but what you are also doing is ignoring the very real social and demographic shifts within the democratic and republican parties from 1965-1990. i’ve lived through most of this period as an informed and rational individual. the parts i am not old enough to have witnessed intelligently i have studied closely. i don’t care whether your critique is left, right, or center: any critique premised on the notion that the democratic party of 2017 is equivalent to the democratic party of 1876 has rendered itself irrelevant from the start.
2 Likes
Pre-sixties, the Democrats based their appeal on white animus, while the GOP based their appeal upon anti-immigrant xenophobia and class privilege. White supremacy vs merciless capitalism (with a side of white supremacy).
In the sixties, the GOP overtly moved into the white animus territory. The Dems, in response, shifted to a mix of faux-populism and exploiting the fear of white animus.
The Black community didn’t shift to the Dems because the Dems became non-racist. They shifted because the GOP betrayed them (again). White supremacy remained an overt part of the Democratic party long past the 1960’s.
4 Likes
the end result of the process, though, is a party which is close to 50% non-white and will become majority non-white over the course of the next decade. in most of the south the democratic party has been majority non-white for a decade or more. in my county i am one of only a dozen or so white democrats out of 600+/- party members. it is impossible to remain a party of white racism when the majority of the members and leaders of the local and state party groups are black and hispanic.
again, if you insist that nothing has changed or that nothing relevant has changed within the democratic party over the past 50 years it is impossible to take anything else you have to say about the parties in the united states seriously because your argument begins flawed past redemption.
1 Like
Which is why I never said that. I usually choose my words carefully.
Many important things have changed. Most notably, the Klan switched allegiance from the Dems to the GOP. However, white supremacy is a fundamental feature of both US major parties, and remains so to this day.
The GOP are two parts racist and one part classist. The Dems are one part racist and two parts classist. The parties are not equivalent, as they are roughly matched on classism while the GOP racism is off the charts.
Nevertheless, both parties still suck.
Neither party represents the working class, and the working class are disproportionately PoC. Both parties support imperialism, militarism, and capitalism. The GOP want to suppress the working class because they are PoC, the Dems just accept that as a side-effect of deregulated capitalism.
The Dem leadership are plutocratic liberals and conservatives, devoted to the maintenance of their privilege and the expansion of neoliberal exploitation. They are more than happy to accept plutocrats of colour, so long as those plutocrats are wealthy first and “of colour” second.
They are not willing to do anything meaningful to address structural inequality, as that might limit their ability to extract the maximum profit from the peasantry.
1 Like
As random trivia, and because I was trying to recollect the sequence for something else, Wanderfound’s adult career trajectory:
- Supreme Court filing clerk
- Social Work student
- Telemarketer
- Corporate spy (much less exciting than it sounds)
- Apprentice wood machinist
- Accounts clerk for a university IT department
- Rehabilitation Counselling student
- Psychology/Philosophy/History student
- Neuroscientist
- Bush Regenerator
- Crazy person
4 Likes
8 Likes
Yep. I’m committed to being the guy who brings up politics at the table in the lunch room.
4 Likes
Fascism on the rise? Just attack anyone who dares to criticise the police or military. That’ll fix it, sure.
2 Likes
1 Like
2 Likes
3 Likes
A thread on Honduras:
I know nothing about local Honduran politics, so I can’t vouch for reliability.
Major theme of libTwitter today:
“How dare they insult the honour of those brave and honorable patriots at the FBI?”
FBI “honor”:
2 Likes
I hadn’t previously realised that Hoover began his career by organising the first Red Scare.
…and The Washington Post was as useless as always.
1 Like