edit: How did this post turn into a debate about liberals? Have y’all never heard of fascists referring to everyone to their left as liberals? It’s such a minor point in the comic, yet it’s outshining the larger point about the rich being the single “minority” that we should actually be concerned about. These identity politics are distracting from who everyone’s common enemy should be.
What’s up with all the sudden hate on Liberals on this platform? Isn’t MAGA the literal/actual source of all current societal issues right now? What the fuck is the energy now diverted to a smaller group that has no real current functional power in the government?
This site has a mix of neoliberals, leftist, and tankies that all arguing over the definition of liberal.
You’ll also see articles that point out the Democrats are doing something to block something, but then a few will vote with the GOP and suddenly all the Democrats are labeled as working with the GOP despite months of something being blocked and people voting against it.
I’ll give you the answers, though. Neoliberals are wrong. Half of leftist are wrong depending on whether or not they play purity politics. And all tankies are dumb asses.
While it only takes a few Dems to give in and vote with the Republicans, but it is often the leadership folks like Schumer. It is a complaint that the party as a whole can’t come together, which is necessary for things to happen.
Thinking that a minority of Dems voting against something absolves those who didn’t is misunderstanding how the politics often work. There are often politicians willing to play the bad guy who will vote an unpopular position to save others from risking their neck. A good example is former Senator Joe Manchin, a conservative from a deep red state who was an irreplaceable part of the Democrat’s majority. Other conservative Democrats like Dianne Feinstein often agreed with Manchin privately and would be happy that he could take all the heat.
There’s also the fact that those in leadership positions often lead the capitulation, especially Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer. Trying to section off a third of the party as outliers is a lot harder when they’re the ones with the most clout. Acting like the Democrats as a whole need shielding from their own flaws only further entrenches their weakness.
I don’t know how that’s related to a comic where some MAGA chud calls someone who hates billionaires a liberal. Kinda inserting your own insecurities into it tbh.
However, I am frustrated with many liberals right now, so hopefully I can explain for those who are willing to keep an open mind.
Tap for spoiler
MAGA is not the “source” of all issues right now, they’re just the worst part of a very bad reality. They’re a symptom of unchecked hyper capitalism rather than an external threat. If it weren’t for decades of wage stagnation and rising wealth inequality, many the people who joined MAGA wouldn’t have been so vulnerable to embracing it. Populism thrives on a system that doesn’t work for people, and fascism was just right wing populism. One doesn’t need to reject liberal political philosophy to understand this.
The biggest sin of the liberal establishment was rejecting the alternative left wing populism. It wouldn’t have required the Democrats becoming communists, but they would’ve needed to put liberal democracy over capitalism. Leading up to the 2024 election, the Democrats ignored much of their base on issues like Gaza or TikTok while barely offering any progressive economic policies. They refused to fundamentally change from being representatives of the wealthy over the voters, refused to put democracy abroad over American imperialism, and refused to reign in the companies that got us all this discontent in the first place.
Following the election, rather than showing any resistance to fascism, the fucking ghouls in the Democratic party are becoming worse. Their think thanks took every wrong lesson imaginable, deciding that it was time to throw minorities under the bus, ignore climate change, and simp harder for corporate interests. We see someone like Gavin Newsom, who early on made theatre about gay marriage in California, embrace trans fear mongering followed by Pete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris. We see the Democrats in Congress refusing to even be obstructionists out of fear of a fascist dictator actually delivering consequences on their cushy lives.
All the while, people tell me with a straight face that these spineless fuckheads are our only chance at salvation. However, I think these voters are deluding themselves even harder than the thought leaders amongst the Democrats. The real reason I think Democrats are ignoring sections of their base and dropping any issues that the wealthy NYT readers aren’t on board with, is because liberal democracy died in America. It was buried in November after being on life support for years and it will not come back, even if the Democrats retake power. Their moves to re-gerrymander Democratic states are being sold as a way to “fight dirty” with MAGA, but why can’t the corporate wing of the party now use it to further sideline minorities and the left?
TLDR: The liberal hate is because the Democrats lost to the fascists, are cowards as resistance, and are moving right on policy. Insisting that Democrats are our only hope further twists the knife. Democracy isn’t dying, it’s dead.
Sudden hate? Also no, liberals have been fighting to maintain status quo for at least the last 40 years, while the GOP keeps systematically dismantling things. They may not have “pulled the trigger” so to say, but they treat it like their cop friend did it and they proceed to do nothing about it.
Are they better than Republicans? Yeah, duh, that bar is underground right now. Having fucking empathy makes one better than the average Republican. That doesn’t make them our friends.
They aren’t really helping or doing anything of substance right now. This is the ideal time for them to reinvent, start grassroot movements, support big changes that most Americans want to see. They need to put themselves in the way in every visible way possible. They need to make sure we all know what they stand for.
Instead of all of that, we get tepid garbage where they pray for and glorify shit like Charlie Kirk all in the name of “bipartisanship” or whatever they’re huffing. Their strategy boils down to “we’re not them at least, right?”.
TL;DR: Currently elected liberals (especially neoliberals) are just as responsible for what’s going on as the GOP. They just aren’t overtly hateful about it.
Quick Edit: My rant is about politicians. The thing I dislike about people that label themselves as liberal is they will often compromise their views to avoid conflict when convenient.
The current wave of fascism is sponsored by capital. Liberal politicians protect capital, divert attention towards fringe issues (see abundance movement, which is basically the blue “it’s the government’s fault” political philosophy), oppose any meaningful change that would actually stabilize things (like heck even social democratic policies like medicare for all, limiting political donations or taxation of the rich are too extreme) and play respectability politics (any substantial criticism of the status quo is too harsh, both-sides-ism, catering to the mythical moderate) excluding the left (can’t nominate Bernie, can’t endorse Zohran Mamdani, AOC too radical, can’t call out a genocide) while caving to the right on immigration, trans rights, reproductive rights etc.
They’d rather have full on fascism than put their foot down because temporary instability would hurt the stock market (see Shumer enabling the republican spending bill TWICE). They are completely beholden to their donors who are very much not average citizens but part of the owning class.
Sure, the democratic party isn’t a monolith but it’s leadership is controlled opposition. They’ve always had these, let’s call them “republican sleeper agents”, in key positions to step in and prevent the party from shifting left so the way the party has been acting should not be seen as an unfortunate anomaly but as willfull cooperation at this point. Shumer is not there by mistake. AIPAC Shakur is not there by mistake. They are not inept or incompetent, they are just effectively playing for the other team - whatever their rationalizations for their behaviour may be.
Divide and rule. It’s not hate towards liberals but towards billionnaires.
Any good liberal should hate them, as they make the market unfair.