Because it doesn't matter. GOP knows to just vote. Show up even if their candidate is a shithead. They know it's better to have the R next to their name than not.
this is absolutely not true, voter apathy is a problem for both parties. But since the Dem base is naturally larger, it's a bigger problem for Dems. And since the electoral system is geared to over-represent rural areas and under-represent cities, where the Dems do exactly what you just said GOP voters do. They just vote for the D next to their name.
So yeah, it's that simple. Vote for the Dem even if you don't like them. Even if they take corporate money. Even if they're more moderate than you want. Even if they "rigged" the primaries. When it's R vs D in the general, show up and vote for the lesser of the evils. It sucks due to our dumbass system, but that's our reality.
more bernie supporters voted for hillary in the general than hillary supporters voted for Obama in 2008, as a percentage. This notion that progressives dont "get in line" enough is bullshit. It's that we get in line too much that's the problem. The Dems have basically been controlled opposition for decades.
Ruling the Void by Peter Mair is an interesting book that looks at how late capitalism is interacting with Western democratic systems, destroying their ability to effectively promise material gains for their population, destroying their links to the popular mass of people, and smashing the parties into generally the same soulless, policy-less product. Voter apathy is a
good thing for these parties, they've actively worked to achieve this throughout the Western world. Now, we've seen the GOP diverge sharply since especially the election of Obama, but this is a descent into fascism, and the final step before the elimination of even the charade of democracy. I don't know what Mair wouldve said about that since he died unfortunately a few years back, but his book was a pretty spot on analysis of how we got to our current situation politically.
Because now the court is fucked for 30 years and even more heinous decisions are coming. And RBG isn't getting any younger. At least Kennedy still is mostly conservative. If RBG goes, we're really fucked and the only remedy is increasing the number of justices.
Which is still a long shot because the GOP just saw their strategy pay off better than ever. Justifying everything hey have done since 2008. And since they became the racist party in the 1960s.
yep, which is why we need a more radical strategy.
