The Era of “Centrist” Establishment Democrats Is Over

[truthout.org]

(Given the choice in 2016 between a shopworn Establishment Democratic message and the loud guy from TV, 49 percent of them stayed home. “Nope” beat Trump and Hillary Clinton’s combined popular vote totals, perhaps the largest canary in the deepest coal mine in modern U.S. history. Even I, a man who is positively evangelical about the power and necessity of voting, have trouble blaming them for not participating two and a half years ago. Not choosing, when the available choice is no choice at all, is a political statement Henry David Thoreau would recognize on sight.)

I had another choice. I made that choice. I guess William Rivers Pitt never heard of third parties.

O I'm probably going to ruffle some feathers here.

(Many voters properly blame their circumstances on Republicans, with their supply-side economics and the inequality that always rides sidecar with such vividly failed ideas. I use the term “failed” loosely, because it has worked out swimmingly for their billionaire supporters and donors. What do we make, however, of three decades worth of “centrist” Establishment Democrats who dragged the party far to the right in the hope they might win more elections? What is the point of winning if the end result delivers such mediocre, and often even harmful, results?)

And some more intelligent voters blame both parties. Because we have been able to see that the democrats have been collaborate in moving the country to the right. Not just their party. All one needs to do is look at their policies, remember their votes on the floors of the senate and congress, votes for war and interference in other countries, who they take money from, to put that puzzle together.

(Sure, we had 16 years of Presidents Clinton and Obama, but their victories came with a steep cost. For every Family Medical Leave or Affordable Care Act, there have been brutal crime bills and deep cuts to the social safety net.)

Like those are a good thing! Sure for some. Those with employer programs and enough saved to take time off work. I'll now refer him and you back to the beginning of this article. Take this back with you to analyze. People working 2 to 3 jobs, yea, I bet they have an employer program in all that. Drained bank accounts. Paying their own medical expenses and healthcare. I could go on and on with this one.

(Ross Perot) FUCK ME! He does know about 3rd parties! I voted for that guy also!

I like most of Pitt's work. I really was hoping he'd redeem himself by the end. But he even missed the real reason Clinton lost The only reason I'm posting it is because of all the time I spent on it before it went downhill. But he mentioned Ross Perot, and gave very good reasoning for me to stay home or vote for a 3rd party.

BTW---Word is Jill Stein is not running this time. I'm anxious to see who comes out for the Green Party and exploring the Socialist Equality Party hard.