Well, this might be one of my most out-there takes. Maybe even one of my most anti-left, anti-progressive takes. But fuck it. I don’t care.
So, we’ve just had another election cycle. And naturally, there’s been plenty of discussion about all the historic firsts. The first this. The first that. The first person from this particular demographic to hold this particular office. And apparently, we’re supposed to celebrate all of it.
Well, you know what?
I don’t give a fuck about your firsts.
Seriously. I don’t.
And before somebody gets the wrong idea, I’m not saying that representation doesn’t matter. I’m not saying that historically marginalized communities achieving political representation is inherently meaningless. I understand the historical significance of breaking barriers.
But here’s my problem.
At the end of the day, what the fuck does any of this actually accomplish?
Because let’s be real here. We’re talking about the Democratic Party. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that the Democratic Party has an extraordinary ability to get people’s hopes up, make promises, celebrate victories, and then proceed to disappoint people all over again.
Nothing is fundamentally going to change.
Things are going to get worse. Promises are going to be broken. Voters are going to become disappointed. People are going to continue struggling. And the country is going to remain stuck in the same fucking cycle.
And Trump? MAGA?
Are we actually going to meaningfully stop them? Are we going to address the conditions that allowed this political movement to grow in the first place? Or are we just going to spend the next several years congratulating ourselves for winning another election?
Because that’s what I’m concerned about.
I don’t want another round of empty promises. I don’t want another round of political theater. I don’t want another round of politicians patting themselves on the back while ordinary people are still dealing with the same problems they were dealing with yesterday.
And frankly, I don’t care who gets elected if they’re not going to do anything meaningful with the power they’ve been given.
I don’t care if you’re the first woman to hold an office. I don’t care if you’re the first Black person to hold an office. I don’t care if you’re the first Latino, Native American, Muslim, LGBTQ+ person, or anybody else to hold an office.
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
That’s the question I want answered.
What are you going to do about affordability? What are you going to do about healthcare? What are you going to do about housing? What are you going to do about workers? What are you going to do about corruption? What are you going to do about the erosion of democratic institutions? What are you actually going to do to improve people’s lives?
And don’t just tell me what you intend to do. Don’t just give me another campaign speech. Don’t just tell me how historic your election is.
SHOW ME.
Because if you aren’t going to do any of that, then what exactly are we celebrating?
A badge? A cloak? A veil? A participation award? A status symbol?
That’s what these firsts start to feel like when they’re presented as achievements in and of themselves, without any meaningful discussion about what comes next.
And that’s my problem with all of this.
Symbols don’t fix shit.
A historic first doesn’t lower someone’s rent. It doesn’t pay someone’s electricity bill. It doesn’t put food on someone’s table. It doesn’t make healthcare affordable. It doesn’t automatically protect people’s rights. It doesn’t stop authoritarianism. It doesn’t magically make the country better.
Those things require actual work. Actual policies. Actual governing. Actual accountability.
And that’s what I want to see.
Quite frankly, I’m tired of being told that I should be impressed. I’m tired of being told that I should celebrate. I’m tired of being told that this is some monumental achievement while the underlying problems remain unresolved.
At some point, people need to stop asking us to celebrate what politicians represent and start asking what politicians actually accomplish.
And here’s another thing: I don’t want this to turn into another excuse for people on the left to attack anyone who dares to criticize Democrats. Because that’s another problem. Apparently, we’re supposed to accept whatever the Democratic Party gives us because the alternative is worse.
Well, no.
You don’t get an unlimited supply of patience from voters. You don’t get to keep asking people to lower their expectations. You don’t get to keep demanding enthusiasm for every electoral victory while failing to deliver meaningful improvements.
And you certainly don’t get to hide behind historic firsts whenever somebody asks what the fuck you’re actually doing.
So, congratulations on your historic firsts.
Seriously. Congratulations.
Now what?
Because that’s the part I care about.
I don’t want more historic firsts just for the sake of having historic firsts. I want historic accomplishments. I want meaningful change. I want a country that is actually better than it was before.
And until I start seeing that, forgive me if I don’t give a flying fuck about your firsts.
Fuck your firsts.
Show me what you’re going to do.