usa politics
I jsut really don't understand. The Democrats as a whole might be the legislative minority rn but they absolutely could start turning public opinion so that the Republicans are getting pressured by their constituents, but the Dems just... aren't???
"Trump is taking steps to be a dictator."
"Your grocery bills are high because Trump acts like a Special Snowflake (tm) on the international stage."
"Veterans are losing their jobs because Republicans won't let us bring Musk in for contempt of Congress" (because he's meddling with the money allocations)
"Cancer research is being stopped because Trump and his cronies don't respect anyone else."
"We're about to have another pandemic because Republicans are cutting safety regulations."
"We're out here making things known while Republicans are running away from their voters."
Like obvs there might be some better PR speak and legal stuff that needs to be run but. This is me, an uneducated constituent, seeing this stuff and coming up with statements off the cuff. Surely the Dems can do that much. And hold daily pressers to keep hounding about it until Republicans are shamed into action.
🐊
usa politics
@katrani The only answer I've been able to come up with is that the dems truly do not want to win
Which obviously doesn't make much sense but what other explanation is there??
usa politics
@coriander @katrani the vibes we have gotten from our local Dems is that they want to keep having a seat at the table and are afraid to piss off the Republicans to the extent that they stop being offered the chance to compromise on tiny bullshit that doesn’t matter. this is obviously a nazi bar situation and the wrong tactic but. they are terrified of not being allowed in the room where it happens anymore, and are clinging to that at the expense of everything else
re: usa politics
@katrani @coriander right but you gotta understand, these people didn’t run for office because they wanted to enact change. they ran for office because they wanted to hold positions of power, and now they are doing whatever it takes to hold onto whatever little microdoses of power they can salvage. it doesn’t matter that this isn’t effective strategy for achieving their policy agenda. they do not care about their policy agenda. they just don’t want the rug to get pulled out from under them. they would rather be useless figureheads whose primary function is as a scapegoat and foil for Republican lawmakers than be in the situation of, for example, the three Tennessee lawmakers who were stipped of their committee appointement and two of whom were expelled from the Tennessee House in 2023 after they protested in favour of gun control.
re: usa politics
@Lady @coriander
Which is so wild to me cause. Capitulation has gotten nothing. Learn the pattern. Republican politicians are gonna keep digging their heels in, it's time Democrats try to counter it rather than lean in.