And I’m using the old term ‘New Democrat’ because many of the Democrats running things aren’t just ideologically similar to the original New Democrats (and their first ‘generation’ of disciples), they’re the exact same people (e.g., Biden). This is one of the consequences of having a geriatric leadership, in which ‘young’ leaders are in their sixties. They are literally the same people who fucked it up before.

While they’re not as harmful as Trump or as psychologically damaging–though that’s damning with faint praise–the ‘Democratic wing of the Democratic Party’ (which, I believe, is now referring to itself as progressives this week?) has to fight like hell to stop New Democrats from punching themselves–and us–in the dick. We had to do this multiple times to protect the social safety net, including the Democratic Party’s own signature program, Social Security.

Constantly having to fight one’s own party just for things to not suck even worse is exhausting. At a personal level, that’s what is the most frustrating thing about the debt ceiling conflict: there were so many opportunities for the New Democrats to nip this in the bud, and, even now, Biden has the power to end this unilaterally, yet refuses to do so.

Even if we ‘win’, it’s a lot of time, energy, and anxiety just to return back to where we were before all of this started. It burns out the people Democrats will need to win in 2024, as progressives have been the most stalwart loyalists throughout Biden’s term, but professional Democrats are too stupid to understand this.

The 1990s are back, baby! I blame the naivete of The Squad*.

*Because this is the internet, I have to point out that I’m kidding. The Squad has nothing to do with this idiocy, it’s the supposed ‘grownup’ who are screwing the pooch.