Mark Thompson visited with Politics Done Right at Netroots Nation 2024 before Harris became the nominee to discuss what Democrats must do to win, Kamala Harris, and much more.
1. "Unapologetic progressivism." YES! Still waiting.
2. Harris? A mediocre Party apparatchik without courage or vision. That's why gutless Dem leadership placed her on a ticket with Biden in the first place. It proved to be a ticket to nowhere.
3. My heart breaks. Dems have a wealth of progressive political talent, including (but far from limited to) Summer Lee, Maxwell Frost, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -- memorable communicators with courage and vision. And, as their model, the master himself, Bernie Sanders.
4. Learn from GOP tactics? Absolutely. I've long urged, "Learn from our adversaries without becoming like them."
5. Invest in local and state-level progressive wins? Yes. As I said in #1, still waiting.
Bottom line: Dem leadership would really rather lose than hand power to progressives. This year's elections -- and Sanders 2016 -- repeatedly prove that.
The Democratic Party is a corrupt private corporation, essentially like the other one. Not our friend. Case in point: running out the clock without taking every possible advantage to lock-in policies and procedures before January ... a crime against us ordinary folks and the nation as a whole.
I was speaking to another activist recently. He pointed out that, in fact, the Bernie revolution did move the party to the left as is necessary. In fact, he said, and I concur, that progressives make up the majority of the party. Unfortunately, not in leadership. The leadership is still neo-liberal. Here is something that I point out. Biden is a neoliberal. But he got more progressive policies passed since FDR. Neither Obama or Clinton or Carter can wear that suit. Progressives used the COVID Pandemic to push through things that we could have never gotten through and forced Biden's hand.
Biden is a man of two hearts. Think about his appointments and safety net policies, good job. War, no change from traditional U.S. policy. Progressives, we have got to take the party!!!!!!!
1. "Unapologetic progressivism." YES! Still waiting.
2. Harris? A mediocre Party apparatchik without courage or vision. That's why gutless Dem leadership placed her on a ticket with Biden in the first place. It proved to be a ticket to nowhere.
3. My heart breaks. Dems have a wealth of progressive political talent, including (but far from limited to) Summer Lee, Maxwell Frost, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez -- memorable communicators with courage and vision. And, as their model, the master himself, Bernie Sanders.
4. Learn from GOP tactics? Absolutely. I've long urged, "Learn from our adversaries without becoming like them."
5. Invest in local and state-level progressive wins? Yes. As I said in #1, still waiting.
Bottom line: Dem leadership would really rather lose than hand power to progressives. This year's elections -- and Sanders 2016 -- repeatedly prove that.
The Democratic Party is a corrupt private corporation, essentially like the other one. Not our friend. Case in point: running out the clock without taking every possible advantage to lock-in policies and procedures before January ... a crime against us ordinary folks and the nation as a whole.
I was speaking to another activist recently. He pointed out that, in fact, the Bernie revolution did move the party to the left as is necessary. In fact, he said, and I concur, that progressives make up the majority of the party. Unfortunately, not in leadership. The leadership is still neo-liberal. Here is something that I point out. Biden is a neoliberal. But he got more progressive policies passed since FDR. Neither Obama or Clinton or Carter can wear that suit. Progressives used the COVID Pandemic to push through things that we could have never gotten through and forced Biden's hand.
Biden is a man of two hearts. Think about his appointments and safety net policies, good job. War, no change from traditional U.S. policy. Progressives, we have got to take the party!!!!!!!
Thank you, point taken!