Political Discussion and Commentary
A place to discuss politics and offer political commentary. Self posts are preferred, but links to current events and news are allowed. Opinion pieces are welcome on a case by case basis, and discussion of and disagreement about issues is encouraged!
The intent is for this community to be an area for open & respectful discussion on current political issues, news & events, and that means we all have a responsibility to be open, honest, and sincere. We place as much emphasis on good content as good behavior, but the latter is more important if we want to ensure this community remains healthy and vibrant.
Content Rules:
- Self posts preferred.
- Opinion pieces and editorials are allowed on a case by case basis.
- No spam or self promotion.
- Do not post grievances about other communities or their moderators.
Commentary Rules
- Don’t be a jerk or do anything to prevent honest discussion.
- Stay on topic.
- Don’t criticize the person, criticize the argument.
- Provide credible sources whenever possible.
- Report bad behavior, please don’t retaliate. Reciprocal bad behavior will reflect poorly on both parties.
- Seek rule enforcement clarification via private message, not in comment threads.
- Abide by Lemmy's terms of service (attacks on other users, privacy, discrimination, etc).
Please try to up/downvote based on contribution to discussion, not on whether you agree or disagree with the commenter.
Partnered Communities:
• Politics
view the rest of the comments
The relationship between slavery, women's suffrage, and the Republican party is a little more complicated than that. People fought to end slavery and people fought for women's suffrage.
And it's a similar story with the civil rights movement, Democrats didn't give anybody anything. People demonstrated and organized for their rights. Likewise for workers' rights during the Great depression.
Though I agree with your point, parties do change and nothing is static. But it's pressure that changes them. And with left activism basically dead in our country right now, it's election financing that mostly calls the shots.
Yeah, pressure from voters. Not voting isn't pressure. Don't vote, dont care. Half the country doesn't vote. Financing is bad, but you can't act like it's so bad that 150 million votes couldn't overcome it. And certainly you can't act like 150 million absolutely nothing has any chance of overcoming it.
Financing from corporations affects voter turnout. People are tired of the duopoly. Look at Bernie's campaign in the 2016 primaries compared to Kamala's. It also causes right wing drift in the Democratic Party. Which doesn't get people excited to vote for them.
And the ballot box is dead for the next two years, possibly much longer. Our only hope is the filibuster and left organizing (strikes, protests, marches, etc.)
Shaming people for not voting on the internet isn't going to help anyone. And it's not going to slow our descent into fascism.
We need collective action and direct pressure. And courage. Because the authoritarian regime is likely to counter with state terrorism. And blood is likely to spill.