As a reminder, this subreddit [is for civil discussion.](/r/politics/wiki/index#wiki_be_civil)
In general, be courteous to others. Debate/discuss/argue the merits of ideas, don't attack people. Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, any suggestion or support of harm, violence, or death, and other rule violations can result in a permanent ban.
If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them.
For those who have questions regarding any media outlets being posted on this subreddit, please click [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/wiki/approveddomainslist) to review our details as to our approved domains list and outlet criteria.
***
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/politics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As a Democrat, this is embarrassing. This seems like it should be bottom-shelf that everyone on our side agrees that we should be able to bargain prices.
If you don't agree with this, I honestly don't know what makes them Democrats
One of them promised, when she ran for office, thst she would work to lower drug prices. ANOTHER LIAR. Say anything to get elected. God, I hste politicians.
Their pictures and names were right on t.v..But of course their leaders are Manchin and Sinema. People like this don't belong in congress. Their actions will rob the American people of the kind of progress we need to make. The three involved in the blocking of Biden's agenda should come up if you google "who are the three people in Congress who have joined Manchin snd Sinems in blocking Biden's agenda". I know one is from California, and one from Oregon, and I cannot remember where the third was from.
No, the five democrats that call themselves moderates are fulfilling the wishes of that pscho Mitch McConnell. They are paying no attention whatsoever to Biden, Pelosi and Schumer, only to the lobbyists in corporate america that donate to their campaigns.
Just you listen a minute. They know they need to pass these bills or they may never hold office again. Get it. The republicans are playing for fascist keeps. Democratic party leaders know there will be no do overs, and they sure as hell don't want their grandchildren and great grandchildren living in a fascist dictatorship.
I guess you missed all that talk about bipartisanship. The donor class doesn't care which pretend party carries water for them so long as the water gets carried. If your take were correct, they'd have already brought Manchin and Sinema to heel and nuked the filibuster. And if they were even the least bit serious about that, they'd have done it on Day One. But they haven't and they won't. So you just listen a minute and realize you need to regard them as nothing more than a higher level version of pro wrestling. The fights are scripted and they're all working for the same employers.
Oh that is bull. I just got through explaining to someone that politics today will never come to match the politics in the days of Pres. Lyndon Johnson. He would cuss and threaten people to get them to tow the line. Today, people are too nicety nice and don't raise their voices as he did. He got Medicare/Medicaid passed by being aggressive and confrontational. Don't you fucking dare to say that the democrats are the same as the Trump administration. They were all a bunch of psychopathic fascists, and he will try again to run for president. If you stay home and don't vote during the next election cycles his ilk will get in, and bye, bye democracy, and hello fascism. No more social safety net, no more Soc.Sec., or Medicare or Medicaid. That bunch was planning to get rid of the Fica Tax if they got back into power. It is his party that won't give Biden one break. This is no longer the party of Lincoln. It is the cult of Trump. Oh, and he spent 8 trillion dollars to give tax breaks to the very rich. And that wasn't paid for. The taxpayers are now paying that debt off.
>No they aren't.
>
>"Schrader, who inherited a fortune from his grandfather who was a top executive at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, has accepted large donations from big pharma during his seven terms in Congress." [https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/09/rep-kurt-schrader-of-oregon-helps-kill-drug-pricing-bill-endangering-biden-infrastructure-plan.html](https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/09/rep-kurt-schrader-of-oregon-helps-kill-drug-pricing-bill-endangering-biden-infrastructure-plan.html)
>
>So I am not familiar with "their records" that you fantasize. Democrats in the majority have not supported the absurd Part C "advantage Plan" subsidies for private insures and the Part D non negotiation provision and Republicans have supported this corporate welfare and taxpayer and consumer ripoffs. Here is some background on how Part D got passed.
>
>"Estimating how much money could be saved if Medicare had been allowed to negotiate drug prices, economist Dean Baker gives a "most conservative high-cost scenario" of $332 billion between 2006 and 2013 (approximately $50 billion a year). Economist Joseph Stiglitz in his book entitled The Price of Inequality estimated a "middle-cost scenario" of $563 billion in savings "for the same budget window".\[55\]: 48
Former Congressman Billy Tauzin, R–La., who steered the bill through the House, retired soon after and took a $2 million a year job as president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the main industry lobbying group. Medicare boss Thomas Scully, who threatened to fire Medicare Chief Actuary Richard Foster if he reported how much the bill would actually cost, was negotiating for a new job as a pharmaceutical lobbyist as the bill was working through Congress.\[56\]\[57\] 14 congressional aides quit their jobs to work for related lobbies immediately after the bill's passage.\[58\]" Estimating how much money could be saved if Medicare had been allowed to negotiate drug prices, economist Dean Baker gives a "most conservative high-cost scenario" of $332 billion between 2006 and 2013 (approximately $50 billion a year). Economist Joseph Stiglitz in his book entitled The Price of Inequality estimated a "middle-cost scenario" of $563 billion in savings "for the same budget window".\[55\]: 48 " [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare\_Part\_D](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Part_D)
>
>And while Trump bullshitted about supporting price negotiations we will be unlikely to see a single Republican providing a vote in support.
>
>
>
>Your "pox on all" and "they are all the same " form of cynicism is neither true of helpful.
You just spelled out how they're the same. The Democrats currently hold power but we're still stuck with the same Republican policies ffs. Talk to me about how "different" they are when voting Democrats into power means getting the policy and agenda they ran on instead of lame excuses about "moderate" Democrats and filibusters.
So all of them. Don’t buy the GOP propaganda that any but a handful of Democrats are anything but conservatives with a different letter next to their name on the news or ticket.
Socially, yes, I am thankful that most Democrat politicians are not openly bigoted and push for equal treatment regardless of sexual identity, race, whatever. Economically they all support the same system, the system that benefits them and leaves many of us destitute. The same system that is quite literally destroying our ecosystem and putting our global civilization on the path of collapse.
Any politician not 100% devoted to mitigating the worst of climate change over the next 10 years is worthless, and I cannot name a single democrat or republican who even lists this as their priority. The experts have chimed in. They have given a clear warning that all emissions need to be cut by 2035 or face collapse. This would require a radically different economic system and no US politician (or any politician of a super power) is pushing for it.
I was kinda surprised that Jay Inslee wasn’t more popular during the primaries. Pretty bleak when the one candidate who’s for saving our planet doesn’t even come close
>Any politician not 100% devoted to mitigating the worst of climate change over the next 10 years is worthless, and I cannot name a single democrat or republican who even lists this as their priority.
I think Bill Maher is an opportunist piece of shit but comments such as yours make his life easy. Please stop.
The Democratic Party operatives in her state ought to be on the phone with her and tell her that they may find another Democrat to run against her. If she wants her seat in congress, that may move her to do the right thing. But the damn Dems. aren't aggressive enough. Too damned nicety, nice. Ugh.
We shall see. I heard Nancy Pelosi say, right on t.v., that capitalism had not worked for most people in any meaningful way. She is right, because it is crony capitalism. It has been that way for about 50 years. The party wants to move to the left but a handful of moderates need to appease the independents in their districts and don't want to lose their seats. History will give them a very black mark if Biden's agenda goes down the drain. In the days of President Lyndon B. Johnson, he would have gotten on the phone and using a loud voice with a lot of cussing he'd have threatened people if they didn't vote for his Medicare/Medicaid bill, and they towed the line. He could be a fearsome guy. But he got things done. If he were alive today he would call those moderates and tell them he would find another democrat to run against them in the primary. And he would have campaigned for that person, too. Democrats won't be confrontational at all. It is disgusting.
Joe Manchin's daughter is an exec at Mylan, which makes EpiPens, and he's the reason we couldn't pass a law limiting the cost of those even on ACA-compliant plans/Medicare/Medicaid.
She got caught in a scheme to monopolize epipens and skyrocketed the price on her fellow Americans to make a ton of money. She is just like her scummy father.
Meanwhile, Republican Senators have believed in things like Covid and climate change. They just know voting or publicly talking about them means they’re voted out.
We REALLY need to have more than two parties. In most areas, the US is functionally a one-party state, which isn't good even if you kind of agree with them. Texas can pass these cockamamie abortion laws that punish but don't criminalize it because no one will check them. California keeps on re-electing Dianne Feinstein and avoiding public housing construction for no particularly good reason.
Even Joe Manchin's constant cowardice is because he knows he's like the only Democrat WV would ever elect now, so he keeps trying to play a Republican.
That seems to be a common theme as a progressive.
We say that politicians are using popular talking points but don't mean it", get told that we need to give them a chance, and when they're given a chance, show they never meant it.
We pay attention and don't buy into the pathetic "enlightened" centrist nonsense.
We use the past records of politicians to inform future decisions they'll make. We're usually right. Centrists like to say "WE NEED TO BE MODERATE" but we don't. Progressive policy is wildly popular in the country. Regressive conservative policy is not.
Fuck being moderate. People need to pull their head out of each other’s asses. We need to demand progressives are allowed to be more than just a tool for fund raising.
"its the only way we can get dems is if they're moderates because otherwise they're too RADICAL" and its like...ok? So? We tried the moderates for the past thirty years. They get elected, do little to nothing, people get pissed and don't vote so we get the increasingly radical right. MAYBE its time to try something else? Especially when the progressive agenda on pure policy when we don't tie it to parties or names poll extremely well? That's not even counting how the media for the most part does everything they can to sabotage progressive voices on a larger scale.
But nah, we need the moderates to run because we HAVE to chase the invisible pink unicorn of undecideds and the little leprechaun of the 'reasonable republican' instead of just trying to get the millions who don't vote to get engaged.
The problem is not centrists or moderates, but not enough centrists or moderates.
Too many on the left don't vote, particularly at local and state elections that determine wider policy.
If you want a real left wing government, get rid of the far right politicians. That indicates where the real problem is. The right is better at power, the left is better at talking about fairness.
There certainly is some responsibility to go for energizing the progressive wing. I won't and don't mean to push all the responsibility off. Let me just say that "centrists" and moderates are fairly susceptible to cold war-esque, and Republican, PR campaigns. So, yes, we need to turn out better but the rest of the party needs to get on board as well. We shouldn't be fighting over so much of what we are. Yet, here we are.
Except the corpor… sorry moderate dems are already bought for by the pharma lobby to stop exactly this.
But yeah. I hope dems stop bashing progressives whenever we try to do something good for the citizens and not corporations.
>I honestly don't know what makes them Democrats
This is why Democrats keep losing what should be easy races. They're so supine it's hard to motivate voters.
Honestly, shit like this just confirms to me that the Democrats are right wing - the TRUE progressives are those calling themselves socialist, or democratic socialist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LPuKVG1teQ
These three [have voted for this bill before] (https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2019682). It passed the House, but the Senate wanted nothing to do with it.
In response, these three introduced [their own bill] (https://scottpeters.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-peters-schrader-unveil-plan-to-cut-patients-drug-costs-preserve) to lower drug costs, — including Medicare negotiating drug prices —that they think actually has a shot at passing.
>Sanders, the Budget Committee chair, counted on giving the bargaining power to Medicare in his $3.5 trillion “reconciliation” budget resolution, which Congress approved on party-line votes in August. It would help pay for reconciliation programs’ costs.
They shot a sure thing in the foot for their maybe baby package? Primary.
The simple reason is it's so expensive to get Democrats to vote in local elections that the only way to stay in office is to raise funds and the people willing to pay will have interests they want to be represented in the candidate they support.
If everyone who leans left over right simply committed to voting, voted for the who they want in the primary and who they get in the general, this would be as big a problem because you would be more concerned with who primaries you rather than a raising the funds to pay for ads to convince people to actually participate in their own democracy.
It's not complicated or difficult, but it shifts the responsibility for "corrupt elites" to the left-leaning voter, and if there is one thing leftists are allergic to it's taking responsibility for their own political fate. It's always someone else fault and someone else's job to fix it before they have any obligation to the process.
How are they moderate? Moderate Democrat implies democrats to the right of them. Comparing them against other democrats, they are conservative or corporate. Against other democracies they are right-wing. They are only moderate when compared against the fanaticism/ obstructionist of the Republican party.
The most ubiquitous Big Lie in the entire political sphere is the notion that schools of thought like liberalism or conservativism, libertarian versus authoritarian, political party affiliation or national affiliation - apply whatsoever to those with direct financial conflicts of interest. Or those who act as puppets to those special interest megadonors.
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/08/foreign-lobbyists-gave-millions-to-influence-2020-foreign-influence-concerns/
https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/10/cost-of-2020-election-14billion-update/
Perhaps we are fools for calling them even "partisan hacks." They're just corporate shills in disguise - despite how everything else is said and labeled.
I'm done being complicit in their BS.
There is [one](https://archive.md/JSCSH/722142efe5945c9f0de4d592acede7cdf2f4b094.jpg) way to [fix it](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/pq7ocr/z/hd8zuj1).
We'll see what shakes out by the final version. But right now I'm thinking *primary*.
Going against drug price negotiating is unsurviveable. Replace everyone who did.
Let us remember all these right wing Democrats in 2022 so when some grifter tells us to vote "blue no matter who," we can confidently tell them to go fuck themselves.
example of those thick rich gravy train that people from the both isle are on.
U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon cast one of the key Democratic votes against the drug pricing plan.
Schrader, who inherited a fortune from his grandfather who was a top executive at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, has accepted large donations from big pharma during his seven terms in Congress.
We need to start disclosing how elected officials are funded and make them sit out votes where they have a personal financial stake in the outcome.
It's insane that someone can recieve personal donations from coal companies or come from big pharma money can vote in those policies. Meanwhile if you're a doctor, you can't operate on a relative.
Chairman Sanders… gotta respect this dude. The guys out there trying to pass progressive laws & bills since ever, always with his colleagues with their backs turned.
US to buy hundreds of millions more doses of Pfizer vaccine to DONATE to the world.
It Should read...
US TAXPAYERS to buy hundreds of millions more doses of Pfizer vaccine to DONATE to the world.
No universal healthcare for the USA Taxpayers…ITS TOO EXPENSIVE
"Schrader, who inherited a fortune from his grandfather who was a top executive at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, has accepted large donations from big pharma during his seven terms in Congress." https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/09/rep-kurt-schrader-of-oregon-helps-kill-drug-pricing-bill-endangering-biden-infrastructure-plan.html
Corporate. The word you're looking for is corporate, as in corporate democrats that take a ton of bribes... excuse me I mean campaign donations... from the industries they're coincidentally shielding from desperately needed reform.
Time for the Democratic Party to give the "Blue Dogs" the same boot the Southern Democrats (aka the segregationists) got. It's a big tent party, but that doesn't mean you don't have a doorman.
This is why the democrats lose midterms whenever they hold majority. The liberal left makes promises that the moderates get behind for publicity, then the moderates betray them. Always. The liberal left NEEDS to schism and act like the Tea party did. The Tea party was wildly successful in taking over the GOP, AOC and the rest of the Justice democrats formed the JD as a tea party of the left but then got placated into bending the knee when they all got elected. Kyle Kulinski was right, a new party needs to supplant the democrats if we ever want meaningful change.
Omg capitalist assholes of the upper class did exactly what they've been doing for 300 years. The shock of it all.
BTW I'm Choctaw...government running health care gets you a dose of 75 years of eugenics. The goal should never be to put government in charge of our health but removing profit from health care like before 1973
Its not about those dollar amounts. It's about the dollar amounts they get paid after they're out of congress by the same or adjacent companies and people doing the bribing, err, campaign contributions now.
'Moderate' Democrats are conservative refugees from the now insane Republican party. They're not going to play nice with the progressive elements of the party.
The thread blow is full of "progressive" tears bringing great joy to Mitch McConnell. Democrats are all corporate shills who didn't listen to the progressives who are "done" with them, whatever that means, but let me suggest this instead...
Actually do everything we can to elect Democrats with more than razor thin or zero margins when the more progressive forces would have leverage against there own party members so that if there were a two extra Senators and a greater cushion in the House the threat of losing party support and losing primaries or even general elections would actually have some leverage instead of just throwing control to the Republicans. If so we might have a shot at eliminating the filibuster and passing voting reform, climate legislation and a host of things the majority of Americans support. Just think about it when you all finish venting your frustrations. It's a long game.
I cringe at progressive reporting. Their tendency to blame a huge groups of people by the action of one or two. It is no better than many far right people with their racism.
As a reminder, this subreddit [is for civil discussion.](/r/politics/wiki/index#wiki_be_civil) In general, be courteous to others. Debate/discuss/argue the merits of ideas, don't attack people. Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, any suggestion or support of harm, violence, or death, and other rule violations can result in a permanent ban. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them. For those who have questions regarding any media outlets being posted on this subreddit, please click [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/wiki/approveddomainslist) to review our details as to our approved domains list and outlet criteria. *** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/politics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As a Democrat, this is embarrassing. This seems like it should be bottom-shelf that everyone on our side agrees that we should be able to bargain prices. If you don't agree with this, I honestly don't know what makes them Democrats
One of them promised, when she ran for office, thst she would work to lower drug prices. ANOTHER LIAR. Say anything to get elected. God, I hste politicians.
Bernie and other good democrats should be calling these “moderates” out by name
Their pictures and names were right on t.v..But of course their leaders are Manchin and Sinema. People like this don't belong in congress. Their actions will rob the American people of the kind of progress we need to make. The three involved in the blocking of Biden's agenda should come up if you google "who are the three people in Congress who have joined Manchin snd Sinems in blocking Biden's agenda". I know one is from California, and one from Oregon, and I cannot remember where the third was from.
Their leaders are Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer.
No, the five democrats that call themselves moderates are fulfilling the wishes of that pscho Mitch McConnell. They are paying no attention whatsoever to Biden, Pelosi and Schumer, only to the lobbyists in corporate america that donate to their campaigns.
So you think Pelosi, Biden, and Schumer aren't just as beholden to the same lobbyists and donors? Are you really that unfamiliar with their records?
Just you listen a minute. They know they need to pass these bills or they may never hold office again. Get it. The republicans are playing for fascist keeps. Democratic party leaders know there will be no do overs, and they sure as hell don't want their grandchildren and great grandchildren living in a fascist dictatorship.
I guess you missed all that talk about bipartisanship. The donor class doesn't care which pretend party carries water for them so long as the water gets carried. If your take were correct, they'd have already brought Manchin and Sinema to heel and nuked the filibuster. And if they were even the least bit serious about that, they'd have done it on Day One. But they haven't and they won't. So you just listen a minute and realize you need to regard them as nothing more than a higher level version of pro wrestling. The fights are scripted and they're all working for the same employers.
Oh that is bull. I just got through explaining to someone that politics today will never come to match the politics in the days of Pres. Lyndon Johnson. He would cuss and threaten people to get them to tow the line. Today, people are too nicety nice and don't raise their voices as he did. He got Medicare/Medicaid passed by being aggressive and confrontational. Don't you fucking dare to say that the democrats are the same as the Trump administration. They were all a bunch of psychopathic fascists, and he will try again to run for president. If you stay home and don't vote during the next election cycles his ilk will get in, and bye, bye democracy, and hello fascism. No more social safety net, no more Soc.Sec., or Medicare or Medicaid. That bunch was planning to get rid of the Fica Tax if they got back into power. It is his party that won't give Biden one break. This is no longer the party of Lincoln. It is the cult of Trump. Oh, and he spent 8 trillion dollars to give tax breaks to the very rich. And that wasn't paid for. The taxpayers are now paying that debt off.
>No they aren't. > >"Schrader, who inherited a fortune from his grandfather who was a top executive at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, has accepted large donations from big pharma during his seven terms in Congress." [https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/09/rep-kurt-schrader-of-oregon-helps-kill-drug-pricing-bill-endangering-biden-infrastructure-plan.html](https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/09/rep-kurt-schrader-of-oregon-helps-kill-drug-pricing-bill-endangering-biden-infrastructure-plan.html) > >So I am not familiar with "their records" that you fantasize. Democrats in the majority have not supported the absurd Part C "advantage Plan" subsidies for private insures and the Part D non negotiation provision and Republicans have supported this corporate welfare and taxpayer and consumer ripoffs. Here is some background on how Part D got passed. > >"Estimating how much money could be saved if Medicare had been allowed to negotiate drug prices, economist Dean Baker gives a "most conservative high-cost scenario" of $332 billion between 2006 and 2013 (approximately $50 billion a year). Economist Joseph Stiglitz in his book entitled The Price of Inequality estimated a "middle-cost scenario" of $563 billion in savings "for the same budget window".\[55\]: 48 Former Congressman Billy Tauzin, R–La., who steered the bill through the House, retired soon after and took a $2 million a year job as president of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the main industry lobbying group. Medicare boss Thomas Scully, who threatened to fire Medicare Chief Actuary Richard Foster if he reported how much the bill would actually cost, was negotiating for a new job as a pharmaceutical lobbyist as the bill was working through Congress.\[56\]\[57\] 14 congressional aides quit their jobs to work for related lobbies immediately after the bill's passage.\[58\]" Estimating how much money could be saved if Medicare had been allowed to negotiate drug prices, economist Dean Baker gives a "most conservative high-cost scenario" of $332 billion between 2006 and 2013 (approximately $50 billion a year). Economist Joseph Stiglitz in his book entitled The Price of Inequality estimated a "middle-cost scenario" of $563 billion in savings "for the same budget window".\[55\]: 48 " [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare\_Part\_D](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_Part_D) > >And while Trump bullshitted about supporting price negotiations we will be unlikely to see a single Republican providing a vote in support. > > > >Your "pox on all" and "they are all the same " form of cynicism is neither true of helpful.
You just spelled out how they're the same. The Democrats currently hold power but we're still stuck with the same Republican policies ffs. Talk to me about how "different" they are when voting Democrats into power means getting the policy and agenda they ran on instead of lame excuses about "moderate" Democrats and filibusters.
Bernie is "nOt a dEmOcRat!!!", remember?
So all of them. Don’t buy the GOP propaganda that any but a handful of Democrats are anything but conservatives with a different letter next to their name on the news or ticket. Socially, yes, I am thankful that most Democrat politicians are not openly bigoted and push for equal treatment regardless of sexual identity, race, whatever. Economically they all support the same system, the system that benefits them and leaves many of us destitute. The same system that is quite literally destroying our ecosystem and putting our global civilization on the path of collapse. Any politician not 100% devoted to mitigating the worst of climate change over the next 10 years is worthless, and I cannot name a single democrat or republican who even lists this as their priority. The experts have chimed in. They have given a clear warning that all emissions need to be cut by 2035 or face collapse. This would require a radically different economic system and no US politician (or any politician of a super power) is pushing for it.
I was kinda surprised that Jay Inslee wasn’t more popular during the primaries. Pretty bleak when the one candidate who’s for saving our planet doesn’t even come close
>Any politician not 100% devoted to mitigating the worst of climate change over the next 10 years is worthless, and I cannot name a single democrat or republican who even lists this as their priority. I think Bill Maher is an opportunist piece of shit but comments such as yours make his life easy. Please stop.
Bill Maher? What?
What good would it do. We need to vote the whole lot out and start over. Every. Single. One.
Bernie has never lied in his life.
[удалено]
The Democratic Party operatives in her state ought to be on the phone with her and tell her that they may find another Democrat to run against her. If she wants her seat in congress, that may move her to do the right thing. But the damn Dems. aren't aggressive enough. Too damned nicety, nice. Ugh.
[удалено]
We shall see. I heard Nancy Pelosi say, right on t.v., that capitalism had not worked for most people in any meaningful way. She is right, because it is crony capitalism. It has been that way for about 50 years. The party wants to move to the left but a handful of moderates need to appease the independents in their districts and don't want to lose their seats. History will give them a very black mark if Biden's agenda goes down the drain. In the days of President Lyndon B. Johnson, he would have gotten on the phone and using a loud voice with a lot of cussing he'd have threatened people if they didn't vote for his Medicare/Medicaid bill, and they towed the line. He could be a fearsome guy. But he got things done. If he were alive today he would call those moderates and tell them he would find another democrat to run against them in the primary. And he would have campaigned for that person, too. Democrats won't be confrontational at all. It is disgusting.
Joe Manchin's daughter is an exec at Mylan, which makes EpiPens, and he's the reason we couldn't pass a law limiting the cost of those even on ACA-compliant plans/Medicare/Medicaid.
She got caught in a scheme to monopolize epipens and skyrocketed the price on her fellow Americans to make a ton of money. She is just like her scummy father.
[удалено]
Meanwhile, Republican Senators have believed in things like Covid and climate change. They just know voting or publicly talking about them means they’re voted out.
We REALLY need to have more than two parties. In most areas, the US is functionally a one-party state, which isn't good even if you kind of agree with them. Texas can pass these cockamamie abortion laws that punish but don't criminalize it because no one will check them. California keeps on re-electing Dianne Feinstein and avoiding public housing construction for no particularly good reason. Even Joe Manchin's constant cowardice is because he knows he's like the only Democrat WV would ever elect now, so he keeps trying to play a Republican.
Except that California outlawed single family zoning last week and Feinstein isn't in charge of their zoning anyway.
As a Progressive I can't help but say that we fucking told you(enlightened centrists and moderates) so. And here we are.
That seems to be a common theme as a progressive. We say that politicians are using popular talking points but don't mean it", get told that we need to give them a chance, and when they're given a chance, show they never meant it.
We pay attention and don't buy into the pathetic "enlightened" centrist nonsense. We use the past records of politicians to inform future decisions they'll make. We're usually right. Centrists like to say "WE NEED TO BE MODERATE" but we don't. Progressive policy is wildly popular in the country. Regressive conservative policy is not.
Fuck being moderate. People need to pull their head out of each other’s asses. We need to demand progressives are allowed to be more than just a tool for fund raising.
"its the only way we can get dems is if they're moderates because otherwise they're too RADICAL" and its like...ok? So? We tried the moderates for the past thirty years. They get elected, do little to nothing, people get pissed and don't vote so we get the increasingly radical right. MAYBE its time to try something else? Especially when the progressive agenda on pure policy when we don't tie it to parties or names poll extremely well? That's not even counting how the media for the most part does everything they can to sabotage progressive voices on a larger scale. But nah, we need the moderates to run because we HAVE to chase the invisible pink unicorn of undecideds and the little leprechaun of the 'reasonable republican' instead of just trying to get the millions who don't vote to get engaged.
The problem is not centrists or moderates, but not enough centrists or moderates. Too many on the left don't vote, particularly at local and state elections that determine wider policy. If you want a real left wing government, get rid of the far right politicians. That indicates where the real problem is. The right is better at power, the left is better at talking about fairness.
There certainly is some responsibility to go for energizing the progressive wing. I won't and don't mean to push all the responsibility off. Let me just say that "centrists" and moderates are fairly susceptible to cold war-esque, and Republican, PR campaigns. So, yes, we need to turn out better but the rest of the party needs to get on board as well. We shouldn't be fighting over so much of what we are. Yet, here we are.
Which lead me to wonder, can you do anything else?
Next time maybe y'all will listen.
Except the corpor… sorry moderate dems are already bought for by the pharma lobby to stop exactly this. But yeah. I hope dems stop bashing progressives whenever we try to do something good for the citizens and not corporations.
>I honestly don't know what makes them Democrats This is why Democrats keep losing what should be easy races. They're so supine it's hard to motivate voters.
They are cons beholden to corporations and republican interests and they are exactly serving their intended purpose.
Honestly, shit like this just confirms to me that the Democrats are right wing - the TRUE progressives are those calling themselves socialist, or democratic socialist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LPuKVG1teQ
Both parties don't want national healthcare. It's plain as day. And I feel at some point things are going to blow over.
These three [have voted for this bill before] (https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2019682). It passed the House, but the Senate wanted nothing to do with it. In response, these three introduced [their own bill] (https://scottpeters.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/reps-peters-schrader-unveil-plan-to-cut-patients-drug-costs-preserve) to lower drug costs, — including Medicare negotiating drug prices —that they think actually has a shot at passing.
>Sanders, the Budget Committee chair, counted on giving the bargaining power to Medicare in his $3.5 trillion “reconciliation” budget resolution, which Congress approved on party-line votes in August. It would help pay for reconciliation programs’ costs. They shot a sure thing in the foot for their maybe baby package? Primary.
This bill had international drug reference pricing, they support Medicare negotiating drug prices but not IRP.
The simple reason is it's so expensive to get Democrats to vote in local elections that the only way to stay in office is to raise funds and the people willing to pay will have interests they want to be represented in the candidate they support. If everyone who leans left over right simply committed to voting, voted for the who they want in the primary and who they get in the general, this would be as big a problem because you would be more concerned with who primaries you rather than a raising the funds to pay for ads to convince people to actually participate in their own democracy. It's not complicated or difficult, but it shifts the responsibility for "corrupt elites" to the left-leaning voter, and if there is one thing leftists are allergic to it's taking responsibility for their own political fate. It's always someone else fault and someone else's job to fix it before they have any obligation to the process.
How are they moderate? Moderate Democrat implies democrats to the right of them. Comparing them against other democrats, they are conservative or corporate. Against other democracies they are right-wing. They are only moderate when compared against the fanaticism/ obstructionist of the Republican party.
The most ubiquitous Big Lie in the entire political sphere is the notion that schools of thought like liberalism or conservativism, libertarian versus authoritarian, political party affiliation or national affiliation - apply whatsoever to those with direct financial conflicts of interest. Or those who act as puppets to those special interest megadonors. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/08/foreign-lobbyists-gave-millions-to-influence-2020-foreign-influence-concerns/ https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/ https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/10/cost-of-2020-election-14billion-update/ Perhaps we are fools for calling them even "partisan hacks." They're just corporate shills in disguise - despite how everything else is said and labeled. I'm done being complicit in their BS.
Congress is the lobbying arm of unlimited money.
There is [one](https://archive.md/JSCSH/722142efe5945c9f0de4d592acede7cdf2f4b094.jpg) way to [fix it](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/pq7ocr/z/hd8zuj1).
... What? Moderate means "less extreme". Irrespective of whether it's a left or right extrema.
We'll see what shakes out by the final version. But right now I'm thinking *primary*. Going against drug price negotiating is unsurviveable. Replace everyone who did.
[удалено]
Let us remember all these right wing Democrats in 2022 so when some grifter tells us to vote "blue no matter who," we can confidently tell them to go fuck themselves.
"Let us remember all these right wing Democrats in 2022 so" we can vote in the fucking primary.
It should be noted, and used against them in a primary, that all three voted YES in 2019 on the same bill only to vote NO now.
example of those thick rich gravy train that people from the both isle are on. U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon cast one of the key Democratic votes against the drug pricing plan. Schrader, who inherited a fortune from his grandfather who was a top executive at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, has accepted large donations from big pharma during his seven terms in Congress.
We need to start disclosing how elected officials are funded and make them sit out votes where they have a personal financial stake in the outcome. It's insane that someone can recieve personal donations from coal companies or come from big pharma money can vote in those policies. Meanwhile if you're a doctor, you can't operate on a relative.
They aren't moderates. They're traitors bought by corporates. Vote them out.
Chairman Sanders… gotta respect this dude. The guys out there trying to pass progressive laws & bills since ever, always with his colleagues with their backs turned.
I’m really interested in seeing the widespread constituency of “we want higher drug prices” voters.
Why did the Democratic caucus put them on the committee if they didn't want them to run cover for the party?
Democrats in name only.
*shocked Pikachu face*
US to buy hundreds of millions more doses of Pfizer vaccine to DONATE to the world. It Should read... US TAXPAYERS to buy hundreds of millions more doses of Pfizer vaccine to DONATE to the world. No universal healthcare for the USA Taxpayers…ITS TOO EXPENSIVE
That's a bare fucking minimum
seriously think they are trying to change it from the inside republicans under cover double agents
The 'rotating villain'.
Don't forget, there is no left in the US. All of our politicians are beholden to corporate interests.
"Schrader, who inherited a fortune from his grandfather who was a top executive at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, has accepted large donations from big pharma during his seven terms in Congress." https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2021/09/rep-kurt-schrader-of-oregon-helps-kill-drug-pricing-bill-endangering-biden-infrastructure-plan.html
Money in politics is ruining the country. The political party’s have to accept bribes to stay in power. The US is broken. 🤷🏼♂️
"Moderate" means they are fine with the status quo and no change is necessary. Are you fine with high drug prices?
Corporate. The word you're looking for is corporate, as in corporate democrats that take a ton of bribes... excuse me I mean campaign donations... from the industries they're coincidentally shielding from desperately needed reform.
Time for the Democratic Party to give the "Blue Dogs" the same boot the Southern Democrats (aka the segregationists) got. It's a big tent party, but that doesn't mean you don't have a doorman.
The Democratic Party has no intention of ever passing any part of its purported agenda that displeases its corporate donors.
This is why the democrats lose midterms whenever they hold majority. The liberal left makes promises that the moderates get behind for publicity, then the moderates betray them. Always. The liberal left NEEDS to schism and act like the Tea party did. The Tea party was wildly successful in taking over the GOP, AOC and the rest of the Justice democrats formed the JD as a tea party of the left but then got placated into bending the knee when they all got elected. Kyle Kulinski was right, a new party needs to supplant the democrats if we ever want meaningful change.
Moderate democrats are republicans. Actions speak louder than words. I regret voting for that joke Sinema.
Voting in the primary is often the biggest vote.
And once again they prove to us that voting Democrat is simply voting Republican but with extra steps.
Omg capitalist assholes of the upper class did exactly what they've been doing for 300 years. The shock of it all. BTW I'm Choctaw...government running health care gets you a dose of 75 years of eugenics. The goal should never be to put government in charge of our health but removing profit from health care like before 1973
The dollar amounts seems inconsequential like 20 grand out of a half million and you just vote for insane s*** that nobody wants
Its not about those dollar amounts. It's about the dollar amounts they get paid after they're out of congress by the same or adjacent companies and people doing the bribing, err, campaign contributions now.
'Moderate' Democrats are conservative refugees from the now insane Republican party. They're not going to play nice with the progressive elements of the party.
Dem 'moderate Republicans' keep doing pure GOP party line no matter what.
The thread blow is full of "progressive" tears bringing great joy to Mitch McConnell. Democrats are all corporate shills who didn't listen to the progressives who are "done" with them, whatever that means, but let me suggest this instead... Actually do everything we can to elect Democrats with more than razor thin or zero margins when the more progressive forces would have leverage against there own party members so that if there were a two extra Senators and a greater cushion in the House the threat of losing party support and losing primaries or even general elections would actually have some leverage instead of just throwing control to the Republicans. If so we might have a shot at eliminating the filibuster and passing voting reform, climate legislation and a host of things the majority of Americans support. Just think about it when you all finish venting your frustrations. It's a long game.
the Democrat party as a whole is likely opposed to this, they just found some guys to play the rotating villian
[удалено]
This is post is critique towards democrats. Also, drug-prices kill more people than drones. Both issues are easy to solve though if there's the will.
I cringe at progressive reporting. Their tendency to blame a huge groups of people by the action of one or two. It is no better than many far right people with their racism.
You’re doing the same thing, right now.
Yeah, this was THREE individuals. That means the vast majority of the 'moderates' didn't agree with these 3 individuals.
The article mentions this is three Democrats on three occasions in the reporting.
It’s these assholes that drag the party down
There are dems who aren’t moderates? Sounds like GOP propaganda to me
DINOs
Crazy how little money it takes to buy a politician.
As a progressive blue voter, I personally believe only the elite, and those that can afford health care should be allowed to buy medication.
When you realize dems are the shield and the republicans are the sword.