Certainly - not that the right to vote shouldn't be vigorously defended, it should, but like any other right it was won in the streets first. I don't fault anyone for choosing to disengage, but we're only powerful organized and fighting. Half the work of getting that done is restoring hope in the doing of it.

I mean, any bill could be one of the ones that passes with a simple majority if Democrats would bother to get rid of the filibuster with the majority they do have, which they could if they wanted to enforce any kind of party discipline in favor of the average American - who supports progressive things like single payer healthcare, marijuana legalization, and abortion rights regardless of party affiliation. There's no excuse for a party to run on flipping both houses, do it, and then spend two years conceding on every issue that was portrayed as contingent on such a victory.

It's true - we don't live in a functioning democracy - but it's not because one or another ruling-class party is prevented from carrying out their stated agenda. It's because they're both complicit in acting against popular will.

The counter to any right-wing attack on worker solidarity is "why would railroad bosses grind transportation to a halt rather than give their workers sick leave?", not "Biden moves in mysterious ways."