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so, are centrist Democrats for or against at this point some combination of wealth tax / progressive income tax that would render accumulations of wealth at Musk, Bezos, or even Gates levels unachievable and unsustainable?

@interfluidity Who do you mean by "centrist democrats"? Do you mean Josh Gottheimer, Mark Warner & Gina Raimondo or do you mean Chuck Schumer & Joe Biden?
This is my big problem with so much of the online & media discourse. It's all focused on the difference between AOC & Chuck Schumer when the difference between Chuck Schumer & Josh Gottheimer is more consequential because it determinies whether we can get structural reforms like the ProAct.

@BenRossTransit i don’t have individuals in mind. what i want to know is if Democrats gain control of government, is there sufficient consensus they would act seriously to address the near death (if not actual death) experience any semblance of meaningful democracy is now enduring, or will they equivocate and tolerate the conditions that have brought us here and undoubtedly will again?

Benjamin Ross

@interfluidity I'm using the names only as examples. The obstacle to consensus is not the center of the party, it is a group on its right wing. Posing the question as "will the Democrats?" makes the issue about the party leadership which, while a problem, has not been the main problem in the Biden era.
Example: This year's NY-22 primary where a solid labor Democrat with party backing, John Mannion, beat an opponent backed by No Labels etc. Issue content of that race went totally under the radar.

@BenRossTransit i don’t think it’s about leadership. i think it’s about something like the median Democratic congressperson.

@interfluidity If it was about the median Democratic congressperson, we would have the PROAct and public option health care. Yes, it's important to push the center, but the problem in getting things passed is the 90th (or 98th in the last Senate) percentile at the right wing of the party. It's really important to squeeze out that last 10% on the right, but everyone online puts their energy into pressuring the center.

@BenRossTransit right. tight margins make the worst of them kingmakers. that’s a huge problem.

@interfluidity Everyone was all over Sinema, but someone in a primary against the next tranche over gets no attention or support unless they're a Squad type, which is usually not the way to win in those districts.
Serious primaries against some of these people would help keep them all in line, even if they don't win.

@BenRossTransit but leadership punishes the fuck out of anyone who primaries incumbents. there’s a very serious omerta there, which tilts toward squad candidates who have little to lose from leadership anyway. team players don’t primary, even though nothing would be better for the team.