236

Breaking down the illusion of 2 parties (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 week ago by K1nsey6@lemmy.world to c/latestagecapitalism@lemmy.world

25 comments fedilink hide all child comments

all 26 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 27 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

[removed by mod]

[-] chortle_tortle@mander.xyz 12 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

That’s your “controlled opposition” in the whole of Congress

But this could have been said about different sets of democrats at various pivotal moments in recent politics.

At this point, the failures are so consistent, and the ability to fight back so feckless, I find it more convincing that there are institutional powers that build rotating villains out of party members to keep the theater of fighting in a system that is built to turn one way.

[-] TheCriticalMember@aussie.zone 12 points 1 week ago

It does seem pretty incredible how often there are just enough defectors to always prevent anything being achieved.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

I understand. It’s believable enough. Until one gets closer to it - regular people working together against not just fascism but the usual republican efforts of stripping wealth, demonizing underclasses, destroying education and the environment; The monolithic-ness of the party doesn’t pan out, it’s just a default placeholder for everyone not part of it.

Plus there’s the whole no-black-or-white-only-shades-of-gray that make it difficult to talk about some aspect in only two sentences.

The non-fascist-white-man’s party has to be all things to all other people, which no group can be, so it’s inevitably at odds with itself.

The ‘control’ of such opposition is difficult to start with and often impossible.

[-] chortle_tortle@mander.xyz 3 points 1 week ago

It doesn't need to be monolithic, and it doesn't need to be black and white to admit that there are pressuring forces in the democratic party, and I find it very believable those pressuring forces are largely driven by moneyed interests protecting themselves. Citizens united has given incredibly perverse intensive structures in our politics, and people with money and power have built the incentives to strongly bias towards those that conveniently fail to meet the moment.

With that the ways that the democratic party as a whole, even when not trying to wrangle a big tent, fail to recognize issues like the supreme court, or fail even to imprison traitors and pedophiles. At a point the failures are hard to dismiss as eternally having only barely not enough political power.

[-] Triasha@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

"pressuring forces in the democratic party" is a long way off from "controlled opposition"

There were two times in the history of the country that the Democrats had extensive political power.

In the 1830s to the 1850s, the Democrats had majorities in Congress and generally controlled the presidency and the courts. They used that power to extend the reach of slavery, genocide native Americans, make war on Mexico, and generally work toward evil and malfeasense.

In the 1930s through the 1960's they had wide majorities in Congress and generally won the presidency. They used that power to reduce wealth inequality and extend voting and civil rights to minorities.

Political power can be used for good or Ill.

[-] chortle_tortle@mander.xyz 4 points 1 week ago

I don't believe they are fully controlled opposition, and I think my comments here have been generally explaining the nuance. With that I do think they could be fairly described as engineered or cultivated opposition, where the systems and power structures have been built in a way that allows for little change that would disrupt power.

[-] Triasha@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

That is absolutely true. The system is designed to resist any attempt to restrain capital and it's Beneficiaries.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

fail to recognize issues like the supreme court

How do you mean? Not vote for a nominee like? Or something else.

fail even to imprison traitors and pedophiles.

It’s true. They should have renditioned him to a black site, amirite. Due process is a joke anyway. That’s the mistake old people make.

[-] chortle_tortle@mander.xyz 1 points 1 week ago

I can be more specific on the first point, but how quickly you jumped to hyperbole suggests to me you're not really wanting to have this conversation in good faith.

[-] LadyMeow 10 points 1 week ago

Appears to be true, see bill Here he is a cosponsor, not the main one, I guess. It failed the house Roll call vote and he is indeed the only dem to vote nay/no.

[-] Blibly@lemmy.world 18 points 1 week ago

This should be a career-ending move but I doubt it will be.

[-] ceenote@lemmy.world 22 points 1 week ago

It says right in the post that he's retiring.

[-] hypnicjerk@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

politicians often have incredibly profitable careers long after leaving office.

[-] Stanley_Pain@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 week ago

In a world where those in power no longer fear consequences we're cooked until we revolt...

[-] kurmudgeon@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago

I live in Maine and Jared Golden is basically another Fetterman only without the brain damage. He's not running for reelection. Fuck him. I can't wait until he's out of office.

[-] 4grams@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

Wasn’t tracking what was going on here but I think I’ve got it..

So, implication here is that the party needed a fall guy, and this guy was it. Evidence by the fact that despite him cosponsoring the bill, he ultimately voted against it since he’s already on his way out. Gives the dems the cover to pretend like they were going to do something about it.

Between this and the Polis bullshit, hard to believe otherwise.

[-] K1nsey6@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

They always have a rotating villain to give the illusion that they tried.

[-] 4grams@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

or at least a convenient scapegoat.

I do think there are some decent dems left, but the establishment is as corrupt as the republicans.

[-] K1nsey6@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

The decent ones will never be given any positions of influence or power to threaten the status quo

[-] 4grams@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Not by choice anyway. There is enough of us that we could force it, even just with our voice. Problem is, they have successfully gotten us to use those voices against each other instead of at the power structure.

[-] ceenote@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

The rotating-villain dynamic is like, the ultimate black pill. It can't be dealt with without throwing civility out the window.

[-] orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 week ago

https://truthout.org/articles/rep-jared-golden-joins-gop-to-block-house-iran-war-powers-resolution-yet-again/

[-] ICastFist@programming.dev 6 points 1 week ago

USA continues being the best democracy that money can buy

[-] grue@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

If a Republican pulled shit like that against the will of his base, he'd be getting death threats.

[-] Triasha@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

They would get primaried, like Massie just did.

this post was submitted on 21 May 2026

236 points (100.0% liked)

Late Stage Capitalism

3290 readers

729 users here now

A place for for news, discussion, memes, and links criticizing capitalism and advancing viewpoints that challenge liberal capitalist ideology. That means any support for any liberal capitalist political party (like the Democrats) is strictly prohibited.

A zero-tolerance policy for bigotry of any kind. Failure to respect this will result in a ban.

RULES:

1 Understand the left starts at anti-capitalism.

2 No Trolling

3 No capitalist apologia, anti-socialism, or liberalism, liberalism is in direct conflict with the left. Support for capitalism or for the parties or ideologies that uphold it are not welcome or tolerated.

4 No imperialism, conservatism, reactionism or Zionism, lessor evil rhetoric. Dismissing 3rd party votes or 'wasted votes on 3rd party' is lessor evil rhetoric.

5 No bigotry, no racism, sexism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or any type of prejudice.

6 Be civil in comments and no accusations of being a bot, 'paid by Putin,' Tankie, etc. This includes instance shaming.

Introduction to Socialism (external links)

Wiki

Marxism-Leninism Study Guide: Advanced Course

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

anticolonialist@lemmy.world

K1nsey6@lemmy.world