4 ms·

If only the DNC was interested in promoting candidates that work for the people and aren't just interested in lip service while mostly maintaining the status qu

If only the DNC was interested in promoting candidates that work for the people and aren't just interested in lip service while mostly maintaining the status quo. Things could have been different. Imagine what 8 years of Bernie and a functioning Congress might have accomplished.

lII1lIlI11ll 1mo ago
> Imagine 8 years of Bernie As a person who was born in the Soviet Union I can easily imagine that...
- joquarky 1mo ago
  Hyperbolic.
coldpie 2mo ago
Agreed. But on the topic of antitrust specifically, Lina Khan was absolutely doing the work, and Biden 100% deserves credit for appointing her. He could've chosen some do-nothing loser like everyone before him did, but he chose Khan.
- soulofmischief 2mo ago
  I agree, it was a great move. However, it's generally hard for me to give Biden much credit for anything, however, given his own and his party's general complicity with decades of genocide and apartheid in Palestine. Same for Harris. That and oversight of many more atrocities also carried forth by his predecessors really puts a damper on any good deed and make it hard to buy into any narrative of authenticity when it comes to politics that benefit human beings. I also generally think Bernie would have played hardball on antitrust and given what we got with Biden, I'd prefer to have seen what Bernie could have done with the time.
SR2Z 2mo ago
Terrible narrative. Lina Khan under Biden was more than willing to go after big companies. She was forced out because the American people voted Trump into office. Eight years of Sanders would have left us with a far more gridlocked country. The man has virtually no political talent.
- Computer0 2mo ago
  >The man has virtually no political talent. More unique individual people donated to his primary efforts than any other candidate in history. Wouldn't this be indicative of some large amount of political talent?
  - dylan604 2mo ago
    I think people grossly underestimate "money is speech" that is spent by corporate interests. PACs and SuperPACs are something I've just never understood how their donations are not just bribes
    - dexterdog 1mo ago
      That is precisely what they are
- soulofmischief 2mo ago
  I love Lina Khan as much as the next guy. But as you've already pointed out, it's kind of pointless if the fundamental problem is a malfunctioning executive branch (and a federal government with far too much power). But I'm going to need receipts on your claims about eight years of Sanders.
  - SR2Z 1mo ago
    I can't prove a negative but consider that winning the Democratic primary requires convincing a bunch of left-of-center voters to support your plan. Sanders couldn't do that. How do you think he would have fared with Republicans? He's never passed a significant bill of his own and focuses on renaming post offices. The man has no political skill. As president he would have been a disaster.
andrewflnr 2mo ago
That "functioning Congress" requirement is doing a lot of the work in that claim, and no single election result would make that happen.
- soulofmischief 2mo ago
  I didn't make that claim, you misread what I said. I explicitly mentioned a functioning Congress because that's a necessity, a functioning executive branch is not enough. We are in agreement.
  - andrewflnr 1mo ago
    We're in agreement, so what did I misread? :D The point is, there's not some realistic, single-point "if only" scenario where "things could have been different", because the problem is largely Congress.
    - mafuy 1mo ago
      You misread/missed "Imagine".
      - andrewflnr 1mo ago
        No. The "imagine" is only an elaboration on the (rather more definite) "things could have been different" claim, which I already contend is a fantasy. I mean, sure, I could also "imagine" a world where America throws out its corrupt and/or stupid politicians all at once and replaces them with sensible people, but it would be of similar plausibility and utility.
        soulofmischief 1mo ago
        It's called a hypothetical, not a fantasy, and it is a device used to ground the discussion by giving us a baseline for comparison. I don't think this is a very useful discussion if we're going to talk past each other and not assume the best possible interpretation of each other's words.
dexterdog 1mo ago
You had me until Bernie
- soulofmischief 1mo ago
  Which candidate would you have preferred?

lII1lIlI11ll 1mo ago

> Imagine 8 years of Bernie As a person who was born in the Soviet Union I can easily imagine that...

joquarky 1mo ago
Hyperbolic.

coldpie 2mo ago

Agreed. But on the topic of antitrust specifically, Lina Khan was absolutely doing the work, and Biden 100% deserves credit for appointing her. He could've chosen some do-nothing loser like everyone before him did, but he chose Khan.

soulofmischief 2mo ago
I agree, it was a great move. However, it's generally hard for me to give Biden much credit for anything, however, given his own and his party's general complicity with decades of genocide and apartheid in Palestine. Same for Harris. That and oversight of many more atrocities also carried forth by his predecessors really puts a damper on any good deed and make it hard to buy into any narrative of authenticity when it comes to politics that benefit human beings. I also generally think Bernie would have played hardball on antitrust and given what we got with Biden, I'd prefer to have seen what Bernie could have done with the time.

SR2Z 2mo ago

Terrible narrative. Lina Khan under Biden was more than willing to go after big companies. She was forced out because the American people voted Trump into office. Eight years of Sanders would have left us with a far more gridlocked country. The man has virtually no political talent.

Computer0 2mo ago
>The man has virtually no political talent. More unique individual people donated to his primary efforts than any other candidate in history. Wouldn't this be indicative of some large amount of political talent?
- dylan604 2mo ago
  I think people grossly underestimate "money is speech" that is spent by corporate interests. PACs and SuperPACs are something I've just never understood how their donations are not just bribes
  - dexterdog 1mo ago
    That is precisely what they are
soulofmischief 2mo ago
I love Lina Khan as much as the next guy. But as you've already pointed out, it's kind of pointless if the fundamental problem is a malfunctioning executive branch (and a federal government with far too much power). But I'm going to need receipts on your claims about eight years of Sanders.
- SR2Z 1mo ago
  I can't prove a negative but consider that winning the Democratic primary requires convincing a bunch of left-of-center voters to support your plan. Sanders couldn't do that. How do you think he would have fared with Republicans? He's never passed a significant bill of his own and focuses on renaming post offices. The man has no political skill. As president he would have been a disaster.

andrewflnr 2mo ago

That "functioning Congress" requirement is doing a lot of the work in that claim, and no single election result would make that happen.

soulofmischief 2mo ago
I didn't make that claim, you misread what I said. I explicitly mentioned a functioning Congress because that's a necessity, a functioning executive branch is not enough. We are in agreement.
- andrewflnr 1mo ago
  We're in agreement, so what did I misread? :D The point is, there's not some realistic, single-point "if only" scenario where "things could have been different", because the problem is largely Congress.
  - mafuy 1mo ago
    You misread/missed "Imagine".
    - andrewflnr 1mo ago
      No. The "imagine" is only an elaboration on the (rather more definite) "things could have been different" claim, which I already contend is a fantasy. I mean, sure, I could also "imagine" a world where America throws out its corrupt and/or stupid politicians all at once and replaces them with sensible people, but it would be of similar plausibility and utility.
      - soulofmischief 1mo ago
        It's called a hypothetical, not a fantasy, and it is a device used to ground the discussion by giving us a baseline for comparison. I don't think this is a very useful discussion if we're going to talk past each other and not assume the best possible interpretation of each other's words.

dexterdog 1mo ago

You had me until Bernie

soulofmischief 1mo ago
Which candidate would you have preferred?