Democratic insiders blame progressives for them not winning elections, while progressives keep winning elections

This headline is a perfect representative of democratic establishment spin.

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Progressives are losing steam on some of the issues they hold dear given opposition from centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and the White House, even as wins in Texas seem likely to grow the number of liberal “squad” numbers in the next Congress.

Liberal hallmarks like police reform and climate change are shrinking from President Biden’s priority list as the White House signals a move toward the center. Other Democrats are actively distancing themselves from their party’s left wing.

So progressives are "dragging down" the party, while also winning elections. Progressive policies are becoming less popular, while at the same time winning in places like Texas.

The complaint as always has been the Republicans are slandering neoliberal capitalists as "socialists".

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"There's no question that we lost seats (in 2020) because of that," says Matt Bennett, executive vice president of the centrist Democratic group Third Way. "We know those attacks landed, and they landed hard," and similar characterizations of Democratic incumbents as "socialist" or in favor of defunding the police could cost the party even more seats this fall, he says.

Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, one of the members of the progressive "squad" in the House – delivered a fiery response to Biden's State of the Union speech Tuesday night on behalf of the Working Families Party. That move angered mainstream Democrats who don't want to have to fight both Republicans and a wing of their own party when defending their narrow and imperiled majorities this fall.

First of all, it's hilariously stupid to think that Republicans will simply stop slandering neoliberals as socialists, if all the progressives stop talking. Republicans are already lying. So why would a slightly bigger lie make them pause?
Secondly, yes, I'm sure that the neoliberals would prefer that the progressives simply go away. They would very much prefer that progressive voters in this country NOT be represented at all. If only people that hold left-wing values just Shut The F*ck Up. Unfortunately, the left-wing refuses to just curl up and die.

If all anyone did was listen to the Democratic punditocracy, they’d think that progressives were so divisive, so destructive, so marginalized that they could never appeal to Democratic primary voters in a state like Texas. Yet, when the 2022 primary season began Tuesday, Texas Democrats in three key congressional districts bet on progressives who said that health care is a human right, challenged environmental racism, championed unions, defended reproductive rights, and spoke up for trans youth.

So you would think that if progressives were responsible for all of the election ills of the Democrats, that this would be reflected in the actual elections.

Election Progressive Caucus Blue Dog + Third Way/New Dem Caucus
2010 +0 -50
2012 -9 -2
2014 +0 -3
2016 +10 +14
2018 +18 +50
2020 -1 -16

In fact, the only election where the corporate wing of the party clearly did better than the progressives was the huge wave election of 2018. Every other election the progressives either did far better, or did around the same.

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snoopydawg's picture

It’s the constant sellout of the person you voted for to the highest bidder. Americans just watched as Manchin and Sinema sold out to big pharma and big oil. Democrats have been doing it since Clinton sold the whole party to the Koch brothers or ALEC which is just another arm of big business and especially big pharma. Keep voting for people who will turn around and betray you at the mention of a dollar. Don’t expect otherwise. Biden just promised you everything that he has already rejected giving you.

https://medium.com/@bexstrong/big-pharma-corruption-and-lawsuits-amidst-...

But what makes these ALEC collaborations feel particularly problematic is that there’s little transparency — all of this happens behind closed doors. Congressional leaders and other committee members involved in ALEC aren’t required to publish any records of their meetings and other communications with pharma lobbyists, and the roster of ALEC members is completely confidential. All we know is that in 2020, more than two-thirds of Congress — 72 senators and 302 House of Representatives members — cashed a campaign check from a pharma company.

They don’t care that our drugs are not safe or if we die from medical care, they only care if they get more money. And that is why many drugs we take are not safe, but get passed anyway and once they start killing us they are very slow to get off the market. Vioxx alone killed 40-60,000 people in America. Doctors tried for years to get them removed. They finally did until 6 months later they were back with a warning that taking them might kill you. How many people read the paper that comes with your script? Might want to start doing it.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

No intuyendo
Que distordus?
You still use progressive and democrats in the same sentence?
No es realitade

[video:https://youtu.be/6Whgn_iE5uc]

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Pluto's Republic's picture

We know the pent-up demand of humanitarian-minded Americans.

They will come out in overwhelming, election-shattering numbers to elect a candidate for high office who has a vision for a better life and a sustainable future — a future that they can envision intellectually. Even if that future requires hard work and personal sacrifice. Even after a lifetime of brainwashing propaganda.

But this opportunity will never manifest until the Left divorces the Democratic Party forever.

Whatever it takes to accomplish that embodies my political principles.

And even then, we are unlikely to survive the present, under fascist-elite rule.

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
usefewersyllables's picture

@Pluto's Republic

But this opportunity will never manifest until the Left divorces the Democratic Party forever.

Until people realize how badly they have been jobbed by generations of unthinking "we're less bad than them, and who else you gonna vote for anyway?" credulity, nothing will change.

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Twice bitten, permanently shy.