The dude's whole career goal is to be president.

They keep trying to court voters who will never ever vote for them instead of the people who they claim to share values with.

R stopped with that shit and surprise surprise they got Trump in. Tell me again how we could never have gotten Bernie in or how AOC is too radical...

I'm sure one of these days conservatives will vote for the (D). We just have to keep trying to meet them in the middle for another thirty years! Let's try putting one of the Cheneys on the ballot next time.

Now whose rights are we gonna sacrifice first? I vote old people's.

Dems became center left? When did that happen?

They’re experts on electability. Countless counter-examples to draw on.

Center-right. They haven't had someone any amount on the left since Carter.

There are candidates I align with pretty much 99.99999)% with (and that's only because I probably haven't found the 1 thing I disagree with). I vote for those people and then get yelled at for doing so. Why? Cause they're third party. Claudia de la Cruz last year was my dream candidate. I'd bulldoze mountains to get her in the White House. However, she ran for the PSL party and not the DNC so I constantly got called a Trump supporter for supporting her.

I haven't seen a single person whining about Newsom who's also proposed a progressive alternative who could run in the primary.

This is when we're supposed to bring in leftist candidates. Instead, they'll do nothing, and then whine about the inevitable results.

There we go, that's the most complete and correct answer. High five internet friend.

I'm trans. I hope Newsom falls off a cliff. But if he had been running against Trump instead of Harris I would have held my nose and checked the box, because strategy isn't about throwing a fit until you get the scenario you want, it's about doing what you can with the hand you've got.

I'm trans too, fwiw. I've reached a slightly different conclusion, though I respect yours:

I am going to pre-commit not to vote for Newsom. I'm going to encourage as many people as I can to pre-commit. If Progressives pledge not to vote for him, and the DNC knows they're serious, Newsom will lose the primary. He'll lose because it will be apparent to DNC superdelegates that Progressives won't show up for him, and that without the Progressive vote Newsom will not win the election.

Basically, it's like nuclear war: if you're nuked, you shouldn't retaliate, because nuking back would wipe out all of humanity, instead of half. But your enemy must know that you've pre-committed to retaliate, otherwise they will nuke you.

It's a stupid game equilibrium but inevitable, IMO.

because strategy isn’t about throwing a fit until you get the scenario you want, it’s about doing what you can with the hand you’ve got.

This is an important thing to point out. I am some what reminded of the meme where the democrats are represented as a stopper that keeps the a wheel from moving back left. I get their complaint and it is valid, but abstaining from elections is doing a similar function. It is also rather privileged as they are not feeling the pressure for why harm minimization is important.

On a somewhat historical approach revolutionaries are oppressed and kept down, and that does mean that those in power have implicitly give up all bargaining power by refusing dialog. I feel that in a sense we have done similar to ourselves electorally. We won’t participate and organize there, so no one will ever take us seriously and our issues are never heard. Voting lesser evil is not a long term solution, but it is lower effort than organizing a new third party. Even still it is less effort than picking up a rifle and holding down a trench. I get that in the discourse it feels like the fastest way (unfounded assumption that war is ever fast)and that sentiments for a total revolution is always around the corner. Given that we won’t have any third party organization now I don’t see how it will form and put our ideas out in more chaos. Presumably the most informed on the subject matters and theory are also the most bought in and going to be leaders, who cannot be bothered to commit an evening to the lowest effort civic engagement.

I think we have some good leaders in AOC and Mamdami to start some foundations, but I fear apathy might mean no shows and they genuinely lose their seats or have to make even more compromises than they otherwise have to. I hope we can all go to primaries and vote for progressive candidates (even encourage them to go third party if they have to). Also remember that we have more than just presidential elections happening on the same ballot.

I personally had many people pile on me when I criticized him during the peak of his meming on Trump. But it does feel like the tide has turned against him a bit now.

It's literally in this thread.

I have absolutely seen it.

Yeah, those posts were in response to people being completely shitty about it.

Do you need me to link to some previous discussions where there are accusations of someone being an accelerationist who prefers Trump because they criticized Newsom? Because that was just yesterday. That’s not even touching the people who flat out say ‘I am absolutely willing to sacrifice trans rights because everyone else is more important’.

I don't see it much on here, but they're everywhere on Bluesky. You can search Newsom's name and the first result will probably be someone talking shit about him with tons of comments and quote posts telling them they're just trying to get Trump to win a third term.

This is the time for someone else to step up and be noticed by the crowd.

Feels kind of manufactured, honestly. I'm also trying to find evidence that he's a transphobic piece of shit, but it seems like he's pretty good on trans rights.

I think this post is that "sowing division" thing we've heard so much about.

Exactly. I support Newsom because he fights and would even support even Republicans. We need everyone.

Most Democrats don't do anything beyond nice speeches and many don't even bother with that.

It's funny how that works on here.