The Next Democratic President Better Be Merciless
The winning message for a Democrat:
I will be your revenge. I will burn the Republican's criminal empire to the ground. It won't undo their crimes, but I will make them suffer.
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a70246850/josh-shapiro-andy-beshear-president/Open linkView original on lemmy.world362
Comments99
There needs to be a revolution within the Democratic party, today. Not in a week or a month, today. We're not able to oppose fascism because the fascists are fucking clever or strong or smart: We're not able to oppose fascism because the Democratic leadership dont' want to.
If we don't replace Schumers and Jeffereies, its cooked. It wont matter. No circle jerking about November going to help. We need war-time leadership in the DNC now. Alas, Babylon. They need to start acting like a government in absentia, because they already are one.
I tried calling my rep. Automatically forwarded straight to a full mailbox. I'm not a major donor, so I guess I can just shout into the void.
The monied class, the one that actually drives policy, has a direct number
Did you try tweeting your rep? That seems to be the only way to get their attention these days.
Same with every corporation it feels like too
I expect any Democrat in the primary who wants my support to be protesting until they get tear gassed or arrested.
Precisely. We were all hyped up hoping for change, and this would have been a massive one. Instead we got 8 more years of war, RomneyCare with no public option, and continued expansion of executive overreach including extrajudicial killings. Such a disappointing continuation of the status quo, and there are blue maga out there who pretend like it was the greatest presidency of our lifetimes for some reason.
As a older millennial, I think it actually was the greatest presidency of my lifetime... As fucked as that is. Maybe Clinton was better but I was too young to have been paying attention.
I think they're going for saying it like it's a big accomplishment rather than a sign of how terrible our presidents have been. Yeah he cleared the bar but it's so low and it was barely cleared so is it really that much of a brag
The first Clinton presidency was the last time I voted for president because I voted for him and about a year in thought, 'how the fuck is this guy not a republican?' exactly like I did once Obama took over.
If clinton testifies that trump gave him a blowjob, he will go down as one of the best-- simply for saving whats left of the "republic". If he fails to do that he's a mixed bag, and a bit of a failure.
Better if he says "No, he didn't blow me. Someone else was blowing me. And when I jizzed, it got in his face because he was licking my ass."
Bill Clinton straight facedly describing being give a rusty-trombone by Trump would be the best moment in all American politics, ever.
And if you're expecting that things would change with just a President then you're one of the George Carlin Americans too.
Dude, I'm not saying that Obama was a progressive stalwart but if you're going to complain about RomenyCare+ being the only option without a public option then you need to read up on how that was thwarted by moderate Democrats. You want there to not be a repeat then you've got to get your ass up and moving in the primaries to get these "moderate" neoliberal conservatives out of the party.
Ain't no point in a merciless Progressive President if you've got your party stabbing you in the back every chance they get.
I wish Carlin were still alive, but no I don’t expect one person to be able to move a mountain. It takes a whole admin to do that. Many of whom the president can appoint, but still.
I know all about what happened with RomneyCare. Biden gave away the public option before they even started negotiating. He literally just gave it away like the absolute turd that he is.
I also agree with voting vociferously in the primaries, but my point is that maybe taking over the Dems is a lost cause and more trouble than it’s worth. Just let them become the corporate party with Repugs, and form a new progressive/populist party instead. It would be a whole lot easier to build from the ground up.
Whatever the new progressive party is named, it should have only two goals...firstly, to eradicate the Trump Regime. Secondly, ditch the First Past the Post election system, switching the whole nation to ranked choice and direct voting.
American politics have been inbred by a horrid voting system.
Yeah... if Obama isn't the greatest president of my lifetime (I was born during Reagan), then who was?
touché
Being the tallest kid in kindergarten doesn't make you eligible for the NBA
Admit it, you just hate him cause of the tan suit and Dijon mustard.
It was the greatest Presidency of our lifetimes. Think about the others since Nixon…
This is a sad truth, you’re right.
Yeah, it sucks. It started out so good, everyone was filled with hope. Like yeah the country was in a dark period but we were gonna start to work our way out of it.
I didn’t think Obama was going to deliver a communist utopia, but I did think he was going to show people that the path to the right ways (clean energy, affordable and accessible healthcare) were possible and not that painful to start down the path of.
And it all got watered down, including the man himself, into neoliberal trash, as you enumerated above. It was certainly the biggest let-down presidency of our lifetimes, which is why it feels awful compared to the others (well, except Trump). It was supposed to finally be one for us.
Now, we just know that we best start believing in Squid Games; we’re in one! 🏴☠️ 🦑
Oh, you mean fighting back against non-state actors such as Al-Qaida that were actively waging war against the people of the US? Yeah, he should have just done a Schumer and written them a strongly-worded letter.
I'm far from an Obama fan, but I really get sick of repetition of keyword-based bothsides memes with no thought behind them.
Military action against non-state actors is almost as old as the US, with the first instance being the use of the navy against the Barbary pirates. And no form of military action has ever had a judicial process behind it. But I guess someone just learned the phrase "extrajudicial killing" and didn't bother to try contextualizing it.
And why is it always used in the context of Obama, when he generally showed more restraint than most of his predecessors and successors?
Obama was the first to use drone strikes to kill an American citizen without due process, and claimed that judicial process wasn’t needed since he was on foreign soil. You can read more about the al-Awlaki killing here if you want, this article lays out the case for how Obama escalated beyond what even GW did in the initial years of the war on terror for abusing the executive power to murder perceived political dissidents who were American citizens.
In the lead up to this, I believe what you’re referring to is the infamous wedding party strike. Dozens of Afghani civilians slaughtered while attending a wedding, because the US claimed there were Taliban insurgents present. Gee, where have we seen that line of reasoning in recent times? Oh yeah, similar excuse Netanyahu has used to completely level Gaza with the help of America. I’m not saying Obama was necessarily genocidal, but I also strongly rebuke his legal argument for these drone strikes resulting in extrajudicial killings as I believe it set a terrible precedent which we are suffering from at home today.
Yeah, this unfortunately. Obama was overated
I dunno. Compared to every other president we've had since Kennedy, he's about the best we've ever had for about a generation. I mean, he did get Osama. I mean, yeah, he wasn't a "get us to the moon" or a "defeating Hitler" president, but he was good for what he accomplished. Yeah, ObamaCare should have been better, but compare it with the market beforehand: hhhuuugggeee Medicaid expansion, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and a simple, easy-to-use market. It could have been Medicare for All, yes. But Republicans, Big Donors, and the corporate Dems would never have allowed it.
Yeah, well said. Obama was pretty good
Wow. I would say that measured in an absolute or direct sense (and not compared to or relative to their peers at the time), Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, H.W, Bush, and Clinton were all more "progressive" and less beholden to their corporate masters than was Obama the fraud. Perhaps you could say that about any politician from the 70s, 80s, or 90s compared to any from 2008 - 2016. The Obama revisionism is just so sad.
Were you expecting a black man, surrounded by a historical establishment he had to fight his way into, to just get up ended cause he wanted to? He was badgered from all fronts, included by fools who talk like you.
I hoped for change, wanted him to be better, but was proven wrong. Obama was yet another milquetoast democrat.
Yeah.... One of the Obama quotes that sums him up pretty well is, "Tell me what we're doing and I'll sell it".
BUT, because of this countries history and a lot of undealt with racism and the path of pure chaos that always springs up from that, it was important for us all to have a black president and it was important that he do well. And Obama did well above average, even if I wanted a lot more out of him, after he strung us along with "Hope and Change". Obamacare alone sealed his legacy. His term was an important step toward universal civil rights. I dont know about you, but I Like civil rights and human rights for all. Its one of the #1 things I care about. The universality of rights is important no matter who you are--even to your avwerage white male right winger-- equal protection is something they need and should value. I am a financially OK old white guy myself, so this is not some sort self serving statement.
We all need everyone in the US to do well because a country where all have enough is a significantly better, safer, happier, brighter place to live, and also just a better place to be a human being in. America needs to be a country that makes sure its poor have "enough" rather than a country fixated on if poor people have "too much". We've become a shittier people over the course of my lifetime and there needs to be a change. Its got to start with getting rid of centrist dems and replacing them with people who care about the issues of the voters, even the poor ones, and who pledge to fight for human and civil rights for all-- that includes rejecting AIPAC completely. Then we corral the republicans and put them in a legal box they cant wiggle out of. To create that box we need to get civil and human rights going again as a key part of who we are.
Never enough with y'all considering context. Y'all just want another cis white het with perfect views. He did a lot with what he was given.
Not sure who you’re referring to here, I wanted the first black president to represent a meaningful departure from the status quo. Of course, that was how Obama attained such success so rapidly, by staunchly defending it. Which leads us back to the original post in this thread - he wasn’t willing to “look backward” and prosecute the egregious crimes of his predecessors. Just “looked forward” to bailing out Wall Street, and personally ensuring they got extra money for executive bonuses.
Still, I’m curious to know more about your perspective. What are some of the things you view as Obama’s greatest accomplishments? Do you wish he had done anything differently or better?
They won't do shit. Just like always, they're gonna waste four years maintaining the status quo then cry into their hands when the fascists take control after they've done nothing to address the material conditions of Americans.
Insert We've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas meme
What they are describing is not a Democratic president. It's an independent candidate running on the Democratic ticket.
Yeah, that's the only way to elect a progressive.
Unfortunately that won't happen until the US becomes a democracy. The current voting system is designed to prevent popular or progressive candidates from winning.
Shapiro is not a progressive-- by what facts would you claim that he is? He advertises himself as someone who brings republicans and dems together on issues. He's as centrist as they come.
West.
Spoiler: They won't. They will "compromise" and try to "mend wounds". Democrats are just "Diet Republican" flavored politics.
Democrats are pacifiers for us. US: "Hey we want free healthcare!" Democrats, "Shh shh shh, there, there, it's okay sweetheart." They serve the same billionaire masters as Republicans.
The party caved on asking ICE to not wear masks.
The only way this will happen is by stealth. That is, a candidate that is mainstreem and moderate and has no history of being progressive or ethical, changes their stripes after they get elected. Any candidate who identifies themselves as somebody who will hold the GOP to account or has a history of trying to do so, will mysteriously never get anywhere near the Dem nomination no matter how popular they are. (cf any honest look back at how Bernie Sanders had the Dem nomination stolen from him both times by chicanery and backroom dealing by the corporatist Dems)
Also probably rich enough that he or she doesn't really need to worry about campaign financing. The last time we had that was with FDR. The elites learned from that experience and have bankrolled and enabled FDR's antithesis: Trump.
I just read that Kamala Harris might be in the 2028 election. The very same one that couldn’t mention anything bad with the US because ir might upset someone. The very same one that sidelined her popular VP pick to campaign with republicans and celebrities. The very same one that never won a presidential primary.
At this point its like they want the Republicans to stay in office...
The point of centrists is to lose to republicans. They play the culture war game to keep people fighting over pointless crap while the wealthy rob our country blind.
Not sure what the article says because, paywall. But, given the thumbnail, I just want to make sure people understand that Shapiro represents the entire opposite of Democrats actually doing anything about fascism. Shapiro is a fascist collaborator, both in terms of his work for Israel, and domestic policy. He’s essentially a Republican, that is to say, a fascist.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/shapiro-seeks-to-downplay-his-time-as-idf-volunteer-after-college-op-ed-resurfaces/
yes I volunteered for the idf but totally not anything combat related. And please ignore all the times I say idf or Israeli talking points
Trust me bro we will vote harder and defeat fascism bro, this time it will work bro, this democrat candidate wont shift to right for votes bro please bro, only republicans are the problem bro
Anyone that runs on executing the current administration for treason gets my vote
I'd settle for full rollback of every single Trump appointment, executive order and item of legislation, and every administrative rule or regulation promulgated by any of his appointees. Also for the appointees to be banned for life from ever holding public office, being a corporate officer, owning a gun or even getting a fishing license.
Too soft on people like Stephen Miller
Shapiro is Israeli intelligence and he served in the IDF. I can’t read the article its behind a paywall
The cancer needs to be cut out.
That would require white liberals to take a risk or sacrifice their comfort. Won’t happen.
Articles and posts like this truly reveal the oblivious bubble people live in where they still haven't come to terms how much their federal government has been corroded.
Hey guys, you know you can make more than two options, right? I feel like the real democrats who actually work for the betterment of the country, not themselves, would have a fighting chance by banding together and separating themselves from the rest of the democratic leeches.
Careful. The Blue No Matter Who people will call you a party traitor.
That really was a ridiculous slogan.
The people who liked this
Does this third option have enough money to win?
Isn't it disgusting how this is even a question?
Why people are still voting for who have the most money?
THIS DOES NOT FUCKING WORK IN OUR SYSTEM
FFS It's like people enjoy getting their ass handed to them by Republicans.
Besides primaires exist, fucking organize and primary all corporate Democrats with true progressives and you'll have the same result with actually a chance to win.
Basically the Tea Party movement, but not for child rapists.
Then try to change the goddamn system. You are right now basically choosing between slow destruction (democrats) or fast destruction (republicans).
The primary system is also dumb and unfair. A certain state deciding which candidates have to drop and which have to stay is undemocratic
I expect more the same, in their eyes they are winning and no one is telling them any different
They will be... to brown and black people all over the world. Same as they always have been.
I can't get over the naive assumption that there will be a "next democratic president" before shit truly hits the fan.
Well maybe not in this life, but someday there will be a non right wing leader of the American states again, or a portion of them anyway. We might as well start planning for that now rather than waiting.
I wish I could be optimistic enough about that to plan...
I hope she says just enough to get elected then ignores the legislative process like her predicessor and issues non stop EOs ending tax exempt for religious institutions, busting trusts, and sending 90% of the sitting Congress, ICE the DOJ, DHS, FBI to the the Hague to answer for crimes against humanity. And that's just my day one dream EOs.
I've frequently said since the new regime took power that this would all be funny if I thought for a second that any following blue faction president would have the balls to use this new authoritarianism in a way that would be helpful like, idk, state seizure of banks convicted of wrongdoing or any of the things you mentioned. The problem is that they are predominantly the same bootlickers as their red faction brethren, with slightly better optics. When Americans recognize that there's actually only one party—the corporate party— perhaps things will change.
My dream job
Shapiro is bought and paid for by Israel. He cant possibly win an election the presidency, for starters, and even if he could win he'd be working for a country thats not ours, that wants America isolated from its military allies so it can act unconstrained by consensus. Shapiro would be the death of the democratic party for good.
To add to his lack of qualifications, he's new to politics. He's in his first term as a governor. He doesnt even know how national politics works, and he hasnt championed anything notable. He got a budget that added school breakfasts, and increased funding for state police. And thats about it. Thats not a leader for our times. Its insulting to see his name brought up as a candidate, yet again.
Josh Shapiro lol
The 28th Amendment better be that the name Donald J Trump or Trump shall be striken from existing and never to appear on any public and government buildings and facilities hereafter.
Add coinage to that list.
So Democrats win try to unfuck everything Republicans fucked up. And next election Republicans win and fuck everything up again. This is like one step forward two steps back kind of politics. Hard to move forward or reach any kind of progress like that.
Hence the Democrats need to take up the mantle of revenge.
this is how I have felt this millenium. previously to that I thought we were making anemic two forward one back and it feels like before my time we actually were making forward progress. Granted feels like a whole lot more than two steps back in 2025
Democrats will not fix anything republicans did and will continue destroying american lives at slower pace and then republicans win again and accelerate again and the cycle continue
We didn't create the system. If you delete the one step forward all you'll get is two steps back.
You guys think they're gonna have another election? Lmao they're done mate, the country has been taken by fascists. That includes the Dems btw, they keep funding the brown shirts and have made no attempt to stem the horrible crimes of the administration. They are complicit in the downfall of the USA. The ONLY way America survives this is if the people become UNGOVERNABLE.
The democrats will do nothing. The only way America will see justice is a complete overhaul of the system
Quaint of you to think we’ll have one. Assuming we do get one they don’t pull the typical BS of sweeping republican wrongdoings under the rug, kumbaya, can’t we just move forward and let the republicans block all our appointments as usual?
It’s going to take breaking the government and hitting a reset button, armoring it against corruption and billionaires, completely redoing how candidacy, campaigning, lobbying, how wealth and money work in society, and many, many other things work. It literally cannot be a Democrat (or a republican) because no democrat is capable of breaking and rebuilding the system. They are too beholden to party and money.
Lmao yeah that's what you need. Another merciless billionaire in charge.
Learning is for chumps -The US
Newsom is the only one who is standing up in a meaningful way, so I think he's the only one qualified to give a chance to. The rest of them can suck eggs.
I think the Justice Dems (AOC, Corey Bush, Illhan Omar, Bernie Sanders, and the like) are doing a fantastic job.
They are doing a fantastic job (at least relatively speaking)...and will consequently never get anywhere near the Dem nomination for President in 2028.
They are at least not silent. But they don't hold a candle to Newsom
Really? Sanders doesn't hold a candle?
Not AOC?
Hey, Newsom is out there mocking Trump's TWEETS. Let's see them beat THAT.
/s
Yeah he's got a good Twitter PR person, that's all it takes!.... please no one watch how he interacts/agrees with/concedes with Republican operatives on his podcast
In truth, this might be why I see more Newsom, I am an American but I live outside the country and don't watch US TV news or read US print news. So mostly what I see is from European sources or social media/youtube.
I'm not noticing as much from sanders lately, but what I see I like.
https://youtu.be/2R7D2XvTpjM
My takeaway from this is that he's stumbled into every political role he's held in his career and it seems like he's more }passionate about being a TV / podcasting personality than governing.
Newsome is not trusworthy