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We’re electing a president, not a monarch. Nobody is above criticism, and there’s a weird segment of people who act like criticism from the left exists only to help the right.
Like, I actually saw someone say we shouldn’t do it because it’s too nuanced for the average voter, and sorry but I don’t do paternalism like that. If reading criticism of how a candidate isn’t far enough left makes you vote further right, that’s a basic political literacy problem.
I mean, we could focus on defeating the GOP and the day after the election results come in start using social pressure to guide our elected officials. If the criticism risks the GOP seizing even more power, it might be counterproductive to your goals even if the criticism is valid.
Any good faith criticism of the Dem candidate should be obvious in its criticisms that R policies are inherently worse. For example, Harris’ record as DA is worth criticizing, but any bad decisions related to imprisoning people are going to be a million times worse under Trump, as Project 2025 shows.
Any good faith criticism of the Dem candidate should be obvious in its criticisms that R policies are inherently worse.
Your argument would be great if we didn't live in the reality presented below. There are too many people sitting on the fence who legitimately cannot discern between a mediocre candidate and a career conman, criminal rapist. Where you see nuance, others see "she's no better than Trump".
I like Harris as much as I like Biden, which is not at all, but the alternative is the very real possibility of the end of America.
For my money those charts will look very different after the next debate.
There’s also not a combination of words that’s going to convince me leftists criticizing Dems are going to kill America. Even if Trump gets elected, you are missing every potential lesson if what you take away is “leftists too mean.”
Yeah discouraging voters has never led anywhere bad before.
Normal people don't read lefty struggle sessions on the internet. 🙄
It's a good thing they only let "normal" people vote.
Normal people decide elections.
I have no idea what you mean by "normal" but many many mentally unhealthy people vote. If they didn't, trump wouldn't have ever been a thing
The average person i.e. people who mostly don't read online discussions about politics and get their opinions from legacy media and the other normal people in their own lives. Deranged politics freaks like us do not influence elections even slightly.
Being honest isn't discouraging, it's not being infantilizing.
Exactly this. On this platform and elsewhere, there is a lot of well-meaning criticism but there are many agents of chaos or narrative pushers that disguise themselves as genuine criticism. I try to interact genuinely and give an opportunity to demonstrate that they are looking for a constructive path forward for the party.
Well, last time we pushed Biden left it was called too soon after election, give them time to form a plan. Form a cabinet, figure out policies.
Then it was midterms. Questioning the policies for misterm gives Republicans a win. They have to keep these conservative polices set by the last Republican to win over Republican voters.
Then it's 2024. Questioning policies is a win for Republicans. They need to win this election, and then we can push them left.
I'm hoping it ends with a younger nominee.
Biden enacted the most left-wing policies of any president in US history. If that's not enough for you, you won't be satisfied with anyone who will get elected in the US.
Vote anyway.
It’s a lot easier to criticize the Democratic Party if the GOP is first discarded as useless trash and gets no votes in an election. Then we can decide who among our progressive candidates actually has the best approach forward.
Yet I keep seeing this thought assumed, that a 100% blue vote would “give them too much unchecked power”. This is the difference: We have a party while the GOP has a person. A bullet 2 inches to the right would have destroyed their whole movement.
Because when all those people do is criticize Democrats, sabotage outreach efforts, and don't put any time or effort into defeating fascists, then it is very obvious where they stand.
Like I get it - huffing farts from time to time is great. But you gotta take a break and mix some productive advocacy and outreach if you actually care about Democracy instead of just smelling farts.
Just to point out... many people don't care about the Democrats, except as a bulwark against the even more right-leaning Republicans. It's not an institution that they respect and admire, but one they grudgingly tolerate.
I only joined the party so I could vote for Bernie in the 2016 primaries! 😉
If people want a shift to the left, they have to make sure that the Democrats crush the Repulicans for a few election cycles so that the Overton window can stop moving right and go left instead.
Unfortunately, the Repulicans are voting in a united front every election, no matter what.
The Democrats are notably terrible voters. They don't show up like the Republicans do.
Maybe I'm super cynical, but does that really matter on Lemmy and the platforms connected to it?
Like, who's reading this comment section that's actually on the fence about going out and voting for a Harris ticket? It has to be a miniscule fraction.