How the Senate Democratic leader and his Gang of Eight keep trying to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.

  • Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca
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    24 minutes ago

    I liken the traditional Democrats to the secret battle plan from Black Adder 4.

    Capt. E. Blackadder: “We’ll all get out of our trenches and slowly march across No Man’s Land?” Capt. Darling: “How do you know that? It’s classified information!” Capt. E. Blackadder: "It’s what we did the last time, the time before and the previous seventeen times before that. Gen. Sir A.H. Melchitt: “PRECISELY! The absolute last thing the watchful Hun will suspect is us doing this again and thus we will take him completely by surprise!”

    • DancingBear@midwest.social
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      20 hours ago

      If you actually believe this instead of just accepting the fact we can look at his public campaign contributions donors and see who he is really listening to, then good luck in the world bruh

      • DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social
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        18 hours ago

        https://www.thedailybeast.com/schumer-mocked-for-mentioning-imaginary-couple-hundreds-of-times/

        You look at (what he believes to be) two existing requirements for him to hold power and prestige and insist that it can only be one, ignoring that most people base their decisions on multiple factors.

        Schumer takes his donor’s requests and tries to spin it into palatability for the mythical Baileys. That one is a delusion is irrelevant when we’re discussing why a senile dinosaur does what he does. He thinks he must appeal to both to win elections and so he tries to do both.

        • DancingBear@midwest.social
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          17 hours ago

          You’re saying a lot of words to agree with me that he has voted with his donors 90% of the time

          As an establishment dem I can only assume he is one of the most corrupt for voting with donor money instead of lieu of his own constituents

      • anomnom@sh.itjust.works
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        8 hours ago

        Dementia seems more likely at his age.

        I wonder if—now that modern medicine can keep wealthy people alive so long—all that lead they consumed is more of a problem than it used to be.

  • BrikoX@lemmy.zipOP
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    1 day ago

    Democratic party establishment is the most pathetic group of people…

    • ThorrJo@lemmy.sdf.org
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      22 hours ago

      The true function of the Democrat party in American politics is to dilute and dissipate energy which could instead go to build & maintain a real opposition party.

  • Tempus Fugit@midwest.social
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    24 hours ago

    I’ll genuinely be ecstatic when this turd is voted out. These dual allegiance fake lefties are a stain on humanity. What a disgrace of a human being.

  • korendian@lemmy.zip
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    1 day ago

    Because that’s what he does best? I hate the whole “both sides” thing, but the Dems need to come to Jesus on those in their party who ushered in the Trump era without a fight.

  • paranoid@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    His proposal pushes the healthcare debate into the height of midterm season, all while demonstrating an eagerness to reopen the government. He’s eliminating republican talking points regarding the shutdown while forcing the debate on the campaign trail. This is a smart move.

    • jontree255@lemmy.world
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      23 hours ago

      All caving does is make Dems look weak against Trump. Again. No one gives a shit if it’s “good politics” or “strategy”.

      There’s no reason to cave. GOP controls the govt. Make them nuke the filibuster if they want the govt open.

      • paranoid@lemmy.world
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        23 hours ago

        My point is, at least in part, that the proposal to extend healthcare subsidies for a year is not caving.

        • Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org
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          22 hours ago

          Bullshit. It’s caving and saying that they can let them expire in a year. The subsidy needs to be ironclad - and the alternative is that we repeal every law related for-profit health care as anything legal.

          • paranoid@lemmy.world
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            21 hours ago

            And in that year, it will be used as a talking point to motivate people to vote. And then (hopefully), enough of congress will agree to a budget that includes the subsidies, among other things

              • paranoid@lemmy.world
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                6 hours ago

                Since Roe v Wade was overturned, nearly every vote to grant abortion access passed. It’s an issue that motivates voters to act.

                However, it would seem that enough dems caved to the republican budget that it doesn’t matter. So basically everything I’ve said in this thread regarding the hopeful strategy that was put forth is moot. I’m back to being disappointed.

                • Infynis@midwest.social
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                  2 hours ago

                  Row v Wade was only able to be overturned because Democrats wanted to be able to run on the platform of defending it, rather than just codifying it into law

    • snooggums@piefed.world
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      23 hours ago

      Yeah, worked out really well when he caved this spring so we could force the debate during the current elections so he can cave again to push it off to next year’s elections.

      Totally not kicking the can down the road.

      • tburkhol@lemmy.world
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        22 hours ago

        In fact, I’d argue that perpetually kicking a hugely popular Democratic issue to the next election cycle says he specifically doesn’t want it solved, so that it can keep the same campaign literature.

    • Zaktor@sopuli.xyz
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      1 day ago

      There will be no debate. It will be extended until after the election. Democrats will try to make it a campaign issue, but since there will be no shutdown forcing attention, Republicans will just ignore it. Like they did up until the shutdown happened. People may be vaguely worried, but it won’t be a thing that’s happening now so they’ll just assume something will be done, and the extension now will condition them to believe that.

      If you think fighting about politics now is not important to the midterms, then demonstrating willingness to open the government and eliminating Republican taking points is also unimportant. However solidifying that Republicans are powerful and Democrats will always roll over is important. Not just for elections, but for standing up against fascism now.

      Chuck Schumer is not and has not ever been an electoral genius.

      • paranoid@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        The point is that this is fighting now, and setting up for the midterms

        If the main issue with the shutdown are healthcare subsidies, this will end the shutdown and provide those subsidies for the next year. If midterms go well for the dems, it’s a win for the long term. If the midterms don’t go well for the dems, we’re in the exact same position in one year as we are today, which sucks.

          • paranoid@lemmy.world
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            23 hours ago

            I think it’s become very clear how weak the system is. But people shouldn’t have to suffer. Keeping things shut down is using government workers and those who rely on SNAP as pawns.

            • Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org
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              22 hours ago

              Let them be pawns then. Democrat votes now are about accepting short-term agony for long-term benefits and hoping Republicans don’t mess things up in the long term. Whatever needs to happen to make sure that the Republicans don’t get what they want is the mandatory action.

    • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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      23 hours ago

      No, it isn’t. Republican talking points don’t matter, they’ll just come up with new talking points, because they’re all bullshit anyway. They’ve brazenly violated the law and are rounding people up off the streets, now is the time to play hardball and refuse to cooperate. The republicans are currently fighting to avoid giving people SNAP benefits, let them, and let’s see how that strategy plays out for them at the ballot box.

      In terms of optics, what’s important is to demonstrate that what the Republicans are doing isn’t normal and to make sure there’s actual daylight between their positions and those of the Democrats. Caving to their demands will only normalize what they’re doing and cause people to give up on going out to vote altogether.

      I swear, it doesn’t seem to matter to centrists how many times their electoral strategies are proven wrong in practice, because this whole, “move to the right to attract swing voters” is just accepted dogmatically. If that nonsense worked, Trump would never have gotten elected either time.

      • paranoid@lemmy.world
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        23 hours ago

        I agree with everything you said, but disagree on the path forward.

        I love that communities are coming together to help people who rely on SNAP, but it’s not sustainable. Nor is having government workers, furloughed or working, go unpaid. It is disgusting they, and others, are being used as pawns

        • OBJECTION!@lemmy.ml
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          20 hours ago

          Back in the day, when children were going hungry, the Black Panthers set up their free breakfast program to address the problem through direct action and to win support. Part of the reason the government set up a school meal program was to stop people from going to the Panthers. What the Republicans are doing when they gut these programs is they’re forgetting themselves and overplaying their hands. They believe that they are invincible, and part of the reason they believe that is that their only opposition have been so spineless, so willing to bend over backwards to shield them from the consequences of their own actions.

          Of course, capitulation and appeasement don’t work on fascists. If you’re unwilling to accept the possibility of people going hungry (something that is entirely the Republicans’ fault), then you can understand how unwilling Chamberlain was to accept the possibility of a second world war. But if you can understand that psychology, then you should understand that it’s wrong.

          As Warren Buffet put it, “There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.” Nobody should be rolling over and surrendering just because the enemy is targeting innocent people we can’t always protect, if anything, that’s all the more reason to fight. They’re already putting people in camps, what, are you waiting for them to start the furnaces? How is anyone supposed to take the Democrats seriously when they call Republicans fascists if they’re constantly trying to capitulate and appease them?

        • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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          16 hours ago

          it isnt a game, when its one side that holds all the cards, pushing an unfavorable legislation isnt going to help dems get re-elected in the house.

        • Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org
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          22 hours ago

          There is no more game. Either we destroy every part of Project 2025, and we imprison all the people involved. And that means 90% of the MAGApublicans.

          • paranoid@lemmy.world
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            1 hour ago

            In what way am I entitled? In what way am I gloating?

            I understand the stakes, and I hate what the country has become. It is disgusting that republicans are using people who rely on SNAP and healthcare subsidies as pawns to advance this stupid agenda that’s making life worse for the majority of the country.

            Instead of hurling insults at someone analyzing the situation, maybe you could educate yourself on political game theory. Perhaps then you’ll understand where I’m coming from in referring to politics as a game.

            • _cryptagion [he/him]@anarchist.nexus
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              59 minutes ago

              maybe you could educate yourself on political game theory

              says the person who thinks it’s a good thing the democrats just traded promises of absolutely nothing for everything the republicans wanted. you’re celebrating that the democrats just condemned ~50,000 people to death every year because they won’t be able to afford health insurance as a genius political move in some grand game you’ve made up in your head. you’re pretty fucking disgusting, dude.

              K1vfqnxoezPbZNs.png

      • paranoid@lemmy.world
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        1 hour ago

        The plan doesn’t work all the time - there’s always risk

        That being said, punting on the prosecutions is the most disappointing and disgusting thing that led trump to power. They relied on the idea that voters wouldn’t elect him simply based on j6 and the indictments, but underestimated the stupidity of voters and the way trump manipulates his base. Having bootlickers in places of power to slow it all down certainly did not help.

        Regardless, a bunch of dems caved to the budget without the extension of subsidies, so none of it matters anyway