The Democrats must become an anti-establishment party | Robert Reich

WestBromwich@feddit.uk to politics @lemmy.world – 684 points –
The Democrats must become an anti-establishment party | Robert Reich
theguardian.com
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The policy difference was Harris wants to end the war.

"I want to do something" isn't a policy. "Condition weapons sales" is. "Withhold weapons sales" is. "Continue selling weapons no matter what Netanyahu does" was the policy of both Biden and Harris.

I want people to live free or die trying.

The Democratic Party does not agree with this.

They managed to get to exactly 60 votes with independents twice. That’s how Joe Lieberman was able to kill the public option by threatening a filibuster. He fits the white moderate description to a T.

Democrats had the numbers. Lieberman didn't do it alone. He had the help of Ben Nelson among others.

The Democrats are neoliberals, institutionalists. It only took one vote to kill the public option.

If Lieberman changed his vote, they would have found another.

They of course weren’t willing to enact systemic change to get results. I am aware. This is what I’m arguing.

Our refusal to fix it is part of how we got here. And things will continue to get worse if we don’t take steps to fix it.

With the leverage you keep pretending we have. How do we exercise this phantom leverage? Democrats' unwillingness to listen is how we got here.

Neat conspiracy theory. Manchin owns a coal company. Sinema was bought. The Democratic Party had to work around the interests of elites, which is another reason why we need wealth redistribution.

Democrats don't work around the interests of their owners. They work for them. Wealth redistribution won't happen as long as the Democratic Party is run by corporate shit. And vague references to leverage that we can only somehow exercise by unquestioningly getting behind corporate shit only serves corporate shit.

“I want to do something” isn’t a policy.

When running for office, that's what a policy is.

The Democratic Party does not agree with this.

Neither do you.

Lieberman didn’t do it alone.

With only a max of 60 votes at any given time and the filibuster, he only needed one. Democrats had to get rid of the filibuster. But as institutionalists they were never planning on doing that.

I guess they thought it wouldn't be fair to do it without Republicans.

With the leverage you keep pretending we have. How do we exercise this phantom leverage? Democrats’ unwillingness to listen is how we got here.

Vote in elections for Democrats. Like we did in 2020.

Democrats don’t work around the interests of their owners. They work for them. Wealth redistribution won’t happen as long as the Democratic Party is run by corporate shit.

We need to co-opt the Democratic Party to get socialist and even progressive policies through. But even currently Democrats would have gotten more done if not for Manchin and Sinema.

And vague references to leverage that we can only somehow exercise by unquestioningly getting behind corporate shit only serves corporate shit.

Refusing to leverage power is playing right into the hands of corporate shit. The worse part is you're doing it for free. Might as well work Musk's Doge department for no pay while you're at it. He's looking for people like you.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/nov/14/elon-musk-trump