• crusa187@lemmy.ml
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    11 days ago

    Gradual incrementalism is precisely what got us into this mess, so it isn’t that simple. So long as the Dems are controlled by their donors, they will never willingly let an actual leftist in. See Mamdani. Ratchet effect then ensures both parties grow ever rightward.

    We need meaningful leftist opposition in power if the US is going to survive. I think transforming the DNC into that is a much more difficult task than anyone cares to admit, and the delusion that we can do it without forming a new party entirely is just bringing us closer to inevitable collapse once the capital owners have stolen everything from us.

    • Zexks@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      No what got us here is no one voting. Literally go look at participation between elections.

    • GraniteM@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      The single most successful third party presidential candidate since 1900 was Teddy Roosevelt, who had already been president twice, when he ran under the Bull Moose Party ticket. He got 29% of the popular vote, spilt the Republican vote, and handed the presidency to Democrat Woodrow Wilson.

      The second most successful third party presidential candidate since 1900 was Ross Perot in 1992. He got 18.6% of the popular vote, drew conservative voters away from George H. W. Bush, and handed the presidency to Bill Clinton.

      Third party candidates by all means should run for local and down-ballot offices, but above a certain level, if you haven’t got a realistic plan for how to win beyond wishful thinking, then the responsible move is to run as hard as you can in the primary, try to drag the primary electorate in the direction you want it to move, and endorse the major party candidate that most closely aligns with your views. If you aren’t even hitting twenty percent in the polls leading up to the general, then you’re acting as a spoiler and helping your most-hated opponent win.

    • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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      11 days ago

      Gradual incrementalism is precisely what got us into this mess

      What got us into this mess was the resounding success of gradual incrementalism in the hands of the right. We didn’t get where we are spontaneously, it’s the result of decades of preparation by the Federalist Society and Heritage Foundation.

      It works, you just have to commit to it.