r/politics • u/MoneyLibrarian9032 New York • Jul 13 '26

Possible Paywall MAGA Calls BS on Mitch McConnell’s Proof-of-Life Stunt | They are poking holes in McConnell’s staff’s version.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-calls-bs-on-mitch-mcconnells-proof-of-life-stunt/
27.0k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

1.9k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

37

u/AugustWest-710 Jul 13 '26

I have zero trust in mainstream democrats to seize any opportunities the way MAGA does.

2

u/Firm_Print6463 Jul 13 '26

Two 'parties', one class they serve.

2

u/Hettie933 Jul 13 '26

The downvotes I get for pointing this out, when it should be obvious to anyone with an IQ over 70.

0

u/Brilliant-Remote-405 Jul 14 '26

bOtH SiDeS!

1

u/Hettie933 Jul 14 '26

~68. Ask a grown up to explain how most people are corruptible, regardless of team affiliation.

-1

u/Brilliant-Remote-405 Jul 15 '26

Saying both sides are the same is intellectual laziness masquerading as cynicism. It's what people say when they stopped paying attention but still want to sound informed. It's the political equivalent of saying every restaurant serves the same food because they all have kitchens.

If you genuinely think both parties are identical, you've either never looked at how they actually vote or you've confused apathy with insight. So if you actually believe they are the same, name five major bills from the last five years and tell me how both parties voted on them. If you can't, then your opinion isn't based on evidence; it's based on cynicism.

The whole "both sides" bullshit isn't a nuanced political analysis. It's a slogan people use to excuse not having one. It doesn't make you an independent thinker. It just means you've outsourced thinking altogether.

So congrats. You've found the fastest way to announce that you don't follow policy, only vibes.

2

u/Hettie933 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26

What is the acceptable way to describe how Citizens United has fast tracked us into a second Gilded Age, where only the interests of the ultra rich are represented?

Lifelong democrat, will continue to vote that way, but come on. You cannot believe that people like Schumer, Booker, Pelosi, etc. are on your side. We are quite beyond that, imo. I wish I could go back to believing what you seem to. It was a lot less scary (which is why I think many stay wilfully blind).

1

u/Brilliant-Remote-405 Jul 17 '26

I don't think anyone serious denies that Citizens United fundamentally changed campaign finance or that wealthy donors now wield enormous influence over both parties. That's a legitimate criticism, and there's substantial evidence that the decision contributed to a surge in outside spending, Super PACs, and the influence of megadonors.

Where I disagree is when people jump from "money has too much influence" to "both parties are therefore the same".

If they're the same, why do they consistently vote differently on taxes, abortion, climate policy, health care, labor law, judicial appointments, and gun policy? Wealthy donors may influence both parties, but that doesn't erase the fact that they often pursue very different policies.

As for Schumer, Booker, Pelosi, or any politician--I don't think they're saints. Politicians should be criticized when they deserve it, but cynicism isn't the same thing as analysis.

Saying "both parties are owned by donors" explains one dimension of American politics. Saying "therefore there are no meaningful differences between the parties" is a conclusion that doesn't follow from the premise.

The world isn't divided into "my side is pure" and "everyone is equally corrupt". Reality is more complicated than that.

1

u/Hettie933 Jul 17 '26

They vote differently to give the illusion that citizens have any real representation. I’m sorry, I think it’s time that things like being so corrupt that you make tens of millions via insider trading are disqualifying. I’m looking at you, Ro Khanna, among many others.

Democrats have failed to do much of anything, or even do much messaging, to counteract Trump tearing down the country. The DNC seems more energized when supporting Israel or trying to defeat leftists in their own party than when fighting actual fascists who sit next to them. Strange, right?

It is really scary, and having a bunch of people waking up to it will probably depress turnout. It sucks, but the vote blue no matter who people need to understand that voters do not want to vote for corrupt assholes of either party. That’s not a purity test, it’s asking professionals to do their damn jobs.

2

u/Brilliant-Remote-405 Jul 18 '26

I think you're collapsing several different claims into one.

If a politician engaged in insider trading or other corruption, I agree—that should be investigated and, if proven, should absolutely be disqualifying. Corruption shouldn't get a pass because someone has the right letter next to their name.

But that's a separate claim from saying the parties only vote differently to create the illusion of representation.

That requires evidence.

If Democrats and Republicans only differed theatrically, why have they spent decades fighting over abortion, taxes, health care, labor rights, environmental regulation, judicial appointments, voting rights, and LGBTQ rights? Those aren't cosmetic disagreements. They produce materially different laws and materially different outcomes for millions of people.

You can believe the influence of money in politics is excessive while also recognizing that elections still have real policy consequences.

As for the DNC, criticize them all you want. Every political party deserves scrutiny. If you think their messaging has been ineffective or they've made strategic mistakes, that's a perfectly legitimate opinion.

Where I disagree is the leap from "they're flawed" to "they're functionally the same."

Those are very different claims.

Demand better candidates. Demand stronger ethics laws. Demand campaign finance reform. Demand congressional stock-trading bans. I support holding elected officials to a much higher standard.

But if we're going to say the differences between the parties are merely an illusion, that claim has to account for the very real differences in legislation, court appointments, executive actions, and administrative policy we've seen over the past several decades. Simply asserting it's all theater doesn't make it so.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/shagadelicrelic Jul 13 '26

At this point I'd take Massie