If you believe that voters have a duty to candidates, rather than candidates having a duty to voters, then you do not really believe in democracy.
Even in the Roman republic they understood that the candidates had to bribe the people to care about the nobilities power struggles.
We don’t even have the gracchi equivalents to get murdered for promising us land reform. They ratfucked the moderate with offerings of college and healthcare.
Because that’s politics and libs are revolted by icky pedestrian politics. They don’t want a base that has to be satisfied, they want a coalition of the reasonable who vote for blue no matter who not because they’ll get anything out of it, but because the qualified people told them that’s what they have to do to have the respect of the qualified people.
a coalition of the reasonable
the qualified people
They want an oligarchy, plain and simple.
Functionally that’s what it ends up with, but I think their fantasy is a meritocracy/technocracy. That the people who went to the right schools with the right degrees, who got the right internships and then jobs at the right firms, with the democratic process as a coronation of that meritocracy rather than an expression of public will. A state run by an army of Buttigiegs.
Of course, the reality is that system produces more Trumps than Buttigiegs. Which is why he freaks liberals out; metaphorically speaking, he’s the inbred freak the aristocracy keeps hidden in the attic in some Victorian novel to keep up the illusion of their good breeding, and the libs are the other aristocrats scandalized that he got out and made a mess of the gala.
I don't think it's incidental, I think liberals have a deep elitism that drives them. They actively dislike democracy.
Certainly. That’s why populism is a dirty word to them. Why should the patricians sully themselves with the vulgar demands of the governed?
Half of Roman optimates would feel home in dem party. Especially that US system resemble late Roman Republic so much.
All true.
I guess it shouldn’t be surprisedpikachu.jpg moment when the system built by slave owners with a Rome fetish ends up speedrunning the systemic failures of the republic.
"not voting is a vote for trump"
"not voting is a vote for biden"
"not voting is a vote for trump and biden, which is voter fraud"
The liberal brainrot under Trump is going to be magnificent to watch. Fuck libs. Fuck their support of genocide. Fuck their support of child migrant cages. Fuck their nonchalance about universal healthcare and most of all fuck America.
They better deliver some primo drama, because the schadenfreude is some of the only consolation as terrible things continue happening under a slightly different guy.
Lol yeah but the real hope is people wake up to the flawed system and that genocide is not self defense (libs are fucking insane at this point).
remember kids, winning votes is about calling people that you think are potential allies imbeciles for not getting behind a guy that's actively egging on genocide
I don’t think liberals view us as potential allies. They view the left the same way Fritzl viewed his family.
And they shouldn't view leftists as allies. Nobody on here says liberals are "allies" and at the same time people here expect liberal politicians to be allies? I don't know why people get so worked up and upset about people doing exactly what makes sense.
There's a bizarre thing where people on this forum and twitter and elsewhere act like they're the pets of liberal politicians and feel hurt when they aren't taken care of. While also literally saying liberal politicians are their enemy. Stop trying to have it both ways. Either say "scratch a liberal" or post about how "the Democrats are making bad political moves 😢😥"
I think the whole "not voting for Biden is a vote for Trump" thing clearly works because it makes people on here and twitter so irritated it feels like every fourth post is complaining about liberals calling "us" Trump supporters.
If you're not going to vote for Joe Biden, at least own it and stop acting hurt by liberals calling you a trump voter.
I wonder how much of that sentiment comes from people shifting left after being staunch Dems for years. It's hard to completely break away, especially when the new group you are breaking to is considered "fringe" and is much less accepted in mainstream society.
Voting for Hillary was a vote for a Trump
Throw away vote for a non viable candidate that could never win
Lol. Trump is a fascist
So I think he's better off in the proto-fascist category tbh but quibbling details aside it's always worthwhile pulling people up on this because:
a) If Trump really is a fascist then what resistance did they mount against his administration while he was in power?
(Which belies their claim that they actually believe he is a fascist and/or that they are opposed to fascism; if Hitler comes to power tomorrow, are you going to write mean-spirited comments bodyshaming him on social media throughout the day and then rest easy in the knowledge that you did your best to resist fascism?)
b) If they are invoking history—and they are—then they deserve a crash course in the history of the twilight of the Weimar Republic:
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Hitler wasn't elected into power, he and his ministers were appointed to essentially all the levers of power in the Weimar Republic, so voting against Hitler wouldn't have achieved anything.
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The SPD formed a coalition with the Nazis and Von Hindenburg to establish a government, meaning that the party which was for all intents and purposes much further left than the Democrats are today not only failed to oppose Hitler's rise to power but they actively facilitated it by being willingly complicit in it (see screenshot below).
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Prior to the coalition government, the SPD held power in government and used that to crack down on the KPD and the paramilitary arms of the party while letting brownshirts run rampant across Germany, terrorising the people (especially Jewish people, queer people etc.)
So if their argument is that we need to learn from history to stop fascism, what lessons have they drawn from their investigation of history exactly?
To vote fascism out? To vote for the fascist-enabler party to prevent fascism from seizing power?ShowThese people are deeply unserious.
Liberals act like Trump winning would be "the end of democracy" and that voting Biden is our only chance to save it, but if you press them on this, or lurk their private spaces, and ask them specifically what they think Trump winning a second term will entail, they'll usually cave and admit they think the basic institutions of the US government will likely survive another Trump term, he'll just throw a bunch of wrenches in the works and do bad stuff. This r/neoliberal thread shows this, half the commenters are admitting a second Trump term would likely be the same as the first, the country will survive but Trump and his gang with do a bunch of shenanigans.
So they know they're being hyperbolic. And it's hurting them, people remember the Trump presidency and things are about the same now as they were then. Nobody is buying the histrionics. So why are they doing it? A more honest presentation of the situation, "hey another Trump term will suck, voting Biden is just basic harm reduction" would probably be more convincing to average voters, and why focus so much energy on the tiny minority of anti-electoralist leftists in the country? They're totally shooting themselves in the foot here.
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If (any ranking politician in the imperial core) really is a fascist then what resistance did they mount against his administration while he was in power?
If it's anything, there's a case to be made that Hitler was often a hindrance to the Nazi party efforts and if he got taken out then he might have been replaced by someone more competent and effective. Idk enough to know the truth of that claim but I can see how it could be valid.
Then there's all the usual criticisms that come with adventurism (shout out to the RadLib I'm in a discussion with elsewhere who said "Terrorism is based! That's what we [anarchists] are all about!" - exactly the kind of mentality that had Ukrainian anarchists joining the front at the start of the civil war to oppose fascism and then turning around and joining the fascists - because they were better armed and better organised
Show)So what does that leave us with? It's always the same answer - agitate, educate, organise.
Fascists, who aren't of the street gang variety, are typically well organised and well supported. The only viable way of mounting a meaningful resistance to them is by having a strong party, a strong movement, and strong ties to the broader community.
It's exceedingly unlikely that there will be a pivot point of history where you can personally stop fascism with a single act. Even more unlikely that you'll be there at the right time, in the right place, with the right resources. Fascism is a systemic rot, not just the figurehead of a movement.
And it's always worth considering that even if you happen to find yourself at a pivot point in history with the right resources, the chips aren't necessarily going to fall in your favour - arguably the assassination attempt on Bolsonaro brought him mainstream attention and elevated his political career. Reagan polled markedly better after his assassination attempt. I'm not going to armchair quarterback history or anything but often there are unforeseen circumstances and unexpected consequences that come with drastic actions.
Oh, I'm not saying it's
is the only option. But that we are living in the Imperial Core, and any debate about whether or not our leader is fascist is just silly. The bad thing is happening, has been happening, and in many ways western leftists are no different than the
s. That became very apparent with how quickly the left hopped on the anti-mask train (We do love our trains, folks.) Now ignoring the plight of immunocompromised as we'd been ignoring the plight of the global South and every other victim of class struggle most of us virtue signal about.
if it's anything, there's a case to be made that Hitler was often a hindrance to the Nazi party efforts and if he got taken out then he might have been replaced by someone more competent and effective.
I've heard many tales of this mythical "more competent and effective" fascist and to them I say "have you met a fascist?"
Fascists are extremely rational and effective and it's why communism lost in the 21st century and the USSR collapsed. It's why 20+ million soviet citizens were killed. Fascists fulfill their role very well, to crush the left and stabilize and reset bourgeois capitalist systems.
Fascists only seem stupid and incompetent if you listen to what they say literally and take them at their words. The things they say are absurd, but they are distractions and tools to further their aims - which they almost always achieve. Don't underestimate the right.
If Trump really is a fascist then what resistance did they mount against his administration while he was in power?
I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration by Anonymous
Robert Mueller
Mike Pence
Ruthkanda
SPD held power in government and used that to crack down on the KPD and the paramilitary arms of the party while letting brownshirts run rampant across Germany
After WW1 they did drowned in blood not even one but something like five or six revolution attempts, but when the fash attempted a coup (Kapp putsch) they planted heads in ground like ostrich and it were the workers who saved them as usual.
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How does these types react to answers politely scolding them for being counterproductive, like:
Voter shaming doesn't work. It just makes you look like an asshole and makes your candidate look off-putting by association. If you want to do your party a favour, get them to run on a platform that people can support.
it only makes them angrier because it should work
try going into one of these threads and saying "I will absolutely vote for Biden, but..." and then make all the arguments we would normally make and they'll still go fucking sicko on you
If you want me to vote Democrats maybe pick one who isn't pro-genocide? Geez
If you voted for Trump it would be two votes for Trump. Quick mafs.
As someone who's never step foot in the USA, I will not be voting for Biden.
I am sorry comrades for voting for Trump.
Trump has about a 35% ceiling for fascist voters in the US
what the fuck does this mean? 35% of what exactly? what do they mean by ceiling? are they saying only 35% of voters will vote for Trump? if that's the case then
will win easily so what the hell does it matter? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Only about 2/3 of eligible voters actually do so in elections, which is a sign of a healthy democracy.
I think this person meant to say floor. As in 35% will always vote for a Republican no matter what.
No they probably meant ceiling. Despite the propaganda fascism is actually unpopular. People really don't like trump.
If Trump is a fascist, why aren't Democrats doing everything in their power to stop him? Why aren't they stuffing the court? Why aren't they going after his states? Why aren't they kidnapping him and breaking his knees? If he really is a fascist then there is no excuse for taking the maximum amount of action to stop him. If you could prevent Hitler coming into power by offering free college to Weimar Germany, wouldn't you do it?
"But if we cross the line then we lose something as a country and damage our democracy!"
Okay so if playing by the rules puts us in a situation where fascists can win and non-fascists lose (twice) then what good are the rules? Why are you okay with preserving the status quo if it results in fascism?
Like, at some point, you have to start thinking about stuff further than memes you see on r/WhitePeopleTwitter.
If you could prevent Hitler coming into power by
I mean I'd just vote for 99% Hitler; someone like Mengele or something, and you just KNOW Mengele was much less than 99% Hitler. Everything would've turned out okay.
If you think about it, Hitler probably prevented someone even more evil than him from taking power, so everyone who voted for him was actually doing us a favor.
I've seen people unironically say Hitler was the worse choice for Germany because he was a bad wartime leader and that's the only reason
Biden is also a fascist and is currently actively supplying the bombs being used in the genocide of the palestinian people.
If you think you can convince anyone to vote for a man performing a genocide, you have a surprise coming. You are asking people to endorse a genocider by arguing someone else will be an even worse genocider.
At what point are you going to realise that the system is broken and that continuing to take part in it is just endorsing the system? Stop wasting your time with it and work with people aiming to replace it.
Is hex even still connected with lemm.ee? Haven't seen anyone from there in a while, might be wasting my time.
Hexbear is still federated with lemm.ee but I think the vast majority of them individually blocked us, or were banned by us.
We have a very strict guidelines on here about keeping queer users safe from harassment, and whoops turns out a lot of people just can't stop flinging slurs around in DMs. So our (very good and cool) admins/mods have a huge number of users from other instances banned.
Yes, America is a two party fascist state. It genuinely does not matter who I vote for for President, fascism is the only outcome. I can, occasionally, minimize the levels of fascism close to me when certain candidates win primaries near me, even though that is also pretty minimal, but it does have much more of a real impact than voting for President. Biden, in particular, has shown absolutely zero indications that he is better than Trump in policy.
primaries
Those are funny things. Wasn't Biden one of the least supported candidate in the last primaries with Bernie leading and multiple people between them? Then all of them suddenly supported Biden, and Bernie supported Biden too eventually. Weird how that democracy works.
You know what the saddest part is? I didn't even expect Bernie to be not-fascist (at least in terms of foreign policy), I just wanted to see how the system would handle him. We certainly got our answer, primaries that would have been called election fraud if they had occured in any under-developed country.
If Americas guy got treated like Bernie did there would have been drone strikes and sanctions by the end of the week (probably on Friday to give the media time to spin it while people are tuned out).
Biden won a single red state primary which meant he was the winner of the overall primary.
3 presidential runs and it was his first primary win.
The shit was rigged, but by giving southern states a say at all (especially that early) is part of how it was rigged. If they’d done swing states first, then strongholds, and then states they are guaranteed to lose the math would have been very different.
but by giving southern states a say at all (especially that early) is part of how it was rigged
Now South Carolina is the first primary for dems. Its the new Iowa for them
Damn, that's such a fuck you blatant move at preventing another Bernie. Once again, the Dems only get their claws out and seriously play politics when it's to stop all movement leftward.
Exactly. They don't want us involved in politics at all except as a scapegoat, punching bag, or bogeyman
and this, kids, is how we got to the present, in which Biden isn't on the ballot in New Hampshire and needs to run a write-in campaign.
I keep looking into the primaries and the way that it looks to me they can just pick anybody regardless of the "votes." Why would Primaries ever be the answer when we need to pick a good 3rd party and run it home?
Yeah primaries are certainly not the answer. I was specifically talking about local elections shit, but even that doesn't work most of the time, these last couple of times I've had two complete shitbirds to vote for (even the so called 'progressive' candidate is a complete mess) and the progressive one shits the bed in the primaries and the establishment Dem candidate shits the bed in the general.
Hasn't Biden been better with the NLRB, and climate? He also did that big infrastructure bill, and pardoned people in jail on weed offences.
Like he's been objectively better than trump on domestic policy. And I don't see any reason to think trump would have cut funding to Israel.
What the fuck are you talking about about? He literally broke up the rail strike, invested in hydrogen infrastructure (a type of fuel that isn't green and pretty much everyone has commerically abandoned) instead of building actual infrastructure such as trains or affordable housing, and only pardoned people with federal weed offenses, which accounts for less than 1% of all weed related convictions.
I'd argue that he has been worse for domestic politics because people have literally stopped paying attention to the bad shit the American government does domestically as naturally as breathing. He has increased the funding of the border from Trump, lost access to abortion for millions of women, opened up more oil drilling permits across the U.S. and has repeatedly fumbled on trans rights and COVID policy. Nothing has actually changed policy-wise, just optics.
I don't think Trump would have cut funding to Israel, but that doesn't mean I have to vote for either genocidal removed.