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Why does a state like California that has supermajorities in both houses of the legislature not have a livable wage, housing guarantees, universal healthcare, and other very progressive policies? (lemmy.world)

submitted 7 months ago by return2ozma@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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I keep being told it's because of the Republicans that we can't have nice things. So what gives in California? We should be overflowing with progressive policies.

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[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 29 points 7 months ago

It's because it's a neoliberal supermajority, not a progressive one.

Governor Newsom is much more representative of the California Democratic Party than progressives like District Attorney George Gascon. Even though the policy positions of Gascon are much more popular than those of Newsom and his fellow establishment Democrat neoliberals.

It's the same in New York where Chuck Schumer is much more representative of the Dem politicians, especially the party leadership, even though AOC is much more representative of the policy priorities of the people in general.

As for why the mismatch, the main reasons are

Party leadership control of primaries
economical elites control of party leadership
a hell of a lot of pro-establishment gaslighting by both the party leadership and the billionaire-owned media outlets that they're allied with