# Now what should people on the left do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 6, 2024, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778 "2024-11-06T12:13:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/101 "2024-11-06T19:23:51Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > > [@Jas09](#): > > > > I’m honestly a bit befuddled as to why the administration let it get as bad as it did unless there really are “open borders” folks in key policy positions. > > How bad was it, for those of us who were apparently not paying attention (meaning me for one)? There is a backlog of more than 2 million asylum seekers, so pretty fucking bad. During Covid, the asylum system was overwhelmed and got backlogged. People realized they could come into the country, apply for asylum, and get to stay for months or years while waiting to be processed - so more came, further overwhelming the system. The administration did not “let it” get this bad; they worked with Republicans to create a bill that would give border patrol additional funding and hire more judges to process asylum claims faster. At the last moment, Trump had his cronies kill the bill. > **[Republicans kill border bill in a sign of Trump's strength and McConnell's...](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republicans-kill-border-bill-sign-trumps-strength-mcconnells-waning-in-rcna137477)** > > Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell encouraged GOP senators to pass an immigration and Ukraine aid deal. Just four of them supported it. In the end, even he voted no. Democrats should have been harping on that on a daily basis. They _wanted_ to deport the people who abuse the asylum seeking system, but Trump wouldn’t let them get the funding to figure out who those people are. > **[Republicans kill border bill in a sign of Trump's strength and McConnell's...](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republicans-kill-border-bill-sign-trumps-strength-mcconnells-waning-in-rcna137477)** > > Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell encouraged GOP senators to pass an immigration and Ukraine aid deal. Just four of them supported it. In the end, even he voted no. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/102 "2024-11-06T19:25:45Z")
> [@solost](#): > > You’re right, that would have been more effective. If only Kamala had said something like that, maybe at the debate… That should have been a major pillar of her campaign. Fix our border, fix our asylum system, deport those who abused it while it was overwhelmed. Polls showed that this was a top issue for many voters, and also that Harris was seen as weak on the border. Why no ads on the topic? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/103 "2024-11-06T19:27:09Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Then _they’d_ be blamed for the resulting economic disaster and wave of racial persecution instead of the Republicans. You think that reviewing the cases of the two million unprocessed asylum seekers in the US and deporting those who do not qualify would cause an “economic disaster” and a “wave of racial persecution”? 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/104 "2024-11-06T19:32:49Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > You think that reviewing the cases of the two million unprocessed asylum seekers in the US and deporting those who do not qualify would cause an “economic disaster” and a “wave of racial persecution”? 🤨 Again, immigration is _not_ the point. Persecuting non-whites across the nation - immigrant or not - is the point. “Immigration” is just a buzzword. And America is economically dependent on those immigrants so yes, it would be a disaster. It always is whenever the racists get their way, the work goes undone and the taxes go unpaid. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/105 "2024-11-06T19:33:27Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > just promise whatever you need to in order to convince voters you actually agree it’s a problem. > > Immigration is much harder, because the Democrats legitimately have the unpopular position. At a minimum I think Harris should have spent time at the border and given multiple “this is much worse than I thought and we have to solve it now” speeches. So, the solution to getting your message out is to: 1. Lie 2. Make yourself look like a clueless idiot who doesn’t know what’s going on Yeah, I’m sure that strategy will take us to new heights. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/106 "2024-11-06T19:34:32Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > That should have been a major pillar of her campaign. Fix our border, fix our asylum system, deport those who abused it while it was overwhelmed. > > Polls showed that this was a top issue for many voters, and also that Harris was seen as weak on the border. Why no ads on the topic? I get that you’re trying to understand why Harris lost, but I just don’t buy the argument ‘instead of fighting the lies or explaining the complicated realities behind the issues, we co-opt and double down on our opponents’ stances". I mean, should Harris have made ‘appointing anti-pet snatching SWAT teams to cities with large numbers of Haitian immigrants’ a major pillar of her campaign as well? ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/107 "2024-11-06T19:37:35Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > but Trump wouldn’t let them get the funding to figure out who those people are. And Trump would have responded with, “Deport them all, and let Mexico sort them out!”, and still win the election. The problem is, stupid ideas are just easier to encapsulate in an easy-to-remember sound bite. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/108 "2024-11-06T19:40:00Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Again, immigration is _not_ the point. Persecuting non-whites across the nation - immigrant or not - is the point. “Immigration” is just a buzzword. I’m waiting for you to provide _any_ evidence of this claim. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And America is economically dependent on those immigrants so yes, it would be a disaster. So your position is that we should avoid processing the asylum claims, because if we did, that would cause an economic disaster? I think that’s a pretty fringe position and that if the Democrats appeal to people who hold it they will reliably lose. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/109 "2024-11-06T19:41:29Z")
Thinking on the thread title question here, and remembering what I did do in 2016 and 2017, I’ve got a kernel of a plan. **Today:** gonna drink, gonna feel sorry for myself, gonna feel sorry for my friends and acquaintances that are in scarier situations than mine\*, gonna drink. **Tomorrow:** I’m making a list of all the organizations that did good work in the first go-round of this shit and set up recurring donations. I’m also going to be looking for groups I should support that flew under my radar last time or are especially suited for what’s to come. I’ll start with: - ACLU - Planned Parenthood - SPLC - _please add to my list_ **Down the road:** I’ll do what I can with my privilege, my voice, my money, my votes to make things _hard_ for these fuckheads. **Way down the road:** This feels like surrender, but I like having this in my pocket - before my wife was diagnosed with cancer last year, we were seriously looking at emigrating for retirement purposes. Portugal, Spain and Italy were all on our radar. I guess I can dust off that paperwork if I _really_ have to. \*in the scheme of things, I’m relatively lucky. I live in a blue town in a blue state, I’m white, male, old, well off. No kids. I’m low on the list of people that will get fucked with. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/110 "2024-11-06T19:41:48Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I get that you’re trying to understand why Harris lost, but I just don’t buy the argument ‘instead of fighting the lies or explaining the complicated realities behind the issues, we co-opt and double down on our opponents’ stances". That’s not my position at all. But I can see that this isn’t gonna be a productive conversation, so I’ll leave you to complain about how 65% of this country is made up of irredeemable racists. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/111 "2024-11-06T19:43:19Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > So your position is that we should avoid processing the asylum claims, because if we did, that would cause an economic disaster? I’m saying they are irrelevant, the people who say they care would just want them all deported (by preference to someplace that will kill them), or shot. Immigration isn’t the point, persecuting brown people is. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/112 "2024-11-06T19:45:38Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > That’s not my position at all. But I can see that this isn’t gonna be a productive conversation, so I’ll leave you to complain about how 65% of this country is made up of irredeemable racists. Heh? I didn’t say, and don’t think that, at all. You may be mixing me up with somebody else, which I would totally understand, since I’ve been reading and angry-posting on 5 or 6 different “WTF happened” SDMB threads today. I should probably knock it off for a bit as well. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/113 "2024-11-06T19:54:13Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’m saying they are irrelevant, the people who say they care would just want them all deported (by preference to someplace that will kill them), or shot. [Citation needed] > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Immigration isn’t the point, persecuting brown people is. And yet, a bunch of brown people voted for Trump, and immigration was one of the reasons they cited. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/114 "2024-11-06T19:55:53Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > And yet, a bunch of brown people voted for Trump, and immigration was one of the reasons they cited. Because they were fools who thought _they_ won’t be targeted. Same thing happened in 2016, they never think the leopard they elected will eat _their_ face. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/115 "2024-11-06T20:01:28Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > This feels like surrender, but I like having this in my pocket - before my wife was diagnosed with cancer last year, we were seriously looking at emigrating for retirement purposes. I’m sorry to hear this, and you have my sympathies. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/116 "2024-11-06T20:03:45Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > [@Babale](#): > > > > And yet, a bunch of brown people voted for Trump, and immigration was one of the reasons they cited. > > Because they were fools who thought _they_ won’t be targeted. Same thing happened in 2016, they never think the leopard they elected will eat _their_ face. I thought you said that all Trump supporters were evil racists who wanted you - and most of the world’s population - dead. But now some portion of them are just deluded fools? What portion of Trump voters are evil and want you dead, and what portion are deluded fools? Are those the only two categories of Trump voters, or are there more you’re waiting to reveal? Can the Democrats win over any of the “deluded fool” contingent? ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/117 "2024-11-06T20:05:07Z")
> [@solost](#): > > How does the left ‘adjust its messaging’ to fight all the lies? My fear is that his followers would think that our fact checking and telling of the truth would actually be our own lies. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/118 "2024-11-06T20:16:47Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > > [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > > > This feels like surrender, but I like having this in my pocket - before my wife was diagnosed with cancer last year, we were seriously looking at emigrating for retirement purposes. > > I’m sorry to hear this, and you have my sympathies. Thank you. The good news there is that after a grueling treatment regimen, the outcome was as good as there is - all clear with just watchful patience in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/119 "2024-11-06T20:54:18Z")
My go-to constructiveness strategy has been to try to notice when I’m getting angry at the fukheads causing/enabling the problem, and divert that anger energy into an action that directly helps the people most suffering from the problem. I like your org list. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2024, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778/120 "2024-11-06T20:55:13Z")
My feeling is we hold our powder dry until Trump actually takes office and starts doing stuff. Protesting the election at this point just sounds like sour grapes and is only going to convince people who already agree with us of which there aren’t enough to win apparently. Once he takes office protest any aggregious acts, but pick your battles carefully. Only protest actions that are viewed negatively by a significant majority of the US public, not just those on the left. Things like, a national abortion ban, kids in cages, elimination of health care, loyalty oaths required for government employees. Things that are priorities only of the left (e.g. trans gender inclusion in sports) are unfortunately going to have to wait. If we go after everything, then its just going to wash over as whiny Liberals making noise. But if national outrage can be cultivated on select issues then we may be able to scare enough Republican lawmakers to blunt their impact. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-what-should-people-on-the-left-do/1009778.md?page=7)