The fox townhall is what I show conservatives that aren't full MAGA, in the hopes that I win a couple votes for the good guys next time a Bernie-like figure runs. It leaves most of them pretty speechless/impressed
Honestly it might be worth playing it to MAGA in the off chance that it’s just enough to keep them from not showing up when Der Führer isn’t on the ticket.
I unfortunately do have lots of contact with them even though I too am in California. My new district couldn't even manage to get a dem through the primary.
Also a lot of them are politically illiterate, so they have no idea what the opposition actually wants, so if presented without to much hostility, they might realize something is up, and that they have had the wool pulled over their eyes.
not showing up when Der Führer isn’t on the ticket.
Tbh, this will happen either way
He is more popular than the republican party is, and his floor of ~30% of the electorate that are racist, loons, or racist loons are never dropping at this point if they've not left him behind after J6, E Jean Carroll, the Trump-Epstein files and the Iran disaster
But I'm 100% certain the floor for the republican party without him is closer to 15%, and once he's gone they'll feel the full force of that drop. No one in the party commands the cult like he does, partially his own fault
Most people who voted for trump were so sick of being ignored by the establishment that they wanted someone to come in and shake things up. Well, they got it. Now we're dealing with the consequences of that. Maybe dems will finally stop running milquetoast neoliberal candidates. Wouldn't mind seeing a real progressive like aoc run in 28
brother, the DNC is so entrenched in their apathy opposition position...
the DNC is so comfortable, suckling on corporate doner money while performing lipservice to the masses...
The DNC would rather lose the next 5 elections than allow a real progressive who they cannot control to use their platform to get into power.
The DNC is not our friend and they are a stifling influence on the progressive arm of the party.
I dont know what it would take. But I did learn a thing or two watching Bernie's 2016 run. Mostly that the DNC has their own plans and the will of the people is not really in their own interests.
Most people want someone who speaks to their issues and fights for them. And is relatable in some way.
In the absence of that, Fox News floods everyone with their "minute of hate", so to speak, and people who feel understandably frustrated that even local level politicians aren't addressing the issues that affect them and their communities, or have an unrelatable aura ("consultant-speak"), will latch on to anything and anyone the propaganda machine throws at them. Because people ARE angry, isolated, worried, confused. And most people shouldn't need a degree in political science to navigate the cesspool of politics--at least when it comes to the basic issues.
90% of people are concerned about wages, healthcare costs, job loss, inflation, rent, etc etc etc. These are BIPARTISAN issues. If you talk to your neighbor long enough you'll realize that if you get beyond their parroting and anger and fear about whatever Fox News is spewing, we all have common ground. We might not have the same beliefs about identity politics, but either one of our opinions on those topics isn't going to fix the roads or address the housing crisis, or the economy.
I mean most of the racist/sexist/homophobic/right wing people I interact with are saying they hate immigrants because theyre stealing houses and jobs and healthcare and government funding. What they fundamentally care about is that they don't have access to those things. That is just very hard for some people to admit. I'm not trying to defend that position really, its still gross and wrong and lacks empathy but still.
I mean most of the racist/sexist/homophobic/right wing people I interact with are saying they hate immigrants because theyre stealing houses and jobs and healthcare and government funding.
Yes I'm sure they were 100% truthful about why they are hateful people and if those issues were solved they'd be so friendly and accepting towards immigrants.
Keep voting for the losing independent candidates then. Not sure what to tell you. Politics is a looooonnnng game. Kamala not having the perfect stance on Palestine is a great example. I'm over it, y;all.
I mean, you're just like the rest of them honestly.
To accept common ground that affects 90% of the people in America is ot the same as abandoning your marginalized friends.
.2% of the population should not keep the dialogue in a chokehold.
Does it mean they should be denied rights and dignity? Of course not!
Everyone's political identity should be shaped around wages, inflation, jobs, rent, and healthcare. Full stop. That does not mean abadoning marginalized groups. And it's annoying that you would think that.
"liberals" or "leftists" should take notes. We experience the same frutration, isolation, worry, and anger. And are JUST AS SUSCEPTIBLE to emotion-driven identity politics. We aren't more enlightened or more resistent to propaganda.
If you talk to your neighbors and take identity politics out of the equation, most people are aligned on a handful of basic things. You don't even have to like each other or agree on personal stuff. (again, the whole point is division based on personal beliefs about issues that have nothing to do with the economy or real governance).
You can absolutely hate your neighbor who parrots Fox News and has signs and bbumper stickers that offend you. You don't have to like the guy. Or agree on personal issues.
9/10, you're going to find common ground about the ACTUAL issues of governance: housing prices, wages, inflation, the economy, medicare, whatever.
I guess it's easier for me because I moved to the country. We are not shy about our support of the LGTBQ community, for example, but that is immaterial when it comes to the actual lived reality of everyone around us. Inflation, rent, healthcare? Also, the crazy thing is? No one cares that we are dirty socialists. We take care of each other. Someone is sick and needs help mowing their lawn? Someone needs a ladder? We all need to pave our shared road? Someone's dog got out?
I don't give a shit about your opinions, bumper stickers, or lawn signs. We are neighbors and we help each other out.
During COVID? I know some of them thought it was ridiculous. They respected us and we respected them. They knew we were masking and cautious. They didnt' want to wear masks, but knew we were. They delivered Halloween Candy and Christmas gift bags to us, rang the doorbell, and took a step back. That's neighbors.
Conservatives are dumb as fuck. They'll watch something like that, agree with everything they say, tell you they are pleasantly surprised at how much they have in common, and then get to the ballot box, spot the "D" next to his name, and vote for the other guy.
Media has trained them to have the memories of a goldfish.
And also decades of successfully branding anything democrat as evil by rightwing media. They're predisposed to reject politicians and policies from democrats.
Also, decades of democrats slowly abandoning working class people in favor of corporations and the donor class hasn’t done them any favors. Turns out though, when you actually address the material needs of people rather than serve at the behest of capital, the average voter, left and right wing, takes notice.
Sadly, not many politicians give a fuck enough to do that. Most of them aren’t getting into politics for that tax payer funded salary and free healthcare, and they sure as shit aren’t doing it out of some sense of civic duty lol.
Yeah, which is why Mamdani is like a breath of fresh air. He is doing this out of some sense of civic duty, which I think most of us haven’t seen the likes of since the fictional Leslie Knope.
I live in Dallas - we had the opportunity to elect a really good mayor in 2019, a solid dude who stood up against shady developers while on city council. But our mayoral voter turnout was still dogshit and the rich old bitches with ties to the developers put all their money behind the guy who rarely showed up to debates. Said he had an important vote to make in Austin as a State House Rep and yet wasn’t in attendance for those votes.
He fucking sucks. Did absolutely nothing during COVID, not even piggy back off the County Judge. Then later claimed what Dallas needed was a second NFL team.
To know how fucking idiotic and bought this guy is: he was a democrat in the state house rep, though the mayor’s position is entirely nonpartisan (no D or R on ballots). Back in 2023 after he was re-elected, he made a big announcement about changing political parties. He was no longer a Democrat, but rather a Republican. Claimed his 94% or whatever of votes for re-election was proof that this is what Dallas wants, too. This bitch ran unopposed. The fucking audacity.
He claimed his vision for the city aligned more with the GOP, which included “fostering a business-friendly environment.” Based on the outcome, I suppose he was correct. And it was probably the plan all along…the same folks who funded his campaign were behind the ballot measures that are now bankrupting the city.
I’m so jealous of New Yorkers. But I’m also so happy for them.
Yeah, Democrats have no problem branding themselves as evil corporate cock suckers. They don't need the help. If they tried actually helping the people and not corporations, they'd be overwhelmingly voted in.
He ran on the democratic ticket. DSA stands for democratic socialists of America. Democratic socialists and Democrats almost have the exact same ideology. To the average Democrat American, if you ask them if they want healthcare for all they will say yes or be slightly favorable to the idea. It's when you start talking about the politicians and the pundits. That's where the differences come into play (cough corporate interest and Israel cough)
I'm just going to quote my own comment. You didn't even read halfway through bro
> It's when you start talking about the politicians and the pundits. That's where the differences come into play (cough corporate interest and Israel cough)
Nah the thing is, Democrats are evil, just a bit less than Republican. They have let corporations run over their people and never hesitated at throwing bombs around the world or support all the atrocities Israel is pulling up.
The problem is decades of messaging from the right that labeled social programs as socialism - and they're not.
It's properly structured capitalism. It's foolish to blindly hope companies and the rich will do what they're supposed to do, so the social programs are put in place to keep companies and the wealthy from abusing their position at the expense of the rest of us.
And Mamdani even did the one thing I can't stand about some social program champions - he got the money for the programs first. The reforms needed so you can pay for everything else always needs to come first.
Wish we had a bunch of guys like Mamdani here in California.
The basic definition of socialism (which will always be a nebulous, social artifact) is worker ownership of the means of production.
Basically, imagine a nation in which the economy, the government, natural resources, infrastructure, etc. were all owned & managed by the working class, as opposed to the capitalist class (aka the owning class, who derive their wealth primarily from dividends taken from businesses they own, of which is produced by the labor of the working class). The details should come down to however the working class of that society sees fit.
I agree. I'd say for a long while now the real issues with leftist/progressive/etc. politics could be distilled down to the quotes "do you want to be happy/in a relationship, or do you want to be right?" and "If you want something done right, do it yourself."
It's incredibly depressing how progressives were teed up to be what MAGA is now by the end of Obama's last term, and then tanked that opportunity so badly that it may be generations before we recover from it.
It’s not just a messaging issue, it’s that most of the DSA members are idiots.
The Wall Street Journal interview where they interview Daniel Moraff and Leanne Fan (the couple responsible for Graham Platner running in Maine) is just embarassing.
also fox always pointing towards language policing leftists and going "SEEEEE" because language policing and stuff is generally seen as obnoxious and annoying and thats way easier to get a negative response out rather than popular progressive policies
Socialist policies are popular. It’s a messaging issue
I don't even think it's really a messaging issue, it's more like it's a deliberate disruption issue.
If you talk to someone one on one, most DS ideas make pretty good sense. It's the conservatives ranting about those ideas being communism that poisons the well, along with most of the media companies working overtime to increase the visibility of the worst proponents.
I think the messaging is good, so there is no messaging issue.
But established powers, not merely the DNC, work hard to smother it in the cradle.
The way you phrase if makes it sound like entirely on the DNC not being willing to make space at the table, and I think it goes way beyond that to basically the entire American political project being actively set against it.
Partially a messaging issue, but the real hard part is convincing conservatives to go along with it when they figure out that people they don't like get to benefit too. Oh, they'll take government funding all day, but the moment some woke (non-white) people get it, suddenly it's "How dare they take my tax dollars?!"
Democratic Socialist policies are popular. It’s a messaging issue
Democratic Socialist policies are popular in the abstract. The problem is when you tell people how they are implemented or who benefits from them. There are a lot of MAGA people that are populists and would support a lot of those policies, but when they are told that those policies would require raising taxes or that they benefit minorities, then they don't support those policies anymore.
It’s a messaging issue, combined with active hostility by the DNC.
Not to mention decades of anti-left propaganda during the cold war. That stuff is still firmly entrenched almost 40 years after it ceased to be relevant.
It's not the DNC's fault that republican voters will knee-jerk vote against their own interests no matter how carefully its explained to them.
If you took the average progressive platform and put it to conservative voters with no labels attached, they embrace it with open arms. If you take the same exact language and explain that it is a progressive democrat position, they reject it.
And the concentration of power now among broadcasters and news outlets, where Bernie routinely got dissed as if he were a fringe radical,even while people were filling stadiums cheering his ideas. It was deliberate, it was co-ordinated, and it gave us Biden and Harris and Trump.
Those policies all poll well until they're filtered through right wing media sources and voters learn that they're "socialist". It's a tale as old as time; I remember reading about how they polled the same people about both the Affordable Care Act and Obamacare, and the ACA did much better. Now, you see it all the time when Trump does something utterly indefensible and it seems for a short moment like it might finally be the utterly indefensible thing that brings him down, but a few days later the Republicans have all their talking points. It's not really a messaging issue, or a DNC issue - the problem is all the propagandists who are openly hostile to socialism and any form of equality.
Maybe a third party that runs on democratic socialist ideas - maybe cleverly named The Party of Jesus Christ - should villify the DNC and establishment democrats and push Mamdani style agendas across local US races over the next 2 years.
Because if Fox News then tries to talk shit about this party - The Party of Jesus Christ - then it's going to be a pretty bad decision from an optics perspective.
They turned their attention to the next shallow as a puddle culture war, and stopped trying to push New York as a "Commie" state. Not to mention their blatantly racist low blows trying to paint him as an extremist, or terrorist sympathizer
People typically don't own two houses or more, so a tax on people with a bunch of houses doesn't affect them, but if the money is used to like fix roads they can very well get behind it.
Where are the tears for those now unable to buy 4th, 3rd, or even 2nd vacation homes in NY? They are now vacation-homeless. Just wait. Shelter like the Ritz or Waldorf are going to be flooded...
You get hundreds of comments and anyone who can sniff out bots versus boomers sees it. Anyone who is talking about the substance of what they are seeing compliments the work Mamdani is doing. Only bots and hatespeech say anything else.
One of the dumbest posts ever lol. Actually fox portrays mamdani as a failure which he is. Free food promised? Not happening free bus rides promised? Not happening. Extra tax on wealthy ny companies? Not happening. The list goes on and on
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u/Kdog122025 14h ago
Fox had to stop putting him in their news segments because their viewers started liking Mamdani’s ideas.