this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2025
336 points (98.8% liked)

politics

26681 readers
2394 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

  1. Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

  1. Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
  2. Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
  3. No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
  4. Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
  5. No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

Register To Vote

Citizenship Resource Center

Congressional Awards Program

Federal Government Agencies

Library of Congress Legislative Resources

The White House

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

News

World News

Business News

Political Discussion

Ask Politics

Military News

Global Politics

Moderate Politics

Progressive Politics

UK Politics

Canadian Politics

Australian Politics

New Zealand Politics

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Sweeping Democratic victories in off-year elections seem to be foreshadowing a very good midterms for the party, and one expert believes it’s even bigger than that.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fundamentally transform legislative power,” Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), which focuses on electing Democrats to statehouses, told Mother Jones.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Auk@lemmy.world 84 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

lol. The great blue tsunami? Probably more like great blue tear splash. Never underestimate their ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It’s by design.

[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 31 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

I’ve heard that the guy leading the Democratic Party right now has been pushing for a 50 state approach as well as pushing for all levels of government, even state legislatures. Putting more money into state parties as well. Seems like the right approach at least.

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 21 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

The last guy who had that idea got absolutely railroaded for showing enthusiasm during a stump speech.

[–] danc4498@lemmy.world 14 points 9 hours ago (1 children)
[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

Well yes, but that wasn't enough to save him once the powers that be decided they wanted him gone.

[–] Eldritch@piefed.world 11 points 9 hours ago (5 children)

That is certainly a better start than years past where they simply ignored everything except top level offices. Including their voters.

But it still won't help anything if they try to run the most focused group tested, middle-of-the-road, oligarch approved, bland candidates. Mamdani and others are showing another path. But so far, local and national Democrats have always seemed to want to fight their kind.

[–] baronvonj@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

if they try to run the most focused group tested, middle-of-the-road, oligarch approved, bland candidates. Mamdani and others are showing another path.

We should not care who they try to run, and instead show up in the primaries to dictate to them who we choose.

[–] SinningStromgald@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Wether we should or shouldn't doesn't matter since the last election showed people will either stay home or defect if Dems run another Corpo shilling milquetoast do nothing right of center candidate.

I'll still vote for them just to spite the Fascist Right Cunts but I certainly won't like it and I will certainly bitch about it.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Eldritch@piefed.world 3 points 9 hours ago

I agree. Though one addendum. showing up in the primaries is good, but it's not going to solve bad candidates. We need to start running ourselves. Rebuilding state parties ourselves. And telling the disastrous national party to get fucked.

That sort of concentrated power always results in conceitedness and corruption.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] HazardousBanjo@lemmy.world 63 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Only if progressives throw their hats into the primaries in 2026.

I've seen a disturbing lack of progressives readying up to kick out establishment dems, just like every year.

[–] orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 10 hours ago (1 children)
[–] SantasMagicalComfort@piefed.world 11 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (3 children)

MAGA took over the republicans without bitching that it was hopeless.

[–] Soggy@lemmy.world 15 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

The Tea Party gave Repubs the courage to be the racist Christofascists they already were, the left side of American politics is far less homogeneous.

[–] RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

The Tea Party and MAGA also had billionaire funding.

[–] Xanthobilly@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Yah this. The idea that an organic, grassroots movement can overcome current oligarch control over media and politics is nonsense. Ever since Citizens United and all the prior consolidations of power (Nixon, Gingrich, Patriot Act, etc.), there is no fighting back for the common man, even en masse. There are protests as large as 14M people and it had no effect on politicians, revolution should have already happened, but politicians are ignoring the call. They are hell bent on answering only to Billionaires. I really think there’s only one solution left and it’s right here in a quote from JFK: “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."

[–] Krono@lemmy.today 12 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

MAGA did not try to upend the pro-buisness nature of the Republican party. MAGA and old school republicans serve the same masters.

Progressive reformers have a much steeper hill to climb, as it would require a near-total destruction of the Democratic Party status quo in order to effect meaningful change.

Both D and R politicians are deeply addicted to dark money donations; we have legalized bribery and corruption. Ending this addiction, even in one party, is not a small, simple act- it is a revolution.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] splount@lemmy.world 35 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

If there's a way, no matter how small, for the Dems to squander this opportunity and wrestle defeat from the jaws of victory, they will leave no bland page of the most moderate and uninspiring speech unread to a near empty chamber.

[–] SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 6 hours ago

My thoughts exactly. I can't wait to see the controlled opposition "accidentally" fumble a guaranteed win.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 32 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Democrats will just go more right in response

[–] MooseWinooski@lemmy.ca 13 points 8 hours ago

That happened in Canada's federal election. Our Conservative party was acting like Trumpists, so people flocked to the Liberal party, our left-ish parties collapsed, and the Liberals took a big step right.

[–] NotSteve_@piefed.ca 29 points 9 hours ago (8 children)

I gotta ask, like what's the plan even if there is a big blue wave? The current dream scenario it seems is just a centre-right single party state where the Republicans poof into thin air and leave just the Democrats. Your guys' country needs more parties

[–] NateNate60@lemmy.world 24 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

The last time the Democrats won control of Congress, they tried to pass a very large electoral reform law.

This bill bans partisan gerrymandering, requires Congressional constituency lines to be drawn by independent boundary commissions, introduces new limits on campaign finance, requires polls to be open for at least two weeks, introduces an automatic voter registration scheme, makes the final day of voting a federal holiday, expands postal voting, makes obstructing voter registration a federal crime, restores voting rights to felons when they leave prison, bans lying to voters about when or where to vote, introduces public financing of elections, limits the amount of money that political parties can spend on an election, requires candidates for president or vice-president to disclose their tax returns, imposes a code of ethics on the Supreme Court, and bans companies from making big donations to inaugural committees.

This bill did not pass because the Senate was evenly divided and the Democrats suffered a backbench rebellion from two "centrist" senators.

[–] Flatworm7591@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 6 hours ago (1 children)
[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 5 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (2 children)

This bill did not pass because the Senate was evenly divided and the Democrats suffered a backbench rebellion from two “centrist” senators.

There's a reasonable suspicion the Democrats only advance these bills proposing real change when they already know they have those two "rebels" lined up to block it. That way they keep the voters coming back for another try, while looking after the interests of those who pay them.

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Democrats are an uncertainty while Republicans are a certainty to vote against this kind of reform. To me the solution is clear, remove the certainty, get so many DNC in there that expulsion becomes viable without handing the reigns over to Rs.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (7 replies)
[–] VirtuePacket@lemmy.zip 22 points 4 hours ago

Even if this were true--which I am skeptical that it is--we cannot wrest our republic from the brink by winning every election by wide margins. If we can't find a way to reconcile the degree to which we can't agree on a basic set of facts and institute government that is responsive to the needs of the people, then the seemingly impending authoritarian age will come to pass.

[–] Foni@lemmy.zip 19 points 10 hours ago

With a true left-wing leader, someone with leadership like FDR in the 1930s could be worth something. This bunch of cowards won't change anything, at least nothing that really matters.

[–] lemmylump@lemmy.world 16 points 10 hours ago

I'll believe that shit when and only when it happens. I'm so sick of having only false hope.

[–] expatriado@lemmy.world 14 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

every other year we got once in a generation elections

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 13 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Even if they win every election they will find a reason not to do anything

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] DaMummy@lemmy.world 11 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

"Your father and I support the jobs the comet will provide"

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Rhoeri@lemmy.world 10 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

So, you guys remember when we had the “once-in-a-generation” chance to stand in the way of a fascist Hitler-wannabe criminal of a dictator?

We had one party that actually wanted this, another that couldn’t be bothered to do enough to distance themselves from it- and an unbelievable ninety one million dipshits that were fine with allowing either to dictate the results.

Never underestimate an American’s penchant for exerting less than the bare minimum of effort- even when it’s in their own best interest to do so.

[–] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

This is better than my take. Have an upvote!

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] caboose2006@lemmy.world 9 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Too bad the leadership are feckless losers.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] switcheroo@lemmy.world 8 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

This is the chance for Dems to once again wrestle defeat from the jaws of victory.

We need a better party. Dems are centrists; we need a progressive. One who won't olive branch the traitor party.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 8 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

We are literally surrounded by ignorant Nazis raging for the machine who voted for a pedofile con man 3 times….don’t hold your breath

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 6 points 8 hours ago

I'm sure they'll snatch defeat from the jaws of victory again, or squander the opportunity to make real gains with any win.

[–] orbituary@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 10 hours ago

Never underestimate Democrats' ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

[–] Birch@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 hour ago

Narrator: But they won't.

[–] eugenevdebs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 5 hours ago

Time to have a bad candidate in the "once in a life time" election from the Dems again so Trump gets his illegal 3rd term. Can't have a popular candidate, they might raise taxes on the rich and lower them on the poor.

[–] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 4 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Lol. Really? The last time they had a choice between a tepid mid candidate and an impeached, convicted piece of literal rapist shit and they chose to let the rapist shit into the office. I don't have high hopes, tbh. The voters would rather virtue signal than get off their fat asses to save their country.

[–] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

They thought that voting for the impeached, convicted piece of literal rapist shit would mean they'd have more money. It turns out he made them have less money, so now they're re-considering.

[–] jj4211@lemmy.world 4 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

To find the cloud in the silver lining, I can easily see how this doesn't happen.

Currently we are outraged at ICE and military in our streets inflicting harm on innocents, nervous about getting in a war no one would have even thought of, suffering from tariffs increasing prices and ACA premiums going way up.

The thing about every single one of those is that Republicans caused them and Republicans can mostly fix them. Simply by undoing the things they caused in the first place makes folks feel like things are getting fixed, and many will forget why they were broken and just be focused on how they got better during the election year.

So I expect immigration enforcement to tone down (already saw a story to that effect), for them to manage a last minute ACA subsidy extension with much drama, pulling back a lot of tariffs, and chilling out on Venezuela for 2026. Going extra by cutting some "tariff fund" checks and some HSA deposits, to make sure the people get some money, even if it is smaller than the money lost, people fall for "windfalls". Maybe throw some folks under the bus like RFK Jr and Hegseth, to drain the swamp so to speak.

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

It's a possibility for sure but it leans on the idea of a sudden surge of 1) competence and 2) congress and scotus reeling in the presidential power

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Mulligrubs@lemmy.world 3 points 28 minutes ago* (last edited 24 minutes ago)

Hmmm, I wonder if Trump will use executive orders to circumvent congress completely, and the Supremes will back him up per Bezos instructions?

Nah, that's crazy, I'm just paranoid.

p.s. Senate will continue ignoring actual law and insist on following Senate rules (not law; can be changed at any time with simple majority vote) per cloture to avoid the "filibuster"; this blatantly unconstitutional "rule" was magically created to prevent another New Deal

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 hours ago

@But_my_mom_says_im_cool@lemmy.world re: https://lemmy.world/comment/20954304

Do all the comments in this thread sound like Russian propaganda too? Or are there perhaps valid criticisms of the Democrat party?

[–] nymnympseudonym@piefed.social 2 points 10 hours ago

Well I'm prayin' for rain I'm praying for tidal waves I wanna see the ground give way

-TooL

[–] aceshigh@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

The d’s really have a lot to learn from maga. MAGA created plans (project 2025, project 2026) that they started actualizing immediately after Trump won. Where are the d’s project 2029?

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›