this post was submitted on 28 May 2024
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You are describing a ratcheting system.
There seems to be no voter action that can produce a more progressive candidate.
Sure there is, but too many progressive voters just seem to be unwilling to act to get them. It takes long term planning.
Let's look at Barack Obama, a man whose political career to President was considered to be extremely fast, and who was considered to be very inexperienced and a shockingly fast rise.
He was elected President of the Harvard Law Review in 1990, 18 years before he would become President of the USA. In 1992 he directed a voter registration project/drive in Chicago that was successful enough to be big news. In 1996 he was elected to the Illinois State Senate, and in 2000 he lost the primary for a US Representative position.
But here's a very important part: in 2003 he became chairman of a state committee when Democrats regained a majority. This allowed him to have some legislative successes, specifically in the field of racial profiling. Hmm, that ain't gonna be important in Illinois ever again, is it?
With that legislative success, he was able to win the primary for Senate, but even then, this essentially required the incumbent in that slot to be gone. Then he was a Senator for merely four years before becoming President. And also notably for those who act like the DNC simply anoints candidates, he beat Hillary in the primary, despite her being favored by most of the entrenched elite of the party.
And the important thing to remember is this was a startlingly fast political career, considered by everyone to be a meteoric rise, an outlier. He was in politics for only 12 years before becoming President, though he did politics adjacent things even earlier. A more expected career would probably go for 20 to 30 years before becoming President.
So you want voter action for more progressive candidates? It starts a quarter century ago, in state-level offices like the Illinois Senate. It starts by getting those candidates elected over goddamn decades.
Politics is like farming, you can't show up in harvest season, look around, and go 'where are all the crops?' and then be pissy that there's gonna be a famine this winter. You gotta show up in the planting season, plant those crops, take care of them, keep them healthy and watered and fertilized as they grow, so you can finally get your food when harvest time comes.
So you want to complain about the lack of candidates, well here's my question: where the fuck were you all in planting season a quarter of a century ago? Cause these crops take a goddamn while to grow.
Obama is a neoliberal. I don't want more elected politicians with his views
If I did want Obama 2.0 then I'd vote for Buttigieg. And I hate Buttigieg
Way to miss the point.
The point is his career took twelve years and it was considered a meteoric rise, incredibly fast. You want better candidates, start working for it and help them make their way through the system.
Who's your representative in your state house? Who was their primary opponent? Did you vote in that primary to try and get a more progressive candidate? Have you worked to get your local community to support more progressive candidates in small offices, so they can eventually become high level candidates?
There's a chance you can answer those questions and have done what you can, but the vast, vast majority of progressives seem to just complain that no perfect candidate has been delivered to them despite no effort on their part.
Yes, actually
Right, because he was willing to be a corporate shill who happened to be generationally charismatic. Which is what Buttigieg tried (and failed) to replicate. And is what Bill Clinton successfully did in 1992 - though he had a longer career prior to that than either 08 Obama or 2020 Buttigieg
The system and ruling class are highly opposed to socialists. And are even opposed to social democrats like the Nordic countries or FDR. We live in an oligarchic empire in decline. Which means that fascism is unfortunately very likely in our lifetimes - if not via Trump in 2024, then likely via someone else in 2028 or 2032. The fact that we'll soon be dealing with increased millions of climate refugees, both internationally and from gulf states like Florida, will only accelerate such devolution.
So telling people to vote harder is very insufficient. People are correct to be depressed and furious. Their futures are bleak - but not as bleak as the futures of their grandchildren
I've been "planting" for 24 years and the "crops" have only gotten worse.
You are not limited to just your vote on the day of presidential elections in terms of your political engagement
It's almost like they don't want you to have one.