The Young Turks Network Raises $4 Million From Former Republican Presidential Candidate

[JCanete]

108. We eeked out a small majority that we couldn't hold. And that is literally for 2 years.

Since 1996 that is the only time we've controlled congress and the Senate. Even if you want to blame the green party for W, which I think is erroneous, that doesn't account for the rest of our attrition in governorships and state seats.

I have no illusions about whether more progressive candidates are likely to win, especially when they are isolated and not fully supported in their message by the party. I don't suggest that that road is pretty, or guaranteed victory. I'm saying trying to be friendly or conciliatory with corporations is why we've had the attrition we've had. This is the perfect world for corporate interests. This is why they put money into the Democrats and the Republicans. So that their friends are the ones who win the primaries. And you literally just said in another thread that the funders hold sway over the message. You were talking about media, but I know you aren't going to try to separate politicians out from that behavior. So you must know then, it is a problem when we take money. You might think that it wins us elections and that there is no choice, but the proof is it barely does. It props us up as party number two. The opposition party, that occasionally gets two years to try to right the course, with its hands tied behind its back. And then, back to crazy town.

I know, we won the popular vote, but only for President. And the corporate media didn't lift a finger to do anything but to legitimize this man's presidency. These are the corporations we think we can be friendly with...that we can make promises to and they will have our backs. We mistake their donations as them seeing reason. What they see is a need to perpetuate a sense of democracy. What they see is a need to have a minority party that should it gain power for a few years, doesn't go all crazy on them.

Again, if we stop taking big money as a party, I don't know what that does to us. But if that choice meant we never won another election it would only prove that our system is already wholly and irrevocably fucked. We may as well know.