I think the controlled opposition theory is certainly true in-part, but it doesn't explain everything.

The other thing is that Republicans don't campaign on policy. They campaign on random culture war bullshit - much of which, while incredibly stupid and a waste of time, is popular.

So, sure, allowing Tesla to dump toxic waste into their constituents' groundwater is unpopular - but their constituents never hear about it until it's already happened, and then the politicians blame someone else.

Instead, they campaign on your parental rights to infect everyone in your kid's class with measels or to ensure your child isn't turned into a trans catgirl by public schoolteachers and trained to use a litterbox, or the competitive sanctity of the women's track and field team, or whatever other dumb bullshit they can come up with.

People can be made to care about that stuff easily. Then the politicians get elected, do some random bullshit culture war legislation to get re-elected, but focus on making their corporate donors happy by allowing them to more effectively fuck over the constituents.

It's not weird at all. It's completely normal. Both "parties" serve the same system designed by literal enslavers.

ITT: Excuses from people who like that the only thing democrats are willing to accomplish is weapons sales for genocide.

There was a referendum to tax the rich in Illinois and it fucking failed, by a lot. We don't live in a liberal country. We live in a center-right country with strong far right tendencies.

My favorite Mamdani quote:

For far too long, our party has seen its job as managing decline instead of delivering material change for working people,” Mamdani said at a rally headlined by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. “It has seen its job as explaining why we cannot instead of showing how we can

And I don't think it is accidental. I think Schmuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are Manchurian MAGAs who sold out the Democrats a long time ago. Even if they aren't doing it purposefully, their cowardly and insipid behavior is 50% of the reason that MAGA regained power. They should be out of politics for that alone, they certainly haven't done ANYTHING to prove they deserve a second chance at punishing MAGA. They didn't do it when they had the chance, they aren't going to do it in the future.

We should all be calling our Democratic representatives, and strongly demand that they vote AGAINST Schmuck & Jeffries for leadership. Start now, so everybody knows going into the Midterms that they can expect substantial change by the new Democratic Party.

Because Republicans are paid by the elite to make people suffer

And Democrats are paid by the elite to make people suffer.

First glimmer of hope in a long time has been Mamdani. Every week I feel like I hear about something new and great and it's weird actually seeing what someone can actually do.