Proposed legislation behind the impending US government shutdown contains provisions that would ban federal funding for transgender adults, as well as youngsters.

  • Baron Von J@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    My position is not about supporting the Democratic party. It’s about the observation that over 99% of state and federal legislative seats are held by either a Democratic or Republican, and not a single Electoral College vote has been won by a 3rd party presidential candidate since 1968 (even Ross Perot who won just shy of nineteen percent of the public vote). We need change, but the system is too well stacked for 3rd party candidates to be viable in the vast majority of districts. So my belief is that our only real model for getting more progressives is to turn up in unignorable numbers to the primaries (and again, vote your principles, leave it blank if you can’t support any of the candidates). Bernie won in Vermont (he won as an Independent after winning the Democratic primary). AOC won in NY. Mamdani won in NY. Omar won in MN. All of them because voters showed up, not because the party decided to run them. Remember, it only took 4% of the primary voters, with only 20-40% turnout, voting “Uncommitted” to get national media coverage contributing to his eventual decision to drop out.