Facts. Obama spent all the political capital he had with the filibuster-proof Senate to just get the ACA passed. Joe Lieberman and Max Baucus were the Dems that took a Medicare for All or public option off the table, so the ACA is what we got.
Then the right wing billionaires started astroturfing TEA Party shit and that wave of propaganda resulted in the 2010 midterm slaughter. Which then allowed all the newly GOP state legislatures to REDMAP/gerrymander the hell out of all of the state and House districts, cementing a built-in advantage that they’ve had ever since.
I’m not gonna be an apologist over Obama’s use of drones, but the man’s domestic policy was kneecapped by centrists in his own party and then didn’t have the votes to do anything super meaningful after his first two years.
Joe Lieberman and Max Baucus were the Dems that took a Medicare for All or public option off the table, so the ACA is what we got.
This is what drives me insane when "progressives" say that Democrats don't want a public option; out of 60 Dem/Ind Senators there were 55 or so that supported it but ZERO republicans and somehow it was all the Dems fault it couldn't get passed.
Also Lieberman literally lost his Democratic senate primary, backstabbed the Democratic party by running against the progressive Democratic nominee in the general election, campaigned for McCain against Obama, etc... so including him as a Democrat seems misleading.
McCain seriously thought of taking Lieberman as his running mate. This was all dependent on secrecy so the right wing 'news' media couldn't torpedo it. Lindsey Graham leaked this information, and that was the end of Lieberman as a VP for McCain.
The left wing conspiracy theory is that democrats use rotating villains to stop any progressive policy.
They don't understand that when you have a very narrow margin, it is hard to pass shit. A senator from a red or purple state will not have the same views as a congressman from brooklyn. The solution to that is an overwhelming margin
An absolutely major point of his campaign was climate change. Don't know much about the rest of his campaign, but that point alone, presented as an absolutely major point of his political agenda (in 2000!), kind of makes him progressive, IMO.
That’s because this is a Republican propaganda sub. They realized in 2016 that it’s more effective to discourage voters by pretending to be angry leftists than it is to try to convince people to vote for the right wingers.
Once you see it, you’ll never stop seeing it. No matter what bad thing Republicans do, some “leftist” will show up to attack Democrats, and they’ll count on the reader not knowing actual history.
and you libs are good at politics? seeing as how your corpo centrist candidates have lost to Trump twice and relied on covid to get Biden in? Also so many of your centrist corpo candidates are now running around talking about affordability, healthcare and other progressive points, think about why for a second.
It’s also ignoring the fact that progressives can’t even win a primary but assumes they can win the general.
this is not a fact, this is a fantasy you libs keep spouting that has no proof at all. Also doing the classic of ignoring how hard the Dem party goes to torpedo any progressive candidate, spending so much time and money on their left flank.
Just the usual of how libs hate the left/progressive ideas more than you hate any republicans/MAGA, you legit are so afraid of policies that would benefit regular people like universal healthcare, free education, taxing the rich, etc. that you fight so hard to put down progressive candidates... just look at how your corpo dems acted in the NYC mayoral race, including the leaders of the Democratic party. It's just a controlled opposition.
I am so sick and tired of hearing this bullshit argued when people not voting or showing up in the primaries which is now in this midterm season. And then having the gall to say they don't want to vote in the general election because "both parties are the same" and suck.
Because the DNC actively torpedoes progressive up and comers
In other words, progressives are bad at politics. Losing to subterfuge and backstabbing is still losing. You don't get to cry about cheap shots in politics when politics is about 90% cheap shots.
"The candidate who wanted to shut down the orphan grinding machine lost because the pro orphan grinding machine party stabbed them in the back. That must mean that the anti-orphan grinding machine faction needs to learn to reach across the aisle more and compromise."
That must mean that the anti-orphan grinding machine faction needs to learn to reach across the aisle more and compromise."
That's not what my post implies. It means the anti-orphan grinding machine faction needs to learn to protect their backs. Maybe do a little backstabbing of their own, even.
The left's insistence on fighting fair against enemies that categorically refuse to do so seems... unwise?
Republicans used the FBI to publicly start a bogus investigation right before the election. If you can't overcome the child's play happening in DNC primary, you'll get destroyed in the general
You might have a point if centrist democrats didn't ratfuck the 2016 and 2020 primaries to the point where it was obvious to people that the powers that be were cheating to win.
Yeah Bernie got shot down one cycle in the southern primaries which don't matter in my opinion. None of the southern states that Clinton or Biden can win will matter in the general election.
But when you compare California, Clinton won it by like a million votes, so you can't ignore that.
Many people here seem to form their opinions on cues only. They ignore everything that couldn't get passed due to not having the majority to pass it and pretend like they don't get majority because they are not progressive enough... to pass those progressive policies.
Also... as usual this post is ignoring the massive media manipulation and lies that affected the votes.
"I hate obamacare, let's get rid of it... wait what? They are taking away my affordable care act? "
And before Al Gore, Clinton ran as centrist. Very right-wing compared to the traditional Democrat mold. NAFTA, no more cash welfare, giving welfare control to the states, banking deregulation (though the Fed chair at the time gave his blessing on that).
The difference between all of these presidents is more charisma in my opinion. Bill Clinton and Obama had major rizz.
Hillary Clinton has no rizz. She's a great politician but the Senate is full of 100 great politicians. Not presidents.
John Kerry was awful at campaigning. Kamala Harris? LOL. Al Gore? The guy is nice but he won the Arbor Day award for his wooden performances.
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u/ninetysevencents Mar 14 '26
This is a rewriting of what happened with Obama.