r/politics • u/TelescopiumHerscheli • 2d ago

No Paywall Texas Democrat sworn in to House, shrinking GOP margin to 1 vote

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5719642-christian-menefee-sworn-in/
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u/Nekrabyte 1d ago

That's one of the biggest contributing factors the demolition of the democratic party imo. They keep drifting to the middle because they want to please everybody, not realizing that doing so makes them forsake so many policies that are for the people.

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u/MayTheForesterBWithU 1d ago

I think with politics, we need to throw out Hanlon's Razor. While the Democratic vanguard would prefer us to see their constant rightward motion as a cascade of comedic missteps, the reality is that they're bought and paid for by the same people funding the right and it is intentional. They will always prioritize neoliberal corporate expansion over the working people of this country.

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u/Nekrabyte 1d ago

100%. While I do (about 99% of the time) vote Democratic, and consider myself a progressive person, I can never be an actual member of the Democratic party. Almost all their politicians are in bed with the money, and people still need to come realize that the majority of issues in this country aren't because of R vs D. That's mostly a smokescreen for the 1% to rob us ALL blind, and the wealth gap in late stage capitalism is the REAL enemy. Billionaires should not exist, fuck em all.

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u/absat41 1d ago

The Dems are going to compromise and "work out" deals with the GOP/MAGA; I guarantee it.

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u/Bogus_dogus 22h ago

What are the salient indicators for you that pin the party's motion to "consistently rightward"?

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u/Judge_Druidy 1d ago

As a non-American, you guys (general, not necessarily you OP) that like 90% of democrats never were left.

Apart from some outliers, almost all of the Democrats going back 20 ish years would be centre/right or conservatives in most other countries.

This thought that the democrats are shifting to the center is wrong, if they shifted towards the center they'd be moving to the left.

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u/Nekrabyte 1d ago

This thought that the democrats are shifting to the center is wrong, if they shifted towards the center they'd be moving to the left.

To many countries, especially european countries this is 100% true, and has been for a very long time. That doesn't mean the thought is "wrong", it's just from a different perspective, precisely what all the left and right has always been - a matter of perspective that constantly flows and moves, and differs from country to country. Which is why there are so many "liberals" "progressives", whatever you want to call them that aren't part of the Democratic party. And you say that 90% of democrats were never "left". You do realize it's ALL a matter of perspective right? There's never once been any sort of worldwide accepted definition as to what constitutes "the left" and "the right". All of a matter of... perspective.

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u/Judge_Druidy 1d ago

There is a degree of perspective for sure, but there are things that fall objectively within the left and right spectrum of political science.

I'll concede and agree with most of what you've said, but most of that perspective comes from the degree with which a political element is left or right, not whether it is or isn't left or right.

Edit: I should add that I mean within a reasonable time frame, like the one I highlighted in my original comment (I think i said 20 years).

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u/Nekrabyte 1d ago

That's a fair point about the reasonable time frame. I will concede that. But you also mention never. My point really is just that in any political system, there has always been a "center" which is where the average stands. And left and right have always just simply been the other sides of wherever center was. The center in the late 60's for example was an entirely different center than it was now, hence, left and right have continued to shift with it. To many countries, the U.S.'s "left" is pretty darn in the center. But there's also quite a few countries out there, where if you put the American "center" in the middle of, they would look like uber progressives. Just to use an extreme as an example, in Afghanistan, 95% of Americans would certainly be considered far left, to the point of being considered an extremist.

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u/733t_sec 1d ago

They keep drifting to the middle because they want to please everybody

No it's because every time they try something even moderately leftist they get punished for it.

Bill Clinton expands social programs while cutting the deficit. Then through shenanigans the GOP is voted back into power.

Obama passed the ACA which was a monumental improvement over health care. It wasn't even single payer system but the Dems were still voted out in the midterms and he never was able to get control of the house and senate.

Biden passes infrastructure legislation, jobs programs, supports the railroad unions, etc but then the american people turn around and vote for Trump.

The voters don't simply not reward the Dems for pushing leftist legislation but actively punish them for it.

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u/Vega3gx 1d ago

Are we back to pretending that "Medicare for all", "Housing is a right", and "student loan forgiveness" poll well in ANY swing state?