Ask Lemmy

Bernie Sanders, man is always on the right side of history, just wish he fought harder against the dem party

I live in a fairly small, poor, remote suburb of my city's district. The city is divided into districts, with a representative for each district, and the power of the city government is largely in the hands of these representatives. My neighborhood is part of a district that, due to geography, is mostly very separated from us (think like a long thin line sticking way out of the main body of the district with my neighborhood on the end of it).

Certain city boards were trying to make up revenue by taxing our neighborhood specifically in various ways. We were obviously furious about it. We have regularly scheduled community town halls, like all the districts, and our rep shows up at them.

The town hall after the taxation proposal was released was scheduled to run from 3pm to 6pm. It lasted until well after midnight.

My district rep stayed there the whole time, obviously exhausted but still asking questions and opinions of the speakers and making promises. He promised to do something about it. And sure enough, within a month, the city boards backtracked on the taxation scheme.

We're a poor neighborhood, and we're not super numerous either. He didn't have to help us, he could have sacrificed us to subsidize the main body of the district. But he didn't, he stayed all night and then went and fought for us in the city government. He later went on to higher offices at the state and federal level.

Also, I once accidentally touched the Mayor's boob at a party rally, so that could count I guess.

I was having trouble providing proof of residence for voting in a local election.

I went to the politician's office, explained my situation. They scanned what ID I did have and helped me get registered to vote.

At a local level my city in the UK took our Metrolink (tram) and bus services back under council control and I like our mayor as he seems to get things done.

An a national level, I don’t know think ever, we were meant to get HS2 (high speed rail) and that was canned after spending billions.

Bernie, and never again or before.

Not once

I've been working full time for almost 10 years now helping prop up this failed economy, and this country has convinced me it hates me and wants me to die.

I don't get any help from any institutions because I don't qualify, but I can't save money because i live paycheck to paycheck. If I lose this job I have 2 months until I'm homeless and have to KMS.

Just paid taxes so they don't imprison me for it, despite setting up witholding on my pay i still owed $1600 i couldn't afford so now I am doing a 2 month payment plan on my fucking taxes.

I need to get out of this country before living here kills me

Can't say that I ever have. But with how many people are covered, even locally, it may be a fools errand to hope for a person like that.

Generally speaking, local has been pretty decent even if I don't always get what I'd like. Let's just say Cop City kinda tainted everyone.

Never.

Vermin Supreme comes close to treating the corporate state with the respect it deserves, but there's no leadership under all that absurdity.

Tim Walz during covid.

I saw that small businesses like restaurants wanted to close for the safety of their employees but the national chains wanted to stay open for profits. If individual businesses would have closed, they would lose business possibly forever. They needed the statevto mandate a closure to protect their employees and their ability to keep their customers. Walz declared a closure. I've spoken with almost s dozen local businesses who all feel the same.

Conversely, Walz allowed chiropractors to stay open because the state saw that they took some of the load off of the already overloaded hospitals.

Looking at all the bumper stickers and yard signs, he is quite unpopular, but I feel that he looked at the evidence (not the politics) and made a hard decision at the potential expense of his career.

Bonus, during covid, he had the best ASL interpreter on the press releases.

Jeremy Corbyn, 2019 UK election. He lost due to several factors but especially sabotage from within his own party and a corrupt media. Apparently it's all well documented in this 3 part series though I've never had the heart to watch it.

Obviously Bernie. That's my dude, but I'll admit to another that turned sour.

Mother fucking Fetterman.

He's local to me, and hearing about everything he did as mayor just made him sound like an awesome guy. Living in a foreclosed car dealership, seriously improved living conditions for the poor, hoodie and jeans, tattoos honoring people he never met, he just sounded like somebody I could relate with.

Well, then he had a stroke, joined the Senate and has been embarrassing himself and me ever since. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Went to a demonstration in support of Ukraine and our president was there as a speaker. That was nice.

I've never felt fully represented.

JB Pritzker has been a pleasant surprise for Illinoisans. With him being another billionaire in politics, I held my nose and voted for him the first time because he promised us legal weed and the other guy was awful.

But at every turn he's proven that he really is out there for the people and for Illinois. The rare type of billionaire who has good intentions and is satisfied with what he has and therefore can't be bought or bribed. He's consistently done good work for us and is taking a stand against the Trump administration. I'll be happy to vote for him for a third term or presidential primary.

There is this one guy that represented me well for the last 6 years. While he was running the party things were good. From then on things went a bit downhill. He is still there and doing a good job though.

Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin, proud lesbian and represented Wisconsin well

Hard truth: In democracy you get the politicians you deserve. It's right in the name. If you don't feel represented, it's not their fault, it's yours. The politicians are only there because you and your fellow citizens put them there. Rhetoric of "them and us" is irrelevant because they are you. It's the "self" in "self-government".

Sure, this won't be popular. Lots of excuses will be offered as to why voters are responsible for nothing and this alien blob of "politicians" is to blame for everything. It's always easier to avoid responsibility, and what simpler a target than politicians? But alas the logic is watertight.

I haven't yet

Tammy Duckworth is my senator.

The platform that best supports my concerns is that of the US Green Party.

Unfortunately, it has far to go to represent that platform in any effective way. No possibly effective leader that I know of has ever emerged for it. (The current, so-called leader has zero presence anytime, anywhere.) If it could become at least -somewhat- sizeable, it could outreach its size in two-party deadlocks by trading deciding votes for concessions.

The only US politician one I truly trust, and still the one of the 4 or 5 that l like slightly less, is Bernie Sanders.

Kevin Rudd.

Then the great backstab/overthrow calamity began.

Oh yeah, talking about Australia here.

Corbyn, and then never again. They assassinated him in all but body.

Perfectly represented - never. Partially yes - I can always find someone who's opinions are not completely abhorrent, and some of it agrees with mine. But it's never all in one candidate.

So I resort to alternate voting. If any of the acceptable candidates is currently in opposition I vote for them, choosing whichever party is not currently in government but has a reasonable chance to enter government in the next cycle.

Tim Walz before he ran for vp and Bernie Sanders before I found out he was defending Israel's right to "defend" themselves. AOC is alright too I guess

Danica in Virginia.

This is a good one. Matt Gaetz came out for something to do with childcare costs or maternity leave, I forget, but I was stunned.

Marsha blackburn, bill haggerty, Diana Harshbarger. I am not a red voter. So hell no.

Nationally, I kind of feel like the guys in right now have a similar-ish outlook. Locally, never, because this is a safe riding for a party I've never voted for.

Closest was @echo_pbreyer@digitalcourage.social when he fought (and still ist) against Chatcontrol.

That was ten years ago, when MEP Christian Engström gave this speech in parliament: https://youtu.be/0bNB75vhVuQ