"Making the perfect the enemy of the good."

[JCanete]

80. I wasn't saying you were actually saying anybody was advocating for a coup. I was saying

I don't know what brute force you are talking about, so of course I'm also advocating for change within the system, not from without. I don't think that qualifies as a straw-man. I did get the impression(because I've heard it before, but maybe not from you) that you were suggesting that people on the left were trying to strong-arm people into submission. Even thinking you meant that, my coup statement was just to suggest that such an argument isn't legitimate because the left has to get the people behind their message to get any change to happen and are hardly advocating brute force as a solution to pushing an agenda.

But it looks like I did misunderstand your point. yes, we have to work within the system. Yes, we have no choice but to compromise. There is still a difference between compromising on the final plan and compromising on the ideal. Campaign on the good stuff. Get the compromise. Don't campaign on the compromise and get nothing.

And as you've stated, and I totally agree with, the GOP is getting huge pressure from their donors to bring home some big fucking wins. Worse, most of them have such gerrymandered districts and are reaping such huge dividends from voter suppression, that they don't fear the people at all. They are not, nor do they need to be, in a compromising state of mind. We cannot work with them.

Which is why we should be finding common causes that slap their constituents in the face with prizes so glowy that even they wake the fuck up and either shift their allegiences or pressure their legislators to start compromising.