3 ms·

Other comments mention that it's more visible in cities, but I'd like to add that "abject inequity and poverty" are national problems that cities cannot solve i

by drewrv 4y ago

Other comments mention that it's more visible in cities, but I'd like to add that "abject inequity and poverty" are national problems that cities cannot solve individually. Rural areas are given disproportionate political power in our national elections while cities go underrepresented. So national problems that affect cities go ignored.

asow92 4y ago
If rural areas are given disproportionate political power, why can't political parties that feel this disadvantage do better in those areas? Why change the rules of the game instead of winning it?
- juve1996 4y ago
  Because the two-party system limits choice to voters and polarizes camps. A democrat could have genuinely good policy that would make an enormous difference for a lot of republican voters. But stances on social issues like gay marriage, gun control, etc, will make them unviable as a candidate. If they switch and support these issues, then they'll lose their primary.
  - asow92 4y ago
    While I don't think Yang has a shot, I really appreciate his attempt to find a new, level-headed middle. Finding middle ground is our best hope. I think there are ideas from both sides that could help both city and rural constituents, and believe that the culture war has gotten out of control on both sides with irreconcilable differences that disqualify the other. However, I also believe that rural voters could be won by Dems if they were engaged on their level instead of flown-over.
    - Der_Einzige 4y ago
      Damn, yang was making people think he was a centerist? He's by far the furthest left candidate who ran (yes, even further that Bernie sanders!)
      - asow92 4y ago
        While I don’t think UBI will work, I like some of the other things he’s advocating for in the forward party like open primaries and ranked choice voting. Those may disincentivize extremism on both ends of the spectrum.
  - asow92 4y ago
    https://youtu.be/3_3cwjoQedQ https://youtu.be/3_3cwjoQedQ
- drewrv 4y ago
  If a political system disadvantages a group of people then their needs will always take less precedence. “Why doesn’t the urban coalition simply win rural votes?” is a silly question. They would win rural votes by prioritizing different issues and then the issues important to urban citizens would be less likely to get addressed.
  - asow92 4y ago
    It's not a silly question. If they can't win on their merits then they deserve to loose. That's what democracy is. Also, notice how I said political parties and not an urban coalition: these are not the same, and their needs are different. There are rural democratic voices, and they do engage in these issues, but the wider party does not seem as interested in this. And that's why they will continue to loose rural voters in the house this November. They don't care as much to spend the time and resources on these campaigns, and this whole fight against the electoral college and how seats are dived up among states is a ruse to further consolidate power while abdicating accountability on a national level. Also, when democrats spend money on an extreme opponent campaign (which is diabolical) to make their own party look better, people see through that. It's just sick and could severely backfire on everyone. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2022/democrat-ad-spending-republican-trump/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2022/dem...
    - drewrv 4y ago
      I agree that Democrats should focus on rural areas more. You have to win by the rules not complain about the game. But you’re missing my point by ignoring coalitions to focus on parties. Imagine a religion that is a mix of democrats and republicans. Imagine Saturday is a holy day for them where they try not to engage with the modern world as much. If elections were only held on Saturday this would hurt their community. This is why farm subsidies are plentiful for example, neither party wants to claw those back and face the consequences. It’s also why social security is “the third rail of American politics”. Republican or democrat, no senior wants their checks messed with. And having elections on a Tuesday in November is a fine time for seniors and retirees to vote even if it sucks for other people.

by drewrv 4y ago

asow92 4y ago

If rural areas are given disproportionate political power, why can't political parties that feel this disadvantage do better in those areas? Why change the rules of the game instead of winning it?

juve1996 4y ago
Because the two-party system limits choice to voters and polarizes camps. A democrat could have genuinely good policy that would make an enormous difference for a lot of republican voters. But stances on social issues like gay marriage, gun control, etc, will make them unviable as a candidate. If they switch and support these issues, then they'll lose their primary.
- asow92 4y ago
  While I don't think Yang has a shot, I really appreciate his attempt to find a new, level-headed middle. Finding middle ground is our best hope. I think there are ideas from both sides that could help both city and rural constituents, and believe that the culture war has gotten out of control on both sides with irreconcilable differences that disqualify the other. However, I also believe that rural voters could be won by Dems if they were engaged on their level instead of flown-over.
  - Der_Einzige 4y ago
    Damn, yang was making people think he was a centerist? He's by far the furthest left candidate who ran (yes, even further that Bernie sanders!)
    - asow92 4y ago
      While I don’t think UBI will work, I like some of the other things he’s advocating for in the forward party like open primaries and ranked choice voting. Those may disincentivize extremism on both ends of the spectrum.
- asow92 4y ago
  https://youtu.be/3_3cwjoQedQ https://youtu.be/3_3cwjoQedQ
drewrv 4y ago
If a political system disadvantages a group of people then their needs will always take less precedence. “Why doesn’t the urban coalition simply win rural votes?” is a silly question. They would win rural votes by prioritizing different issues and then the issues important to urban citizens would be less likely to get addressed.
- asow92 4y ago
  It's not a silly question. If they can't win on their merits then they deserve to loose. That's what democracy is. Also, notice how I said political parties and not an urban coalition: these are not the same, and their needs are different. There are rural democratic voices, and they do engage in these issues, but the wider party does not seem as interested in this. And that's why they will continue to loose rural voters in the house this November. They don't care as much to spend the time and resources on these campaigns, and this whole fight against the electoral college and how seats are dived up among states is a ruse to further consolidate power while abdicating accountability on a national level. Also, when democrats spend money on an extreme opponent campaign (which is diabolical) to make their own party look better, people see through that. It's just sick and could severely backfire on everyone. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2022/democrat-ad-spending-republican-trump/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2022/dem...
  - drewrv 4y ago
    I agree that Democrats should focus on rural areas more. You have to win by the rules not complain about the game. But you’re missing my point by ignoring coalitions to focus on parties. Imagine a religion that is a mix of democrats and republicans. Imagine Saturday is a holy day for them where they try not to engage with the modern world as much. If elections were only held on Saturday this would hurt their community. This is why farm subsidies are plentiful for example, neither party wants to claw those back and face the consequences. It’s also why social security is “the third rail of American politics”. Republican or democrat, no senior wants their checks messed with. And having elections on a Tuesday in November is a fine time for seniors and retirees to vote even if it sucks for other people.