turnbullac wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2024 3:02 pm A pretty OK article from talking head Anand Giridharadas:

https://the.ink/p/bidens-choice-fight-flight-or-freeze

Yes, lots of valid points.

I'd be putting my money on freeze though, unfortunately.

Curry Pervert wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2024 6:08 pm

turnbullac wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2024 3:02 pm A pretty OK article from talking head Anand Giridharadas:

https://the.ink/p/bidens-choice-fight-flight-or-freeze

Yes, lots of valid points.

I'd be putting my money on freeze though, unfortunately.

The article forgets the fourth F: “fuck.” Polite psychologists refer to it as “fawn”, but I am not polite. The fourth response to a threat is to lick’em if you can’t beat’em. Establishment Democrats have been licking sucking fucking and being fucked by establishment Republicans, because they all suck the boners of the same corporate donors.

Curry Pervert wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2024 6:08 pm

turnbullac wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2024 3:02 pm A pretty OK article from talking head Anand Giridharadas:

https://the.ink/p/bidens-choice-fight-flight-or-freeze

Yes, lots of valid points.

I'd be putting my money on freeze though, unfortunately.

I agree. Total freeze mode

cakes wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2024 11:29 am

enframed wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2024 10:07 am

jfv wrote: Sun Jul 07, 2024 3:19 pm In other (surprising) news..

Yay France!

Fuck, man, I wish the USA has "snap" elections, or campaigning limited to 30 days. I bet we'd see different outcomes.

Holy shit, that would be amazing. We waste so much fucking money on elections, it's embarrassing. It would be really hard to change this, it would probably require making it a law. But no party will have the balls to do reform like this. We're stuck in the dance of the two-party system, locking out legitimate 3rd parties and allowing money as free speech into campaigning. There's so many mountains to climb before we can get to even fixing the election time frame.

That absolute deluge of money is why nothing gets better in the country: it costs so much to get elected to any office that the candidates then have to be regulatory proxies for their donors. It's called "regulatory capture," and it's all about the quid pro quo.

Regulatory capture is a process by which regulatory agencies become dominated by the interests of those they were originally charged to regulate. In this state, the regulatory agency may directly or indirectly work to serve the interests of private firms rather than the general public. - George Washington University.

And the people who are on the RECEIVING end of this money, ultimately, are media outlets. The reason that the fucker who owns your local NBC affiliate owns a lake house and four jet skis is all of those campaign commercials. You'll never hear a bad word about our current campaign finance shitshow from any of the people who cash those cheques.

Bill Clinton, besides being a serial sexual predator, was the President who assiduously uncoupled the Democratic Party from the Labor Unions. The working class lost their voice in US politics when the Third Way democrats assumed power.

If you are a USian who wants to see the Democratic Party pivot back the improving the material well-being of the working class, it's time to think about joining a union. ANY union. It's the only way you're ever going to rip these lanyard-and-clipboard types off the Movie Stars and Tech Bros money-titty.

dontfeartheringo wrote: Thu Jul 11, 2024 3:51 pm
If you are a USian who wants to see the Democratic Party pivot back the improving the material well-being of the working class, it's time to think about joining a union. ANY union. It's the only way you're ever going to rip these lanyard-and-clipboard types off the Movie Stars and Tech Bros money-titty.

100%. Biden has to work on his platform and court the unions because there are certain states you can't win without them. My union gives voting recommendations from top to bottom of the ballot.

dontfeartheringo wrote: Thu Jul 11, 2024 3:51 pm Bill Clinton, besides being a serial sexual predator, was the President who assiduously uncoupled the Democratic Party from the Labor Unions. The working class lost their voice in US politics when the Third Way democrats assumed power.

If you are a USian who wants to see the Democratic Party pivot back the improving the material well-being of the working class, it's time to think about joining a union. ANY union. It's the only way you're ever going to rip these lanyard-and-clipboard types off the Movie Stars and Tech Bros money-titty.

100%

“Big finger pointing up”

The only way to stop the rot is increasing the power people have over their own lives. Particularly their working and productive lives. It helps everyone, especially those that need help the most. It’s not “big government” which shuts down arguments of government overreach. It increases productivity, which when workers are in control enriches everyone, not just goblins like Musk.

Government shouldn’t just increase the power of organised labour, it should actively encourage cooperative ownership, employee ownership etc through the tax and regulatory system. .

I've said it a thousand times: Three day working week, one day community/block work (this, tied to UBI), and a three day weekend.

Head in that direction, and see some change happen.

I would think that the downfall of all of this is always tied with capital and money. The constant downsizing in funding towards the IRS that started early this century has rapidly increased the division in mid/low end people, who make the majority of your country. Dunno, that would be people until 100k before tax I suppose and is 2/3s of the country. Coupled with the fact that te top rich people became enormously richer in the process and didn't contribute in the process with no or very little income tax.

It has and always be about money, with "people's rights" just a side show in the process. And this has gone to such levels in the world, that only a big reset will do the trick.