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@Jennifer @Makyris

I don't think so. And most Black folk in my group chats don't think so either. Centrist Dems are already tacking even further to the far-right. They moved against AOC and kept her off of committee. They are terrified of her. And rather than stop exploiting Black people and treating our rights as trading chips, even more Dems are offering trans people and their rights up too as another ill-conceived appeasement chip alongside Black people.

So no, I don't think we have learned any lessons at all. We're all still doing the same things:

* Black men are still trying to explain what we're asking for: basic human rights. And we're still being infantilized as just wanting "legalized weed and crypto," 🤦🏿♂️ or not understanding Trump's plans, or not appreciating Biden enough.

* Centrists are still saying, "We should have stanned Cheney even harder!"

* anti-DEI rhetoric is still ongoing, and being treated by Dem leadership as legitimate conversation rather than plain old racism and sexism. Dems that will ask Black women to save us again in the mid-terms, are again saying nothing now while Black women are being attacked. We're still expecting one-way solidarity.

* Police budgets are still increasing. "Tough on crime Dem," is still something that they aspire to.

In short, no tigers have changed any stripes.

I am optimistic that AOC support will continue to grow, along with support for other progressives. Centrist candidates lost, and progressive candidates won. In a "free flow of information" political landscape, centrist Dem candidates cannot win. And right-pushing newspapers have gone full mask-off. Everyone sees it now, which limits their influencing effect.