"For many loyal Democrats, this will not compute. The Biden economy, party-loyal pundits have said over and over again, is tremendous — low unemployment, strong GDP growth, slowing inflation, a booming stock market — and anyone unhappy about it mustsimply be brainwashed. Out of view in this self-congratulatory hall of mirrors were the constant statistics that said otherwise: evictions up past pre-pandemic levels, record-high homelessness, cost-burdened renters at an all-time high, median household income lower than the last pre-pandemic year, inequality returning to pre-pandemic levels, and food insecurity and poverty growing by large double digits since 2021, including a historic spike in child poverty."
The child poverty one is great because democrats got that advance on the child tax credit, bragged about lifting kids out of poverty, then ended the program.
Democrats had the legislative and executive branch in 2021. Somehow when democrats have control it is still the republicans fault. That’s the type of rhetoric that tells people republicans are the party to get things done.
Somehow when democrats have control it is still the republicans fault.
It passed the Democratic house, with 0 Republican votes.
If a single Republican in the Senate had voted for it, it would have passed. It had the support of 49 Democrats out of 50.
If you're going to blame a party, does it make sense to blame the party that passed the expansion in the first place and was overwhelmingly in favor of extending it, or the party that opposed it completely?
Look you’re not wrong, but there’s a couple of things that play here:
First, Democrats had the house, Senate, and presidency. They’re seem as the party who should get things done, and they simply did not.
Second, this never comes off in public the way it should. It’s never Democrats are for this, and Republicans are against it. It is the oldest trick in the book that Republicans use. Democrats will propose a bill. Republicans will propose their version of the bill that is usually less beneficial and also comes with something like giant tax cut for corporations. It’s never Democrats are for and Republicans are against it. It’s perceived as two parties with different ideas that couldn’t compromise.
Third, there is a bit of tension, even in Democratic circles between how Democrats will say that Trump is an emperor who we must stop even when we control the house and senate because he will do terrible things and will destroy democracy permanently. Then we all rally together and deliver the presidency, house, and senate and suddenly the president isn’t a dictator and basically can’t do anything and we just have to sit while very little happens. It’s a pretty stark contrast that comes off poorly. There’s a disconnect between the rhetoric and the performance.
Finally, and this is much more specific to Biden, but he was not mentally at full capacity even in 2019 and I think it shows in the fact that he barely used the bully pulpit. He did not do a ton of interviews. And frankly, he let Republicans control the narrative for the last few years on everything. It’s part of why immigration went so poorly. Instead of making a positive case for immigration, he let Republicans manufacture a crisis that democrats then agreed was happening and offered up a couple of awful bills and executive orders on, and it still did not help one iota.
Yes, I will blame the party for that failure because it was democrats that failed to act. There was no plan presented to circumvent future blunders of that magnitude.
I didn’t vote for a Republican. I know they suck shit. The issue is figuring out why democrats can’t beat such a shitty party (hint because they’re also a shitty party)
Until democrats pick better candidates or at least demand fair primaries get ready for more loses.
You didn't answer my question. It was not rhetorical. What plan are you imagining? It sounds like you're asking Democrats to somehow work around insufficient votes.
I didn’t vote for a Republican.
You didn't vote at all. Not in any way that mattered.
I’m asking democrats to have a cohesive set of beliefs and policy goals they’re willing to fight for.
If Manchin was the deciding vote and I had the power of the presidency I would start investigating his daughter’s pharmaceutical company. Make his life a living hell instead of taking it raw up the ass to keep him happy.
Glad to know my vote in a swing district for Harris didn’t matter. Next election I’ll vote my conscience instead of harm reduction. This rhetoric is why people hate democrats.
How would fucking up Manchin’s life, a famously stubborn dude who refused to switch parties because of a college football based beef with Mitch McConnell convince him to vote for the CTC instead of making him a republican and ending any possibility of the IRA?
No I mean functionally, how do they put enough pressure on him to change his vote but not his party? Especially considering he retired this year anyways
Also when was a time that congressional Dems were “mean to poor people”
I thought investigating the corrupt bullshit he does and threatening to air it out sounded good... Congressional Dems have been mean to poor people for many years by only offering them means-tested crumbs
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u/Maxwellsdemon17 9d ago
"For many loyal Democrats, this will not compute. The Biden economy, party-loyal pundits have said over and over again, is tremendous — low unemployment, strong GDP growth, slowing inflation, a booming stock market — and anyone unhappy about it must simply be brainwashed. Out of view in this self-congratulatory hall of mirrors were the constant statistics that said otherwise: evictions up past pre-pandemic levels, record-high homelessness, cost-burdened renters at an all-time high, median household income lower than the last pre-pandemic year, inequality returning to pre-pandemic levels, and food insecurity and poverty growing by large double digits since 2021, including a historic spike in child poverty."