This has a better chance at working if it’s addressed to Santa Clause.
As long as we keep asking democrats to solve problems we deserve what we get. They have proved incompetence regularly since the Obamacare public option blunder (and longer than that) when the opportunity was there to make radical change.
When they hold office, they have no power. When they are out of office they cry about the power the other side has magically found. They always vote resoundingly in favor of war, lowering taxes on the rich/corporations, and their own salary increases while giving us all the parliamentarian middle finger.
And no you are not taking over or changing the party as it’s owned by the people who don’t want to help you.
Time to start fresh.
Blaming Democrats for… Not being shit compared to Republicans and MAGA? This is some next level stupidity. The fact is, propaganda is everywhere and most Americans are stupid. It’s the perfect combination. GTFO of here.
We can absolutely blame Democrats. They were the incumbent party, typically an enormous advantage, and squandered it. The lesser of two evils wasn’t lesser enough. They didn’t even run primaries when they dropped their incumbent president, so I can’t even pretend the shame is on me.
Stop voting for establishment politicians.
If they’re part of the Obama/Clinton crew, they need to go.
That’s part of the problem. In some states there are basically only establishment dems on the ballot. The popular dems at the moment are AOC and Bernie who are from NYC (Bronx) and Vermont respectively. Both of those areas are solid blue.
I’m out on the west coast, another very blue area, and the vibe is to primary out a few dems who are bending the knee
Good. Change is slow, but this is moving in the right (left?) direction.
We need a 3rd party thats not completely bought off.
Liberalism isn’t going to save us. Way I see it, if we want a better country, we have three options:
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Violent revolution. This should be a last resort, and I don’t think we are quite there yet.
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Wait for Fascism to collapse. It will. Problem is, A FUCKING LOT of people will suffer and die in the mean time.
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Mobilize a viable third party. No, not the Greens. They are just as corrupt as the rest, and they pal around with Fascist traitors. I’m talking about a real grass roots Leftist movement, starting from the ground up. Basically, use the exact same playbook that MAGA used. They spent the past decade taking over social media with their Manosphere bullshit, and suddenly Gen Z shifted hard to the Right, which younger generations almost never do. We need to take back that online space. Take over town hall meetings, take over school boards, take over city councils, show up in huge numbers to vote for actual good (or as good as we can get) judges and DA’s. This also means volunteering, phone banking, door knocking, and most importantly of all, some of you need to run for office. Even something local can make a difference in your community. That’s how MAGA won. They didn’t even have the numbers. They just had the right strategy, and in their hubris, Democrats ignored it.
The third option is obviously what I prefer to happen. It’ll take a few years, and we may not even win the White House in 2028. But this isn’t about you or me. It’s about the future of civilization. If they did it, so can we. Let’s not be outsmarted by a bunch of people who worship a man who can’t fucking read.
The 3rd option is still playing with liberal electoralism which got you here in the first place. you could get results faster with mutual aid and strong unions, this is how you guys got worker rights before, in the times of FDR.
A better presence in social media is a good direction though, especially in federated communities that don’t need to fear corporate censorship.
Liberal electoralism isn’t going anywhere any time soon, unfortunately. We still have to operate within that system if we want to affect any change for the better at the political level. Things like mutual aid and strengthening unions can and should happen right alongside it, just as they did before. But that’s a good addition, and I should have mentioned it.
Honestly I’m attempting option 3 any way I can currently. I keep telling my partner if I lose my job I oughta become one of those youtube/twitch talking heads but for actual leftist views and maybe I can help the shift back.
Not saying it can’t be done, obviously it can but to many people saying “run for office” is like saying “build a car”.
Are there primers on how to start with a campaign for people that have the desire but not the knowledge?
What is all involved in starting and running a successful campaign?
How much time do you need to dedicate to the campaign?
What would be the personal cost for running for office?
Who do you need to hire to help you (manager, donation specialist, volunteer coordinator, etc)?
My guess to this is that the higher the office the more people and money you will need.
I’m not writing this to be contrary but to really get answers - I think more people would be more open to the idea if they could see what a campaign needs to be successful.
Definitely good questions. I couldn’t find any “Beginners Guide to Running for Office”, so I sat up for a while chugging coffee and reading a whole bunch of local election board websites and other related sources, and this is what I came up with. This is by no means a comprehensive list or plan, but I tried to break down the main components of running for a local office in the most general terms possible, so it could be applied more broadly.
Preparation
- Figure out which office you want to run for, where you think you can make the most difference with your skill-set in your community.
- Research the responsibilities of the office you’re seeking. Attend school board or city council (or whatever) meetings to see how they operate. Take lots of notes or record it if allowed.
- Identify key issues in your community, your potential opponents, and the demographics of your district.
- Clearly articulate why you’re running and what you hope to achieve. This will be the foundation of your campaign.
- Check your local election board for eligibility requirements like residency, age, filing deadlines, and paperwork.
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- Here’s a portal to all state and local election offices - https://www.usa.gov/state-election-office
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- Leon County, Florida Supervisor of Elections has a great breakdown that should give you a general idea of the necessary requirements, deadlines, and paperwork - https://www.leonvotes.gov/Candidates-Elected-Officials-and-Campaign-Finance/How-to-Run-for-Local-Office
Campaign Team
- Campaign Manager: Appoint someone to oversee operations. Preferably someone with some political savvy and/or managerial experience.
- Treasurer: Appoint someone to manage finances and ensure compliance with campaign finance laws.
- Volunteers: Recruit a team of dedicated volunteers for canvassing, phone banking, and event support. The number of volunteers will vary, depending on the size of your campaign, but there’s no such thing as too many.
- Advisors: Network with local community leaders and activists who share your vision, and listen to them. They have their ears to the ground, and can offer critical advice on what your community needs.
Campaign Strategy
- Set a budget and determine how much money you’ll need for materials, advertising, and events. Focus on grassroots fundraising. This seems to be the most difficult part with no clear answer, so look into the campaign financing of previous candidates running for the same office to get an idea of how much it’ll likely cost.
- Develop a clear, concise message that resonates with voters.
- Identify your base and tailor your outreach to their concerns.
- Map out key milestones like filing deadlines, debates, voter registration deadlines, and Election Day. Set realistic goals to accomplish by those dates.
Build Your Brand
- Create a professional logo and a memorable slogan that reflects your values. Say what you want about Trump, but “Make America Great Again” and “MAGA” are a great slogan/logo combo. It’s simple, clear, and easy to remember.
- Build a simple website with your bio, platform, and contact info. Use social media to engage voters and share updates.
- Print flyers, yard signs, and business cards to distribute in the community.
Community Engagement
- Knock on doors to introduce yourself and listen to voters concerns.
- Show up at community gatherings, fairs, and town halls to build visibility.
- Organize meet-and-greets, town halls, or fundraisers to connect with voters.
- Seek support from local leaders, organizations, and activists to boost your credibility and visibility.
- Volunteer at homeless shelters, food banks, and other places. Even just a day here and there can make all the difference. Engage with employees, customers, and residents about your campaign. Listen to their concerns, and offer viable solutions.
Fundraising
- Focus on grassroots fundraising by asking friends, family, and community members for small contributions.
- Set up a donation portal on your website and promote it on social media.
- Keep detailed records of all donations and expenses to comply with campaign finance laws.
Messaging
- Send press releases to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations to announce your candidacy and major events.
- Participate in candidate debates and forums to showcase your platform.
- Post regularly about your platform, events, and endorsements. Engage with people in the comments.
- Send postcards or letters to targeted voters highlighting your key issues.
Get People to Vote
- Help eligible voters register before the deadline.
- Encourage supporters to vote early or by mail if available.
- Organize volunteers to remind voters to cast their ballots and offer rides to the polls if needed.
Again, this is by no means a comprehensive, foolproof plan. I didn’t include many resources, because requirements, deadlines, and paperwork all vary by state and county. These just seemed to be the most common points I picked up from a number of sources, and should at least give you an idea of how and what to research further.
Personally, I have no ambition to run for office because I’m already 50 and don’t want to add to the pool of geriatrics running this country. We need to hand the torch to young people. That said, I will help any way I can if someone younger wants to run. Speech writing, phone banking, logo design, or pretty much anything else, I will gladly offer my services for free.
Great list, thank you for putting it together!
I’m specifically barred from holding any public office, political or not until I exit the military. I have about a year left before I can launch any kind of campaign legally. Assuming we survive that long, I plan to. That all said I have no idea what I’m doing and would love to have the answers to the questions you pose here.
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Nope, sorry, I just saw a politico article about Newsom agreeing with Charlie Kirk on trans people in sports that basically boiled down to “FINALLY! SOMEONE understands that this is the most critical topic in America today, and for Democrats to win, they need to become republicans!”
The democrats aren’t leading us anywhere. They’re not going to save us. They have no vision besides being dollar store republicans and wondering why Republican voters keep choosing Republicans over them.
They have no vision besides being dollar store republicans and wondering why Republican voters keep choosing Republicans over them.
While screaming at anyone to their left for not being enthusiastic to vote for dollar store republicans.
There is a reason the main Democratic leadership is not pushing a more left leaning agenda, they would lose. If the left got a foothold on the national conversation like maga did then the middle of the road Democrats fear they will go the way of the middle of the road Republicans and that is out of power.
There is a reason the main Democratic leadership is not pushing a more left leaning agenda, they would lose.
Well, they just lost by moving right.
Yes they did but they didn’t lose control of their narrative which is weak and feckless.
“give me more money and keep me in power and I promise to not do much.” and “don’t look left, they are crazy!”
Yes they did but they didn’t lose control of their narrative which is weak and feckless.
Weak and feckless is their brand.
The Democrats feel like they are more concerned about how the utencils are arranged beside the plate than making sure people have food on it.
look up your local water treatment infrastructure. look up all the suppliers, and their suppliers, so you know who to talk to when you’re the last thing between your city and mass dysentery. maybe get some reserve chemicals and commonly broken parts, if you can afford it.
and figure out how to keep your local nazis from destroying all the infrastructure. they love doing that shit.
The Republics run the kitchen because a bunch of absent voters refused to help the Dems help us all.
The Dems weren’t all that helpful when they had power…
Dems have always been incredibly helpful.
From 2002 to 2010 they removed money from politics, until Citizens United SCOTUS decision took that away from us. Changing it would require a 60 senate supermajority for constitutional amendment, or 60 majority to reform the SCOTUS.
Dems gave us the ACA with protections for preexisting conditions and expanded Medicaid and Chip to cover 79 Million Americans currently. If we gave them the 60 supermajority without caucusing independent Joe Lieberman, or maybe even with caucus for more than only 72 days, they would have given us Public Option which would be so cheap that private insurance firms couldn’t even compete at all, effectively singlepayer.
Dems gave us green infrastructure and forest protections, investing in solar and EVs.
If we had elected Dems in 2016 or 2024 they’d be writing the tax laws, too.
The Dem president Joe Biden increased the sick leave coverage for class 1 freight workers from 5% to over 90% if not 100% over the course of his term.
If you ever expect any of that shit from Republicans, you’re an idiot.
Progressive ideals? Democrats can’t even spell it, let alone legislate it without corporate strings attached. Incisive critique of bipartisan failure and urgent call for accountability.
🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱
we don’t need the democrats. they will never step up. they have had so many chances. if anyone remembers the 2000 election, you’ll know that this is all kind of their fault. they won an election, and gave it up because the nazis threw a fucking fit.
if you want leadership, pick up a fucking banner. you are the government now. and you should be fucking pissed about that.
We need the Democrats. We need 60 in the senate. That’s the only way out which doesn’t result in things only getting worse.
We don’t need 60, we need 51 Democrats willing to get rid of the filibuster.
We could have all 100 and they would still find enough no votes.
We need 60 in the senate.
And if they ever get 60, they’ll need 70 to do anything. They’re useless on purpose and you’re making excuses for them.
The fact that Democrats should be raising their voices as loudly as possible against this admin’s moves but instead a sizable 10 of them voted to censure the 1 Democrat who tried to in fact do that, tells you everything about the Democrats’ plans.
At this point, there are only a handful of them who are rallying their constituents and speaking out about this admin’s atrocities, but the majority is completely MIA. Then they wonder why their voters are MIA during the elections.
10 in the house, out of 215 or 214 depending on the exact time of death of Sylvester Turner, not really sizable imo. Also, since there were 0 Republican Nays, it would have passed regardless.
Give those 10 a piece of your mind, yes, but it’s not sizable or impactful at all.
It should have been zero. Stop making excuses.
The point you seem to be missing is that you’re using the actions of ten to condemn the whole party, which isn’t reasonable.
I don’t accept excuses. It should have been zero. democrats expect unthinking lockstep from their voters no matter what they do, so I expect them to vote with the party.
All of them.
That doesn’t make sense. How can you blame the party for party members defying the party line?
If they accept it when it’s legislators doing it, they don’t get to demand it from voters.
What does that even mean?
at best the democrats don’t understand the assignment. at worst they understand this to be the assignment
i fear for the core of the party, it’s the latter, and that the majority is following that core because they don’t know the assignment
The dem party needs to be burned to the ground, I don’t think it is reformable at this point.
Yes, let’s pick a party and burn it to the ground. Wait, what?
No, this is a long time coming and it isn’t something I say brashly, I think it is the only way forward at this point unfortunately shrugs
primary everyone if all the resistance they’re willing to give us is auction paddles
so you would take out Bernie and AOC over a law to remove SA content?
trump is already suing media companies openly so he doesn’t even need this.
The last guy in charge was a corporate lobbyist so…
I’ll keep saying this: it’s precious that people still believe The Constitution has any sway and that we are a country of laws. That ship has sailed over the horizon.
I agree, Republicans and Democrats keep taking turns swinging their axe at the tree every four to eight years. The tree hasn’t fallen over yet, but it was dead a long time ago.
The democrats and thier party have been bought and paid for. They aren’t going to save us from the billionaires.
Then Why did you vote them out and give Republicans complete control over the government?
This is the new whataboutism strategy. This is the new “both sides”.
This isn’t whataboutism, the reason things are the way that they are is a direct result of voters choosing this outcome. Not because blue ties aren’t screaming on the house and senate floor, not because attorney generals aren’t attorney generalling hard enough, but because of how people voted in 2024.
That doesn’t absolve them of the responsibility to do their job.
Stop making excuses.
why the hell didn’t you vote for delacruz? she’s electable if you vote for her. maybe you should have fallen in line and sided with the people you claim are your natural god damn allies after your candidate went obviously senile and clearly couldn’t win?
There was never any reality in which incumbent president Joe Biden would lose the 2024 primary. Never ever. It wasn’t going to happen. Give up with your bullshit and realize that blame is squarely on those critical of the DNC and Biden in the face of Trump 2.0.
@finitebanjo @melpomenesclevage If Biden had the debate performance in the primary that he had on the General he would have lost to a wet paper bag.
If Kamala and Biden had put America first instead of israel, people would have bothered coming out to vote
As if Gaza was ever an excuse for anybody with half a fucking brain. Trump supported single state in his first administration and Joe Biden spent his days cussing that fucking eel Netanyahu out over the phone.
Trump bragged about delivering bombs withheld by the Biden administration. If a person out there abstained voting DNC over Gaza I’d like to kick that person’s ass as retribution for all of the Palestinians who are dying as a result.
Dear non voters, it would’ve been nice if you turned out and gave us any power.
-Democratic party
Dear democratic party, it would’ve been nice if you ever actually used any power to do things for the people beyond token gestures.
-the people
Aca, student loan debt cancelation, biggest climate change bill ever.
You- “but it’s not my pretty pony I wanted.”
Attention all whiners- maybe vote them in everytime so they don’t have to spend at least half if not all their term cleaning up Republican messes. And vote in primaries for more progressive candidates.
Or just accept things getting shittier because youre lazy and spoiled. Either/or.
The ACA was made mostly useless by not having a government option. The end result was a system where you either had to pay for a shitty overpriced healthcare plan or pay a penalty on your taxes. The tax penalty has since been removed, but the shitty overpriced plans remain. There are a couple of good things like not denying certain cover for “pre-existing conditions” and allowing younger people to stay on their parents’ insurance until 26, but those are closer to token gestures than real solutions, as I’ve said. There is a reason why health insurance profits keep breaking records.
Student loan debt cancellation was mostly the enforcement of an existing program where you already have to jump through hoops just to qualify. By the time you qualify, you’ve already paid back more than the principle on your student loan debt by a lot. Another token gesture for a problem that biden helped create by backing a bill making student loan debt non-dischargeable through bankruptcy. Sure must be nice to be given credit to barely make a debt in a massive problem he himself had created.
The “biggest climate change bill ever” is argued in terms of dollars spent. Money spent =/= effective action taken. For example, biden was approving oil drilling permits on public lands at a faster rate than even trump’s first term. He also slapped 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs and 50% on solar panels.
In each of these cases there has been a massive giveaway to American corporations with a few token gestures to lull regular people into thinking democrats are doing something for them. You may be clapping your hands together and giggling in ecstasy at democrats shaking a rattle, but people who know better and can see these insignificant actions for what they are aren’t impressed. Democrats work for the billionaires and them blame everyone else for things getting worse, just like you’re doing right now. You’re doing the “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” argument, electoralism edition.
ACA has no public option because of Lieberman. Now maybe if he had been primaried and another more progressive Dem taken his place, then we’d have a public option by now. Instead we’ve continued with concessions to insurance. But yes- it is MARKEDLY better than what was there before despite all the warts.
Debt cancellation was done by Biden who did everything he could. Now maybe if the Dems had more than a slight majority in the Senate full of (yes, Lieberman like) Sinema and Manchin, they could’ve done something through Congress.
Biggest climate change bill ever PERIOD. And yes, he approved oil drilling and put tariffs on Chinese EVs. Part of politics. People do want clean solutions but do not want 1) American jobs to vanish due to Chinese subsidization of their entire EV industry overwhelming American auto jobs and 2) …no real excuse for the oil drilling. Other than people would bitch about even more inflation had he not.
In each of these cases you’ll notice a common refrain- the Democrats DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH POWER to enact the things you’re talking about. They are not “token” gestures- they’re what can get done with what they had. WV put Manchin there but what did the rest of America do? They put only 51 Democrats next to him (including a turncoat in Sinema.) If they didn’t need those two votes at all then maybe they couldn’t nuke the biggest portion of these bills. Maybe if the American people gave a shit then things would get done.
People seem to think I’m arguing for Democrats or something. I’m not really. I’m arguing for ACTION. Now if you wanna delude yourself and make a “Socialism NOW” party of progressive politics that by first glance turns off 70% of the voting population, go ahead. I’m telling you as a former 3rd party voter when I was a pie in the sky idealist that it’s just not gonna happen. What can happen though is turning the Democratic party back to what it needs to be- a populist-ish party that actually seriously helps Americans. If you froze a Republican in 2000 they would probably not recognize the party in 2025 given how the tea party zealots and bigots and grifters have taken it over (even from a dismal 2000 outlook.)
So maybe if progressives and leftists and all those people stopped endlessly fighting amongst themselves and banded together, they could primary and move the party left. Or maybe if they turned out EVERY ELECTION and convinced everyone else to do so, the Democrats wouldn’t have to unfuck the previous 4 years of Republican destruction. Or maybe progressive policies just aren’t as popular as people think (and one could argue that people in general are too dumb to realize it.)
You gotta train the dog. You can’t wait for the dog (the Dems) to do what you want by abstaining from voting or “punishing” them by letting them lose. Witness how the Republican party mirrors their devouts’ most fervent desires vs…the Dems.
ACA has no public option because of Lieberman.
ACA has no public option because the public option was always a bill of goods. It was meant to be jettisoned at the very first opportunity, and it was.
Student loan debt cancellation efforts lead to the SAVE Plan rollout which reduced many american’s payments to $0 monthly.
Biden did permit drilling to meet US demands, but he also did everything in his power to reduce demands.
If you wanted better and more extreme actions then you would need Democrats to have the power to make constitutional amendments, bypass filibusters, and remove corrupt positions, which means 60 Senate Votes. Example: Citizens United SCOTUS decision means either removing SCOTUS judges or passing a constitutional amendment, 60 votes.
We have NEVER given dems true power since 1979, at which point they were a very different party than they are now.
We have NEVER given dems true power since 1979
They just need 101 senators to accomplish anything.
The SAVE plan that still only slightly mitigates the student loan problem? They still guarantee excessive profits to lenders and keep student loan repayments up to 20 years. I can see he’s really doing a lot on that problem he created. The fact of the matter is that democrats do not use the power they do have. Biden had the power to appoint an effective attorney general but instead appointed Merrick Garland who did nothing to prosecute Trump even with years of time on his hands and plenty of evidence. The supreme court gave the presidency supreme power for “official acts” and what did Biden do with this power? You tell me.
For someone who’s a fascist and such a threat to democracy, Trump was handled with kid gloves by the democrats and Biden welcomed him back into office with a warm smile and a handshake. Democrats will endlessly shriek about Trump to garner donor dollars and will make token gestures like impeaching him and declaring that he’s the most impeached president as if that actually did anything. When it comes to actually solving the problem, democrats aren’t interested.
Also, it’s a funny coincidence that just the right number of democrats will turn heel the second democrats do manage to get a majority. Just look at senators Lieberman, Manchin, and Sinema. Don’t forget about the sudden senate parliamentarian who comes in with the steel chair in case democrats might have to actually do something. It’s a rigged carnival game and you keep arguing that we just need to get the ball in the hole when in reality the game is set up to make that impossible while looking deceptively possible.
Removed by mod
Raises EV prices
Raises Solar Panel prices
Biden did everything in his power to reduce demands.
???
Biden Pushed for half of all new vehicles to be EV by 2030
Biden began steps to replace the entire federal vehicle fleet of 645,000 vehicles with electric
But sure believe your magical fantasy where Joseph Biden presses a mysterious button which changes all of the prices on the market to whatever number he puts into the computer that controls all of America.
Aca
Was 15 years ago. How long to you intend to continue coasting on an inadequate half-measure?
deleted by creator
Ah, but they don’t work too serve us. They work to serve corporations and billionaires. We can fix that, but it will take a lot of relentless work and vigilance, before, during and after fixing it.
A core democrat stance is removing Citizens United, so it really doesn’t align with your alternative facts.
A core democrat stance is removing Citizens United
And what have they done toward making that happen?
Now let’s hear how there is never any such thing as a Democratic majority.
