What does the Democratic party need to do in order to win back control of the government?

[Grinkle]

I couldn't come up with the perfect title for this thread so I settled for what it is. Other contenders were -

What is wrong with the Democratic party?
Why did the Democrats lose the election?
What is the most important lesson for Democrats post-election?

Anyway, I am interested in discussion of what Democrats need to do differently in order to win back both houses of congress and the White House.

I expect some disagreement, and I hope that those who disagree with me will engage in discussion.

I'll try to get the ball rolling with a couple thoughts.

The Democrats need to be more than the conservative opposition party that is fighting MAGA change to our nation. "We are not going back" was fine, but insufficient. We needed a lot more around how we are moving forward and to where. I believe I know what Trump's vision for America is. I don't know what any individual democrats vision of America is, and I don't believe the Democratic party as a whole has a clear vision for America. This was a huge handicap for Harris imo. So, we need a vision. If this thread ends up being a debate about whether or not there already is a vision, or what that vision is, I think that would support my claim that there really isn't one. If it turns out I'm the only one who doesn't see the clear Democratic vision, I'll acknowledge it.

Democrats are terrible at winning divisive politics. Republicans are better at it. We need to use our inclusive muscles and find a way to agree with MAGA on outcomes and strongly differentiate on means to get there in order to get some more voters in the tent.

I'll give two examples that I think would have helped the Dems in the last election, had they done it. You may strongly disagree with my examples and still agree with my general argument, of course.

The US was at record oil production levels during the Biden administration. This should have been repeated by Biden every single week, he should have taken credit for it. I think he didn't because Trump was saying "Drill baby drill". There is a tacit recognition that we won't transition to renewables without a lot of fossil fuel harvesting in the meantime, that should be made explicit by Democrats.

Another example - Harris and Biden should have been saying for four years that our border security is not where is should be and here is what we are doing about it. Instead, Democrats really downplayed the issue for two years, not appreciating how much it mattered to centrist voters. When Sinema and Lankford worked out the border bill, Trump had so completely owned the border issue that all he had to was say "no, this issue is mine, don't let the Dems get any credit for it, they are late to the party and don't really mean what they say" and democrats had insufficient credibility on the issue to force a vote on the bill. If its hard to find a border message that progressives can live with, well, politics is hard, figure it out. Ignoring the issue was not a winning strategy, that is clear in hindsight.

We put a lot of energy into analyzing Trumps atrocious policies - I hope we can also put some into getting our own house in better order.

Non-democrats are also welcome on this thread, btw - don't mean to imply otherwise.

 

[gleem]

Monday morning quarterbacking at its best.

I agree that the Dems did not blow their horn on efforts regarding oil production and illegal immigration as they should have. They could have said we are doing them without the risk to the country. The crap about the economy being the worst under Biden should have been loudly addressed.

One thing they missed was planning to raise the minimum wage, which is currently $7.25. Seventeen states currently do not have a state minimum wage greater than that. Raising it to $10.00 would have countered the inflation since 2009, when it was last changed. Some might say that this is too much, but look, in 2009, the poverty level was $10,966, so the minimum wage was 32% higher. The current poverty level is $16,320. Ten dollars per hour give an annual wage of $20,800, only 27% above the poverty level. Admittedly, that might have been a hard promise to fulfill if they did not control Congress.

Another thing that the Dems must address is the ultra-left in the party, which is way off the national electorate's radar. This article talks about five things that the Democratic Party must address. California governor Gavin Newsom may currently be the most viable candidate for president in 2028. This article metaphorically discusses his and what other Democratic candidates must do.

 

[gleem]

There were many issues in 2024. Not everybody had the same ones. But whatever they were, they were important to them. Those issues included the economy/inflation, attacks on democracy, intrusive government, immigration, climate change, affirmative action, health care costs, budget deficit, abortion rights, DEI programs, racism, homelessness, religious hegemony, science dysphoria, loss of masculinity in the workplace. . . .

One strategy of Trump's seems to have been to not be too specific with regards to his agenda and let his supporters and others fill in the blanks.

One big problem was that a lot of democrats did not vote at all. In fact, the Democrats lost four swing states because of that.

From a RollingStone article, an analysis of a focus group that did not vote. (Sorry I could not get a link to the whole article, maybe you can copy the URL below and google it.)

https://www.rollingstone.com/politi...hy-2020-biden-voters-sat-out-2024-1235318121/

There are two categories of voters ...: swing voters who flipped from Joe Biden to Trump, and 2020 Biden voters who sat the last election out entirely. The progressive donor network Way to Win analyzed data from the Democratic data firm Catalist and worked with pollster Lake Research Partners to get a better handle on the second group — Biden voters in battleground states who opted out in 2024 — the results of which the group has shared exclusively with Rolling Stone.

Across the four Sunbelt battleground states — Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina — there were at least 937,200 Democratic voters who turned out in 2020, but didn’t show up for Vice President Kamala Harris four years later. That’s a meaningful drop, and one that was large enough on its own to swing the election: Trump only won those states by a combined 531,539 votes.

A focus group related what they saw as problematic.

...— the voters interviewed reported they were engaged with politics, but unhappy with their choices and unconvinced that either candidate could make a positive change in their lives. But they are open to persuasion — one woman shared a story about attending Harris rally, which she left early after Harris failed to address the issues that mattered most to her.

The focus groups included Biden voters who didn’t vote in 2024 across those four Sunbelt states as well the same voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, with a particular emphasis on groups that constituted the Democrats’ largest losses in 2024: voters of all races and genders under 35, Latino men and women under 65, and Black men under 65.
. . .
Nonvoters had other gripes with the Harris-Walz campaign too: “A surprisingly common frame was that the campaign wasn’t serious,’ with many citing Harris’ celebrity endorsements and event appearances and framing them negatively.” Voters across groups indicated a belief that Democrats were focused on the “wrong things,” with Black men in particular expressing their feeling “that Dems cared more about immigrants, trans people, and waging war in Ukraine and Gaza than domestic priorities or their daily economic realities.” (Young voters, on the other hand, took issue with Harris’ perceived silence on Gaza, with a majority of voters in that focus group saying her unwillingness to take a stand affected their decision not to vote.)

One thing more. These non-voters did not vote because they did not hear what they were listening for, but they did not evaluate the effect of not casting their ballot. Perhaps they were also not listening closely to what Trump was saying.

 

[fresh_42]

I am not sure whether my thoughts fit in here. Rather than asking about what the Democrats can do is in my opinion to ask what people can do. The current situation is dangerous as hell. I know that the USA is particularly bad at learning from others, especially from history. However, if I list what has already gone within these few weeks then I'm really alerted:

• human rights: gone - people, even kids, get arrested right from the street, often violently
• Jurisdiction: gone - SCOTUS staffed by sympathizers, court rules being ignored, judges suspended
• foreign policy: gone - better: in ruins, except for dictators and far-right politicians like Meloni or Orban
• innocent people in jail while convicted criminals are being freed (Jan. 6th, Andrew Tate)
• law and order: gone - except it fits into the concept of the regime
• ecology and CC: gone - laid off staff, defundings, allowance for lumbering, Paris agreement cancelled
• peace: gone - threatened Denmark, Canada, Iran, and Panama with war
• financial stability: gone - tariffs, and as of today: "Powell's resignation can't come soon enough"
• Constitution: gone - widely ignored and 3rd term has been mentioned
• Open society: gone - people are insulted for speaking French at Walmart, tourists are advised to stay away
• Education and science: changed and restricted

I have already read the word "Gestapo methods" and it is right. This is a dangerous game, a very dangerous game. Germany had missed the point at which it was still manageable. I hope the US won't miss it. If it continuous as it currently does, then the USA will become a completely different country, ruled by despotism.

Now back to the topic: I cannot understand why those points are not addressed 24/7 by the Democrats. I miss shouting them out loud, demanding an impeachment for violating so many rights. Did you forget about Obama's birthplace debate? And now you are factually ruled by a South African? Where are those who compare these? There have never been more occasions to complain about, yet I do not see them in the news here.

 

[Klystron]

Painfully obvious perhaps, free from political parties and institutions, the United States requires established criteria for holding office.

Federal department heads must not be chosen by dictatorial whim or by manufactured name recognition on some biased media site. Golfing buddies, entourage stooges, media hacks and million dollar "donors" ipso facto are not qualifications for governing. Checks and balances become meaningless under corrupt selection processes.

Basic criteria for office include prior experience, recognized knowledge in the field, freedom from known coercion and bias, community standing where appropriate, and adherence to rule of law.

Trump should not have been on any ballot in 2024, not just for impeachment for insurrection and promulgating violent coup in 2020 but for actual adjudicated criminal behavior among other disqualifications. Responsible citizens must carefully consider choices, difficult to realize with insufficient information sources. Basic qualifying criteria establish a standard for consideration by voters.

I seem to recall when Richard Nixon created FEMA, the executive and congress proposed basic qualification to lead emergency management. Officials overseeing vital services must exhibit proper knowledge and experience. Semiliterate morons may make for entertaining media but disastrous executives.

 

[Grinkle]

The crap about the economy being the worst under Biden should have been loudly addressed.

Now back to the topic: I cannot understand why those points are not addressed 24/7 by the Democrats.

Semiliterate morons may make for entertaining media

These snips reminded me that the dems have not found a way to be heard by low information silo-media (yet still gettable) voters. If one is going to be heard by voters, one has to meet them where they are, as the pundits like to say. If one watched MSNBC or CNN, the crap about the economy was often addressed and one or more of the items listed in post #4 seemed always under discussion.

A part of it, (maybe only a small part, I'm not sure) Democrats have got to find a way to be more fun to watch when delivering their message. Hearing AOC the past couple weeks is a step in that direction. Bernie has always been fun for me to watch. Newsom is trying pod-casting, I admit I've never listened. I think Dem leaders understand all this - I hope they can crack the code on both personality and media strategy.

I expect the economy and the erosion of civil rights will get so personally painful for so many Trump voters in the next 18 months that many will bring themselves to a point of looking for an alternative - perhaps AOC should be building a relationship with Joe Rogan right now, so that 12 months from now it will be a no-brainer than she goes on his show. For all I know, she is doing just that, whether with Rogan specifically or other folks who can reach persuadable voters.

 

[jack action]

One strategy of Trump's seems to have been to not be too specific with regards to his agenda and let his supporters and others fill in the blanks.

I like that observation.

In the NYT today, there is a nice report about a focus group on Trump voters and what they think about what is happening so far. Very interesting read to better understand the "opposite" side.

Opinion | Tariffs, Elon Musk and Trump’s Term So Far: 13 Trump Voters Discuss

The participants discuss how they think Trump’s second term is going.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Borg]

A serious pack of uneducated, delusional voters. They're about to get an education but they will continue to praise orange jesus and blame anything but him. I know that there are people like that but it's still disturbing to read about people who literally state that they want to see the entire government burned to the ground. It's like watching someone burn down their entire house because there's a weed growing in the driveway.

 

[dlu]

I know that there are people like that but it's still disturbing to read about people who literally state that they want to see the entire government burned to the ground

I dont't think that group is the Maga people.
The ones on the far left, the ultra progressives, anarchist leftists.

Far-Left Extremist Groups in the United States​

A common theme between anarchist and non-anarchist groups, however, is a rejection of authority. This manifests itself as opposition to colonialism, authoritarianism, and—in common with anarchism—state authority. The far left opposes state oppression and believes that strengthening government and security institutions is a path toward a police state or fascism, which should be confronted

Far-Left Extremist Groups in the United States

Far-left extremism in the United States largely centers around the notion of correcting an injustice but is otherwise broad in its ideological catchment. CEP has profiled 11 far-left movements either previously or currently active in the United States.

www.counterextremism.com

 

[fresh_42]

I dont't think that group is the Maga people.
The ones on the far left, the ultra progressives, anarchist leftists.

You mean like Posse Comitatus?

The Posse Comitatus (Latin, "force of the county) is a loosely organized American far-right extremist social movement which began in the late 1960s. Its members spread a conspiracy-minded, anti-government, and antisemitic message linked to white supremacy aiming to counter what they believe is an attack on their social and political rights as white Christians.

Whereas anarchists are clearly opposing any central order, the view to locate such opinions only on the left is wrong, or at least biased. The list of right-wing extremists in the States is quite long. I am sure I would find quite a few who are anti-government. I would look for it if only it weren't so disgusting, so I leave it with the one example above.

Here is the (incomplete) list if you want to search for it:

Category:Far-right organizations in the United States - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[fresh_42]

There is a scheme I like to call Nazi-Triathlon. I observed it many times in open forums like SPON.

Der Spiegel (website) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The scheme applies when any right-wing terrorist acts, e.g., the recent Florida shooting, are being discussed:

1. Denial.
   It is usually denied that the act in question was right-wing motivated.
   
   
2. Relativization.
   This is along the lines: But the lefts are worse! As if this would change anything.
   
   
3. Justification.
   Reasons are listed for why such an act has happened. A standard argument here is what we call "Überfremdung" (literally: overalienation) which means: too many non-German citizens. This is particularly poor as it usually comes from areas with a comparably low non-German population. I am sure if you replace non-German with non-American then you will find such statements in the USA, too.

Whenever I encounter these kinds of arguments, I am on high alert.

 

[dlu]

You mean like Posse Comitatus?

I noticed my post rcvd a 'skeptical' , sentiments of an echo chamber.

Those too.
There are people who hold extreme views on both ends of the political spectrum, with some overlap.
Categorizing, and putting ideologies into nice neat buckets is a fools game, as no person falls neatly into the two major categories of liberal or conservative as they are described.

This is what I would be most worried about.

Anti-Trump protesters rally in New York, Washington and elsewhere across the country​

MSN

www.msn.com

Let us hope these protests remain calm and non-violent.
And that the political mouthpieces on the democratic side encourage civility, rather than that espoused by the likes of at least two of their female cohorts.
MTG wearing a Democratic costume.

 

[fresh_42]

I noticed my post rcvd a 'skeptical' , sentiments of an echo chamber.

Not me, although I thought about it.

Those too.

?

There are people who hold extreme views on both ends of the political spectrum, with some overlap.
Categorizing, and putting ideologies into nice neat buckets is a fools game, as no person falls neatly into the two major categories of liberal or conservative as they are described.

Yes, but your post sounded different. As I explained, I am no friend of relativization. It paves the way for the justification of what cannot be justified!

This is what I would be most worried about.

Anti-Trump protesters rally in New York, Washington and elsewhere across the country​

MSN

www.msn.com

If not now, when else? Trump destroys, and besides his narcissism, this is his only agenda.

Let us hope these protests remain calm and non-violent.
And that the political mouthpieces on the democratic side encourage civility, rather than that espoused by the likes of at least two of their female cohorts.
MTG wearing a Democratic costume.

I think people have the right to defend their achievements. And, btw., the right extremists are repeatedly calling for violence, e.g., the entire NRA or January 6th, if someone threatens their beliefs like Trump currently actually does to them!

You are measuring with two different scales here! Garcia is still in custody, and Tate runs free:



It has to be asked: Who violates whom?

 

[dlu]

Whenever I encounter these kinds of arguments, I am on high alert.

Scan some of the Oversight Committee hearings and treatment of witnesses, and/or the process to accept/eliminate candidates for agency position. Anecdotal questions with yes/no answers required of some, and irrelevant social media posts going back years. Mainly to play 'gotcha' .

PS. Since at least 1974 ( Pelosi ) Democrats and Republicans have both uttered concerns about unequal trade and tariffs, immigration, national debt, hollowing out US industrial base. That's 50 years of talk, with little concrete action, but bits and pieces here and there, to solve problems if they really do exist. If Trump is the result, some blame can be ascribed to past business political figures not being able to find solutions, and/or not wanting to, either by pushback by special interests.

 

[jack action]

A serious pack of uneducated, delusional voters.

The important thing would be to understand what desperation brought them to want these delusional measures.

We cannot just disregard these people and think they will follow others blindly when today's solutions don't work out for them. This is exactly that type of thinking that brought us here.

 

[dlu]

If not now, when else?

As I said. hope there is no violence.
As, in line with you fascist explanations, how does a fascist describe and overcome such 'dissidence'.

 

[jack action]

Whereas anarchists are clearly opposing any central order, the view to locate such opinions only on the left is wrong, or at least biased.

That sounds like denial.

And, btw., the right extremists are repeatedly calling for violence,

You are measuring with two different scales here!

That sounds like relativization.

If not now, when else? Trump destroys, and besides his narcissism, this is his only agenda.

I think people have the right to defend their achievements.

That sounds like justification.

 

[fresh_42]

Scan some of the Oversight Committee hearings and treatment of witnesses, and/or the process to accept/eliminate candidates for agency position. Anecdotal questions with yes/no answers required of some, and irrelevant social media posts going back years. Mainly to play 'gotcha' .

PS. Since at least 1974 ( Pelosi ) Democrats and Republicans have both uttered concerns about unequal trade and tariffs, immigration, national debt, hollowing out US industrial base. That's 50 years of talk, with little concrete action, but bits and pieces here and there, to solve problems if they really do exist. If Trump is the result, some blame can be ascribed to past business political figures not being able to find solutions, and/or not wanting to, either by pushback by special interests.

Such an argument lacks any foundation. It simplifies highly complex issues into a populist and inadequate claim. It serves only to find excuses. As I said before, I call this kind of argumentation the Nazi three-way fight because it is typical of right-wing extremist positions and it ignores facts.

 

[fresh_42]

That sounds like denial.


That sounds like relativization.


That sounds like justification.

Who said I could not play that game? I haven't started the comparison, but I can play my cards at this level. But let's look at the details:

Whereas anarchists are clearly opposing any central order, the view to locate such opinions only on the left is wrong, or at least biased.

This is not a denial, it is the definition of anarchy. The second statement is a simple fact, underpinned with Posse Comitatus as evidence.

And, btw., the right extremists are repeatedly calling for violence

This is a relativization, yes, quid pro quo.

You are measuring with two different scales here!

No, this is an observation about the way of argumentation. It doesn't relativize anything.

If not now, when else? Trump destroys, and besides his narcissism, this is his only agenda.

Indeed! I justify these by people's right to demonstrate!

I think people have the right to defend their achievements.

Indeed! I justify these by people's right to demonstrate!

 

[dlu]

Such an argument lacks any foundation. It simplifies highly complex issues into a populist and inadequate claim. It serves only to find excuses. As I said before, I call this kind of argumentation the Nazi three-way fight because it is typical of right-wing extremist positions and it ignores facts.

Decisions by power brokers do have lasting consequences.

Haiti.
One reason it is a failed society in present terms is the reparations demanded by France for the country to obtain independence. Certainly an an excuse for Haiti hardship, but a justifiable excuse.

Haiti’s independence debt to France focus of debate at UN

Two centuries to the day after France imposed a crippling debt on Haiti in exchange for its independence, a UN forum heard calls for the restitution of what has long been described as a “ransom” extorted under the threat of force from the Caribbean nation that still bears the scars of...

news.un.org

The first country ever to free itself from slavery through a successful uprising, Haiti gained independence from France in 1804. But the price for defying the colonial order was steep. On April 17, 1825, besieged by French warships, Haiti agreed to pay an indemnity of 150 million gold francs to the European power.
By 1914, over three-quarters of the country’s national budget was still being drained to repay French banks. It was not until 1947 – more than 140 years after independence – that Haiti finally settled its debt.


Middle East
Breakup of the Ottoman empire into regions of influence by European nations can be felt today.

These two examples would not be of right wing extremist propaganda. They are fact.

 

[Borg]

I dont't think that group is the Maga people.
The ones on the far left, the ultra progressives, anarchist leftists.

I'll have to disagree with you on that.

I personally know people who are clearly in the MAGA camp with very similar opinions about the government. They claim to not like the left or the right and still choose the one that causes the most inhumane solution using a fascist system to implement it. Just as the people in the article foolishly cling to the belief that their "short-term" pain will be six months of 3-5% inflation rather than the 25-50% long-term pain that is being implemented, they have no understanding of what they've helped put in place.

Another theme that I see over and over with these types is denial. Most of them will deny that they are part of MAGA but they side with most everything in the MAGA camp and repeatedly parrot the MAGA talking points that came straight from FOX. I could list a pile of examples of the inconsistancy of the illogical beliefs that I've seen with them. I just don't know how that gets fixed when people blindly accept lies and half-truths and convince themselves that they're making the best choice.

 

[Borg]

This is what I would be most worried about.

Anti-Trump protesters rally in New York, Washington and elsewhere across the country​

MSN
Let us hope these protests remain calm and non-violent.

AFAIK, that rally and the previous Hands Off protest on April 5th were completely peaceful. The only incident that I have heard otherwise was when yet another MAGA supporter didn't like it and made his point by brandishing an AR15 with what appeared to be an illegal 30 round clip.

 

[dlu]

I'll have to disagree with you on that.

I agree. A whole lot of denial.

PS.
I don't know what this is about, but is The View going Maga.
Well, maybe not all in. WhatzUp Whoopi? ABC?

Whoopi Goldberg Goes MAGA? Does 180 to Support Trump’s Most Controversial Policy​

 

[dlu]

AFAIK, that rally and

There is a rally all over the Us, from Sf to NY,
A lot of people do care.

( Except maybe the 6 new astronauts. )

 

[Borg]

There is a rally all over the Us, from Sf to NY,
A lot of people do care.

( Except maybe the 6 new astronauts. )

Yes, that nationwide rally.

 

[Grinkle]

A serious pack of uneducated, delusional voters.

To my reading, some of these folks are drawing inappropriate conclusions given the data they are working on, and some of them are drawing data-consistent conclusions that I strongly disagree with (they are not necessarily reasoning incorrectly, instead they hold views I consider abhorrent).

it's still disturbing to read about people who literally state that they want to see the entire government burned to the ground. It's like watching someone burn down their entire house because there's a weed growing in the driveway.

The guy who said this is in the latter group for me. I agree with his reasoning that the only way to get the kinds of changes he says he wants is to dismantle our government, and I find his desire for such changes and his acceptance of such a process completely abhorrent. I take some comfort his 'burn it down comment' was unique in the article. I found it disturbing/disgraceful/disgusting/infuriating. This person, whether he can comprehend it or not, does not want to live in a liberal democracy. I do, and he and I will never be on the same page. The democrats need to message against this kind of thinking, whether it comes from right or left or, more likely, some other world view that cannot be described as anything other than frustrated inconsistency.

Overall, my takeaway from that article is that some cracks are starting to form and the real pain hasn't even started to hit yet at the individual level for these people. Right now they are only dealing with fear of pain they think might be on the horizon. That article strengthened my own expectation that real damage will be done to their lifestyles over the next couple years and -

I expect the economy and the erosion of civil rights will get so personally painful for so many Trump voters in the next 18 months that many will bring themselves to a point of looking for an alternative

The democrats need to pick a few simple articulations of this arriving pain and hammer it consistently, so enough people will be feeling the truth of it as it manifests and connect that pain with Trump's decisions. Things that occur to me, at least thematically (the last one is maybe too long and nuanced to get anyone's attention) -

Tariff inflation is hurting, and its getting worse.
Running the government like a badly-run-business is costing you services you depended on, and its getting worse.
Congress refusing to assert its constitutional responsibility of power of the purse is eliminating our ability as a nation to budget, and its getting worse.

 

[Klystron]

Extrapolating from the proven expression "All politics is local."*, we can say "Political identity is personal".

I have known and worked with people from American far left and far right including neighbors in the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) and bosses who were Ku Klux Klan (KKK) officials.

As a child I knew labor organizer Cesar Chavez when he and his family worked picking fruit near my home, heard him speak to workers, and was present as a teenager at an Easter Passover dinner where he took shelter after his near fatal fast in 1968**. My mother befriended Delores Huerta when they walked to daily morning mass at Saint Joseph of Cupertino when Delores worked nearby.

During the Vietnam War my senior NCO and radar site supervisor was a proud member of the KKK, attending a midwest klavern "back in the World". He was comparatively one of the better engineers and facility managers I have worked with despite unrelenting antisemitism and virulent racism including against our host country 'natives'. Despite rabid hatred of Jews he trusted me to manage swing and graveyard shifts including direct communications and battle plans with PacAF General "Y" during critical operations. This odd dichotomy among far right antisemites seems to be a feature of their cognitive dissonance.

Personally comparing American far left with far right no matter how subjective, I find 'lefties' to be kinder nicer people who genuinely care about other people. Right wingers suffer from blind spots based on inconsequential criteria such as skin color and spelling of surnames, socially hampered by learned hatred as much as explicit ideology.

---

*Quoting Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill though others have invoked this adage.

**At Saint Anthony's College in Santa Barbara, CA, where I was a student.

 

[dlu]

political figures not being able to find solutions, and/or not wanting to, either by pushback by special interests.

The world of political and business connections.

Mark Carney is BUSINESS PARTNERS with Elon & Trump?! Canada Is Being SOLD OUT​

While this is Marc Carney centered ( Marc Carney is the present PM of Canada. Canada is presently in an election on who will form the next government ), it does lay out the interconnections of 'powerful' people that lobby, and/or decide, policy for a government, foreign and domestic.

Please be aware that the site is Conservative centric and will thus be somewhat biased with the interpretation and layout. But for the average voter, none of this will ever be known. Yet voters are expected by some to make 'informed' decisions by the little information given to them by candidates and the media.
You should be astonished by the widespread interconnectivity of the players.

And I do have to sat this:
Daniel Smith, premier of Alberta, traveling to America in the interests of her province and the oil patch, a large component of the province's economy, was labelled as some as being a traitor to Canada and not a team player. It does seem that the so called Canadian company Brookfield, of which Carney was affiliated with, has acquired investments in the oil and gas industry, while at the same time purporting itself as being a 'green' investment firm.

 

[dlu]

Personally comparing American far left with far right no matter how subjective, I find 'lefties' to be kinder nicer people who genuinely care about other people. Right wingers suffer from blind spots based on inconsequential criteria such as skin color and spelling of surnames, socially hampered by learned hatred as much as explicit ideology.

I find the same.
For some reason, I do not meet that many righties. If they start on any off centre categorizations, I feel insulted and embarrassed and want to get away.

 

[AndrewB]

What I find interesting in the discussion of Democrats vs Republicans is the assumption that a two-party system is the most effective. In our complex world, we really struggle to hold dichotomous viewpoints (as seen by the breadth of ideas in each political party). I also wonder if a country can ever get too big for a simple democracy to work? When half of America's population disagrees with the elected incumbent and that number of people is larger than the full population of many countries around the world, is there a need to redesign the democratic approach to better represent the people?