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> Go put your finger on the republican line and see where it moves This ignores massive societal shilf we've had - which is erosion of worker's rights. The 'l

> Go put your finger on the republican line and see where it moves This ignores massive societal shilf we've had - which is erosion of worker's rights. The 'left' used to mean worker's rights, helping the poor, maybe socialism or welfare. Now you have folks who see themselves as left because they suport trans right, but their solution to 'No parental leave in America' is 'more freee market'

AnimalMuppet 5y ago
And the left could have had it all. They could have built a coalition of common cause between trans rights and workers rights, with a common philosophical underpinning. Instead, they've shifted to look down on blue-collar workers as "a basket of deplorables". Contempt for your constituency is not how you build a winning coalition.
- lapcat 5y ago
  > And the left could have had it all. They could have built a coalition of common cause between trans rights and workers rights, with a common philosophical underpinning. Instead, they've shifted to look down on blue-collar workers as "a basket of deplorables". Is this actually "the left" though? The same people who came up with the insult "basket of deplorables" also came up with the insult "Bernie bros". Seriously, if the left means Hillary Clinton and does not mean Bernie Sanders, then we might as well just throw all political labels in the trash.
  - AnimalMuppet 5y ago
    Fair point, but... Is there any significant politician on the left, other than Bernie Sanders, who is actually pro-working-class at the moment? If so, I haven't paid enough attention to politics to keep track of what's going on. But if not, then I think it's fair to say that the left as a whole abandoned the working class, with Bernie being the exception.
    - lapcat 5y ago
      I think most elected politicians tend to betray their constituents. Bernie has the "luxury" of living in one of the smallest states in the nation, Vermont. He can wage a ground game campaign and not worry about having to raise massive amounts of money for big market TV ads. This makes him less susceptible to corruption than other senators. Also he was never a Democrat in the first place but an independent who decided to run for the Democratic nomination, so he was never fully a part of the the party apparatus. It's interesting to contrast with how Trump basically waltzed in and took over the Republican party, despite not having been a solid Republican himself in the past. I take this as a sign of how marginalized the left has been from the Democratic party. Sanders has taken over the spot of being the Democratic scapegoat for all their problems, a spot formerly held by Ralph Nader.

AnimalMuppet 5y ago

And the left could have had it all. They could have built a coalition of common cause between trans rights and workers rights, with a common philosophical underpinning. Instead, they've shifted to look down on blue-collar workers as "a basket of deplorables". Contempt for your constituency is not how you build a winning coalition.

lapcat 5y ago
> And the left could have had it all. They could have built a coalition of common cause between trans rights and workers rights, with a common philosophical underpinning. Instead, they've shifted to look down on blue-collar workers as "a basket of deplorables". Is this actually "the left" though? The same people who came up with the insult "basket of deplorables" also came up with the insult "Bernie bros". Seriously, if the left means Hillary Clinton and does not mean Bernie Sanders, then we might as well just throw all political labels in the trash.
- AnimalMuppet 5y ago
  Fair point, but... Is there any significant politician on the left, other than Bernie Sanders, who is actually pro-working-class at the moment? If so, I haven't paid enough attention to politics to keep track of what's going on. But if not, then I think it's fair to say that the left as a whole abandoned the working class, with Bernie being the exception.
  - lapcat 5y ago
    I think most elected politicians tend to betray their constituents. Bernie has the "luxury" of living in one of the smallest states in the nation, Vermont. He can wage a ground game campaign and not worry about having to raise massive amounts of money for big market TV ads. This makes him less susceptible to corruption than other senators. Also he was never a Democrat in the first place but an independent who decided to run for the Democratic nomination, so he was never fully a part of the the party apparatus. It's interesting to contrast with how Trump basically waltzed in and took over the Republican party, despite not having been a solid Republican himself in the past. I take this as a sign of how marginalized the left has been from the Democratic party. Sanders has taken over the spot of being the Democratic scapegoat for all their problems, a spot formerly held by Ralph Nader.