What are your true feelings about supporting the Democratic Party of today?

[BainsBane]

44. And what does that have to do with American politics?

There is no socialist option in this country and their hasn't been since before the early 20th century, while their never was that option at the national level. The other positions you lay out all more closely align with the Democrats than Republicans. The US has a very narrow political spectrum in terms of political parties. It has always been that way, only the GOP has gone insane in recent years. I used to think politicians were supposed to reflect my political views, but then I grew up. I learned some history and figured out some things about this country. It is now and always has been devoted to capitalism. There will never be a socialist or what many would consider a true leftist in power. Even if by some miracle one were to win the White House, he wouldn't be able to get things through congress, as we have seen with a moderate like Obama. So if you think the idea is for politicians to say things to make you feel good about yourself, you're going to be looking for the impossible your entire life. However, if you want to make a practical choice between two parties and the candidates that operate within this system controlled by capital, then you do so. If you want the GOP in office, vote for them or a third party candidate, because the results are the same.

There is a wide gap between what I personally believe and what I expect politically because I know the options are limited due to the nature of this country the campaign financing system as determined by the Supreme Court. What I would like to see bears no relation to what is actually possible and what my political options actually are. Watching the GW Bush presidency was enough to knock some sense in my head and make me realize there are dire consequences to screwing around with third parties or maintaining some pipe dream about what politicians should be. The two parties are what they are.

In regard to your statement that you won't be voting consistently Democrat: Is it possible you don't care if abortion is made illegal and the Civil Rights Act repealed? Maybe you don't care if women are subjected to the power of a reactionary state because you're not a woman. I do not know if you are like so many who complain about the Democrats who think the voices of women and people of color entirely illegitimate. I do not know if you share the view expressed by some around here that gender issues aren't really politics, and that it's more important for people of color to make white men feel comfortable than fight to end racism. I truly don't know how you stand on those issues, but I do know that many of those most hostile to the Democrats are those who have made their opposition to the concerns of women and people of color very clear. They call themselves leftist, but to me they look reactionary. Some sit around and talk about black hair being ugly and pretend race doesn't matter, while telling African American members they are "out of their depth" when they try to join a conversation about race. Those same members are hostile to the Democratic Party and the President, and while they claim to be leftist I see no signs of it. Some have openly admitted to longing to return to the early 1960s and display not even the slightest concern that most of the population--women, people of color, and LGBT Americans--did not benefit from equal protection under the law during what they consider the halcyon days of America.

Again, I don't recall your posting on such issues so I don't know your position, but I must say the cavalier attitude with which you treat the prospect of Republican victory makes me wonder how much you think about the majority of the population that is not white and male. Or perhaps you're still young and sorting this stuff out. I hope you figure it out fast though because I really don't want a Tea Party Senate and Ted Cruz presidency.