this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2026
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Late Stage Capitalism

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[–] EggInDisguise@lemmy.blahaj.zone 34 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

My spouse is watching The Good Place, and just got to the end of season 3. There's a scene where one character is explaining to a council of people from heaven that life is so complex nowadays that nobody can get into heaven, and for the last 500 years not a single person can get into heaven.

The council then says they're going to spend 400 years forming a committee, and then that committee will spend 1000 years forming its own investigative committee to make sure there's no conflict of interest, THEN they'll investigate the system to see if there's a problem.

The first character then exclaims that I those 1400 years before the investigation even starts people will still be going to hell regardless of how good they tried to be.

The committee then states they are "deeply concerned" by that, which got me to start cackling.

The committee sums up my view of democrats.

Even if they are concerned by the daily atrocities and banality of evil, they're too concerned about doing things "by the book" and too concerned with the status quo changing that they are basically doing nothing. They might think they're acting swiftly, but the whole time all the people suffering are continuing to suffer.

[–] Wakmrow@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

I mean it's not subtle

[–] Leviathan@fedinsfw.app 1 points 1 week ago

This is why they worked so hard to convince anyone who cares to never vote. The only Dems who vote love the current party, as is clear by how hard they're crashing out over progressives in the primaries. You gotta push the needle incessantly.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world -2 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Even if they are concerned by the daily atrocities and banality of evil

You must not be American. Right now all branches of the Federal Government and the majority of states' governments are Republican. Democrats have absolutely no power to do anything but talk.

The US isn't a European style parliament where minority parties have some power.

[–] Krono@lemmy.today 28 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

You're right that Democrats are near-powerless right now, but it was only a few short years ago when they were in power. Let's not forget their actions.

When in power, they did not concern themselves with the daily atrocities or the banality of evil.

Their overwhelming support for the genocide in Palestine is just the tip of the banality iceberg.

[–] pachrist@lemmy.world 15 points 2 weeks ago

Republicans spend a decade gaining supermajorities in state legislatures and packing the judiciary with republican judges.

Democrats spent a decade celebrating Hillary Clinton's imminent election.

[–] GraniteM@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Ask Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema if Democrats were really "in power." Republicans have been willing to shred the Constitution in order to get what they want, but it works primarily because they operate virtually in lock step with one another, even if they sometimes allow one member or another to vote No on some horrifying bill or another, so long as that No vote won't change the end result.

Democrats have the opposite problem: in recent memory they've only ever had the narrowest of majorities in Congress, and they're a bunch of cats on a good day, so there's always a few Democrats in vulnerable seats that will break with the party in order to maintain their "outsider" image with their purple district voters. Add on that Democrats for the most part don't want to shred the Constitution, and it's very difficult for them to achieve their goals.

And add on that most media in this country is owned and operated by billionaires and it constantly pushes the narrative that anything to the left of Ronald Reagan is basically Karl Marx, and you've got an electorate that is on balance very suspicious of things that, to a reasonable person, would obviously make the world a better place, like universal healthcare, free pre-K education, police reform, immigration reform, and so on.

The Democrats that do want to make the world a better place are essentially trying to play honest baseball with unreliable teammates, shitty coaches and managers, opponents who are 'roided out of their minds, and umpires who won't call objective balls and strikes. Even for the ones who are trying to improve things (and they do exist!) it's an appalling situation.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Ask Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema if Democrats were really “in power.”

They were. They wielded power through people like Manchin and Sinema.

Democrats have the opposite problem: in recent memory they’ve only ever had the narrowest of majorities in Congress, and they’re a bunch of cats on a good day, so there’s always a few Democrats in vulnerable seats that will break with the party in order to maintain their “outsider” image with their purple district voters.

Well, that's all the party needs to do the only thing the party is for. Being the pawl on the ratchet.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world -5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Student loan forgiveness? Replacing Coal with Solar? Expanded ACA?

All gone under Trump. But both sides bad.

[–] commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

all things the Democrats didn't give us

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world -2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Democrats gave it and Trump reversed it.

But you like it because you "sent a message" because "Kamala didn't earn your vote."

Trump is what you wanted. Trump is what you got.

[–] commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

you have no idea how I voted. but lying about whether I got student loan forgiveness isn't scoring you any points, nor is your bad faith accusation that I, or anyone who didn't vote for Trump, wanted trump.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world -2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

but lying about whether I got student loan forgiveness

re-Read the thread. You didn't make that claim and neither did I.

The thread is about policy, not you personally.

[–] commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 week ago

Democrats didn't give loan forgiveness

[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Basic human rights and dignity is what we wanted and the DNC didnt offer it so I did my best to not lift a finger to help the DNC this last election, after a lifetime of straight blue voting.

And I'll do it again if they keep running the worst candidates they think they can get away with. I'll take the quick death over the slow one, thanks. If that makes you mad, great, I'm past mad.

[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

you missed genocide. How do you measure mass murder against the loss of student loan forgiveness? Not willing to take a stand on that? How about industrial scale rape with Epstein? The dems didnt handle that but its just not as important as replacing coal with solar huh?

[–] EggInDisguise@lemmy.blahaj.zone 22 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I am American, and i am getting very tired of hearing "they CAN'T do things because they have to play by the rules!"

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I am American, and i am getting very tired of hearing “they CAN’T do things because they have to play by the rules!”

The rules they could change with a simple majority. And any rules they can plausibly make up as well. We can't ignore the Parliamentarian!

[–] kreskin@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

they could also jettison "My job is to keep the dems supporting Israel and nothing else" Schumer as the minority leader any time they wanted to with an internal democratic leadership vote. They only need a small number of dem senators to call for the internal vote, but it never gets called for. So evidently it's not just schumer-- it's the whole party's job.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You must not be American. Right now all branches of the Federal Government and the majority of states’ governments are Republican. Democrats have absolutely no power to do anything but talk.

It's funny that when the roles are reversed and democrats have majorities, they're still powerless. They're just malingering and useless.

[–] EmpireInDecay@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago

It's funny how when Republicans are the minority power, they get everything they want, when Republicans are the majority power they get everything they want. But when Democrats are in either position, they can't do anything.