Comment by don_esteban
8 hours ago
Did democrats offer primaries in the last elections?
Did voting for Bernie Sanders in the last two primaries (especially the ones when Trump won for the first time) amount to anything?
I wonder how long can the American public keep the self delusion that the elections are anything but a theater for the naive, to keep the pretense the public has any say in things that matter.
How much has the current administration asked the public about going to war with Iran?
> How much has the current administration asked the public about going to war with Iran
Here is the 2026 Senate map [1]. Do you suggest any of them will flip over Iran? (I don’t. The folks who regularly vote simply don’t show any sign that this is a priority. Folks who stay at home grumbling don’t matter.)
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_elec...
> Did democrats offer primaries in the last elections?
Uh, yeah? I voted for Biden/Harris.
And in any case, focusing almost exclusively on one race is part of the problem. Where I live, we also had a Dem primary for the house district, and a more electable candidate won - and then went on to win in the general. It was one of the very few red->blue flips in 2024.
Our former congresswoman, incidentally:
https://newrepublic.com/post/207234/trump-labor-secretary-ch...
Then there are all the races for school boards, city council, county commission and all those things that provide the base and the bench to build off of.
> Did voting for Bernie Sanders in the last two primaries (especially the ones when Trump won for the first time) amount to anything?
He didn't win the primaries though. It would have amounted to something if he got enough votes.
1) He did not win primaries, in significant part also because DNC was heavily against him. The level playing field thing.
2) If he won the primaries, there is still no guarantee that that would have amounted to anything.
First, he might not have won the elections (mainstream media and the whole ruling elites were heavily against him). And even if he won, he might not have been able to do much against the permanent state.
I still think the main cause of Trump's wins is the deep disillusionment of the democratic voters by Obama's failure (inability/unwillingness) to impact a meaningful change.
Everything you're saying here is the exact delusional cynicism that got us here. Stop.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Democratic_Party_presiden...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Democratic_Party_presiden...
Skill issue. Run your candidate. Convince people to vote for them.
> How much has the current administration asked the public about going to war with Iran?
THE ELECTIONS are how the public weighs in.
Re: Skill issue Money issue. This is not level playing ground, the field is severely tilted. The referee is bought.
But you are saying: You lost fair and square, wait 4 years to have any say in what is going on.
Re: THE ELECTIONS are how the public weighs in.
When the choice is between Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the public's choice is meaningless.
To say nothing about politicians outright shamelessly lying (e.g. Trump campaigning on 'no more wars').
Money issue is also a skill issue, but I have no doubt in the era of free media someone could figure it out.
Sorry I didn't invent the idea that there are federal elections every two years, I'm just telling you that you have to win them. Bonus points: this is also how you can change the election schedule or political system!
If you're saying both candidates were bad when one was Trump, and the other was Hillary, Kamala, or Joe, then you don't have very good judgement. I agree Trump lying about not starting a war was bad. Many of us have said for years that he is a terrible liar. Please help us.
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