I want to draw attention to the elephant in the room.
Leading up to the election, and perhaps even more prominently now, we've been seeing droves of people on the internet displaying a series of traits in common.
- Claiming to be leftists
- Dedicating most of their posting to dismantling any power possessed by the left
- Encouraging leftists not to vote or to vote for third party candidates
- Highlighting issues with the Democratic party as being disqualifying while ignoring the objectively worse positions held by the Republican party
- Attacking anyone who promotes defending leftist political power by claiming they are centrists and that the attacker is "to the left of them"
- Using US foreign policy as a moral cudgel to disempower any attempt at legitimate engagement with the US political system
- Seemingly doing nothing to actually mount resistance against authoritarianism
When you look at an aerial view of these behaviors in conjunction with one another, what they're accomplishing is pretty plain to see, in my opinion. It's a way of utilizing the moral scrupulousness of the left to cut our teeth out politically. We get so caught up in giving these arguments the benefit of the doubt and of making sure people who claim to be leftists have a platform that we're missing ideological parasites in our midst.
This is not a good-faith discourse. This is not friendly disagreement. This is, largely, not even internal disagreement. It is infiltration, and it's extremely effective.
Before attacking this argument as lacking proof, just do a little thought experiment with me. If there is a vector that allows authoritarians to dismantle all progress made by the left, to demotivate us and to detract from our ability to form coalitions and build solidarity, do you really think they wouldn't take advantage of it?
By refusing to ever question those who do nothing with their time in our spaces but try to drive a wedge between us, to take away our power and make us feel helpless and hopeless, we're giving them exactly that vector. I am telling you, they are using it.
We need to stop letting them. We need to see it for what it is, get the word out, and remember, as the political left, how to use the tools that we have to change society. It starts with us between one another. It starts with what we do in the spaces that we inhabit. They know this, and it's why they're targeting us here.
Stop being an easy target. Stop feeding the cuckoo.
Sounds great. Vote them in.
I would love to see a push to the left in US politics and in the Democratic party. I voted for Sanders, and I think the kind of arguments he's been making consistently for decades would be a great perspective to see gain traction. The rallies he's been putting together with AOC and the responses he's gotten at town halls even in very red districts have been encouraging.
I fully support primarying Democrat politicians who fail to offer real solutions. 100% get them the hell out of office and replace them with people who will reconnect the party with the people and fight for affordable housing, medicare for all, and living wages. Let's chuck Schumer out on his ass.
But our approach needs to be viable. It won't happen by splitting the vote. That's just math. I don't like first past the post, and I'd love to get rid of it at the first available opportunity, but it's the system we're working with right now.
You can't play chess using only your knights because you like the way the horsey looks. You have to know what the pieces do and use them to their fullest extent. By all means, make your pawns into queens, but to do that you have to think about which moves you're actually capable of making on the board.
So here's the thing, on my state ballot last November, I had TVs corporate Democrat who votes with the Republicans half the time (the time it matters), and a new Dem who could or would not articulate a platform for or against anything. Bet I voted third.
So run for office or find a candidate who might and help them get to that position.
Voting for a third party, unless it's in a small local election where they might actually have a shot, will do literally nothing but get us a Republican.
If you're still sitting here in April of 2025 and saying that the Democrats are the same as the Republicans, though? Get the hell out of our nest.
stop saying this stupid shit about third parties. you could argue the same point for Conservatives who didn’t vote Trump. also which is it—are leftists so numerous they are a problem and ruin everything or are we small and useless and unimportant?
Pretty ironic that Millie here is concerned about insincere trolls, yet they come off as the biggest troll here. I have blocked them and I suggest any leftists here do the same.
https://kbin.earth/m/[email protected]/t/1270160/Brood-Parasitism-in-Leftist-Politics/comment/6448892#entry-comment-6448892
There's your answer.
no thanks lol
You see this comment? https://lemmy.world/comment/16774478
That's the attitude that drives away voters. Now, I do have a degree of higher education and thanks to the internet and not arrogant users who helped me continue informally learning, I'd say I'm decently literate, and well-informed. And that attitude in that comment pretty much guarantees I'm probably not voting D again in my lifetime, unless someone really in touch comes to be on my local ballot. The attitude in that comment is what many disenfranchised D voters have gotten from the last five national election cycles. I'm absolutely not voting R for the rest of my life either, but HRC, Biden, Harris and all the Democrat candidates when there were primaries did not inspire hope, let alone confidence. Sanders did, until the DNC routed him out and he rolled over for them that cycle and the next. The last time before that was Kucinich and he had reservation-causing concerns, but I would have voted for him and many of my friends would have, too. I voted Obama, not because I thought he was better, bit that he was less odious. Never. Again. If Democrats really want our votes, let them earn them. Cavorting with war criminals and their daughters while ignoring issues important to me ain't it. And for the record, socially left and economically right isn't left. We crave leftist candidates, socially, ecologically, and economically. It's our money, give it to us.
This is literally 100% the answer. It could be within the Democratic party, it could be outside it, the details are details.
The point is that someone who comes up to you saying "I'm not voting for a DEMOCRAT, how could that ever help?" and also "I'm not voting! That will help, that's the answer, you should too." is definitely either lying or badly confused.
Like, yes, our system is corrupt and a lot of Democrats are a huge part of the problem. That won't go away if you refuse to engage with it. It will get worse.
Again, it takes money and transportation. If one is a city dweller, transportation may be easier. Rurally, not so much.
"I would have overthrown the bourgeoisie, but I couldn't find a ride."
That's pretty much it. Most of my rides have died due to preventable causes, and they were lifelong D voters. There's one left and they're not in great shape. The others are busy working several jobs and caring for children or elderly family members. We worked hard, even up to death, when jobs were available.
Oh no! I better stop being a D voter. You convinced me. It's super dangerous.
I'm not_trying_ to convince you. And your attitude that good people who would absolutely give you their last meal for days or literally stand in front of you to take a bullet that you may or not deserve are disposable lives certainly isn't convincing me to vote Dem, because that's the same contempt we get from them. You're bougie lifestyle wouldn't be possible if not for us, dropping dead with stage 4 cancer while we dig the wells for your summer homes, plow the fields for your organic corn, strawberries, lentils, or suffer cancers for the sprayed crops of conventionally grown foods while our skin blisters and weeps. Go pick your own damn cotton, harvest your own hemp, log your own trees and mill your own paper. One of my neighbor's lives is worth a million of yours, because we know_compassion_.
Eta: let me see you throw those fat, juicy watermelons up on a truck in 100+ f heat. Without water until next 10 minute break. Or install the solar farms.
Literally no idea what you're talking about here.
Were you the one saying that it's okay if everyone in Gaza dies this month because of Trump coming to power and making things way worse for them, because it's all the Democrats' fault for not being good enough to vote for and that's what's really important? Or was that someone else? Maybe it was someone else.
I've had early stage heat exhaustion from working outside. I've gotten bleach in my eye cleaning up and still finished my shift. I've worked a lot of different jobs. You don't know anything about me.
Of course you have no idea.
URL.
I know what you've shown me.
Lol I think the useful part of this conversation is at an end. Even if it was someone else, arguing about that wasn't the main point of anything I was saying.
The corporate Dem won and is still voting the Republican agenda. 🤷♀️
ETA: I would need funds to campaign and a means of travel. I also lack experience but am willing to learn. Suggestions?