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The answer is actually quite simple. The democrats in office simply do not represent their constituents. The democrat-voting population is farther left than t

The answer is actually quite simple. The democrats in office simply do not represent their constituents. The democrat-voting population is farther left than the democrat politicians. However, outside of the more radical democrats like Sanders and AOC, most democrats have been bought by the wealthy just like the republicans.

kbenson 4y ago
> The democrat-voting population is farther left than the democrat politicians. That is your opinion, and based on your experience in your cohort, and additionally does not really address what "more left" actually means. There are many different types of people that vote Democrat at many different stages of life, in many different industries and in different states/areas where certain things have more support than others. And that's before we even start breaking things out to being "left" socially or fiscally. I don't think the answer is "quite simple" at all, at least not in the way you explained it.
NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
If the Democratic Party-voting population was really that much farther left than the Democratic Party politicians, then you'd really expect that farther left candidates would be winning primaries, wouldn't you? I notice we have not had Bernie Sanders on the Presidential ticket, despite two runs; and there is surely some reason for that. Possibly the voters have identified that those candidates will not gain sufficient independent or Republican support to actual win in general elections. In any case, it seems likely to be a lot more nuanced than you're suggesting.
- fzeroracer 4y ago
  This isn't really the gotcha moment you think it is. Primaries are, well, mostly a farce and the people that show up for the primaries are the ones that often have the most free time or ability to do so. Retirees, wealthier individuals and so forth. There's no better evidence of this fact than candidates like Bernie Sanders having extremely high popularity among the younger generation which tapers off the older people get. There's a massive and growing generational divide that's only going to get better once the voting block that enables them starts dying off. Assuming that the primaries represent who will actually win a presidential election is as much of a mistake as assuming that polls are accurate when it comes to election day.
  - NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
    Shrug. The world belongs to those who show up.
    - Sohcahtoa82 4y ago
      The far left stays home because the democrats don't represent their views. On the other hand, the far right thinks anyone left of Trump is a socialist and will vote Republican just to try to keep away socialism.
- 58028641 4y ago
  The media told people that Bernie Sanders was unelectable, so people voted for Biden.
  - NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
    OK; but no-one's even slightly suggesting that (insert any Democratic candidate's name here) is in danger of losing a race for a NY Senate seat, and that particular post has given us Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer.
Rury 4y ago
I feel like this is a popular cop out answer, that while likely having some degree of truth, over-simplifies the issues in government. Couldn't it also just be that there's a lot to keep track of for our current government (of laws and making/updating/enforcing them)? As society grows, you inevitably will have issues that fall through the cracks if administration doesn't also grow accordingly. Maybe they haven't gotten to updating this $2,000 thing because they're focused on other more important things? Hell, I doubt there's a single politician, that knows at the top of their head, all the laws and policies we as a government have in effect, along with all their nuances... And then the other problem is that the majority has to come to agreement for things to actually change. This is often a slow process. Sometimes you have politicians trying to change stuff like this, but they alone don't quite have enough power, and it takes time for them to convince others that it needs addressing, let alone the proper way to address it.
Aunche 4y ago
How exactly does someone like Jeff Bezos benefit from a welfare system that is both inefficient and costly? If politicians are really so easily "bought" by the wealthy, then we'd see more legislation that wealthy people care about, but we don't even see that either. Oracle v. Google and net neutrality end up being decided by the unelected officials because Congress refuses to do anything, but virtue signal all day. Bernie actually tries to pass real legislation, but all this new wave of politicians including AOC cares about is seeking more political power. Every bill she sponsors looks like they're designed to not get passed but rile up her base.

kbenson 4y ago

> The democrat-voting population is farther left than the democrat politicians. That is your opinion, and based on your experience in your cohort, and additionally does not really address what "more left" actually means. There are many different types of people that vote Democrat at many different stages of life, in many different industries and in different states/areas where certain things have more support than others. And that's before we even start breaking things out to being "left" socially or fiscally. I don't think the answer is "quite simple" at all, at least not in the way you explained it.

NovemberWhiskey 4y ago

If the Democratic Party-voting population was really that much farther left than the Democratic Party politicians, then you'd really expect that farther left candidates would be winning primaries, wouldn't you? I notice we have not had Bernie Sanders on the Presidential ticket, despite two runs; and there is surely some reason for that. Possibly the voters have identified that those candidates will not gain sufficient independent or Republican support to actual win in general elections. In any case, it seems likely to be a lot more nuanced than you're suggesting.

fzeroracer 4y ago
This isn't really the gotcha moment you think it is. Primaries are, well, mostly a farce and the people that show up for the primaries are the ones that often have the most free time or ability to do so. Retirees, wealthier individuals and so forth. There's no better evidence of this fact than candidates like Bernie Sanders having extremely high popularity among the younger generation which tapers off the older people get. There's a massive and growing generational divide that's only going to get better once the voting block that enables them starts dying off. Assuming that the primaries represent who will actually win a presidential election is as much of a mistake as assuming that polls are accurate when it comes to election day.
- NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
  Shrug. The world belongs to those who show up.
  - Sohcahtoa82 4y ago
    The far left stays home because the democrats don't represent their views. On the other hand, the far right thinks anyone left of Trump is a socialist and will vote Republican just to try to keep away socialism.
58028641 4y ago
The media told people that Bernie Sanders was unelectable, so people voted for Biden.
- NovemberWhiskey 4y ago
  OK; but no-one's even slightly suggesting that (insert any Democratic candidate's name here) is in danger of losing a race for a NY Senate seat, and that particular post has given us Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer.

Rury 4y ago

I feel like this is a popular cop out answer, that while likely having some degree of truth, over-simplifies the issues in government. Couldn't it also just be that there's a lot to keep track of for our current government (of laws and making/updating/enforcing them)? As society grows, you inevitably will have issues that fall through the cracks if administration doesn't also grow accordingly. Maybe they haven't gotten to updating this $2,000 thing because they're focused on other more important things? Hell, I doubt there's a single politician, that knows at the top of their head, all the laws and policies we as a government have in effect, along with all their nuances... And then the other problem is that the majority has to come to agreement for things to actually change. This is often a slow process. Sometimes you have politicians trying to change stuff like this, but they alone don't quite have enough power, and it takes time for them to convince others that it needs addressing, let alone the proper way to address it.

Aunche 4y ago

How exactly does someone like Jeff Bezos benefit from a welfare system that is both inefficient and costly? If politicians are really so easily "bought" by the wealthy, then we'd see more legislation that wealthy people care about, but we don't even see that either. Oracle v. Google and net neutrality end up being decided by the unelected officials because Congress refuses to do anything, but virtue signal all day. Bernie actually tries to pass real legislation, but all this new wave of politicians including AOC cares about is seeking more political power. Every bill she sponsors looks like they're designed to not get passed but rile up her base.