What about for those of us who are politically homeless because we are anti-debt, anti-deficit, anti-economic coercion, somewhat tax averse, and socially liberal? I guess we can go fuck ourselves. If covid taught us anything, it's that the most popular thing is to give away trillions, don't raise taxes, but then complain about the inflation and blame it on Russia or greedy companies. People are stupid as shit. Who wants to be a goddamn populist.
We should stop waiting for the Republican Party to reform itself, because that's not going to happen. A new, pro-liberty, pro-Constitution Center-Right party needs to replace the Republicans, just as the Republicans replaced the Whigs when they became corrupted beyond salvation. People like Adam Kinzinger need to start stepping up.
It isn't the internet but a structural issue--the Electoral College., which makes any third party a risk that might put a minority vote-getter in power. And because of the way votes are allocated in the EC, it has put minority vote-getters in power in 2000 and 2016--twice already in this century, and it will get worse. A secondary issue is the primary system, which essentially allows Iowa and New Hampshire to choose our candidates (with considerable hype by the media). If we had all primaries on one day, we would have a far more representative swath of the population; and they should be primaries, not caucuses, which lend themselves to intimidation.
There's an easy technical fix (in the sense that it only requires an Act of Congress and not a constitutional amendment) for the Electoral College: take the cap off the membership of the House of Representatives, so that every Representative represents the same number of voters and so, pretty much, does every Presidential Elector. This was a great opportunity that the Dems missed when they controlled both Houses of Congress at the start of the Biden Administration. I hope that they get another chance next year, and this time make it happen.
"Trump, since 2016, has managed to convincingly paint Democrats as the side of “authority,” the “establishment,” the “elite”—a branding that is electorally fatal for the Dems unless they can somehow rectify it."
But it is absolutely true. So for Democrats to "rectify it" would mean to push a lie through their media propaganda system.
There are two sides to this political homelessness situation. On the Republican side we have the old establishment high and mighty moralists and globalists (the old Reagan right) that hate the American working class almost as much as does the new Democrat majority. On the Democrat side we have the old liberals that have taken over the Wall Street-powered corporatist position while also trying to embrace the radical left that comprise the youth vote.
Moderates in the middle dislike it all. They dislike the high and mighty moralists in the Republican party (those that support the Handmaiden's Tale abortion position) and those still connected to the money-making sandbox of the globalist war industry. They also dislike the woke radicals and the crappy economic policies the Democrats push on the electorate. But they are also waking up to the fact that the Democratic party is the real establishment party... beholden to Wall Street and the mega corporations that are looting the country to an empty shell.
The Wall Street corporatist machine owns the media and tech and the media and tech keeps up the propaganda that does not match the kitchen table issues that voters really care about. Because those real issues are inconvenient to the money-making sandbox of the elite managerial and ruling class that the Wall Street corporatist machine connects with.
This gets down to the simple binary consideration of establishment vs non-establishment. The politically homeless are those that are anti-establishment but are not supported because the media is owned by the establishment, and those not willing to admit they are anti-establishment but really, really dislike the current establishment.
One problem is that the two tips of what was a political spectrum and that is now U-shaped do not seem to be committed to preserving our constitutional democratic republic. A second problem is that if you cut off the tips and straighten the U out, we have a right - left political spectrum in which there is not a lot of agreement. However, not that far away from the tips of the U, closer to the middle, there is agreement that out constitutional democratic republic must be protected from those who would endanger it. How may we act to protect our republic?
It's depressing to see an article about the need for a "political realignment" with a list of issues that are "up for grabs" that ignores immigration. If Joe Biden -- whom I fervently support for a second term because although I'm not a Democrat, I fervently support the Constitution -- continues to ignore the mess on the southern border, I'm convinced that it is the issue that will cost him the election. If small-d democrats won't fix immigration, the voters WILL turn to authoritarians to do it.
It's hard to promote a commonsense candidate when the electorate seems in short supply themselves and ditto the party machines. I ask myself, though, why can't that person or persons just run as a commonsense Democrat or a commonsense Republican with No Labels even if the party machines shun something like that. Voters don't need to agree with the party line or the party machines. Someone doesn't have to identify as no party or Independent to do this. The party machines wish they had that kind of control, but they don't. Their fringy-ness is certainly obvious to everyone at the point. I'm an elected Democrat PCO in my neighborhood that is in Seattle. The party machine hates me because I call myself a bipartisan wing Democrat meaning no way in hell am I vote blue no matter who. I vote for the candidate closest to my values and priorities. They wanted to move some kinds of rules of conduct to get me silenced. I'm elected by my neighbors, not the party machine. I have no allegiance to them. They're off the charts Progressivists, if not socialists or communists. They even tried to move some code of conduct rules that would prohibit members of the party group from promoting any other candidates than the ones they endorse. Well, no. I'm not doing that. It's wholly inappropriate. I'm for reform and that's why I'm there.
There is currently no viable third party candidate but sometime soon after Super Tuesday if Trump and Biden are still the inevitable options, No Labels will put forth candidates. These will be national figures and just maybe viable candidates. With 49% politically homeless because the two political parties are so broken and distrusted, this may be a Ross Perot moment when people of different political persuasions come together. Is it likely to succeed? No, but it’s surely not impossible. One can hope, at least, which is more than I can say of the two tribal parties’ sleepwalking options.
Good one! I never claimed to be wise! But it’s not an individual thing. It takes collective action - the courage to chang the things WE can change. Be brave! Together. :)
What about for those of us who are politically homeless because we are anti-debt, anti-deficit, anti-economic coercion, somewhat tax averse, and socially liberal? I guess we can go fuck ourselves. If covid taught us anything, it's that the most popular thing is to give away trillions, don't raise taxes, but then complain about the inflation and blame it on Russia or greedy companies. People are stupid as shit. Who wants to be a goddamn populist.
We should stop waiting for the Republican Party to reform itself, because that's not going to happen. A new, pro-liberty, pro-Constitution Center-Right party needs to replace the Republicans, just as the Republicans replaced the Whigs when they became corrupted beyond salvation. People like Adam Kinzinger need to start stepping up.
It isn't the internet but a structural issue--the Electoral College., which makes any third party a risk that might put a minority vote-getter in power. And because of the way votes are allocated in the EC, it has put minority vote-getters in power in 2000 and 2016--twice already in this century, and it will get worse. A secondary issue is the primary system, which essentially allows Iowa and New Hampshire to choose our candidates (with considerable hype by the media). If we had all primaries on one day, we would have a far more representative swath of the population; and they should be primaries, not caucuses, which lend themselves to intimidation.
There's an easy technical fix (in the sense that it only requires an Act of Congress and not a constitutional amendment) for the Electoral College: take the cap off the membership of the House of Representatives, so that every Representative represents the same number of voters and so, pretty much, does every Presidential Elector. This was a great opportunity that the Dems missed when they controlled both Houses of Congress at the start of the Biden Administration. I hope that they get another chance next year, and this time make it happen.
Yup.
"Trump, since 2016, has managed to convincingly paint Democrats as the side of “authority,” the “establishment,” the “elite”—a branding that is electorally fatal for the Dems unless they can somehow rectify it."
But it is absolutely true. So for Democrats to "rectify it" would mean to push a lie through their media propaganda system.
There are two sides to this political homelessness situation. On the Republican side we have the old establishment high and mighty moralists and globalists (the old Reagan right) that hate the American working class almost as much as does the new Democrat majority. On the Democrat side we have the old liberals that have taken over the Wall Street-powered corporatist position while also trying to embrace the radical left that comprise the youth vote.
Moderates in the middle dislike it all. They dislike the high and mighty moralists in the Republican party (those that support the Handmaiden's Tale abortion position) and those still connected to the money-making sandbox of the globalist war industry. They also dislike the woke radicals and the crappy economic policies the Democrats push on the electorate. But they are also waking up to the fact that the Democratic party is the real establishment party... beholden to Wall Street and the mega corporations that are looting the country to an empty shell.
The Wall Street corporatist machine owns the media and tech and the media and tech keeps up the propaganda that does not match the kitchen table issues that voters really care about. Because those real issues are inconvenient to the money-making sandbox of the elite managerial and ruling class that the Wall Street corporatist machine connects with.
This gets down to the simple binary consideration of establishment vs non-establishment. The politically homeless are those that are anti-establishment but are not supported because the media is owned by the establishment, and those not willing to admit they are anti-establishment but really, really dislike the current establishment.
One problem is that the two tips of what was a political spectrum and that is now U-shaped do not seem to be committed to preserving our constitutional democratic republic. A second problem is that if you cut off the tips and straighten the U out, we have a right - left political spectrum in which there is not a lot of agreement. However, not that far away from the tips of the U, closer to the middle, there is agreement that out constitutional democratic republic must be protected from those who would endanger it. How may we act to protect our republic?
It's depressing to see an article about the need for a "political realignment" with a list of issues that are "up for grabs" that ignores immigration. If Joe Biden -- whom I fervently support for a second term because although I'm not a Democrat, I fervently support the Constitution -- continues to ignore the mess on the southern border, I'm convinced that it is the issue that will cost him the election. If small-d democrats won't fix immigration, the voters WILL turn to authoritarians to do it.
It's hard to promote a commonsense candidate when the electorate seems in short supply themselves and ditto the party machines. I ask myself, though, why can't that person or persons just run as a commonsense Democrat or a commonsense Republican with No Labels even if the party machines shun something like that. Voters don't need to agree with the party line or the party machines. Someone doesn't have to identify as no party or Independent to do this. The party machines wish they had that kind of control, but they don't. Their fringy-ness is certainly obvious to everyone at the point. I'm an elected Democrat PCO in my neighborhood that is in Seattle. The party machine hates me because I call myself a bipartisan wing Democrat meaning no way in hell am I vote blue no matter who. I vote for the candidate closest to my values and priorities. They wanted to move some kinds of rules of conduct to get me silenced. I'm elected by my neighbors, not the party machine. I have no allegiance to them. They're off the charts Progressivists, if not socialists or communists. They even tried to move some code of conduct rules that would prohibit members of the party group from promoting any other candidates than the ones they endorse. Well, no. I'm not doing that. It's wholly inappropriate. I'm for reform and that's why I'm there.
There is currently no viable third party candidate but sometime soon after Super Tuesday if Trump and Biden are still the inevitable options, No Labels will put forth candidates. These will be national figures and just maybe viable candidates. With 49% politically homeless because the two political parties are so broken and distrusted, this may be a Ross Perot moment when people of different political persuasions come together. Is it likely to succeed? No, but it’s surely not impossible. One can hope, at least, which is more than I can say of the two tribal parties’ sleepwalking options.
No Labels has no chance.
You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one, maybe someday you’ll join us, and the country will be as one.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Good one! I never claimed to be wise! But it’s not an individual thing. It takes collective action - the courage to chang the things WE can change. Be brave! Together. :)