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bigtree

(93,386 posts)
Mon Nov 10, 2025, 01:52 AM Nov 10

People steady advocating against Democrats don't seem to have a care in the world about achieving a majority [View all]

.......most polling has shown that some two-thirds of Americans, and about half of Democrats polled, oppose the government shutdown.

So what is all of this performative scorn being unleashed on Democrats who made that deal supposed to lead us to do in response?

Vote them out is what I've been hearing. So, the very first question I have is, what happens to their seat and what responsibility is this internet or media crank talking loudly in opposition to 'Democrats' taking to ensure that they're not just promoting cynicism about the ONLY party that's going to pose an reasonable challenge to republicans in the upcoming elections.

There is no Media political party where Brian Tyler Cohen is going to organize Senate Democrats any more effectively to do whatever the media podcaster thinks they should, any more than the leaders THEY already chose to represent them.

There's no Internet political party that's going to replace Democrats. The only effect in setting up untenable ultimatums for dozens of elected Democrats from disparate regions of America is a predictable splintering of support among the people they lead to agree with them.

It's an insidiously foolish game played by unelected political hacks who bait Democrats who are already softened and conditioned to attack their own party with cynicism at EVERY political initiative, and scorn at every loss seemingly self-servingly engineered by cynicism which infected the last election they handed to Trump.

But we're supposed to believe that loss and the sorry state of control of Congress and the White House is somehow the fault of people who have actually run against that trolling AND their republican opponents and WON; unlike the people who insist on portraying the party they likely didn't support at all as feckless, I'd guess to justify that lack of support.

But the thing is, Democrats in the majority ALWAYS deliberately and aggressively move the party's progressive agenda forward, and the country right along with. So where is this groundswell of Americans who want our party to just sit and yell at republicans, instead of leading the way forward?

At some point, Democrats have to demonstrate our skill at governing, even against republican obstinacy. It's actually what we do best, because our concern isn't merely fighting republicans and blocking their partisan initiatives and actions; it's producing results that do more than just accommodate our politics.

You can certainly disagree, There's nothing more satisfying than seeing republicans squirm. But if you're expecting them to unilaterally do something that benefits Americans, you haven't been paying much attention. And again I would ask, where is the constituency for being eternally obstinate?

Are we being led to satisfy some podcaster's or some internet advocate's pique, or is there really some larger point to claiming to want to negotiate, and then refusing to when terms are accepted?

Tell us again what the end game was supposed to be? Some gaslit fantasy about republicans doing what - just relinquishing their majority before the next election because Democrats refuse to vote for their budget to advance?

Trashing all Democrats for the actions of a handful is ridiculous enough, but the most absurd is believing that just remaining obstinate was going to spur republicans to produce something benefiting Americans that they could have already done on their own.

That's not governing, it's a protest movement, and people should recognize the difference.

Agitation in politics is mostly a matter of volume and not necessarily effect. For any political movement to succeed it needs to have a militant sense of responsibility, with a legislative goal at the end of protests to transform agitation into action.

Moreover, in this binary political system of elections, electing Democrats to achieve a majority is the ultimate goal, at least in the short term. If we don't make that happen, we'll be locked indefinitely in this pattern of ineffectiveness and the recrimination that follows.

There is no government shutdown constituency, no matter how strongly one might feel about keeping it going, so what's this advocacy against Democrats we need to fill out any majority really all about?

You have to wonder if these people griping consider themselves as responsible for promoting a Democratic majority as much as their focus on bashing the ones we managed to elect?

It's just not believable that they have some credible line on that election effort that meshes with their wanton attacks on the party and our leaders. And for fucksakes, that's basically the game here - to elect more Democrats to achieve a majority.

Have these people telling you tonight how much THEY feel betrayed by Dems, something something... have they ever been completely helpful to that effort? Or do you always find them dragging on the party and our Democrats at the times when party unity is the most important opposition to the republicans they claim to oppose as they gaslight you daily?

What the fuck are they doing to help elect more Democrats? That's all the fuck I want to hear from them - not navelgazing lectures about how I should feel about my own party based on their personally aggrandized, and predictable like clockwork, rants against Democrats.

28 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The circle cannot be squared -- if this vote to end the shutdown is right then RockRaven Nov 10 #1
I disagree. pat_k Nov 10 #4
Alternatively one can look at the situation as having tried something that didn't work EdmondDantes_ Nov 10 #25
100% !! WELL SAID ! (and it really NEEDED to be said !) stopdiggin Nov 10 #2
Very well said, bigtree. Sogo Nov 10 #3
K&R nt PunkinPi Nov 10 #5
Then why even have the shutdown? Envirogal Nov 10 #6
Not fighting helps us win nothing orangecrush Nov 10 #7
The problem is that Democrats don't demonstrate Baitball Blogger Nov 10 #8
My feelings, exactly Pototan Nov 10 #9
Completely disagree angrychair Nov 10 #10
What did we get for our 40 days? Billsdaughter Nov 10 #11
How long will Trump spike the football in our face? dem4decades Nov 10 #26
It was a REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN. The only Emile Nov 10 #12
. Scrivener7 Nov 10 #13
Thanks to centrists they couldn't pass a public option, now Emile Nov 10 #14
You've got it all wrong Orrex Nov 10 #16
Patience, grasshopper. All is going exactly as it should go. This isn't a Law & Order episode. And what are YOU Scrivener7 Nov 10 #17
+1 demmiblue Nov 10 #18
+1 leftstreet Nov 10 #23
Well, that's certainly one way to spin it. Orrex Nov 10 #15
K&R mcar Nov 10 #19
Say It Loud! MineralMan Nov 10 #20
K&R betsuni Nov 10 #21
This message was self-deleted by its author BannonsLiver Nov 10 #22
But Schumer himself welcomes GOPers leftstreet Nov 10 #24
Tell that to the crazy 8. nt yaesu Nov 10 #27
Who needs a majority when you rule like a monarchy C_U_L8R Nov 10 #28
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