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Dragged down by an unpopular president, Republicans are bracing for a midterm trouncing
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 27 Dec 2025
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politics
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GOP President violates laws, attacks our allies, openly takes bribes, and is barely functional.
Voters say 'We must be rid of him.'
Dem President steers a steady, if unspectacular, center Left policy that slightly improves voters' lives.
Voters say 'He's weak! We must be rid of him!'
The DNC never seems to undo the damage the GOP does, while continuing some choice parts of their horrors.
It feels like they work as the arresting mechanism on a ratchet and the only way the country is allowed to move is towards fascism.
I'd be eager to see some candidate come into office and use these same techniques the GOP does to actually fix shit and improve people's lives in a meaningful way. The GOP are going to say that they're a radical leftist authoritarian regardless of their actions, might as well be one
This is largely because people like Biden are still in this old school camp of gentlemen’s agreements where you don’t undo what the previous person did because that would be going against voter will or something. It really only works if both parties are trying to move the country forward.
100% this! I’ve been on my worthless DINO rep about what the plans are to FIX what has been done, not just STOP anything else from happening - crickets. So I also let her know I’m done with this “vote blue no matter who” shit and the only vote I’d be casting for her seat is if she loses to a primary opponent.
Try looking at some recent history.
Obama came in with both Houses, and barely got the Affordable Care Act passed.
If you want a strong Dem majority you have to fight harder.
The GOP will block anything it can.
Adding on to that:
Obama had only the house for the first two years. The Senate has the filibuster rule which means control takes 60 seats.
On January 20th, 2009, 57 Senate seats were held by Democrats with two Independents (Bernie Sanders and Joe Lieberman) caucusing with the Democrats for 59 kinda' Democrat-ish votes in the Senate. Two more needed for "both houses".
Also, that included Ted Kennedy and Al Franken. Kennedy had a seizure basically at the start and never returned to vote. Al Franken wasn't seated until July 7th, 2009 because of repeated recounts.
So really 57 Senate seats. Three or four more for him to have both houses.
Kennedy was replaced by Paul Kirk in September and three other people swapped parties. So Obama had full control of the House and Senate from September 24, 2009 through February 4, 2010.
Four months.
If you're looking at that and thinking, "isn't that when they wrote and passed the ACA?" then you've got a good eye and a better memory.
Good thing Biden gave away the public option before negotiations even began, otherwise us Americans wouldn’t be paying 3-4x plus in medical expenses thanks to this broken and corrupt insurance industry.
Surely part of Biden’s incredible popularity was his promise to add public option, instead of the far more sensible M4A, on day one of his term. After he was elected though, he must have forgor…
It takes a lot more time, effort and money to repair something than it does to break it.
I remember Biden trying multiple times to reduce student debt, only to be thwarted by the Republicans.
The wheels of justice were grinding along at their normal slow pace to convict Trump of some of his provable crimes, all the while being interfered with by Republicans and their nominees.
It takes time to do things the right way. Especially when troublemakers are constantly shoving sticks into the spokes.
It was moving forward, just much more slowly than people wanted
I've heard this tired excuse since I can remember understanding any element of politics.
Simply, a system is what it does.
If "the right way" can only seem to continue to concentrate wealth upwards, conduct horrors in the name of peace across the globe and continue to squash the rights and lives of the hard working people that make the gears of society turn, well, then it doesn't seem like it's "the right way" for a vast majority of people.
The dems do centre right policy almost exclusively.
Today's Dems are basically Reagan Republicans
And their voters are supporting them simply because they don't openly hate the gays. It's funny too because a shitload of democratic politicians, like Schumer, ARE crazy religious old fucks who definitely do hate the gays and liberals STILL don't seem to care.
Yes, thank you for this small dose of reality.
There are good reasons the Dems are so wildly unpopular, and pretending that they are anything resembling “left” is a massive disservice to the people.
Liberals have shifted to parroting what I can only assume is the establishment democrat point of “we can’t run leftist policies because they aren't popular and leftists can’t win elections.” Which is ridiculous because their lack of popularity stems from them moving to the right constantly, and is easily disproven because YOU CAN SEE WITH CURRENT ELECTION TRENDS THAT LEFT WING POLICIES ARE POPULAR AND WIN ELECTIONS.
I do not understand the Liberal mindset in america anymore. I used to see them as potential allies but they've shown me that they are not capable of being that.
I think this phenomenon stems from a few different factors. Namely, they are paid to shift rightward by corporate donors who want lower taxes and no regulations, traditionally “conservative” policies. This is legal bribery due to citizens united, which is poison policy for any semblance of true democracy. As an example, I think it was something along the lines of half a trillion in wealth the technocrat elites extracted from us just this year - that should be a massive red flag, and yet Dems are working bipartisan with Repugs to prevent regulation of emerging ai tech.
For those few who aren’t so easily swayed, Dems are still relying on the same DC political consultants they have for the past 30-40 years, and those guys still think socialism isn’t popular because of the manufactured hysteria surrounding leftist ideas which they played a big part in producing earlier in their careers. Some genuinely believe it, others may be more nefarious in their motives, but at the end of the day they’re all victims of their own group-think if they actually want to win.
It shouldn’t be surprising that those few Dems who are surging in popularity and winning elections due to actually embracing leftist populist policies are the same ones who refuse to accept any corporate PAC donations.
oh I know WHY it's happening this way. It's the most obvious thing in american politics right now. What I don't understand is why liberals constantly defend it.
Guess what? You live in a country where most of the people are 'center right.'
Mamdani was running against a know sex criminal and a local joke shock jock and he barely got 51% of the vote. He did worse than Harris.
Rudy Giuliani got 65% when he ran for a second term.
I'd love to have a massive Left vote, but I doubt I'll ever see it.
Guy actually wins the election and the popular vote and you say he did worse than Harris?
He’s openly a socialist and he literally won in New York City. Guess what? You’re fucking wrong and your point makes absolutely zero sense.
Dems are not left of center, get a grip.