Thread: I never thought Biden could be pressured after being supported. And I never thought the left could get "leverage" over him by strategically withholding votes. Those two strategies *sounded* dramatically different but they're just two variations on the same bad idea.

In both cases, the idea is that the left accomplished our goals not by defeating centrists and taking power for ourselves but by somehow urging or tricking or pressuring centrists--y'know, the deadly enemies of everything we stand for--into accomplishing our goals for us.

That's why I always thought the discussion of what leftists should do in the election should be based on the assumption that what we see in Biden is what we're gonna get and the question was just which outcome we'd prefer.

This new obsession with the Squad using "leverage" against Pelosi is a version of the same damn thing. But a much sadder one because all she's being expected to do is go along with a meaningless preordained 3-to-1 lost vote.

The only argument I heard anyone make for that being useful on The Katie Halper Show panel last night was that it would be useful theater.

Then when I and others pointed out ways in which it could be counterproductive theater we were accused of saying we should live in fear of bad press.

Which....yeah. But even ignoring that:

When you've gotten down to the point of hoping that you can somehow pressure or trick or beg or cajole your enemies into giving you.....theater?......it's officially time to rethink your theory of change.