this post was submitted on 07 Dec 2023
1345 points (99.3% liked)

News

23268 readers
3505 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. 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. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. We have an actively updated blocklist, which you can see here: https://lemmy.world/post/2246130 if you feel like any website is missing, contact the mods. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] Sabata11792@kbin.social 139 points 11 months ago (4 children)

This will pass at the same time as the healthcare, world peace, and word hunger bills.

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 59 points 11 months ago (3 children)

From the article:

With a divided Congress, the bills are unlikely to pass into law this session. But Mr. Smith said legislators needed to start a conversation.

Solid odds this will be a campaign issue, which is a great thing.

[–] Altofaltception@lemmy.world 21 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It will be a campaign issue and then nothing will be done about it. Fingers will be pointed.

[–] Shadywack@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago (2 children)

This 1000%. A bunch of bullshit from all sides, all these "ought to's" and a bunch of malarkey will get tossed around. The election will get won by Biden or Trump, and all this will just turn into the same thing it always does.....empty promises and a shit ton of money getting made at the top while we're all fucked.

Real change won't happen by voting for it, it's when billionaires find their heads in baskets staring up at the axe/guillotine/whatever that just cut their fucking heads off. Eat the rich.

[–] Blademaster00@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The "Guillotine the rich" crowd sure loves saying they wanna do it but they never have the balls. You talk of politician "ought to's" yet here you and many others are not executing billionaires. Put up or shut up.

[–] Shadywack@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

I said, and I'll copy and paste:

Real change won’t happen by voting for it, it’s when billionaires find their heads in baskets staring up at the axe/guillotine/whatever that just cut their fucking heads off. Eat the rich.

That's a message to show support and willingness. I can't pull it off myself, but if more people are aware and willing, the future is bright.

[–] Arbiter@lemm.ee -2 points 11 months ago

Disolving companies resolves problems only if the people who bought the products dont turn immediately to the replacement.

[–] affiliate@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

can’t wait to see conservatives line up in droves to defend wall street buying houses in a few months time

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Everyone will talk about it, nobody will do anything to improve the situation.

Once you reach the ranks of the Senate, you have more financial interest in the future of your REIT-heavy investment portfolio than the price any of your constituents are paying for housing. Hell, more than a few Senators come straight from the halls of Wall Street themselves. That's how they have the kind of surplus cash to run for office to begin with.

[–] SCB@lemmy.world -3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Or they could all be vampires, if we're just making shit up.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Even vampires don't suck this hard.

[–] SCB@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I agree your comment here was just bad lol

Like, volunteer on any campaign whatsoever and see how wrong it is

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago

I've seen the inside of the Beto O'Rourke campaign three times over and it got worse every time.

[–] set_secret@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago (2 children)
[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Gun regs have better odds, as high real estate prices don't put Congresscritters in the hospital.

[–] doctorcrimson@lemmy.today 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

In fact, we've already passed more regulations recently in the form of Safer Communities Act, as well as reimplementing the Obama Era mental health screening that was removed under the Trump Admin. Sure, it's not a renewal of the Assault Rifle Ban, but it's something.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

A great deal of the Safer Communities Act is simply sending more money to municipal and state police budgets. Given the sway these organizations have in electing state and local leaders, its certainly something.

[–] TunaCowboy@lemmy.world -5 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Liberals: "We're teetering on the brink of tyranny, democracy may cease to exist after 2024."

Also liberals: "Please remove our 2A rights while fascists in red states expand their own."

[–] teuast@lemmy.ca 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

"remove our 2A rights" is a weird way to phrase "regulating gun availability to make it harder for people who intend to use them to kill people to get them." you know the text of the second amendment includes the phrase "well-regulated," almost as if they did not intend for gun availability to be the lawless wasteland that it currently effectively is.

[–] TunaCowboy@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

I'm sure that if federal legislation is passed all these fascist militias made up of racists, theofascists, and law enforcement officers will all willingly give up their firearms and comply with the law 🤡.

I get it, it's not ideal, but that ship has sailed. Additional gun regulations only pass in blue states, and only further weaken our defensive posture. If you truly believe trump and his retarded followers represent an existential threat to democracy in the US (as I do) I cannot understand why you wouldn't understand the necessity for access to normal capacity magazines and non-nerfed firearms, unless maybe you think Jon Stewart is gonna come rescue you with a witty quip when some fascist has you on your knees in front of a ditch.

You should start believing conservatives when they tell you what kind of America they want to live in and what they're willing to do to get there, cause although they're fucking morons, they're also dead fucking serious.

[–] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world -1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Your rifle isn't going to protect you. Did guns stop the war on drugs? Did guns stop the Patriot act? Did guns stop the Japanese interment camps? Did guns stop Jim Crow? Did guns save the Natives? Did guns stop the anti-black city riots? Did guns end the robber barrons or the city bosses? Did it stop the attacks on Asians in San Francisco and New York last century or even two years ago?

Your gun means jack and shit. The biggest proof of that is you are not in front of a planned parenthood in Texas ready to battle with it.

[–] TunaCowboy@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Did guns stop the Japanese interment camps?

Fun fact, my great grandfather, an immigrant from Mexico, worked on a large Japanese farm during WW2 as a foreman. When fearful citizens came for the Japanese my great grandfather took ownership of the property and kept it running during their detention. Upon their return he relinquished ownership, having kept everything in order all while continuing to pay himself the same wage.

The biggest proof of that is you are not in front of a planned parenthood in Texas ready to battle with it.

I've taken and thrown punches for my fellow POC and the queer community, I've been arrested in protest, and have stood in solidarity when members of my community have required defending. I've been shamed for my culture and where I come from, looked down and spit up on for being less than - and I can still hold my head up high and stand with dignity exactly because I've always chosen to 'battle with it'.

You might consider this interaction the next time you accuse someone of inaction just because their experience and principles differ from your own.

[–] Facebones@reddthat.com -2 points 11 months ago

"HuRrDuRr LiBrUlZ"

Find a second brain cell. JFC.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Do your part and vote 3rd party. If we want change we have to vote for it.

[–] Olgratin_Magmatoe@startrek.website 0 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Our current electoral system is inherently biased against 3rd parties. We need to switch to approval/STAR voting to make 3rd parties viable.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, people keep saying things like this, and then just completely ignore that their view is led us down a 40-year path where our liberty and economic power has dwindled progressively with each passing election.

So no.

Your viable parties are shit. I'll vote better.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 11 months ago

our liberty and economic power has dwindled progressively with each passing election

That's as much a consequence of legalisms - Bush v Gore invalidating votes in swing states, Tom DeLay kicking off a big wave of legislative gerrymandering, candidates party-flipping starting in the White Flight of the 80s/90s (WV's governor flipped the day after the '17 election), the banning of earmarks in legislatures and the legalizing of unlimited campaign donations following Citizens United - as voting patterns.

So much power has been consolidated within the hands of party leadership and so much money has flown to affiliated party-loyal business interests that voting no longer shapes political behaviors. When Republicans can't win an HISD board seat, they turn to the governor to simply take over the entire board by fiat. When someone in the Democratic Primary attempts to unseat an incumbent, the party spends tens of millions to defend them. When a third party bid emerges, they're cut out of debates and excluded from news coverage save for the yellow journalism designed to dismiss you as a crank. (And, in fairness, there are tons of cranks in the 3rd party scene already).

I don't think you can strictly attribute this to "not enough 3rd party bids". We have consolidated political power in the same way we're consolidating economic power.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Our current electoral system is inherently biased against 3rd parties.

That's true until it isn't. Year-over-year, the nation can only support two parties nationally and one dominant party state-by-state. But which party (and which coalition of leaders) hold power can change in wave years, particularly when strong third party campaigns force rival parties to cater to the independent vote to get over the 50% hump.

There's a podcast called Hell of Presidents that does a great job of documenting the rise and fall of state party organs and their impact on the national scene. The rapid collapse of the Federalists, the rise of the Jacksonian Democrats, the collapse of the Whigs and emergence of the Republicans, the rise and fall of democratic socialists, and the emergence of liberal progressives, movement conservatives, libertarians, and neoliberal democrats all begin with third party bids in small states.

While we don't have more than two distinct parties in the US, we absolutely do have factions within the main two parties that have regionalized and polarized constituencies that are fighting for control of the national party apparatuses. Even setting aside guys like Trump and Sanders, just check out Nebraska's Indie dark horse contender Dan Osborn, whose union organizing is putting him ahead of both party candidates.

[–] WheeGeetheCat@sh.itjust.works 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That’s true until it isn’t.

The way you change that is election reform. Not thoughts and prayers and spoiler votes when one of the 2 big parties is running a wannabe-dictator.

Think, if fools in Florida didn't vote 3rd party in 2000 you'd never have bush or the war in iraq, and we might have given a shit about global warming.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 10 months ago

The way you change that is election reform.

Can't even get DC statehood with a Dem majority and Presidency. Couldn't do it when we had a 60 vote supermajority in 2008. We're certainly not going to get it through the courts, given how the SCOTUS is stacked.

Think, if fools in Florida didn’t vote 3rd party in 2000 you’d never have bush or the war in iraq

The majority of green party votes came from registered Republicans. 2000 was decided by mass deregistering, disenfranchisement, and intimidation of the state's black voter population, combined with the Brooks Brothers Riot that halted the ballot counting long enough for the conservative SCOTUS majority to certify the election in Bush's favor.

[–] Olgratin_Magmatoe@startrek.website 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

when strong third party campaigns force rival parties to cater to the independent vote to get over the 50% hump.

I'm not saying 3rd parties have zero influence, but they just don't succeed frequently enough for it to be called fair. The spoiler effect is far too strong for that to happen.

we absolutely do have factions within the main two parties that have regionalized and polarized constituencies that are fighting for control of the national party apparatuses.

Absolutely. But because of the spoiler effect, the two parties are held together with glue. Reforming our electoral system would weaken that glue, and hopefully fracture them enough to make a difference.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world -1 points 11 months ago

they just don’t succeed frequently enough for it to be called fair

Statistically speaking, the majority of campaigns are going to fail. There's one seat and, unless it is uncontested, a minimum of one losing candidate. But politics isn't a one-and-done game. Its a game of coalition building and expanding name recognition. Starting off as a third party candidate, establishing a message and a political brand, and then canvasing your neighborhood to build up your appeal is fundamental to most successful politicians.

But because of the spoiler effect

The spoiler effect only matters to losers. If you're the guy with the plurality of support, you're in the best position to win.

Sometimes, the winning move is simply to carry the banner of the dominant political party (which is why you'll have a dozen people compete for the Texas GOP gubernatorial nomination while only two or three bother trying to run as Dems). But other times, it really is about issues-based politics and name recognition.

Schwarzenegger was able to win in California by being a famous popular guy. Sanders won in Vermont by being a high profile well-respected mayor of the state's biggest city. Joe Lieberman lost his primary but held onto his Senatorial seat back in 2006 by rallying the Democratic Party leadership around him even after he'd lost the state party nomination.

Bush beat Gore in 2000 not because of a Green Party spoiler effect (Nader actually pulled more Republicans than Democrats in the state) but because he had die-hard conservative activists willing to risk jail to shut down the recount with the Brooks Brothers' Riot, while Al Gore's party just kinda shrugged and gave up as soon as the Republican-leaning SCOTUS sided with the Republican candidate. Hell, the 2000s were awash with caging, disenfranchisement, gerrymandering, and outright election stealing from the top of the ballot to the bottom. Third parties didn't have anything to do with that.