In your opinion does the Left have a voice in government in the US?

[Locut0s]

As a liberal / left wing person viewing things from outside the US it seems to me that the Left doesn't have that much in the way of a voice in the US. The Democrats and Obama don't represent a very strong liberal / left wing option IMO. At least not by international liberal / left standards. Despite the fact that many like to brand the Dems and Obama as liberal and leftist they are at best central to slightly left leaning corporatist if you ask me. There certainly is a more liberal / left leaning voice in America as is evidenced on the Internet and at rallies and such but they don't seem to have much voice in government. Ultimately this comes down to the crazy 2 party system you have I guess.

What do you feel, does the left have a voice in the US government?

 

[rudeguy]

umm....you mean Socialists?

 

[Infohawk]

Obama and the Dems trying to pass a public option wasn't enough for you? The left has a voice. But it's a minority voice just like religious fundies are a minority voice.

We need even more moderates in my opinion.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Wouldn't "moderate" be having a health care system that's more in line with every other industrialized nation in this world?

 

[Locut0s]

umm....you mean Socialists?

Lol. You see the funny thing is that is much of the rest of the Western world the left wing have a strong voice in the form of a legit party that vies for seats in the government. And these are NOT socialists, at least not as socialism is usually defined. These countries also have even farther left people who would be considered real socialists. Here in Canada we have the NDP for example.

 

[Locut0s]

Obama and the Dems trying to pass a public option wasn't enough for you? The left has a voice. But it's a minority voice just like religious fundies are a minority voice.

We need even more moderates in my opinion.

What got passed was more a handout to the insurance companies. A REAL public option, single payer, would have been more along the lines of what I am talking about. In just about every other western democracy there are legit parties that hold not insignificant numbers of seats in the government for which the public option, single payer, would merely be the starting point and not some big revolution.

 

[CanOWorms]

Lol. You see the funny thing is that is much of the rest of the Western world the left wing have a strong voice in the form of a legit party that vies for seats in the government. And these are NOT socialists, at least not as socialism is usually defined. These countries also have even farther left people who would be considered real socialists. Here in Canada we have the NDP for example.

Lol. You really don't follow much news outside of North America. Most of the rest of the Western world's left-wing parties, especially in Europe, are adopting far-right viewpoints. Supporting things like health care for the majority for purposes of racial supremacy is some sort of mixed left-right viewpoint. When the Socialist candidate in France stated that she wanted minorities and immigrants sent to army camps, what does that tell you?

In addition, support for barbaric acts like Monarchy is a huge anomaly among other supposed left-wing parties around the world.

 

[MovingTarget]

A voice? yes. The problem is, nobody is listening.

 

[Infohawk]

What got passed was more a handout to the insurance companies. A REAL public option, single payer, would have been more along the lines of what I am talking about. In just about every other western democracy there are legit parties that hold not insignificant numbers of seats in the government for which the public option, single payer, would merely be the starting point and not some big revolution.

You're missing the point. Your voice was heard and rejected. Just because people don't agree with you doesn't mean your voice wasn't heard. Maybe what you're really asking is why can't America be more like everyone else?

 

[Locut0s]

Lol. You really don't follow much news outside of North America. Most of the rest of the Western world's left-wing parties, especially in Europe, are adopting far-right viewpoints. Supporting things like health care for the majority for purposes of racial supremacy is some sort of mixed left-right viewpoint. When the Socialist candidate in France stated that she wanted minorities and immigrants sent to army camps, what does that tell you?

In addition, support for barbaric acts like Monarchy is a huge anomaly among other supposed left-wing parties around the world.

Europe certainly has its issues as well. However you are focusing more on THEIR left wing instead of viewing their central left parties which is more what I am talking about. I'm not advocating socialist parties and the like but middle of the road left in Europe.

 

[Locut0s]

You're missing the point. Your voice was heard and rejected. Just because people don't agree with you doesn't mean your voice wasn't heard. Maybe what you're really asking is why can't America be more like everyone else?

Meh perhaps that is what I'm asking. The farther you guys go to the right the scarier I find it to tell you the truth.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

A voice? yes. The problem is, nobody is listening.

Trust me... that isn't a problem. The far left needs to sit at the card table while grown folks talk.

 

[Locut0s]

Trust me... that isn't a problem. The far left needs to sit at the card table while grown folks talk.

My point is that pretty much everywhere else in the world what you label as the far left are just considered the plain old left and they HAVE a seat at the table and ARE one of the grown folks.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Why would we want your left, or your right for that matter? We're a different nation. So yes, the "left" as we have it has a voice.

 

[CanOWorms]

Europe certainly has its issues as well. However you are focusing more on THEIR left wing instead of viewing their central left parties which is more what I am talking about. I'm not advocating socialist parties and the like but middle of the road left in Europe.

I'm referring to many of their left-wing and central-left parties.

When it comes to issues involving minorities, immigrants, or refugees they don't seem very left or center-left. Other issues like monarchy, culture, language, name restrictions for newborns, etc. also come to mind.

 

[Locut0s]

Why would we want your left, or your right for that matter? We're a different nation. So yes, the "left" as we have it has a voice.

Not saying you should or do just that it doesn't seem there is much of a voice from an outside observer. Seems politics is really skewed to the right across the whole spectrum to me.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

My point is that pretty much everywhere else in the world what you label as the far left are just considered the plain old left and they HAVE a seat at the table and ARE one of the grown folks.

That's the nice thing about America... We can do whatever we want. We govern ourselves however we want. We don't have to do what the rest of the world does. And that means we don't have to allow the lunatic fringe (right or left) to have any more influence than their numbers allow. If the far left wants a place at the table they need to form their own party and run their own candidates. Until then they are confined to the Democrat party where the nuttiest among them can keep losing in the primary elections and get arrested at every G8 summit until the end of time.

 

[Locut0s]

I'm referring to many of their left-wing and central-left parties.

When it comes to issues involving minorities, immigrants, or refugees they don't seem very left or center-left.

This is true to a degree, though like I was saying no country is perfect. Europe has been struggling with it's own immigration issues like the US has. But that's just one issue, I'm talking about parties and viewpoints as a whole. No party or political viewpoint anywhere in the world doesn't have problems.

 

[Bateluer]

What do you feel, does the left have a voice in the US government?

Yes, they do. The American people have felt that this voice has been too strong for the past two years, and are currently in the process of dealing with the situation.

 

[Locut0s]

That's the nice thing about America... We can do whatever we want. We govern ourselves however we want. We don't have to do what the rest of the world does. And that means we don't have to allow the lunatic fringe (right or left) to have any more influence than their numbers allow. If the far left wants a place at the table they need to form their own party and run their own candidates. Until then they are confined to the Democrat party where the nuttiest among them can keep losing in the primary elections and get arrested at every G8 summit until the end of time.

Concepts like Universal Health care and the like aren't considered far left in most countries.

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

Concepts like Universal Health care and the like aren't considered far left in most countries.

America isn't 'most countries'

 

[CanOWorms]

This is true to a degree, though like I was saying no country is perfect. Europe has been struggling with it's own immigration issues like the US has. But that's just one issue, I'm talking about parties and viewpoints as a whole. No party or political viewpoint anywhere in the world doesn't have problems.

It's not really one issue though. It leads to so many more. Other issues like monarchy, culture, religious freedom, language, name restrictions for newborns, etc. sprout from that seed.

Example: headscarf ban in Europe. What is that and why did the French Socialists support it for the most part?

 

[Acanthus]

America isn't 'most countries'

Thats right, we are much dumber and more arrogant.

 

[Locut0s]

It's not really one issue though. It leads to so many more. Other issues like monarchy, culture, religious freedom, language, name restrictions for newborns, etc. sprout from that seed.

Example: headscarf ban in Europe. What is that and why did the French Socialists support it for the most part?

What about the governments of Canada, England, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Holland, and many more. Most of them have fairly strong left leaning voices.

 

[CanOWorms]

What about the governments of Canada, England, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Holland, and many more. Most of them have fairly strong left leaning voices.

Of course they do. The US has some also.