cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/22940159

Bernie Sanders caused a stir last week, when the independent senator from Vermont and two-time contender for the Democratic presidential nomination sent a post-election email to his progressive supporters across the country. In it, he argued that the Democrats suffered politically in 2024 at least in part because they ran a campaign that focused on “protecting the status quo and tinkering around the edges.”

In contrast, said Sanders, “Trump and the Republicans campaigned on change and on smashing the existing order.” Yes, he explained, “the ‘change’ that Republicans will bring about will make a bad situation worse, and a society of gross inequality even more unequal, more unjust and more bigoted.”

Despite that the reality of the threat they posed, Trump and the Republicans still won a narrow popular-vote victory for the presidency, along with control of the US House. That result has inspired an intense debate over the future direction not just of the Democratic Party but of the country. And the senator from Vermont is in the thick of it.

In his email, Sanders, a member of the Senate Democratic Caucus who campaigned in states across the country this fall for Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic ticket, asked a blunt question: “Will the Democratic leadership learn the lessons of their defeat and create a party that stands with the working class and is prepared to take on the enormously powerful special interests that dominate our economy, our media and our political life?”

His answer: “Highly unlikely. They are much too wedded to the billionaires and corporate interests that fund their campaigns.”

  • @UsernameHere
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    01 month ago

    They didn’t lose because they weren’t progressive enough. They lost because Biden inherited a pandemic that caused inflation and weak economy that required increasing interest rates.

    • @Ensign_Crab
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      1 month ago

      Oh, now the economy at the time of the election was weak. Last month it was roaring and everyone who noticed that they couldn’t afford groceries was a Russian shill.

      Democrats supported genocide, ran anti-trans bigotry in their own ads, and reveled in getting the endorsement of Dick Cheney. They moved to the right and lost. Quit defending their shitty behavior.

      • @UsernameHere
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        01 month ago

        Oh, now the economy at the time of the election was weak. Last month it was roaring and everyone who noticed that they couldn’t afford groceries was a Russian shill.

        Not sure what you are babbling about here. Republican ads during the election were all focused on the high inflation.

        Democrats supported genocide, ran anti-trans bigotry in their own ads, and reveled in getting the endorsement of Dick Cheney. They moved to the right and lost. Quit defending their shitty behavior.

        The US military supports Israel to prevent Iran from getting stronger in the region because Iran has teamed up with China, Russia and North Korea and are actively supply drones and other weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine.

        Netanyahu is responsible for the genocide. He is the only one who can stop it.

        Cheney had absolutely nothing to do with Harris losing. Absolutely nothing in the polls or anecdotal evidence supports that claim but it is heavily pushed as a taking point here on lemmy from lemmy.ml so that fact should speak to how disingenuous it is.

        • @Ensign_Crab
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          1 month ago

          Not sure what you are babbling about here.

          Don’t fucking gaslight me. Democrats ran on “the economy is great actually”.

          The US military supports Israel

          Biden and the entire centrist wing of the party supported GENOCIDE for the sheer joy of it and no other reason.

          Cheney had absolutely nothing to do with Harris losing.

          He sure as fuck didn’t help. But since you and your entire wing of the party has always loved everything he ever stood for, you were happy for his endorsement. Senpai noticed you.

          • @UsernameHere
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            11 month ago

            Don’t fucking gaslight me. Democrats ran on “the economy is great actually”.

            Democrats didn’t run on this. Biden simply pointed out that inflation was going down but there was more to do.

            Bad faith actors tried to spin that into “bIdEn SaId GrOcErIeS aRe ChEaP oMgWtF”.

            supported GENOCIDE for the sheer joy of it and no other reason

            Such a blatant bad faith argument. If he really just wants to commit genocide then why specifically arm Israel. Aren’t there easier ways to commit genocide. You’re pretending that he is some Bond villain to ignore nuance and geopolitics.

            But since you and your entire wing of the party has always loved everything he ever stood for, you were happy for his endorsement. Senpai noticed you.

            What is my wing of the party? Anything you pretend to know about me is based on assumptions just like everything else you’ve said. Finding common ground and reaching across the aisle is how you get things done in a democracy with many different ideologies.

            • @Ensign_Crab
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              11 month ago

              Democrats didn’t run on this. Biden simply pointed out that inflation was going down but there was more to do.

              Democrats tried to pretend that nothing was wrong while people couldn’t afford to eat.

              If he really just wants to commit genocide then why specifically arm Israel. Aren’t there easier ways to commit genocide.

              I see you’ve fantasized this out.

              Finding common ground and reaching across the aisle is how you get things done in a democracy with many different ideologies.

              Democrats don’t reach left.

              • @UsernameHere
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                11 month ago

                Democrats tried to pretend that nothing was wrong while people couldn’t afford to eat.

                This is literally the republican spin on Biden pointing out that inflation metrics have improved since their peak.

                I see you’ve fantasized this out.

                I see you’re avoiding the question. Sorry if reality doesn’t support your narrative.

                Democrats don’t reach left.

                You don’t consider Bernie Sanders or AOC to be further left than the rest of the democrats? Oh you’re just arguing in bad faith… gotcha

                • @Ensign_Crab
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                  1 month ago

                  This is literally the republican spin on Biden pointing out that inflation metrics have improved since their peak.

                  Everything that isn’t performative worship of failure is “republican spin” to you.

                  I see you’re avoiding the question. Sorry if reality doesn’t support your narrative.

                  The reality is that there’s an ongoing genocide. The reality is that the Biden administration supported it unconditionally.

                  You don’t consider Bernie Sanders or AOC to be further left than the rest of the democrats?

                  And what was the last thing either of them proposed that had as much support from the party as “reaching across the aisle” to capitulate to Republicans? Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman are also further left, and the party let them twist in the wind instead of “protecting incumbents” which was their excuse for propping up anti-choice, anti-labor, pro-NRA Henry Cuellar.

                  • @UsernameHere
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                    11 month ago

                    Everything that isn’t performative worship of failure is “republican spin” to you.

                    No, I’m saying you are literally repeating what republicans put in their attack ads.

                    The reality is that there’s an ongoing genocide.

                    Caused by Netanyahu not Biden.

                    The reality is that the Biden administration supported it unconditionally.

                    Biden only support Israel proportionally to what Iran supported Russia.

                    And what was the last thing either of them proposed that had as much support from the party as “reaching across the aisle” to capitulate to Republicans?

                    Reducing healthcare costs and forgiving student loans are a couple examples off the top of my head. I never said democrats capitulated to republicans. Not sure why you threw that in there.