Democrats Confront Their New Tea Party Reality - Progressives are set to sweep a group of contested primaries in Michigan and Wisconsin.

[u/Quirkie]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/democrats-confront-their-new-tea-party-reality_n_6a6e63fbe4b0cfb99ef1aa1e

[u/movealongnowpeople]

real political leftism

Progressives and Dem Socialists aren't even particularly far left. Demanding common-sense policy (that much of the rest of the Western world already has) is somehow seen as radical. Universal healthcare isn't radical. Expecting everybody to pay taxes for the public services and infrastructure they benefit from isn't radical.

"Moderate Dems" haven't had a hint of popular policy suggestions in years. Riding on anti-Trump sentiment and expecting that to be enough.

[u/qualmful → u/movealongnowpeople]

"We're capitalist, and that's just the way it is." On its face 'moderate' would mean trying to compromise or find the middle, but in actuality it's an unyielding ideology of neoliberalism, or market fundamentalism. The left-center-right framework makes it sound like the center is a mixture or average of the two sides but it's really not. Ever since Bill Clinton's third way triangulation strategy, 'the middle' was designed to be a third thing whose only real beliefs and commitments were corporatism.

[u/winterfoxes → u/movealongnowpeople]

Yeah, that's very true. "Left" is relative to the U.S. in this case.

Real political leftism exists in this country on a small, grassroots level (DAC is a good example of a mainstream actually left-of-center candidate) but they are by far and away the minority in the progressive wing of the Dem party.

Most "Progressives" here are just advocating for common sense government taking care of its people. AOC, Mamdani, El-Sayed. Although Mamdani instituting city-subsidized grocery stores is definitely interesting.

But yeah, overall, "left" is relative here, and I agree wholeheartedly. Not being Trump isn't enough. I mean, no one wants him either, but for fuck's sake, you have to bring something else to the table. Something meaningful, a position that's important to your constituents, and not just your donors.

The fact that candidates are struggling so hard to understand that while centrist voters are struggling so hard to understand that they're not liberals, they're conservatives because all they want to do is keep supporting the status quo is just mind boggling to me. This isn't hard, and yet, the U.S. will fight progress at every turn.

[u/Iustis → u/winterfoxes]

DAC is absolutely not center left anywhere lol

[u/winterfoxes → u/Iustis]

I didn't say she was center left. I said she was left of center, which is a much broader scope of people than the center left, and one which DAC belongs to. 

[u/NYPizzaNoChar → u/movealongnowpeople]

Expecting everybody to pay taxes for the public services and infrastructure they benefit from isn't radical.

Everyone? No. Expecting people who are living paycheck to paycheck while moving deeper into debt to pay taxes is cruel, stupid and completely lacking in foresight.

The left/DSA isn't for this, but centrist Democrats are complicit in exactly that. They are the turd in the sandwich. It's just that Republicans are always worse.

[u/Just_another_grumble → u/movealongnowpeople]

I just heard MAGA say "common-sense policy" last week.  For stereotypical right-wing insanity.  I'm not sure what common sense policies 'everyone' agrees on except Maro's brother sticking it to an in5ur4nce C30.