While rebutting another post here on Lemmy, I ran into this. This says exactly what I want to say.
I am not a friend of Biden’s Administration. I think they drug their feet over a variety of things ranging from holding Trump and his goons accountable for January 6th through rulemaking on issues like OTC Birth Control and abortion rights, and yes, I think he’s too quick to please big business. But then I remember what the alternative is, and … well, disappointed in Biden or not, I’m voting for him. Because my wife is a Black bisexual goth woman, four strikes under Team Pepe’s tent. And I have my own strikes for marrying her as a White dude, and respecting her right to not have kids since she doesn’t want them is another strike against me. And I care about my Non-Christian, Gay, Transgender, and Minority friends, and will never willingly subject them to Team Pepe.
Man, it sure would have been nice if the Democrats had actually eliminated the filibuster and legislated abortion rights after Roe v Wade, instead of just campaigning on the threat of a GOP majority overturning it somehow. Almost like they didn’t actually give a damn about trying to solve that one, and just wanted to look like they cared. They could have had this done and sorted in the first years of Clinton’s or Obama’s presidencies and chose not to. Let’s see how many decades they campaign on swearing that, this time, they’re totally going to do something to settle the matter, for real.
I wish it were that simple.
Do you actually believe Dems even had the majority they needed to make it a law even when in power? Dems are not a monolith.
During the first 2 years of Obama’s presidency they focused on the economic crisis and healthcare reform. The latter, if you recall, even got fucked up because of one guy costing us the public option.
But none of this changes the fact that on this subject, we had something better before now.
Republicans can get their people in Congress to fall in line, but somehow Democrats always come out with “Gee, that rascally Lieberman/Manchin/Sinema, guess there’s nothing we can do” and don’t put any effective pressure on these people or get rid of them with someone who don’t turn out to just be colorblind Republicans that will sabotage the platform.
Democrats have chances to take action to address these problems and keep tripping over themselves on the same stupid stuff, then try to shout down increasingly disaffected voters with “The other ones are worse than us, vote for us and we won’t drop the ball again!”
I remember that sentiment being shared when Manchin was doing some stupid ass thing or another. EVERY time anyone asked those people what EXACTLY they suggested anyone do to him to force him to change, they had no real answer.
I just assume all Republicans have some dirty shit in their past that their party can lean on them with.
Now’s your chance. What could Biden or anyone else do to force Manchin to do what he wants?
Gee, I don’t know, primary him with someone that actually delivers on stuff and doesn’t hold things hostage on a power trip and back the hell out of that candidate? Tell him that if he doesn’t get in line, they’ll actively block his future attempts at getting some pork barrel spending pushed through for WV? Literally anything besides throwing up their hands and saying “We’ve tried nothing and it didn’t work, guess that’s it. We just have to deal with this guy until he retires, I guess.” would have been a great start.
This whole fucking post is about how we’re kind of stuck with the least bad of 2 bad options because of our voting system and you just suggested running someone against a Dem which would risk getting a Republican elected… On top of expecting a more progressive candidate to win in West Fucking Virginia.
Maybe? This is so milquetoast though and I’d be surprised if it hasn’t already happened.
Well, doing absolutely nothing about him and similar candidates has turned out so well for them, hasn’t it? This is the sort of garbage justification that has voters increasingly disillusioned with the Democratic party. We’re supposed to believe they’ll actually deliver on any of the much more difficult parts of their platform with Republican opposition that will be much worse when they can’t even get an idiot like Manchin or Sinema to fall in line when it actually matters, and can’t do anything about it? Like, that was supposed to be the whole deal with Manchin to begin with, that we accept he’ll push back on things a bit, but he’ll fall in with the party when it counts. How’s that played out lately?
If this is the best strategy the Democrats could cobble together, they may as well just quit politics, hand the reins over to the christofascists and stop pretending at this point.