30 Comments

No blame to you Qasim. You have spoken many times in your way how the Democrat party is carrying water for the corporate hegemony that keeps this country afloat. The President has always been a shill in the employ of economic power and world domination. Have you imbibed The Lever's podcast called The Masterplan? The sour irony about Trump is that he is replicating all the various governments our State Department has installed all around the world since ww2. We have become just another client state, having our infrastructure eaten out for wealth and power.. As long as we promote and initiate war and chaos, there will be no end to the oil economy. As long as we promote enemies there will be no peace on earth. Both Trump and Putin were installed to save their countries. Putin stopped the steal of Russian wealth by the west and in powered orthodox christian nationalism and installed his own autocrats.Trump is on a crusade to dismantle the western corporate state , in powering white christian nationalism and installing his loyal autocrats. As long as there is money to be made, we the people are the sucker born every minute. We call it the way of the world. And it will be as long as we do not control our fear to be the losers.

Do you think Trump would make a deal to deport all our protective status immigrants if we stop all our sanctions on their countries? They could be welcomed home as heroes.

Expand full comment
Nov 13Liked by Qasim Rashid

Agree 100%. I'd go farther with the first one and say it's the ego of the entire Dem leadership, but you are absolutely correct about Biden. Also, those of us on the left need to learn to hold leadership accountable. No more of this upholding white men's fragility in order to not upset the balance. White men, too, can and should be expected to show up and behave like emotional adults. Time to remember our values and upset the damn balance already!

Expand full comment

Well you didn't talk about the corporate vs. oligarchic battle to dismantle the USA. You blame the Democrat Party leadership without naming names assuming 'they' will wake up and make anti corporate left turns. Ha! The misery the duopoly has wrought upon the world is coming home to roost. Good riddance. We deserve the despair and suffering that is the dismantling of a promise that has always been a fantasy of peace, love and understanding. Continue to do your best but hate is the power of humanity and religion is a death cult.

Expand full comment
author

I named names. I put the burden on Biden and later on Harrison for failing to step down or build the infrastructure, respectively.

Expand full comment

You’ve answered your own question with the first paragraph of the piece. The Democratic Party and Kamala Harris lost because she’s not a legitimate candidate. She’s an undeserving unqualified offending insulting token. In other words not an honest broker. Offering quality policy and good governance.

If the constituency demanded those three things, you would be surprised how many elections you win.

As an example, demand #ByDefinition #UniversalHealthcare. Don’t nominate candidates support even the compromise to anything else.

That’s how to achieve best policy practice and win elections all in one small reply.

Expand full comment
author

She was qualified, but didn't run on the values that got her there in the first place.

Expand full comment

I am aware of your “positional” shall we say, constraints. Until people like you, Elizabeth, AOC, in other words very intelligent people who understand the real dynamic can say truth, point out the realities and flaws of the current dynamic, we shall never change it. I’m not judging. I’m just pointing out a truism. I have no idea of the external pressures someone in your position along with the others I mentioned. No doubt they are constraining and bothersome.

Expand full comment

I must add one more thing. Neither party even mentions the only demographic that should ever be important to their election results. They both talk about the swing states, the “undecided” and the party flippers. The “never evers”

All of those demographic numbers combined our statistically irrelevant to the numbers of registered non-voters. I’m not speaking of eligible voters. I’m saying already registered non-participants. Always between 40 and 80 million in number.

Having a platform and message that per your policy that will change their lives in a statistically significant fashion for the better, is the only way to reach that demographic.

Neither party bothers to address them for one simple reason. That means they would have to offer legitimate government because currently nothing they say or do in the dominant paradigm lends them any enthusiasm.

Again because they’re not offering a legitimate representation. They are the demographic that actually understands the big picture process better than either tribal constituencies. They agree with Pete Townsend, because he is correct…..

“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

To provide legitimacy for my theory and concept allow me to point out on undisputed reality.

That’s how a black man became president of this racist shit hole. He motivated approximately 7% of those people to participate. Receiving over 85% of their votes. There’s a reason he kept the DNC at arms length and let David Axelrod run the show.

Hope then change is a non sequitur at this point. What we need is change to instill hope

Finally I will offer one single economic statistic that validates my entire diatribe here. The unemployment rate, the interest rate, the GDP, the Dow Jones, the quarterly profit statements, yada yada yada. None of that matters to the proletarian. Do you know what does?

The wealth gap. It has increased under every single presidency since Ronald Reagan. NO MATTER THE PARTY AFFILIATION.

You don’t think they know that? They might not know that in the language one would learn in MacroEcon 202, but they certainly know it. They live it.

With respect and consideration, sincerely. Hudson

Expand full comment

I could be misunderstanding you on this level. She is qualified to be a corporate donor benefactor water carrier I suppose. Qualified for the office, not in any legitimate fashion. Less move to a point of existence instead of relevance. Please. Compared to the opposition sure she’s qualified, relativity is not a reasonable or critically thinking viewpoint

Expand full comment

Allow me to be pointed with no offense meant.

She basically contributed to the industrial incarceration complex as her paradigm as the attorney general of California. She had an over 50% absentee rate on voting in the Senate. Having the second least productive tenure of anyone during her four years in the body concerning legislation passed and cosigners gained

Her term as vice president seem to me as nothing more than a warm body to fill the space.

He rhetoric has changed from cycle to cycle proving to me she’s just an opportunistic disingenuous DNC donor class mouthpiece.

Expand full comment

I must disagree. Simply look at her record of service prior to her candidacy.

Expand full comment

Agree with you on all except "unqualified, " UNLESS we're calling most candidates the same.

Expand full comment

The only context in which she is a qualified candidate is relevant to Donald Trump. Now, we know even with that perspective, she’s not a VALID candidate.

Expand full comment

You’ve got that correct. Honest broker is the key. I don’t think that’s happened since Jimmy Carter.

Expand full comment

We should not dwell too long on why the Democrats lost. Once we figure it out, we must move forward to stop Trump from destroying our democracy. We have to move quickly before Trump becomes entrenched and more powerful. It is like treating a disease early before there is too much destruction. Ironically, we have an example of what not to do. When COVID hit, Trump wasted time looking for someone to blame instead of looking for a way to stop it from spreading, and we had a huge disaster, lost so many people. I think if Obama had still been in office, he would have nipped COVID in the bud, but I digress. We must nip this second term second term in the bud.

Expand full comment

Your gullibility is showing. What the opposition does has nothing to do with the quality of your parties proposals or style of governance. As long as the Democratic Party executive can keep the conversation about the GOP, they never have to be accountable. Please stop.

Expand full comment

Why the Democratic Party and Kamala Harris lost Tuesday should be the only conversation here. The party has continually insisted on performing the same actions while expecting a different result since 1980. The height of stupidity or the entrenchment of insanity.

Nominating the candidate not supported by the DNC would be a great start. Beholden to the donor class benefactors that write the platform.

It is impossible to change anything, most importantly have a path to restoring this intended constitutional republic without two absolute prerequisites happening. The removal of big dark money and the barriers to the ballot. Demand that we have a great chance to address the other 10,000 things that need fixed, revamped or burned it to the ground. Without so, it is an impossibility.

Since it’s an easy syllabus, while I’m here and I will give you the formula for winning elections.

Only nominate honest brokers.

Only consent to best policy practice proposals, implementing it when possible.

Compose a platform representing the constituency and the rest of the electorate with a goal of good governance serving “we the people”

Read that again. It’s not differentiating equations….

Hell, you could even take the legislative branch of government back if you did such actions in the midterm. The choice is yours.

Expand full comment

You said absolutely nothing to disagree with.

Expand full comment
Nov 11Liked by Qasim Rashid

Thank you, Sir, for your insight and analysis! I totally agree with all of the points you made about last week's election loss. My prayer is for the DNC to do a major overhaul. Meanwhile, the rest of us must do what we can to push back on those whose aim is to undermine our democracy and take away our personal freedoms.

Expand full comment
author

Thank you, Jimmie, and I share that same prayer.

Expand full comment
Nov 11Liked by Qasim Rashid

The quote you highlighted from James Baldwin "You can't tell the children there's no hope," really hit me hard. As a parent, telling my 8 yr old the results of the election. Watching her be upset and angry and worried. I saw fear in her eyes. I knew I couldn't leave her with no hope. I explained to her that I will keep her safe. That we need to work together as a community. That nothing has changed our plans. This is something that is so very important for all to remember.

Expand full comment
author

I love that quote. I think of it often. We have to uplift our children. We cannot let them down.

Expand full comment
Nov 11Liked by Qasim Rashid

Thank you Qasim! 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Expand full comment
author

Thanks for listening, Sharon.

Expand full comment
Nov 11Liked by Qasim Rashid

Organizing for resistance: Contribute to Coworker Solidarity, a union support group.

Expand full comment
author

100%

Expand full comment

The present moment brings to my mind the situation in France in 1939 - 1945. The Resistance formed and became a powerful force frustrating the Nazis. For a woncerful, and entertaining view of a part of this Resistance, screen uo "The Battle of the Rails".

While we cannot actually carry out that level of destruction to any good use, there are MANY ways that every one of Trump's malicious plans can be thwarted.

Better minds than mine are working on that now..

Be advised, Donnie: It isn't going to be as easy as you think.

Expand full comment
Nov 11Liked by Qasim Rashid

That part!

“The Democratic Party has lost two winnable Presidential elections in the last three contests, resulting in devastating consequences for the American people.“

And it’s so disappointing and depressing and disheartening that Americans signed up for more Republican ass kicking - masochistic much??

I heard folks were already Googling how to change their vote!

Expand full comment
Nov 11Liked by Qasim Rashid

I think Heather McGhee accurately attributes the loss to the right-wing meaning-making media machine plus the Democrats’ inability to get bills passed that could provide not only long-term help, some of which they did get passed, but also provide immediate help, which was blocked by Republicans and Democrats Joe Manchin and Kirsten Sinema. The right-wing meaning-making machine was full of lies, for example telling people the it was the fault of immigrants that prices were high, housing was scarce, and crime was up. People struggling to meet day to day needs were vulnerable to lies that seemed to explain their situations and offered fake solutions. Figuring out how to counter all that will be a big task.

Expand full comment
author
Nov 12·edited Nov 12Author

Yeah the right wing media machine was in overdrive and dems and left wing did nothing by comparison. We absolutely must increase capacity well before the next election.

Expand full comment