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  "description": "What’s more American than a bit of tension between “We the People” and those who represent us?",
  "path": "/the-night-i-realized-i-can-no-longer-vote-blue-no-matter-who/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-05T04:00:10.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.learningunlearning.com",
  "textContent": "In March of 2024, I watched President Joe Biden deliver the annual State of the Union address. It was uncomfortable.\n\nSince that speech feels like a decade ago, let me refresh your memory… it sucked. The speech was underwhelming and at times incoherent. Many establishment liberals claimed that Biden “outperformed expectations.” In doing so, they further lowered the bar for a deeply disappointing administration.\n\nFor months leading up to the speech, my faith in the Democratic Party had been cracking, but I didn’t quite understand  _why_ I felt that way.\n\nWatching the speech, the puzzle pieces started to connect. The more Biden spoke, the more I felt like I was watching a speech delivered by a 2010s-era Republican...\n\nBiden brushed past the economic pain felt by struggling Americans amid rampant inflation. He focused on making his case for a second term in office. He used the fall of Roe as a messaging platform—issuing platitudes about the \"power of women\" at the ballot box, despite having done very little to meaningfully defend them.\n\nAnd then there was immigration. Most administrations (including the Democratic ones) haven't exactly prioritized the well-being of our immigrant neighbors... Obama famously deported  _millions_ of people. But the Biden admin was unique because it had  _specifically campaigned_ on the importance of human dignity to distinguish itself from the politics of Donald Trump.\n\nAnd yet here were establishment Dems, using the most important speech of the year to argue for a \"bipartisan border bill\" which contained \"the toughest set of border security reforms we’ve ever seen.\"\n\nThe bill would have done  _massive harm_ to immigrant communities, setting a foundation for further abuse by future administrations. It took less than  _one term_ in power for establishment Democrats to drop their facade of empathy and push for legislation that would have made Donald Trump proud.\n\n* * *\n\nOn this issue and several others, the Democratic establishment had  _leaned into_ the politics of Donald Trump—a complete betrayal of the immigrant communities that gave Biden the presidency.\n\nBiden’s admin wasn't  _quite_ as callous as Donald Trump’s in its bigotry toward immigrant communities—because establishment Dems love to hide behind niceties.\n\nBut their actions reflected a calcified neoliberal ideology that was quick to betray immigrants rather than actually do the work of defending them. The establishment  _delights_ in the idea of simply being the lesser evil—not putting in the work to actually earn votes.\n\nBiden's speech that night sounded  _great_ to those with a vested interest in the military industrial complex. It sounded  _great_ to other establishment Democrats. But it sounded downright  _phenomenal_ to Republicans.\n\nBecause despite claiming disapproval of Biden's border bill, Republicans understood that it represented an  _enormous capitulation from Dems._ MAGA had successfully yanked establishment Dems to the right on the issue of immigration—and with them, millions of liberal voters who  _hate_ Donald Trump but were  _unquestioningly loyal_ to the establishment Dems emulating his policies.\n\nI grew up in a community of immigrants, whom Biden slurred in that speech when he called them \"illegals.\" It's a word his own admin had designated as a pejorative. It's a word meant to shrink a person’s humanity... to reduce them to a paperwork status. Biden let it slip accidentally during a shitty ad lib.\n\nPoliticians call people \"illegals\" when they view those people as political pawns rather than humans. That night I learned not to trust Joe Biden. I learned not to trust  _any politician_ just because they’re on “my team.”\n\nI learned that we have to  _demand_ progress from our elected officials—not settle for their preferred mediocrity. They are not entitled to our votes.\n\nIn order to save this country, we must  _force_ the Democratic Party to be better—because they’ve proven they won’t defend us without being held to account. After all, what’s more American than a bit of tension between “We the People” and those who represent us?\n\n* * *\n\n## Sign up for Learning Unlearning\n\nGaining class consciousness, deconstructing lies. Let's build a better future.\n\nSubscribe\n\nEmail sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup.\n\nNo spam. Unsubscribe anytime.",
  "title": "The night I realized I can no longer “vote blue no matter who”",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-05T04:04:03.011Z"
}