If the common sentiment that we’re more divided than ever is accurate, how could this possibly be true? Wouldn’t the differences grow? Can you name policy positions that are identical between parties? If I look at healthcare, taxation, infrastructure, education, foreign policy, welfare, business regulation, environmental policy, social issues etc. it is pretty clear cut to me. How do you justify your both-side-ism?
Here’s a possible example. While Bernie Sanders has proposed pegging minimum wage to inflation, neither the Republicans nor the Democrats support this. My belief is that it is more important to have something to fight about than to win. If minimum wage just quietly tracks inflation, then there is nothing for Democrats to claim victory over when it does go up.
This kind of apparent unending struggle without progress is shit, but it suits the status quo on both sides, even in the face of eternal media telling us how we are more divided.
Now, it is possible to fuck this up, as with abortion. The Republicans forgot that they weren’t actually supposed to win, and they have been rightly punished. The Democrats share some blame for not doing much to ensure abortion rights, since they naively thought that the Republicans understood the game.
Thanks this is a good example! however I think the conspiracy about Democrats wanting a big win instead of what’s good for the people is probably not true, especially absent of evidence.
The min wage is ticking up in more places (and it is not at the behest of republicans…), and the Biden admin increased wages in the places they could (fed workers) via executive order.
It totally makes sense to be annoyed at the glacial pace of progress in the United States, but we can’t possibly pretend that there is an equivalence between the two choices that we are presented with.
If the common sentiment that we’re more divided than ever is accurate, how could this possibly be true? Wouldn’t the differences grow? Can you name policy positions that are identical between parties? If I look at healthcare, taxation, infrastructure, education, foreign policy, welfare, business regulation, environmental policy, social issues etc. it is pretty clear cut to me. How do you justify your both-side-ism?
Here’s a possible example. While Bernie Sanders has proposed pegging minimum wage to inflation, neither the Republicans nor the Democrats support this. My belief is that it is more important to have something to fight about than to win. If minimum wage just quietly tracks inflation, then there is nothing for Democrats to claim victory over when it does go up.
This kind of apparent unending struggle without progress is shit, but it suits the status quo on both sides, even in the face of eternal media telling us how we are more divided.
Now, it is possible to fuck this up, as with abortion. The Republicans forgot that they weren’t actually supposed to win, and they have been rightly punished. The Democrats share some blame for not doing much to ensure abortion rights, since they naively thought that the Republicans understood the game.
Thanks this is a good example! however I think the conspiracy about Democrats wanting a big win instead of what’s good for the people is probably not true, especially absent of evidence.
The min wage is ticking up in more places (and it is not at the behest of republicans…), and the Biden admin increased wages in the places they could (fed workers) via executive order.
It totally makes sense to be annoyed at the glacial pace of progress in the United States, but we can’t possibly pretend that there is an equivalence between the two choices that we are presented with.