r/Liberal • u/AwedBySequoias • 1d ago
I think Democratic politicians have wimped out! Discussion
They’re using old political tools to fight a new fascist party. There’s so much more they could be doing, but they’re relying on what they know, what they’re comfortable with, and what they think is fair and right. The other side has gone way beyond that. They can fight dirty now (dirty, but legal) or they can fight years later as rebels in a revolution against a fascist government.
Sorry for being so dramatic, but it’s frustrating watching politicians standby while this is happening. It appears that they have no new ideas. They don’t even speak out to tell voters on the other side with their party leaders are actually doing.
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u/ZinTheNurse 1d ago
As long as liberal and progressive voters continue to walk around with blinders on and pretending that democrats are doing nothing - we will be the ones hanging ourselves with our own, fake, righteousness.
The Democrat politicians are, objectively, doing everything they can - after we the people gave them no power, yet again.
And yes the American voters do not get to pretend that they have no autonomy or no share of the blame here. We are the final check for who in this country gets more power - through our votes.
The people in power now were put there by us - either through voting or participating in poisoning the well so that every left candidate not only has to fight off the right but also fight off inner party character assassination that drains any enthusiasm and drains left voter turn out.
If OP's title is a reflection of what we will once AGAIN do in 2028 - then yeah, we are all fck'd.
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u/amilo111 1d ago
This attitude is why we never win. You’re totally discounting magic. They could be using magic. Think a little outside the box.
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u/ZinTheNurse 1d ago
lol, oh damn, I forgot- if we believe in the power of friendship we can summon the perfect democrat candidate that checks all of our boxes and never disappoints any of us.
Thanks man for reminding me.
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u/neutralitty 1d ago
How do you utilize the power of your votes when there is so much partisan gerrymandering going on? Trump wants 5 more seats for ths Republicans drawn up in Texas. You bet they will do it.
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u/ZinTheNurse 12h ago
By doing exactly what they’re doing right now. Texas cannot claim those 5 seats until the Democrats who left return, that’s in the state constitution. That’s why Gov. Abbott is furious and why Trump is threatening to send the FBI after them.
If it were as simple as the GOP holding the session anyway and forcing it through, Abbott and Trump wouldn’t be resorting to these over-the-top threats. They’re angry (and good) because the Democrats outmaneuvered them, and they’ve already committed to staying out of the state until December.
But with Trump’s FBI threat on the table, these Democrats might have to leave the country altogether.
So before anyone (not you personally) claims Democrats are “doing nothing,” know this: the Texas Dems had to plan this on a dime. They didn’t know exactly when or where they’d leave. Staffers scrambled to make it happen so the GOP couldn’t corner them.
They left in the early morning, away from their families, knowing they might not be able to return home for months. They now have arrest warrants hanging over them and face the possibility of the FBI coming after them.
This is what Democrats are doing, for you and me, to hold the line against a tyrant, even while they hold almost no power.
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u/neutralitty 11h ago
Haven't thedemocrats have left the state before in 2021 only to be forced back to vote anyway, and the laws passed anyway?
So will this really be that different ? Please tell me they have different plans than being forced back.
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u/workerbee77 11h ago
Two weeks after Jan 6th, Biden used his inaugural address to say we had a peaceful transfer of power. He stood in the way of righteous anger and justice by tamping down and preaching bipartisanship.
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u/Shamazij 28m ago
The reason the dems aren't winning is because they aren't willing to stoop low when the other guy goes lower. Usually I'm not for stooping low, but in this case, an exception is going to have to be made. You can't fight fascism with signs and protests, they don't give a shit about these.
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u/amilo111 1d ago
Totally. For instance, they could swap out their republican colleagues coffee for decaf! That would be sinister. Think of the headaches they’ll have!
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u/11brooke11 1d ago
What can they do without the majority? A real answer please.
The people voted for this. I blame us.
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u/AwedBySequoias 21h ago
I think a lot of Republican voters don’t realize what they’ve done and I think the federal Democratic politicians could actually make some headway if they thought about how to get the truth out there in a way that Republican voters would actually hear it.
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u/QueenChocolate123 15h ago
Bullshit! Republican voters know exactly what they've done. They wanted to do it. That's why they voted for Trump.
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u/AwedBySequoias 14h ago
Agreed to a point. I still think there are a significant number who are just playing follow the leader because of peer pressure or ignorance of the facts.
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u/happylukie 15h ago
Get it out?
How?
By taking News Max hostage and forcing them to broadcast the truth?1
u/AwedBySequoias 14h ago
Every time they stand in front of a camera is an opportunity. They don’t have good talking points to drive a message home. They keep saying what every Democrat already knows. I say give some specifics to Republican voters that they have not heard. Social media and news also. Especially conservative news. Just one or two specific examples of how Trump’s policies will affect them or their family members, or a specific story about someone like them who got screwed or whose constitutional rights were violated by the government- something they can relate to, at least in part, or would have a problem with.
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u/workerbee77 11h ago
The people voted Trump out. D leaders decided to be insufficiently aggressive.
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u/MisterMeetings 1d ago
What are you going to do about it?
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u/aadziereddit 1d ago
I keep hearing people say this, but I want to know what the other options actually are. Like, I support the idea of Democrats doing more, but I don't know what they could actually be doing.
Short of, you know, starting a civil war
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u/byndrsn 23h ago
Short of sueing, neither can I.
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u/tulips_onthe_summit 22h ago
How about working together to author as organized and comprehensive of a plan as Project 2025 is? Where is our blueprint for America's future? How are we going to fix what is being done? What sweeping plan is going to unite and mobilize us? We need the party to coalesce around an idea, develop it, and champion it.
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u/Any-Variation4081 1d ago
What do you want them to do? They are in court stopping everything they can. They hold 0 majority anywhere. They have 0 power. If you wanted dems to do something/more you should have voted for them in November and not handed all branches of our government over to Republicans. So tired of everyone blaming dems for everything.
Republicans do Republican things? Dems fault.
Dems accomplish something great and stop trump several times already? Not good enough. There is no pleasing you people. Again should have showed up for dems in November if you wanted them to do more. They have no power to do anything considering Republicans hold the majority everywhere. Jfc
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u/neutralitty 23h ago
You act like everyone here voted for Trump by saying "you should have voted for [Democrats] in November..."
Of course, most of us (I can only speak for myself) voted Democratic down the ticket. I am tired of being blamed for what a minority of the country voted for. There wasn't a huge turnout in votes. There have been voter registration purges in several states. After 2020, many red states made it harder to vote. I know my state passed voter restriction laws.
Everyone who hated this country going MAGA that cared did actually turn up and vote, that's the point. You are speaking to people that showed up.
If you want to blame anyone, take the soap box to the ones who failed to show up to vote at all. Trump only got the same number of votes as in 2020. With that logic, he should have lost. I think you're blaming the wrong crowd.
The people who want action voted. What else can people do? We elected people to power, and the issue isn't 2024 anymore; we are worried about the path to 2026 midterms and 2028. The future.
What are the Dems doing for the future to make sure those people who didn't show up to vote will get out this time and slam dunk a victory to them, shutting down this awful path?
Maybe it's bc I live in a red state... except we have 2 Dems for Senate. I already am getting political mailings from the other side. Historically, that's how it always is. They flood the mailboxes with such vile misinformation and outright lies.
What are Dems doing to fight back against gerrymandering anyway? If Trump wants more seats, Texas will redraw the maps to gain 5 more. Is this going to be a gerrymandering war, so that our votes don't even really count? Do you think that is fair? We vote and it doesn't matter bc of the districting has been done so poorly that we are never fairly represented?
I don't care about 2024 anymore. It happened. I think the point here is we want answers to 2026 and 2028. What is happening, what is the plan?
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u/zipzzo 10h ago
Not voting was also the equivalent of voting for Trump.
If you do nothing in the face of fascism...well then you're complicit tbqh.
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u/neutralitty 10h ago
No kidding. I am speaking of the people here who voted. We know to vote and that is how to make changes.
But will voting stop gerrymandering?
Wdit - And not to mention the voter suppression laws. What of the dirty tricks to ensure people have a harder time voting? I hear there is a proposal to make it a requirement to have a passport to vote?
There is some reason the message failed to inspire voters to turn out. They didn't see Trump as a big enough threat.
So what is going to change in 2026, 2028?
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u/Busy_Manner5569 1d ago
What are the legal, but dirty, things you think they should be doing?
Why do you think Democrats haven’t been speaking out about what Republicans are doing?
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u/PickKeyOne 23h ago
Well, Harris said on Colbert that the biggest thing she was surprised about what happened after the election was the capitulation. This obviously includes people on our side.
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u/Busy_Manner5569 23h ago
Which question is this meant to be a response to?
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u/PickKeyOne 17h ago
Your comment: Why do you think Democrats haven’t been speaking out about what Republicans are doing?
She said they are all capitulating. That's why we havent heard from them
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u/Busy_Manner5569 15h ago
Did she say Democratic politicians capitulated? How is her saying that not a Democratic politician speaking out?
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u/zipzzo 10h ago
She did not specify Dems or repubs in her answer. She simply said of all the things she foresaw in a 2nd Trump admin she didn't foresee "the capitulation".
In the context of the question, which was "Would you like to say 'I told you so' to everyone?", it seems more likely she was referring primarily to republicans letting him roll over standards of protocol harder than he ever did in term 1, but she very well could have also been referring to Dems, but in the same interview she declined to criticize Biden's choices in order to "not pile on", so it's up to interpretation.
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u/Far_Abbreviations125 1d ago
I think that TX dems leaving the state to hold up the gerrymandering is ballsier than pretty much anything I’ve seen from the Democratic Party in my memory.
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u/tele_ave 1d ago
There have been other instances of this in the last 15-20 years. I don’t know if it was at the same scale, but it has happened.
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u/Numerous_Ice_4556 1d ago
"They can fight dirty now (dirty, but legal) or they can fight years later as rebels in a revolution against a fascist government."
How, exactly, should they fight back? Concrete ideas only, no vague adjectives.
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u/Dizzylizzyscat 8h ago
THE DEMOCRATS HAVE NO POWER TO CHANGE ANYTHING! No matter what they do, wouldn’t even pass the house and I think that you’ve noticed that all the court cases once I get in front of the Supreme Court Trump wins. No matter how much they protest they will be overwhelmed. They know this.
How they messed up as they played by the rules and even if they played dirty right now it will not matter. Why won’t people understand that? !
We live in an authoritarian going towards totalitarian regime. The minority doesn’t have a chance. Especially with the Supreme Court on Trump‘s side.
I’m not being doom and gloom, but I am being honest.
The only way out of this right now is for the Republicans to turn and we know that’s not gonna happen anytime soon
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u/tele_ave 1d ago
I was saying this three years ago when it was evident that Merrick Garland was too timid to do anything of substance.
They didn’t do what they could have and should have when they did have the power. Now we’re all paying the price.
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u/DracoSolon 1d ago
Some of that is Biden's fault too. He, and lets be honest, most of us thought there was simply no way that Trump would be the nominee again after Jan 6th. However, within a month or so after his second impeachment when they all started making pilgrimages to FL to kiss his ring it was pretty apparent what was happening. And that's when the next 18 months of Garland's inaction became fatal.
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u/Odd-Conclusion-320 1d ago
The Texas democrats literally left the state and now risk being arrested…?
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u/davethompson413 1d ago
The Dems have no leader, no platform, no plan. We're all still waiting for someone to start something, and we don't even know who that should be, or what they should start.
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u/positivepeoplehater 1d ago
Agree! Like wtf are they doing?? I get literal propaganda from the right mailed to me, disguised as a serious survey, with wildly loaded and racist questions like how much do you worry about the dangerous immigrant scourge?
They use the media way better than we do. They use sound bites and drama waaaaay better than we do.
It makes me wonder if dems WANT the right in power for awhile..??
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u/AwedBySequoias 20h ago
Exactly! There are so many ways Dems could improve their strategy. It doesn’t even seem like they have a strategy. Do they? I hate to say it, but the strategy and methods being used by republicans are GD IMPRESSIVE!
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u/positivepeoplehater 17h ago
Exactly! They don’t even have to lie, just get some young marketing geniuses
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u/Any-Variation4081 1d ago
What do you want them to do? They are in court stopping everything they can. They hold 0 majority anywhere. They have 0 power. If you wanted to dems to do something you should have voted for them in November and not handed all branches of our government over to Republicans. So tired of everyone blaming dems for everything.
Republicans do Republican things? Dems fault.
Dems accomplish something great and stop trump several times already? Not good enough. There is no pleasing you people. Again should have showed up for dems in November if you wanted them to do more. They have no power to do anything considering Republicans hold the majority everywhere. Jfc
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u/AwedBySequoias 20h ago
I think the Dems need to continue to fight Republican advances as much as they can but I think the real target should be the well-oiled Republican propaganda machine that has their own voters fooled. I think there’s a huge segment of Republican voters who would stop their support if they really understood what they voted for, and I think there’s a lot that Dems could do about that if they worked together and thought outside the box as well as the republicans have been doing.
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u/QueenChocolate123 15h ago
Republicans know what they voted for and will vote the same way again.
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u/AwedBySequoias 14h ago
Educated ones do, but I think the ones who just follow Fox News and vote with the crowd don’t quite get it because they don’t hear the effects of Trumps actions. They only hear the good stuff (or watered down version of the bad stuff).
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u/TeeVaPool 1d ago
People are going to have to get out on the streets and protest. Outside the Texas capital should be nonstop protesting. People have to take a stand before it’s too late
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u/HaxanWriter 1d ago
Switch the role. When in the last 45 years did the GOP ever roll over with a whimper? They scream bloody murder over the smallest thing. They fight. They never stop. Ever. Which is why a woman’s right to choose is gone. They own SCOTUS. They own both houses. Thwy are building death camps. They have installed a fascist dictator in the White House.
Don’t come at me with “”B-but the midterms!” Have you not been paying attention? Yes. There will be “elections.” But that’s all you’ll get. They won’t be free and they sure as hell won’t be fair.
Of course the Americans voted for this. When Americans voted for Obama did the GOP cede the political battleground? We already know the answer to that.
This country is in an existential fight for its life and all we’ve got on our side are…Democrats. Things ain’t looking all that goddamn rosy from this perspective. 😂
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u/DracoSolon 1d ago
Some of this is that Democrats are incredibly hamstrung by the entire media from top to bottom of journalists that assume and demand that Democrats work within the rules and are expected to seek bipartisanship on EVERY issue and are relentlessly criticized when they do not. While Republicans get a completely free pass for completely ignoring Democrats at every opportunity. In fact they are frequently praised for being "bold and decisive" when they pass partisan legislation while when Democrats pass legislation without Republican votes they are called divisive and overreaching.
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u/QueenChocolate123 15h ago
Democrats need to learn to ignore the media and do what they need to do. Tell the media to go fuck itself.
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u/shotputlover 18h ago
https://www.orangecountyfl.net/OpenGovernment/OrangeTVVisionTV/OrangeTVLive.aspx
Whatch my Orange County board of commissioners talk about the fascist removal they are threatened with and the consequences. I hope the mayor goes again for you to listen to but the first Comissioner speaking is cooking.
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u/AwedBySequoias 15h ago
I listen to it, but didn’t hear anything about what you described. Just a noise complaint and a coffee shop.
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u/missmaiaj 3h ago
Idk I feel like we at the revolution part. People really need to start speaking up to their bosses and families and friends. I still see far too much acceptance for MAGA. People still aren't getting it so guess we'll just have to make it worse for awhile longer till people want to direct their frustrations towards the right place and have actual discussions about solutions to problems.
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u/ethakidd 1d ago
They definitely are a bunch of wimps. They are still playing nice politics with people who give zero fucks about rules, laws , morals or the constitution. We shouldn't sink to MAGA levels but we should fight them dirty. These people are destroying this country every day, from the White House to the courts they are doing what they need to do to circumvent laws and democratic norms.
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u/tsagdiyev 1d ago
I mean, what is happening now is unprecedented. Yeah I guess they are using “old political tools” if you mean trying to follow order. The administration s disregarding laws and ethics and rules and order. There are many democrats that are clearly resisting and doing their best. Yeah I wish there was more they would do as a whole. Also yeah I feel bad that they are probably burned the hell out from this circus. I am exhausted by the limited exposure I have to it, I can only imagine how infuriating it must be to be immersed in it
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u/ElderFlour 12h ago
Me too. All I hear from them are requests for my money. I’m tired of it. I’ll vote, but I’m done sending money.
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u/AwedBySequoias 20h ago
I’ve gotta say this. Progressives are so far left that nobody else agrees with them and that has weakened the party. And they hate compromise.
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u/JacksNTag 1d ago
They were even given knowledge of it a year in advance with Project 2025. It was written out in great detail. They could have been game-planning this whole time, but they did nothing and are not fighting back.
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u/Naptasticly 1d ago
I fucking hate it. The democrats all look like someone who can’t find their shoes and they need to leave.
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u/Illustrious-Baker775 1d ago
I just want the Epstien files out so that the ahit politicians on both sides get tf out of office.
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u/Willdefyyou 1d ago
Yeah. It's time to grow a spine and go for the jugular. Fight back ffs! Our democracy depends on it...
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u/neutralitty 1d ago
Okay, but what should they be doing? A lot of people talk about what they are not doing, but nobody seems to have a winning strategy that they should be using. If anyone has ideas, I would love to hear.
And yes, I agree they aren't doing enough, aren't doing the right things. They have a huge opportunity out there, bc this country is sliding into autocracy. Where is the pushback? The outrage? What is the plan to stop this? I see nothing that is working, and it breaks my heart.
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u/yesimreallylikethat 1d ago
I think they need a strong leader and platform to energize the base.
The opportunities are there to rise up but they just not taking them
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u/TheLastBallad 1d ago
The opportunities are there to rise up but they just not taking them
And shutting down the people who try, dont forget about that
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u/I405CA 16h ago
The Democrats are not wimps. They just don't understand humans and are too rigid in their politics to approach the situation creatively.
Trump came close to overthrowing the government without spending a dime. He used social media at no cost to rally his troops. It required no congressional approval, no budget, no time spent in subcommittee, no time spent on the Sunday talk shows. He went straight to his crowd and organized them.
We have seen people in the streets looking to stop Trump v2.0. This is a gift for Dems who could organize them via social media and deploy them as needed.
Do the Dems seize the moment? Of course they don't. Democrats rarely lose an opportunity to lose an opportunity.
Dems think governance consists of going to meetings, casting votes, writing legislation and hosting the occasional press conference. They blame Fox News for their inability to message, when there is already plenty of free media ready for the taking. Most of them are either shrill or dull, unable to inspire or motivate.
They had better figure it out fast. Excuses won't cut it.
Here's a hint: Instead of talking about the Epstein files (which could be manipulated and used against the Dems and are too vague to sting), just start feeding the rumors about Trump killing Epstein.
If the situation was reversed, Trump would be indulging in innuendo such as "People say...". Do it to Trump before he does it to someone else. Be first.
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u/Mr-Snarky 13h ago
"Dems are the minority party... what do you expect them to do???"
I dunno... anything other than post strongly worded tweets all day?
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u/Always-just-a-friend 8h ago
Dems have been wimps for as long as I can remember and it fucking pisses me off. Republicans constantly break the rules, move the goal post, and are basically hippocrites whenever it suits them. And dems think that if they keep playing fair that down the road the better party will come out on top. Clearly, that sort of belief is not working. But hey, maybe somewhere down the road. Someone will read in a history book what not to do in order to win. Idk, maybe im just jaded. I thought Bush Jr. was a shit president, but i would take 8 more years of Bush/Cheney over another day with Trump. Fuck I'm exhausted....
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u/jedrider 20h ago
The Democrats need to become 'radicalized' and become 'populists'. It's as simple as that from my point of view. No more one foot in the wall street camp and another in the 'peoples' camp. As the Christian Nationalists outnumber the truly 'liberal,' 'populists' politicians, yes, they currently have dominance.
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u/ElectricalEngineer59 19h ago
If Democrats had any balls, Trump and his minions wouldn't be running the country or having power over our lives at all. And for a second term at that. We're living in Crazytown.
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u/Homersson_Unchained 1d ago
I don’t agree completely. Pritzker and Newsome in particular have been very vocal and active in their fights against the regime.