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submitted 1 week ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

Summary

Bernie Sanders criticizes the Democratic Party for neglecting the working class, leading to their recent election losses.

He highlights issues like economic inequality, job displacement, healthcare costs, and foreign policy as key concerns for the American people.

Sanders questions whether the Democratic leadership will address these issues or remain beholden to big money interests.

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[-] Hackworth@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago

Do people mean anything other than commodity and gas prices when they say "working class issues?" I feel like abortion, healthcare, education, and student loans are also working class issues, but I take it that's not what people mean.

[-] Incandemon@lemmy.ca 7 points 6 days ago

Let's start with the 70% or so of people that report living paycheck to paycheck[1] rather than claiming that the 'economy is doing fine. Let's even acknowledge that inflation is making good and housing prohibitively expensive[2].

The things you mentioned are important. For people that are struggling to keep a roof over their heads though the issue of Healthcare or education tend to be less critical than keeping food on the table. We can't keep saying the economy is doing fine while people keeping trying to tell us it isn't.

[1] https://www.forbes.com/advisor/banking/living-paycheck-to-paycheck-statistics-2024/

[2] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/price-tracker/

[-] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

The supposed strong economy is based on the average, which is brought up by the ultra-wealthy and their dragon hoards. The median is still getting shit on. There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.

[-] Hackworth@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

I appreciate the sources and the rigor. But is it not the left that's consistently pushing for a higher minimum wage? For exploring solutions like UBI or even just expanded social safety nets for the people who fall out the bottom?

The costs of healthcare continues to skyrocket, when we're already paying twice what other nations are. Healthcare bills are a leading cause of bankruptcy. But is it not the left (sorry, I started the "is it not" thing, and I feel like I need to keep it going, ahem...) that's been pushing universal healthcare? For transparency in hospital costs?

I'm just saying that I don't think it's accurate to say the DNC has "abandoned the working class." The DNC's never been able to communicate effectively (or perhaps they've just never been believed) when they try to explain that they haven't abandoned the working class. And they're not very good at fellating microphones.

[-] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

You're conflating the DNC with actual leftism.

[-] Hackworth@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Well yeah, but it's not like they haven't tried. I've certainly been frustrated watching the DNC try for decades to get some version of progressive policy passed only to succeed in the most compromised ways. But usually the reason is simply Americans. My office mate is certain that Jesus is coming back soon. What do you do with that?

[-] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Not talk to it.

[-] Incandemon@lemmy.ca 6 points 6 days ago

Yes. UBI has been a leftist conversation point for the last few years. Overall though the Democratic Party is opposed [1]. Two years ago when asked if the democrats would step up efforts to help people in financial straights the response was an effective no [2]. If I remember correctly that was even a campaign promise from Joe Bidden, that nothing significant would change.

And despite that, when the democrat's made promses when it comes time to follow through they have a hard time enacting their goals. I will grant that a big chunk of that is republican interference, but the democrats seem to be extremely hesitant to use the levers of power available to them to follow through. When one side is blatently, openly cheating, its folly to keep trying to play by old rules.

And please don't get me wrong, nothing I'm saying should be taken as endorsement for the Republicans. I want to live in a world of rational debate and law. However, both sides have to agree to that for it to work. When one side wants to win at all costs the democrats can't keep playing from the same old book forever.

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/policy-2020/economic-inequality/universal-basic-income/

[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/us/politics/biden-economy-midterms.html

[-] doingthestuff@lemy.lol 5 points 6 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Democrats passed the ACA without any Republican support. They should have passed MFA then. It was terrible and made my life much harder at the time. It's better now, but barely. My wife has a low paying government job and her health insurance costs went up significantly more than her 2% raise. Both of us took cuts in net pay while food, property taxes and seemingly everything else went up. What have Dems done about housing, pay, taxes, food costs in the last term? Nothing. Oh, Biden got one drug to be cheaper. But I'm not a diabetic. Yet.

[-] Hackworth@lemmy.world 0 points 6 days ago

Didn't have any student debt?

[-] doingthestuff@lemy.lol 0 points 6 days ago

I only have an associate's degree which was very affordable and I worked thru school but I guess I get to help pay for those who took on a lot more debt. If that had been on the table maybe I'd have gotten more education.

[-] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

This is temporarily embarrassed millionaire rhetoric. This is the reason the DNC gets away with platforming milquetoast horseshit in the first place.

[-] Hackworth@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

S'all about getting yours, eh?

[-] doingthestuff@lemy.lol 0 points 5 days ago

When you're struggling to feed your kids, yeah, mine is on the list. That doesn't mean I don't help other people but our government taxes the struggling and literally sets cash on fire as a thank you.

[-] Hackworth@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Reduction in access to abortion and contraceptives will only increase the number of people in this country struggling to feed kids. We could also talk about school lunch programs and support services in general.

[-] doingthestuff@lemy.lol 0 points 5 days ago

I constantly bring up school lunch programs but I get downvoted on sites like this because I choose unpopular context. For example, Biden spent money on something, I say - he could have funded school lunches, but instead lunch ladies get to go back to collecting food debt.

[-] Hackworth@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

President Biden included funding to expand the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) in the his Fiscal Year 2024 budget.

The budget earmarks over $15 billion in funds to allow more school districts to take advantage of CEP, which allows schools that have a high percentage of low-income students serve universal free meals.

The White House has advocated for the expansion of universal free meals at school and aims to provide free school meals to 9 million more students by 2032 as part of its National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. [March 2023]

They also apparently made them more nutritious.

this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2024
1003 points (97.5% liked)

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