For a long time, I thought the Democrats were fighting valiantly but just overwhelmed by the oligarchy and the Republicans. Then I saw that the Democrats keep losing fights they should win and figured they must be just weak and ineffectual. Then I kept seeing them backing off without putting up a fight at all and decided they were gutless cowards. Finally I noticed that enough of them keep voting with the Republicans to always make sure the Republicans more or less win almost every fight, and that they keep starting from a Center position and bargaining to the Right, and eventually after enough of that it became impossible to ignore the only conclusion that actually fits the facts: The Democrats are not over matched, they aren’t weak, they aren’t cowards…they’re complicit.
I mean, I see it with a bit more nuance than that.
I voted D before across the board last election because I saw it as a brake on the course towards fascism. The fact that Democratic leadership across the board is too fucking limpdick to do anything other than set up deals that will OBVIOUSLY be dropped on the floor the second the fascists get what they want is just the final object lesson that they’re not fit for purpose. They’ve taken away the whole “we’re fighting against fascism” thing, and that was the only reason I so fervently pushed to line up support behind any Democrats I could. So whereas before, the disincentive for a 3p vote was “it will probably help the fascists win”… that logic no longer works, because the fascists have won.
So, fuck you, DNC. I will go 3p, or even just write shit in if you don’t give me a compelling candidate now. You negotiated your way into complete irrelevance, and sold us down the river while you were at it. Good fucking job.