Neither Major Party in the US Represents the Working Class - Truthdig
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Is it possible to build a political party that truly speaks to the needs of working people in an era of runaway inequality and incessant mass layoffs?
  • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.mlM
    184·
    1 year ago

    The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.

    Karl Marx

  • Visikde@beehaw.org
    1·
    1 year ago

    Think about how we got here
    Very early on we out sourced a big chunk of the election process to volunteers, fans, fanatics if you will. Why raise taxes to pay for elections?
    Parties took over the preliminary parts of the process in exchange for vetting potential candidates.

    OK so I’m guessing but, no one works for free
    The Pay may not be cash, power, influence, patronage are all nice.

    Money has always been speech
    Excess resources have always been required to have a meaningful political opinion

    The system was designed for information moving at the speed of horse at great expense
    The system was to serve 1% of the present population

    Damm thing works better than one would expect :D

    • Jyek@sh.itjust.works
      1·
      1 year ago

      I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying. The US doesn’t have a 1 party system. If you meant 2 party system, that’s not really true of any specific arrangement of political party spectrums across the world. No system covers most countries. Wikipedia lists 15 countries, many among the most powerful and influential globally that are effectively 2 party systems.

      There are so many reasons why the working class lack representation in America and I don’t think a single one of those reasons is the 2 party system. In fact, on paper, the US has no limit on how many political parties there can be. The reason we have a 2 party system has more to do with our voting system and the spoiler effect that happens over time in all First-Past-The-Post voting systems.

      I think the reason the working class lack representation has so much more to do with the money in our politics. The politicians are more concerned with continuing their political careers and earning more money for themselves than they are with helping the working and poor classes.

      • library_napper@monyet.cc
        1·
        1 year ago

        Its a one party system because the US Democratic and Republican parties have the same policies on everything that actually matters to people’s quality of life. Both provide endless funding to the military. Neither will defund the police. Neither will tax carbon or stop pipelines from being built. Neither will provide single payer healthcare. Neither will invest in building sustainable transportation infrastructure (high speed rail, interstate public busses). Neither will tax carbon or animal consumption. Neither will make universities free and get rid of student loan debt. Neither will provide housing to homeless people. Neither will comply with international laws related to war crimes or refugees. Neither will establish data privacy laws or break up the big tech industry. Neither will shutdown the NSA and illegal government mass surveillance infrastructure.

        In the US it’s a one party system with an illusion of choice.