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Everything I write here is in my personal capacity. And this is not a giant thread on "why I left the Democratic Party". I'm not doing that, because I agree with Democrats significantly more than I do with the GOP, and I vote for the side I agree with more.
But I'm still angry.
I'm tired of the incessant deference to unions *at the cost of progress* (see: the Jones Act and Puerto Rico). And I'm tired of programs we forget are a means to an end, rather than the end itself (CA HSR is a great example. Give us results, don't point to "jobs created"!).
It's the "process over results" attitude that I'm just sick and tired of. So many programs are created with immense goodwill and money to be put into good things. But when the time comes to build, *we just can't*, because paperwork and process is like crack cocaine to Democrats.
And we're told "it's fine". But it's really not. Government should exist to work for people, not work for itself. If you have a program that has poured $40M into rural broadband with no results, you can rationalize it in any way you want, but it's a massive failure at the end.
Mostly, I'm tired of being promised things that the party has no intention of living up to. It goes beyond policies — we were promised that Biden was fine, and we'd see it at the debate.
Really? What the fuck was that?
"Oh, it was a bad night."
The next 3 weeks were bad too!
What about Donald Trump and January 6th? Well, Biden's own Justice Department slow-walked so much of the prosecution out of a deference to norms to a guy they say tried to overthrow the govt.
They got no help from the legal system. But their own actions did them no favors either
It's this constant prioritization of process over policy, of process over results, and of "defending our institutions" that I'm sick and tired of. If these are our institutions, can you blame voters for asking: what the fuck is the point?
I don't want our institutions to just hold, I want them to *work*.
It's not okay for CVS and Target to lock everything up in SF. It's not okay for people to be afraid of taking the BART at 11 PM. It's okay for people to want institutions to play a role in *actually fixing them*.
I continue to vote for Democrats, and I think I'll do that for the foreseeable future — at the end, I don't believe in withholding votes because one side is going to win, and I'd rather the side I agree with more win. So that's the Democrats.
But I still criticize them a lot.
Why? The Affordable Care Act, while imperfect, is massive. Social Security is a boon to seniors and helps them live decently. Medicaid/Medicare is an immensely valuable program. Trump and J6 cross a line for me. And I just don't think tearing down institutions fixes things.
But I'm also tired. I'm tired of treating institutions like some incredible holy grail that must be championed and above criticism. This isn't about a left/right axis for me — I'm just tired of being told that things are all fine when they're obviously not.
I'm not open to overtures about "why I left the Left" or whatever. I'm a Democrat.
"Sheep", "NPC", whatever — save it. The right isn't going to have me, and I don't want them (I was born here but 90% of online MAGA still wants to deport me, lol).
I just want things to work.
This ended up getting more attention than I imagined. This isn't really electoral advice for Democrats. It's just my own frustrations.
It's not a diagnosis of why they lost, and they don't technically *need* to change much to win 2026, but that doesn't mean I like what exists.
I agree with this, however I’m skeptical that even if all of this changed it would have any electoral impact. Voters seem to gobble up GOP narratives like candy.
Who initiated the dehumanization process of Donald Trump and why?
No one has yet examined the problem of American societal division and the threat of civil war from this perspective.
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FYI Biden delivered the highest real wages and lowest unemployment rate on average in 50+ years.
Process is important. Whether it is a scientific test, Miranda rights or making a cake, you record and follow steps so you know what to do, and if it went wrong, helps figure it out. But when there are huge delays and lousy outcomes, you’re supposed to notice and fix!
this is the first one of these threads I have actually agreed with.
One of the most pitiful examples has been the saga of ED1 in LA. Mayor Bass signed it to streamline production of affordable housing. It was so successful that the NIMBYs freaked out and she watered it down
many good points I agree with in this thread. in my way of thinking about things whether i see myself as a democrat or not is sort of immaterial. but on the basic points of process over results, we just can't do X, norms, completely agree.
Excellent points. I blame it on the Old Guard who refuse to relinquish control to new/younger party members more in tune with what the people want. They maintain the status quo because it made them wealthy.
Excellent thread! This does such a good job of summing up how I feel. If our political parties ran a restaurant, this is the way it would go: (Short version)
I visited the only restaurant in town last night named "Political Parties". It went like this:
Waiter: Welcome to
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100% AGREE. Well said. This is how I feel and I'm sure many others do as well. As a protest, I did re-register as did several of my friends to "no party preference" in CA. But I will continue to vote mostly Democratic and in the Dem primaries.
In reading this thread, I'm reminded of a contrast between Democrats I met this election season, and fellow MAGA Americans I knew when I was in the MAGA community, from 2015 to 22:
The Democrats I met didn't want the party blown up; like Lakshya, they wanted a better party (and,
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thank you. it is true for most of "democratic coalitions" also in Europe. process over results.
Who initiated the dehumanization process of Donald Trump and why?
No one has yet examined the problem of American societal division and the threat of civil war from this perspective.
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So basically we need an abundance agenda.
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Tahra Jirari
@tahrajirari
Yes.
We've turned the perfection of process into a goal itself, rather than a means to deliver results. Real families need housing they can afford, transit that works, and clean energy that powers their lives - not endless procedural debates and institutional gridlock.
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Perhaps the process is where the profit is for certain key stakeholders.
I get that this isn't a 'why I left the left' post, and honestly the country needs healthy left and right parties.
You should seriously think about why Trump won lower income voters, and voters without college degrees.
It's mostly about the economy.
The states where median
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In some ways, by feeling this way but not changin how you vote, you’re contributing to the problem. How will the world change if you don’t?
Absolutely, very true for all governments and not just governments themselves but also organisations that become too large and get too comfortable with their “power” for example banks and insurance companies.
Great thread I’m glad you understand that this is the party that agrees with what you want done still far more then the other one
I feel you. I’m a Dem too as I have more values in common w/ them than Rs, but it’s totally fine and ok to be frustrated w/:
* basic goods locked up in CVS/Walgreens.
* feeling unsafe in public transit
* watching petty thieves get away in broad daylight while employees and
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It's important and necessary for us to critique our own party when we think it's gone off the rails.
You say you don't want to join and that's totally okay (though should you change your mind, we'll welcome you with open arms) but California's been 's playground
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Who initiated the dehumanization process of Donald Trump and why?
No one has yet examined the problem of American societal division and the threat of civil war from this perspective.
This thread makes it pretty clear to me that in 5 to 10 years you will be voting Republican. And we will welcome you.
You make several good points. I’d add one more. When Kamala said 50 Nobel Prize winners supported her economic program, I wanted to scream. Four-fifths of the electorate don’t know what the Nobel Prize is. But Dems always have to appeal to the academic crowd. They always have to
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Progressive and leftist cancer. I don't know if it can be cut out or whether it's time to start a new party without all the baggage. There needs to be an alternative to left retards and MAGA cultists.
All of this 100x and they also need to learn basic marketing and messaging principles to sell their ideas.
“Defund the police” was the worst tagline for wanting to hire my mental health officers. They genuinely wanted to *expand* the police, but did forbid they say that
This reckoning has been coming for a while. I think it was delayed because the ascendancy of Trump forced the Republican Party to have nearly the same situation first. Of course we decided to let the dumb part of our party win, and the smart part lose. I would suggest that
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Read “An Open Letter to an Open Minded Progressive” by Yarvin. Henis controversial and I disagree with many of his takes, but it may help you think around the issue of corruption of left wing institutions and politics, and how it stops them from achieving their noble aims
I appreciate your honesty. Everything you said is why I’m an independent. The more people who look beyond the noise and the label, the better our country will become. 
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This is a start on what democrats have done wrong. I’m a lifelong democrat myself. The problems in SF are outrageous. Companies and businesses are withdrawing from the city and leaving it to crack addicts. The idea that this is what democrats do with a city is unconscionable.
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The issue is that a vote will not be interpreted with all the nuance that you describe. They will interpret your vote as a 100% endorsement.
If it makes you feel better republican voters feel the same way about their party.
No progress is being made no matter who we vote in.
“This time is different” yeah been hearing that since Bush ran.
The overspending is a feature not a bug. The real objective is to create bullshit jobs for overproduced elites. By that metric these "failures" are incredibly successful. Results are ancillary.
My favorite part is where you pledge to continue rewarding them with your vote
Compelling thread, thank you. I find it weird though that people end up at “but I’m a Democrat”… like how about “I am an American who wants these problems solved”. If that lands with you voting for Democrats, great but… I find political identity weird.
Who initiated the dehumanization process of Donald Trump and why?
No one has yet examined the problem of American societal division and the threat of civil war from this perspective.
Another very tiring aspect is the performative moral superiority projected by the Democratic Party, which, judging by Biden’s recent actions, they seem to lack entirely.
Somebody body buy this guy a MAGA hat! He ‘s just about ready to crack!
Decent thread. Though you need to update your information diet…1) it was obvious YEARS before the debate that Biden’s cognitive capacities were in steep decline, 2) the full J6 narrative isn’t as legacy media has made it seem.
Lastly, you seem trapped in a binary mindset: Dems
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The entire progressive movement is about judging by intentions (or identities) not outcomes
Be a man.
Just leave them.
I did, back in 2015 when they started going off the rails. It ta an awful horrible party.
“Everything the democrats do is a big waste of money and gets no results but they have my vote forever no matter what” is kind of the whole problem
I like your thread. But... the Democratic Party is based on policies that don't work. You like the policies but don't like that they don't work.
_That is what Republicans are trying to tell you._ It needs to work or it is a bad policy.
So you regret not voting for Trump?
What kind of introspection bullshit is this?
There were two TWO major candidates
The better candidate lost to the convicted felon
The dem ads were too nice - they didn’t push back hard (for ex.)Ted Cruz’s angry anti trans ads here in TX 
Shots of OR equipment, gurneys and an angry Karen saying teachers are doing sex changes The response should have been nastier/angrier 
give it right back, they didn’t!
Shots of OR equipment, gurneys and an angry Karen saying teachers are doing sex changes The response should have been nastier/angrier give it right back, they didn’t!
Your team has been led by people who are either completely incompetent or completely evil.
Let’s not simply accept the carnival of lies that our elections have become. Let's make our elections an honest competition of ideas and vision, and in doing so strengthen our democracy and achieve widespread prosperity.
You really won’t get democrats to fix their own problems by continuing to vote for them. They have to feel
The heat of losing to have a come to Jesus moment.
I urge you to think about the J Act as a national security necessity vs a union issue. Our maritime sector(critical in time of war) is in disarray. We must strengthen the Jones Act. I hope in 10 years every ship at a US port is crewed by US Mariners. And 25 years is built ships.
The problem stems from the fact that Democrats have figured out how to loot the system **very well**. GOP does a little but Democrats are at another level. Just look at their patronage system.
Start there to show us you're serious about helping Americans.
Bernie was the way.
Not prosecuting DJT for J6 absolutely unforgivable.
For these two alone, the party gets what it deserves. Pathetically inept
"The focus on competency is white supremacy".
I was actually at that high level meeting full of Democrats when an Executive Director actually said this. And everyone was afraid to challenge that nonsense.
BTW - this POC queer women ED ran that organization into the ground.
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You recognize that we have inefficient, incompetent, and corrupt central planners. You might support the alternative of delivering the gov you want at the state level to localize inevitable gov failures and allows states to demonstrate good governance.
And you blame unions for all this, not the party structure? Fascinating. It was wild I could tell you were from SF before I looked at your bio. Perhaps come to areas of the country where those unions you blame are the only thing holding up the middle class, where we remain
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Who initiated the dehumanization process of Donald Trump and why?
No one has yet examined the problem of American societal division and the threat of civil war from this perspective.
TLDR; red tape, deference to unions, red tape, & red tape. Everything from rural broadband to CAHSR to infrastructure projects to J6 prosecution have been slow walked due to red tape & inefficient procedures. DOGE doesn’t have any fixes, but that doesn’t many the status quo ok!