this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2025
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"Let’s start with the obvious — a tyrant sits in the White House," Walsh added. "The very thing our Founders feared most is here. Throw in the fact that one of our two major political parties is a real and direct threat to democracy and the rule of law. These are unprecedented, dangerous times in America. I know it. You know it. There are even Republicans who know it."

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[–] SnarkoPolo@lemm.ee 53 points 3 days ago (3 children)
[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 50 points 3 days ago

Sure, but we can't be picky. If we refuse any late arrivals we've handing the world to trumpism forever.

[–] N0t_5ure@lemmy.world 34 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] Soulg@ani.social 6 points 2 days ago

This guy has been against Trump for a while, at least.

[–] oakey66@lemmy.world 44 points 3 days ago (3 children)

At some point, progressives need to excise themselves from the democratic party. I don't share anything policy wise with Joe Walsh. He can go fuck himself.

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 20 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

I don't know the guy's whole history, and his prior support of the GOP is GIANT red flag to me. However he's saying a bunch of the right things I would want to hear from a reformed GOP:

"I’ve opened my eyes and listened to people who don’t think like me," he said. "And by doing so, I gained a greater understanding of and appreciation for LGBTQ issues, structural racism, the need for empathetic immigration reform, the dangers of climate change, and the role government must play to help care for the neediest and most vulnerable among us."

  • support for LGBTQ? - check
  • recognition of critical race theory? - check
  • seeing the need for immigration reform? - mostly check, I'd need to hear more on his views before I give him a pass on this one considering what little I know of his past
  • admission of climate change dangers? - check
  • support of a government that helps the weakest among us? - check

He could be a lying bastard, so I don't trust him yet, but these match a whole bunch of my political positions, so I'm hopeful we might have yet another person trying to fight for them. So no free pass, but time will tell.

[–] Boddhisatva@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

He could be a lying bastard, so I don’t trust him yet

He is a lying bastard and we should not trust him yet, or probably ever, but he might be a useful tool in getting more open minded conservative voters to take stock and reevaluate their positions. The enemy of your enemy is not your friend, but they can still be used to attain your goals.

[–] ToastedRavioli@midwest.social 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Its obviously a digression from the main point of your comment, but that isnt what critical race theory means.

The existence of structural racism is just a political-sociological fact. Critical race theory is specifically a field of legal study that examines structural racism within the legal system exclusively. The “theory” aspect comes from the more debatable points of to what extent explicit racism in the law that has since been rectified (by civil rights laws or whatever else) still impacts the modern legal system.

Technically I suppose you could say any recognition of structural racism is still critical, and it would be called critical social inquiry in any capacity, if youre talking from an academic perspective. But the main point is that admitting structural racism exists =/= “critical race theory”

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 days ago

I don't trust a word he says.

[–] AcidicBasicGlitch@lemm.ee 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Yeah I don't trust this guy. He's got no moral backbone or real ideology other than a desire for power. I seem to remember him being very vocal against Trump at points, then backing away from criticisms at important times during Trump's first term. Putting a D next to his name now definitely doesn't make me trust him. Even fucking Trump would have stuck with being a Democrat if he thought it would have made him rich and powerful.

If Walsh actually wanted to help this country he'd run as a Republican, but be vocal against Trump. Or better yet, just remain an independent. This country needs to start electing 3rd party candidates, especially with name recognition on his side, he might have a decent chance with the positions he's taking.

We don't need more people like Fetterman weaponizing the title of Democrat to keep putting a "bipartisan" spin on Republican policy, and move the party more towards the right.

If that's where the Democrats really believe we should be headed then yeah now is the time (before we get any closer to midterms) to decisively say we're going to need a new party for left candidates.

2019 viewpoints of Walsh

No Republican with any common sense or shred of decency would have this take: 2012 Republican Joe Walsh: abortions to save mother's life never necessary

People can change, and I applaud him if he has genuinely changed,... but we also need to stop pretending like an older conservative with name recognition, is somehow the best way forward for the party.

There are younger progressive candidates who actually have the drive to make this country better than it was in the first place, instead of just returning us back to normal, only to keep compromising, and losing the little ground we managed to get back over and over again.

Unless the US adopts some kind of proportional representation system (or even at the least discards FPTP), doing that would only ensure that no progressive voices are heard in the government.

The better and more practical option is to take over the democratic party. That is unless you want to have no control over the government.

[–] fedupwithbureaucracy@lemmy.world 43 points 3 days ago (2 children)

And the party will keep moving further right…

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 18 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Exactly. All of the rats fleeing the fascist ship they created will now promote the same cancer in the D party "as a Democrat".

Welcome to the illusion of choice in the corporate dictatorship. All roads lead to fascism.

[–] UsernameHere@lemy.lol 12 points 3 days ago (2 children)

If leftists don’t vote for the candidate furthest to the left because they “aren’t left enough”. Then the party will replace those votes by appealing to those to the right.

[–] goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Implying they've done anything other than run to the right and ignoring voters on the left?

[–] Auli@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Well if the left doesn't turnout to vote. If course they're going to go right to try and get the voters who actually vote. And it seems the right votes more consistently then the left.

[–] goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 2 days ago

The right has the option of 2 parties, of course they vote more than the ones without a party

[–] UsernameHere@lemy.lol -2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Election results have proven that leftists aren’t the majority. Politicians are beholden to the voters not leftists.

[–] goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Yes that's why the dnc does their best to always avoid or force out any left like candidates.

When has the dnc run or allowed a leftist candidate to run?

[–] UsernameHere@lemy.lol -3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

That’s not how it works. Leftists won’t be “allowed” to take over the DNC. Voters will need to create the political will to run leftists. There hasn’t been enough demand for leftists candidates. There are enough examples of leftists wining primaries and losing elections to prove that.

[–] krashmo@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Prove it then. Don't just say it can be done, do it.

[–] goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 days ago

Citations please

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmings.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Like Kamala did?

The Dems would rather wait until enough Republicans get fed up with the MAGA Nazi incompetence enough to vote Democrat, than actually be a true opposition, or leftist, party.

[–] UsernameHere@lemy.lol -1 points 2 days ago

The majority of voters chose Trump. Unfortunately that’s how a democracy works.

[–] xyzzy@lemm.ee 17 points 2 days ago

Character is more important than 100% ideological parity. Republican Party politicians have no values; it's a party organized around mutual benefit for the worst humanity has to offer: opportunists, morons, abusers, bullies, grifters, liars, rapists, and authoritarians. Their leader somehow embodies every single one of those qualities. Not to say Democrats are perfect by any means, but I'd rather someone own up to their mistakes and right the ship late than never at all. I'll happily count Walsh as an ally for that reason.

[–] DarkCloud@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

I mean, the Tea Party was largely funded by the Koch brothers to fight to remove taxes on them. Many Libertarian movements only exist for those sorts of reasons.

Koch eventually went Democrats because he wanted open borders because the cheap labour reduces wages for everyone.

So it makes sense that Koch related followers are doing the same.

[–] faltryka@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (3 children)

How is Koch going democrat?

[–] baronvonj@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

He died.

His surviving brother still seems pretty Libertarian.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmings.world 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

They didn't, they just supported illegal immigration because it gave them low wage workers that they could exploit in their pollution factories. To some shallow political thinkers, that's the equivalent of a Democratic position, and if you have one Democratic position, even if it is blatantly self-serving, it means you're a Democrat.

[–] DarkCloud@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There's a bunch of articles about it, he's talked about it. He donated to them, and opened his networks up to their usage/advertising:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Koch+supports+democrats

[–] Boddhisatva@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Charles Koch says he'd work with Democrats who share his values

Sure, he'll support Democrats as long as they have Republican values.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 1 points 3 days ago
[–] masterofn001@lemmy.ca 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

As the Republican party has become the Nationalsozialistische Amerikaner Arbeiterpartei, The democratic party long ago became the Republican party.

And though Joe has been a critic of trmp for a while, he is still an R through and through.

Since the green party is home to Russian plants, what choices does the non right wing US citizen now have to represent them?

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 3 points 3 days ago

Since the green party is home to Russian plants, what choices does the non right wing US citizen now have to represent them?

The same as we've always had, none.

[–] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 7 points 3 days ago

And the march ever rightward continues.

[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

How about you take the opportunity to just shut the fuck up, Joe? You don't have to be in politics, you know?