It really is a horrible cycle.

[BlueStater]

1) The Republican Party gets in power.

2) They screw everything up.

3) They get voted out.

4) The Democratic Party is unable to instantly clean up the massive mess they leave behind and the American people, with their awful memories, turn on the Democrats.

5) The Republican Party gets voted back in to undo whatever progress the Democrats previously made.

6) Rinse and repeat.

Why are the American people utterly incapable of learning from their mistakes?

[USAFRetired_Liberal]

1. You forgot 4.5

Republicans create cultural war wedge issue to drum up racists and other so-called non racist white voters, and Democrats either wait to long to counter or don’t counter at all

[Claustrum]

2. I believe that Americans (as a whole) are center to the right in voting patterns.

They might be more progressive in different individually issues but many are taught to be right leaning and will default to the right until they see how horrible the right's ideas are when they are in power.

I used to think I am a right leaning person (from how I am taught growing up) until I really examine my core beliefs and I found I am actually left leaning.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

3. The mainstream media is corporate/moderate, and there's a HUGE right-wing media machine

With a vast reach, with absolutely no scruples about lying, and about portraying EVERYTHING in a way flattering to right-wing beliefs.

And effectively there's no persistently liberal media apart from Rachel and Lawrence.

There's the biggest part of the answer.

Also ... our side often lacks the kinda unity that is brought about by the Male/Christian/White Power foundational principle of the other side.

Blacks have their issues, LatinX have theirs, LGBTQ+ folks have theirs, Union folks have theirs ... the right is just straight up MAGA/White Power, all of them.

[underpants]

7. I completely agree. People have no idea how whacked out the RW media is

I tap into it pretty regularly and especially talk radio is waaaaay out there. That drum beat bleeds into the mainstream media who is dying for a horse race.

[Wingus Dingus]

12. Yep--Dem groups are split into competing factions, GOPers

have a unified identity and purpose. They actually used to be more split: pro-business (but not super-religious) repubs, evangelicals, anti and pro immigrant repubs (remember the pro-immigration days of the Republican Party? LOL hard to believe now!), fiscal hawks, defense hawks. That was before Obama. His winning stirred up the nasty base into one giant ugly hornet ball that morphed into MAGA, and they are lockstep now.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

15. We are on the same page my friend (nt)

[mcar]

4. Also add Democratic infighting that gets hyped up by media

and sideline "progressives" because the "I want it now!!11" crowd doesn't get your #4.

[liberalmediaaddict]

5. Exactly right

We're basically reliving the first year of the Obama administration right now.
The Repugs have replaced Death Panels with Critical Race Theory.

Bad thing is the Republican Party has become even more extreme since the Tea Party days of 2009 and has a well funded propaganda machine that repeatedly convinces millions of Americans to vote against their own interests.

The fact is unless you're wealthy or racist voting Republican will do nothing to improve your life.
Wealthy people, thanks to an assist from Manchin and Sinema are loving the election results tonight and laughing at the voters they once again fleeced.

[NewHendoLib]

6. the media. the horserace. the $$$$.

propaganda works.

Democrats do not have the decades of well funded propaganda the right has.

[PXR-5]

9. Yes,

I am sick of their propaganda!
And sick of our (Dems), "When they go low, we go high" BS, when will we wake up to their BS.

[Mad_Machine76]

8. You left out

Republicans obstruct all efforts to clean up their mess, making us look incompetent and ineffectual (usually aided by a few traitor Dems) but otherwise I agree.

[live love laugh]

10. They screw everything up even MORE each time. It's almost broken. nt

[PlanetBev]

11. Brilliant Post.

Been voting since 1972 and watching this endless cycle of stupid for 50 years. I’ll admit it….I’m finally burned out.

[budkin]

13. The beauty of a 2 party system

Is that this pattern will go on forever.

[ramen]

16. Just like Roy Zimmerma says:

[Jon King]

17. Best thread of the day, maybe Dems should just say the heck with it.

Just create progressive states and cities and let the rest of the country go. Its the same cycle again and again. Bush 1 screws up, Clinton fixes it. Bush 2 screws up, Obama fixes it. Trumps screws up, Biden fixes it....then gets hated for it.

Enough is enough, let the American people have their Repug government. Dems just focus on the blue states and the progressive metro areas in the red areas.

[quakerboy]

19. Unfortunately they wont let us

If we pull back, they send in the Fields's and the Rittenhouses, And then move in to overturn elections

[radical noodle]

18. Our messaging isn't as good as theirs

Why is it that anti-trump former republicans can make the case for Democrats better than we do?

Right now we are fighting a whirlwind. The craziness over stuff like critical race theory is sweeping the country the way the accusations of witchcraft swept Salem in 1692-1693.