General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: How the extreme left gave us Nixon, Bush and now Trump [View all]BainsBane
(53,032 posts)That is exactly the OP's point. There are also others who might vote Democrat if we ran more conservative candidates. Why are the self-described leftists more important? The fallacy in your point (one I've seen repeated a number of times) is that the Democratic Party is supposed to constitute the left. It has never been the left in any true (eg. Marxist) understanding of the term. It's only left in comparison to the GOP and because the US has a relatively narrow political spectrum, but one that is becoming wider all the time. The parties were in the past far more alike ideologically than they are today. There is no evidentiary basis for the claim that the Democratic Party has become "GOP lite."
Candidates are determined by the outcome primary elections and caucuses. They will claim those contests are "rigged" because their entitlement is such they can't imagine anyone but themselves has a legitimate concern or might vote differently from them. What is so special about people who have such contempt for equal voting rights that they prefer to plunge the country into fascism than vote for a candidate supported by Democratic electoral majority?
Do you mean like these assholes? http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8752749
The ones defending multiple billionaires in Trump's cabinet as "anti-establishment"? Who defend the Muslim ban and breaking up immigrant families? The ones who maligned and insulted people of color and social justice advocacy leaders and organizations like Planned Parenthood, Black Lives Matter, Mothers of the Movement, the United Farm Workers Union, Unions in general, and Civil Rights leaders like Dolores Huerta and John Lewis?
You see, what they really are is self-entitled. They resent the fact the party isn't devoted entirely to the interests of the white male bourgeoisie. They claim the Democratic Party has moved to the right, but they provide no evidence to support it. Instead, they resent the fact that is represents people of color and women, and that is why they chose to stand with the KKK in voting for Donald Trump or effectively voting for him by casting a vote for liar and con-woman Jill Stein.
It's one thing to make a mistake and learn from it. I myself did that in 2000 when I voted for Nader. It was a very bad mistake that I will never repeat. I learned my lesson. I don't expect the Democratic Party or people on this message board to cater to my more stupid, younger self. It's up to them, as it was up to me, to get smart, not to the rest of us to hold their hands and insulate them from the consequences of their actions. They fucked up. If they want to admit that and move on, all the better. But if they are going to continue rat fucking and driving the country further and further right, they better damn well own up to what they are. Fascism is as fascism does.