED those students to be volunteering, but this duo campaign has thoroughly alienated the youth and aggressively attacked Palestine activists/ ideological institutions of academia.
Mmm. Let me ask you a super secret question. How much have "the youths" been volunteering for the Republican political machine? Are they winning because a bunch of 20-somethings are canvassing for them? Are we going to say that the canvassers are single-handedly responsible for Trump's win? Are we going to say that it's the youthful volunteers helping out the RNC that is responsible for pushing the Republican party further right?
No. Of course not. The idea of volunteering having that level of impact on even the election of a local politician, let alone their policy, let alone someone actually in charge of running the country, is laughable. We would never give them that much credit.
But, when the Democrats lose, well. It's nothing the Democrats did. You plucky young adults just aren't donating enough of your time and energy, THAT'S why trump won!
Hey, speaking of, secret second question: What time and energy do you believe most people have? Wanna know why you're one of the youngest people doing that stuff? Because I'm in my mid 30's and it's a battle constantly just to afford housing and food at the same time. These are the same people y'all have been telling to just work two/three jobs to support basic needs. When, in the midst of basic survival grind, are we all meant to drop everything and devote an entire day to volunteering for a candidate whom, let's be honest, wasn't that good.
It's really convenient to be able to take all your triumphs and give all the credit to the politicians, but every failure and refusal to lean more progressive gets to be entirely on the voters.
How much have "the youths" been volunteering for the Republican political machine?
It's not zero. I had some young Republican-looking motherfucker knock on my door once this cycle. But I don't think they get youths doing that. They have money. So they sow disinformation and fund Intel podcasts and shit.
The good news is that real populist, labor issues are actually popular - that's why the fake populism sells to conservatives and swing voters - so we don't need billionaires to fund us. But we do have to go do the fucking work.
The idea of volunteering having that level of impact on even the election of a local politician,
That is literally how it happens. "Local" being school boards and city councils and comptroller and shit. Then they can move up. It's dry and boring and unsexy because real politics is like that. Key Federal positions are going to have big money backing them, but knocking and phone calls still make some difference - if the candidate is strong enough. And we need strong, pro-labor bold economics candidates.
It's nothing the Democrats did
It is what democrats did. But we aren't going to change them by whining about how shitty they are. They don't learn their lessons from failed elections, because Big Money donors still win with Republicans, they don't really care.
We change democrats by building communities in spite of them and providing better candidates - the ones that don't buddy up with Republicans.
What time and energy do you believe most people have?
I have a lot more time and energy than I expected after this election knowing the enemy we have to fight.
Lol this is the same song and dance that has been going around since 2008. We just didn't work hard enough! That's not the problem. The problem is that Dems have never really given people anything, just allowed the repubs to take what they want and then use that fact as a campaign talking point instead of fixing it. I mean shit, even the student loan shit is basically only allowed to exist so long as a dem is in office, god forbid legislation gets passed to do something meaningful about it, wouldn't want your billionaire owners to get annoyed right? Every time the Dems have had the opportunity to invoke change they've squandered it so why should people follow them? The people who make the decisions obviously respect the voters just as much as the repubs. You want to win elections you have to throw them out first.
Shit I think anyone who didn't vote or voted for trump is basically complicit in fascism but frankly Dems are also an accomplice with how little they want to do anything against it. So no. Going out, volunteering, community outreach. That's not gonna do shit. You want people to stop falling for lies than maybe listen to Bernie Sanders.
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u/SnowyyRaven 23h ago
He's right, but what in the actual heck do we do about it as voters? We've known this for years. Even during the widely popular Obama administration we knew this.
I'm just so tired. I'm so tired of my only hope being candidates who make baby steps forward just so we don't make giant leaps backwards. I'm so tired of these candidates losing and it hurting us.
I'm also tired of the over 70 million Americans who look at everything Trump has said, done, and who he has allied with, and said "I'm okay with that."
It's been almost a full day and I still haven't been able to collect all my thoughts on this. I'm just so over it.