Three Republicans and one Democrat have been voting together, loosening how money is raised and spent in politics at what one outside watchdog called “breathtaking” speed.
If you check out the offending appointee, there's not really anything in her history that suggests she'd be expected to vote like this. Like sure, who knows what beliefs she professed in private vetting, but public information doesn't look like Biden appointed a risky choice likely to be friendly to big money.
At first blush, Ms. Lindenbaum would seem a surprising apostate for the left. She once marched with Code Pink, the left-wing antiwar group, and later served as a top lawyer for Stacey Abrams, the progressive former candidate for Georgia governor, and her voting-rights group.
“She came from the progressive community, so I think everyone was caught by surprise,” said Craig Holman, a lobbyist for Public Citizen, a consumer-advocacy group.
Pretty surprising, wasn't like some staffer for a more conservative dem or something, all public indicators were pointing to a progressive person. She also had the support of Bernie Sanders and other progressives, so the people in this comment thread implying omg Biden snuck a conservative onto the FEC are seriously misguided here or didn't read the article.
So if you vote blue, at any time without warning, your chosen candidate could flip and vote opposite of their what their constituents wanted like Sinema and Fetterman did. Manchin was always Manchin but the Democrats ability to run to the right after they get power is staggeringly consistent.
You spelled "behold the fruits of people who don't vote because they think politicians will notice or be able to care, but it only drives candidates right to capture more voting power" wrong
Edit: Okay this comment is very controversial. The thing I said above is a basic fact. If a group markets itself as unreliable voters, politicians will stop trying to get their vote over more reliable voters. Your vote matters. Your vote matters. Go fucking vote.
Edit 2: biden is currently not touting his more left-wing accomplishments (and oh boy there are a lot of then) to try and get more cwntrost votes, because the far left is currently "But Isreal" which is valid but trump is NOT better.
Edit 2a: sorry about that. I many go say "them" instead of "then" and centrist instead of "cwntrost" which us the word a catboy says instead of "contrast"
Weird because a whole bunch of us showed up for a primary where there wasn't any choice and still voted uncommitted. The dem response to that is to shriek we want trump to win, because it turns out they don't care about our values just that we check the box that keeps them in power.
The choice was Dean Phillips. If you didn't want him either then yeah, too bad. The party isn't great but let's not act like Bernie didn't lose twice in a row. Where were the progressives to vote him in then? Probably online whining but then not showing up. Or... Just not enough of them. Either way, same result. If you only make up 20% of the party it's insane to expect only "true" progressive candidates. And not ones that stood in picket lines, forgave student loans, passed the biggest climate change bill ever, etc.
The timing just.. all came together for Manchin to have played his role, and now Fetterman gets to be "that 'Democrat' ".
Maybe the Fetterman one hits a bit closer to home because I don't think Manchin really ever presented himself as anything other than what he was. Regardless, the useful tool of an "unreliable Democrat" remains firmly in place.
Democrat. Former CIA ‘analyst’ during the Bush 2 Iraq years.
Ran unopposed for a house seat in a “blue wave” (semi-competitive rural) district in 2020 and barely got 1% more than her opponent. Redistricting would have gotten her primaried in 2022, so she moved into the house of a lobbyist for 4 months to run without democratic opposition in a newly created district with a few cities, won with 0.5% of the vote. Then moved back to her house out of district because it’s only illegal to be elected if you live out of district.
When a senate seat unexpectedly came up, several other well-liked, progressive or at least middle of the road (and known) candidates expressed interest, and were rumored to have been offered concessions by the Democratic Party not to run. She’s now in a primary battle with a C grade actor that self-financed and gets no positive press coverage. It’s very obvious which candidate the establishment has picked for Michigan.
She’s widely hated by her constituents, because she talks of being a progressive but votes in line with big business interests. And voters will hand her an undeserved seat that she’ll use for the next 6 years to ruin people’s lives.
She and Whitmer have both debased themselves for Israel's genocide now as well. They both proved to that they aren't fit for office, if Whitmer goes for president in 2028 I might vomit after her comments about the uncommitted campaign.