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Yeah, I’m not implying that the big 10 are perfect in every scenario, but I think we can all agree no murder, no stealing, and no lying are pretty much table stakes for any healthy society and every human belief system has at least those.
I understand your urgency when it comes to climate, I really, really do, I’ve been in that fight for a very long time and the fact that it’s even a fight is demoralizing in itself. That said, I don’t think recklessness is helpful here. We need community buy in because the solutions aren’t going to be quick. It took a long time to get here, and it’s going to take a long time to get back to something tolerable. If you go swatting flies with a shotgun and what you are going to get is sabotage and opposition, and you will give people every reason to never work with you again, on anything. You’re going to get more done fast by taking the time to do it right the first time. Yes, now is the perfect time to panic, but panic isn’t going to accomplish anything.
Same arguments come when we’re talking housing, when we’re talking infrastructure (electric, transport, data, etc.). Yeah, we did a lot under FDR… and you know exactly why and how and it resulted in widespread civil unrest by the '50s and '60s. Backlash moves a lot faster these days. I have a way better idea. Tell people you’re going to do it right, and then deliver. People are sick and tired of hearing values statements, they want to see your values being lived with your own two hands. The fastest project is the one accomplished where people truly believe they can trust you to think the problem all the way through; no shortcuts, no quick patch jobs. You get some leeway for being human and making mistakes, but if you miss something obvious, you undermine trust. Any agenda not grounded in good faith, in building trust, is just another Republican talking point waiting to happen. It’s why they are winning because the one thing they can count on establishment “Democrats” as a whole to never be is trustworthy. The party’s absolute refusal to make any platform point non-negotiable means you can never count on “Democrats” to actually stand unified by anything. An individual might, but we all know that as a party, the platform isn’t worth the paper its written on. There is a big, flashing, animated sign pointing out exactly what is wrong here and every time they keep learning the exact wrong lesson. I’d like to believe that the DSA Dems have learned the right one. Forget “Abundance”, America lives or dies on trust.
I disagree with you there, I think the new deal empowered all levels of society. It gave the voiceless the wiggle room to demand more, and that’s what promoted a reaction. The unrest is not something to avoid, it is a consequence of meaningful change
It took nearly a century to unwind the gains made in the new deal period. A century of moneyed interests working to hijack democracy and tear down the social safety nets, to perform regulatory capture, to gain control over the media
I think that’s the blueprint we need. There will be resistance, but there will be resistance if we do it the slow way too - and the technocrats don’t have to build, they only need to destroy and maintain a narrative. They won’t be won over no matter what we do, they will never work with us, and giving them time to sabotage and manufacture consent will only make things harder
I certainly agree there - in fact, that’s why I think we need to move much faster. People have lost faith in government, for reasons you clearly understand
We must be like Mamdani. Not reckless, but relentless
We don’t need to get community buy in to fix potholes. We don’t need years of pilot programs to study the feasibility of using dumpsters. We don’t need to consult the landlords about a rent freeze
These easy wins for the people are what create buy-in for the bigger issues. As you said, these are the deliveries that build faith and trust - by acting, by delivering, you gain the support of the people
Then when you have to tackle a more complex issue, you don’t need to explain the subtleties to the people - they don’t care. They know you do good things, things that have made life easier, and so they extend their trust to you
Lowering drug prices is a simple win. It’s not complicated, everyone benefits, and the results will be seen by the people directly and immediately. We don’t need to think it through, we need to do it, then do it again and again until obtaining necessary drugs is a matter of course for everyone
Climate action is not simple. It will be messy. It will demand sacrifice from the people. The benefits are not obvious. The plans will not be understood by the masses. It will require careful consideration and can easily be sabotaged. The people will resist unless we have obtained their trust by fixing problems for them repeatedly
Absolutely, but you can’t build trust with words anymore. We are dying from a lack of trust, we can thank the establishment Democrats for that indeed
“Forget abundance” is right. They’re just like the other neolibs who explained everything is actually great right now instead of using power while they had it
Our people are suffering. They are not listening. They are not looking for leaders who will avoid breaking things. They are looking for those who fix things and ease their suffering
They are demanding leaders of action. They want what we want, but they don’t know it and they don’t care to learn or listen - we must show them
That’s how we rebuild trust. By being like Mamdani, by taking power and using it loudly. By acting before listening, then acting again immediately to show we have listened
Not reckless, but relentless
I can get behind relentless. Yes, I don’t recall ever seeing the specific kind of pointless consultation you mentioned, but there are definitely administrative inefficiencies that can be dispensed with. We don’t need to throw minorities under the bus to do that, there’s a lot of patronizing empty gestures that aren’t actually doing anyone any favours and that’s not being anti-minority. We are going to take an L here and there, Mamdani has and he is still doing fine, but it doesn’t stop him from moving on to what objectives he can make progress on. It’s not one big legislative gamble and then 3 years of campaigning, its relentless pursuit of community, of human dignity, of things that matter for real people every day. Don’t do omnibus, bury the republicans on paperwork and hold them accountable for every “No.” Make them justify why Meemaw couldn’t have her medications covered. Plaster it on the news that you can’t get new rail lines because senator Dinglehoper promised his donor a new yacht before he’d let a train line be built. Don’t take no for an answer, if the answer is no today, then try it again another way, and another, and another. Have the courage to play to the base, not just the other side and say the thing that is going to make you some enemies. Relentless, not reckless. No scapegoats required.
Damn straight, no notes. This is the way.
Luckily I think progressive candidates and most of the DSA is getting on board with this kind of politics. Mamdani continues to show how effective this can be
Like you said, the establishment Democrats will do anything to learn the wrong lesson… They’re busy copying his social media style while completely missing the substance. They’re a real threat, because a Harris or newsom presidency would be a big nail in the coffin
But progressives are winning seats. If on average they’re a fraction of a Mamdani, we’re going to build real momentum. Hopefully that will lead to transformational change, because we desperately need it
Here’s hoping