…
As is universally acknowledged in the media, the 2026 midterm election was the greatest electoral repudiation of a sitting president in over half a century, and one of the largest in American history. The shift against Trump ran through every region of the country and every section of the population, and it was sharpest among rural voters, young men and workers whom Trump had claimed as his base.
The vote was a rejection not only of Trump but of the entire agenda of his administration. It expressed mass opposition to the growth of social inequality, war, the assault on immigrants and attacks on democratic rights.
Yet the Democrats came out immediately offering bipartisanship.
Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become speaker of the House in January, declared that Democrats are “ready, willing and able to find bipartisan common ground” and that “the American people don’t want us to get even.” He added that not a single member of his caucus had raised impeachment with him.
Barack Obama declared that Americans “want a politics that brings people together rather than divides them.” The same line was repeated in various forms by newly elected Democrats: a call to “restore a sense of decency and bipartisanship in Washington,” (Kansas Senator-elect Adam Hamilton); the assurance that “come January, we will be forced to work together,” (Iowa Governor-elect Rob Sand); a disavowal of any interest “in moving Minnesota to the left or the right,” (Minnesota Governor-elect Amy Klobuchar).
James Talarico, elected to the Senate from Texas, said he had not been elected “for retribution.” On immigration, the policy of mass roundups, detention camps and deportations, he said one should “give the president credit where credit is due.”
This response demonstrates the fraudulent character of the elections and the imperviousness of the ruling elite to the will of the population. The Democrats are not acting as an opposition party that has defeated the government. They do not need Republican support. They will hold substantial majorities in both the House and the Senate. Why, then, are they talking about bipartisanship at all?
They treat the losing party as if it had won, and a hated president as a suitor whose favor they seek. It is as if Abraham Lincoln, reelected in November 1864 on a program of prosecuting the war to victory and abolishing slavery, had responded by offering “common ground” to the Confederacy.
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Seems Dems haven’t learned anything these past 10 years.
Controlled opposition
The establishment dems will never learn, because they are paid not to. This election was only the first step, next we have to clear out the corporate goons on the Dem side and replace them with populists on the left.
That’s bullshit. You don’t cooperate with a party which entirely enabled and tolerated authoritarian/fascist government.
No, fuck that noise. What is the “bipartisan” position on dealing with a criminal party trying to unravel the country?
Don’t negotiate with traitors. Meeting in the middle with an unreasonable man just means they draw the line further back next time.
That’s their goal
A fascist Republican says to the Democrat “come meet me in the middle”. The Democrat smiles reaches out their hand and takes a step towards the fascist as the fascist steps back and says “come meet me in the middle”
Above all, the Democrats are hostile to anything that would encourage a movement from below and further destabilize a state apparatus whose authority is already badly eroded. The Democrats’ task is to contain opposition to the Trump administration before it becomes a movement against the oligarchy that controls both parties.
Recalling the political metaphor of Ratchet and Pawl.
Let’s think about this from a electoral power perspective. If Dems want to drive the knife home in the GOP and win 2028+, there isn’t much to lose pretending to play nice now. Best case, Trump passes Democratic legislation.
How I think this plays out:
Dems offer the hand of friendship, Trump turns it down because he’s a narcissistic manchild. Dems play the “Look, we tried to be the nice guys, Republicans don’t want anything to get done!” card to every low information voter who watches cable news for the next 2 years.
Dems pass progressive legislation CONSTANTLY, Trump spite vetos, constantly.
Dems spend the next 2 years showing America what we could have with a Democratic president
2028: MAGA’s bloated corpse drags the GOP to hell with it. GOP fractures into shards, squabbling over the legacy of a hollowed out corpse-party. Trump, out of office, is prosecuted, further dividing the GOP between diehards, and people who really, really wish Trump would shut it so they can move on.
2029: Dem supermajority. Progressive wing ascendant. Supreme Court goes from 3-6 to 5-4, even if more seats aren’t added. Blexas entrenched. GOP, unable to ever overcome Cali+Blexas disintegrates and goes the way of the Whigs.
Call it… Project 2029
The issue is it’ll be just like what happened under Clinton, Obama and Biden where the dems spend more time on compromising until it’s useless legislation and then wonder why people aren’t happy they did bipartisanship
Literally what election result is this based on? As far as I can tell, “we tried to be nice but failed to get anything done” has lost every single election since like Carter. Like, Trump won general elections because he was an asshole to his opponents and people are that up because it made him seem genuine and like he’d be an effective fighter on behalf of the people who supported him. Promising to be nice to people you are simultaneously arguing (correctly) are corrupt fascists doesn’t make you seem reasonable, it make you seem like you’re full of shit and just don’t believe anything.
Simple, entirely just belief in the dems being good not entirely controlled opposition.
Evidence is their entire post history
I could circlejerk about imagining the revolution, would that make you feel better? It’s nice because imaginary things don’t have flaws if you don’t want them to!
Because what if, big IF, in a desperate attempt to salvage his legacy, Trump actually approves legislation that helps someone who isn’t a billionaire?
He’s not going to do that, the fucking fash rat bastard, but Dems don’t even take office for another 2 months. May as well pretend to offer a carrot until it’s too late for another Jan6 attempt, there’s two full years to use the stick.
an if so large it doesn’t merit consideration.
look if we were talking about a rational actor sure, but we’re talking about trump.
I mean, good legislation is good legislation regardless of who signs it, but like you said I don’t think he’s actually going to do that
May as well pretend to offer a carrot
This will not build political capital, this will spend our political capital for absolutely nothing. Voters do not want us to be bipartisan and compromise right now, they want us to inflict some of the pain that’s been inflicted on them into the people who have inflicted it
until it’s too late for another Jan6 attempt, there’s two full years to use the stick.
Hmm, OK, you might have a point in this very specific scenario. I still maintain that it will be a PR disaster with our voters, and I’m not sure the GOP has another Jan6 in them with how beaten down they seemed this week, but yeah ensuring a peaceful transfer of power is important and might require a different approach than governing will.
Steven Miller was appointed Chief of Staff today, so Trump isn’t going to stink off quietly. What that looks like, I dont know, but there’s two years to put the screws on.
If Dems are still talking like this in six months and Trump hasn’t been passing everything put in front of him, I’ll take back what I said and join the spineless coward talk.
The problem is that they can either extend the hand of friendship or they can nuke this admin with impeachments and corruption trials; they can’t (credibly) do both. It remains to be seen what they’ll actually do, but this rhetoric isn’t a good sign.
I certainly think we’re going to see the stick right soon enough. You don’t appoint the neonazi ghoul Steven fucking Miller as the Chief of Staff if you’re looking to play nice.
What if this is the Mamdani approach to trump, treating him like a senile old man, making him smile and getting everything you want by being charming? Just make sure you get the signatures while you’re still there and the handlers can’t uh, handle.
You are giving the democratic dumb leadership too much credit
I am, I’ll admit. Call me an optimist, one that is still writing to my rep to change leadership.
