cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/31233166
Generated Summary below:
Video Description:
Journalist, comedian, and host of The Bitchuation Room podcast Francesca Fiorentini joins Bad Faith Pod on the heels of breaking news that former Biden Whitehouse Press Secretary Karina Jean Pierre is leaving the Democratic Party because it was too mean to Joe Biden. After recovering from the absurdity of Jean Pierre’s grift, Briahna and Francesca discuss Fran’s increasing openness to third parties, fissures on the left over Force the Vote, and whether the left can be united over a 2024 candidate and avoid succumbing to vote blue no matter who pressure.
Generated Summary:
Main Topic: The video discusses the challenges of left-wing unity, the failures of the Democratic Party, and the potential for third-party movements. It also touches on the role of figures like AOC and the strategic considerations for the left in the current political climate.
Key Points:
- Democratic Party Failures: The speakers express disillusionment with the Democratic Party, arguing that it consistently acts against the interests of working people due to donor influence and structural issues. They cite examples like the Biden administration’s policies and the party’s stance on issues like Gaza.
- Third-Party Potential: The conversation explores the possibility of building a successful third party as an alternative to trying to reform the Democratic Party.
- Authenticity and Trust: The speakers emphasize the importance of authenticity and ideological consistency for political figures to gain and maintain public trust. They contrast figures like Obama and Bernie Sanders, who initially inspired faith, with the perceived inconsistency of establishment Democrats.
- Activism Under Different Administrations: The discussion examines whether activism is more effective under Republican or Democratic administrations, with differing views on the level of repression and media coverage.
- BLM and Movement Building: The speakers discuss the Black Lives Matter movement, its successes and failures, and the need for long-term institution-building to prevent the rollback of progress.
- AOC’s Role: The potential future role of AOC in the political landscape is discussed, including the possibility of her running for president.
Highlights:
- Francesca Fiorentini shares her personal journey from working within the Democratic Party to becoming a critic, citing the party’s unwillingness to use power to benefit working people.
- The speakers debate the effectiveness of harm reduction arguments for voting for Democrats, even when they are not ideal candidates.
- The conversation touches on the importance of supporting third parties now, before the next election cycle.
- The speakers discuss the need for the left to unite and develop candidates to challenge the establishment.
- The discussion includes the endorsement of a candidate and the establishment melting down.
About Channel:
based on the hit tv show
With Briahna Joy Gray
I would never suggest that Democrats don’t have their own crooks and con artists. It’s clear they do; and some liberal communities will overlook these. Although I don’t believe infidelity precludes being a good President, I understand outrage that Democrats, nationally, were willing to overlook Clinton’s affair(s). I don’t, however, believe they’d have overlooked convicted felonies, clear treason, graft, or pedophilia, and that’s the difference.
You’re right that this state of affairs has not always existed; Nixon stepped down, after all, and prior to Nixon - farther back - Democrats were the party of segregationists. I’m suggesting that, for the past 40 or so years, Democrats have broadly been less hypocritical than Republicans, and held their representatives to higher standards of ethics. Maybe the difference is slight, but when Al Franken was accused of sexual misconduct, reaction was swift and he stepped down. Meanwhile, Mark Foley is texting underage boys, and his own anti-gay party (even ignoring the pedophilia nature) turned a blind eye.
I am not defending the two party system. I am certainly not defending FPTP. I stand on the evidence that no third party has come anywhere close to a plurality in the electoral college, much less the popular vote, for the Presidency in the past 165 years, and this - pithy quotes - demonstrates that voting for the lesser of two evils is currently the only option.
If we want to change this, we change our voting system, and we eliminate the electoral college. Voting for third parties, no matter how idealistic, affects no change.