All the takes are correct and yet they also miss the point.
Yes, it was insane for the Democrats to think they could win by running a soulless candidate, without a shred of progressive policy vision, pursuing endorsements from neocon war-hawks everybody hates, while arming and funding a genocide, and belittling and crushing those who have enough morality to protest it. It is enraging that the Democrats are so smug and blind to this.
But these are all just symptoms. The deeper reality is that liberalism has failed, liberalism is dead, and people urgently need to wake up to this fact and respond accordingly. It is a defunct ideology that cannot offer any meaningful solutions to our social and ecological crises and it must be abandoned.
Democrats have proven over and over again that they cannot accept even *basic* steps like public healthcare, affordable housing, and a public job guarantee - things that would dramatically improve the material, social and political conditions of the working classes. And they cannot accept a public finance strategy that would steer production away from fossil fuels and toward green transition to give us a shot at a liveable future.
Why? Because these things run against the objectives of capital accumulation. And for liberals capital is sacrosanct. They will do whatever it takes to ensure elite accumulation, it is their only consistent commitment. At home, they suppress and demonize progressive and socialist tendencies. Abroad, they engage in endless wars and violence to suppress input prices in the global South and prevent any possibility of sovereign economic development.
The Democrats have done all this purposefully and knowingly, for my whole life, not as some kind of "mistake" but in full consciousness that it is in the interests of capital.
And because liberalism cannot address our crises, and because it crushes socialist alternatives, it inevitably paves the way for right-wing populism. They know this pattern, and yet they risk it every time - this election being only the most recent example. They did it in 2016, when they actively crushed the Sanders campaign and sent Trump to the White House. They do it because ultimately they (and I mean the liberal ruling class here) don't really mind if fascists take power, so long as the latter too ensure the conditions for capital accumulation. They 100% prefer this to the possibility of a socialist alternative.
So, progressives have to face reality. The dream of "converting" the Democratic party is dead. This is now a fact and it must be accepted. The only option is to build a mass-based movement that can reclaim the working classes and mobilize a political vehicle that can integrate disparate progressive struggles into a unified and formidable political force and achieve substantive transformation. This will take real work, actual organizing, but it must be done and that process must begin now.
If you plan on voting for Jill Stein or Trump because of the war in the Middle East, please watch and reconsider. It’s just 6 minutes and it’s worth the watch.
A Trump supporter was seated next to an older woman on an airplane and he turned to her and said, “Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.”
The old woman, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger,
“What would you want to talk about?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said the man. “How about how they stole the election in 2020 and Donald Trump should be president.”
“Okay,” she said. “Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff – grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?”
The man, visibly surprised by the old woman’s, thinks about it and says, “Hmmm, I have no idea.”
To which the old woman replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss politics, when you don’t know shit?”
I, and so many of my family and friends, grew up learning about the evils of slavery, and the Holocaust, and what was done to the Native Americans here.
It made me ABHOR the actions of those hateful people in history.
It didn't make me not love America. It made me determined to never allow those things to happen again.
The same people who talk so much about snowflakes and being soft are afraid their kids can't handle the truth so they want to whitewash it?
That's PATHETIC.
I just asked ChatGPT to write a song about Donald Trump going to prison, set to the tune of “Gilligan’s Island.” Amazingly, the app came up with the following verses in literally ONE SECOND:
🎶🎵
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of Trump's demise,
From a golden throne to prison bars, his fall we can't disguise.
He promised greatness, power, fame — a leader strong and bold,
But deceit and lies were his whole game, a story to be told.
The trial started getting rough, the truth began to spread,
The former leader's actions shown, the darkness overhead.
With lawyers by his side, Trump fought, but justice would not bend,
No pardon to protect his fate, the law it will defend.
In a courtroom with the evidence, the jury found their way,
There’s no escape from what Trump’s done, no matter what he'd say.
The ship of truth sailed steadily, the verdict soon to land,
From glory days to prison cell, his fate now in their hands.
The captain of this fateful trip, the Trump of the White House,
He'll pay the price for all his deeds, no way to squirm or grouse.
He'll serve his time, reflect upon the choices he once made,
A cautionary tale it is, for leaders yet to fade.
As the tale concludes, we see, the consequences clear,
No matter who you are, my friend, the law remains sincere.
Let's learn from history's lessons told, to seek a brighter day,
Where truth and justice guide us all, as we move on our way.
🎵🎶
@MugshotGames I'm greatly enjoying your game. Thank you for your work on it. Wondering: how do I get turtles from previous release? I can't figure out how to activate. Tx.
If I Like and/or Retweet your swell tweet without commenting, it’s probably because I read the replies and someone had made a version of my comment already.
Good citizen protocol.
Last year, a coworker randomly asked me to hand-deliver an antique violin across the country. I said yes, because why not. I had no idea what I was getting into, and now I need your help. A 🧵