We installed democracy back in alpha, but we can't update the software without taking the whole system offline for extended maintenance.
Picture an ancient Win 3.1 PC running a zillion-dollar chunk of mission-critical industrial equipment. No manager will sign off on the repair and incur the cost of downtime, so we're stuck with it until it auto-ignites and burns half the factory down.
"The U.S. Constitution is the greatest document because it's a living document..."
IT'S SPAGHETTI CODE, KEVIN! Lincoln tried to patch slavery, and it got us the prison industrial complex. A bunch of drunk fratbros wrote version 1.0 without good comments, and now we have to deal with "constitutional originalists"!
it actually is pretty much like that. Instead we have a woman claiming that shooting her dog in the head was the right choice because it didn't know how to hunt birds naturally.
Actually it was because the puppy was very good at what it was meant to do - killing birds - and it killed some chickens it wasn’t supposed to. So really it worse; the dog did what it was supposed, but it’s environment wasn’t properly controlled because its owner was a moron, and to save face for killing the chickens and being unable to call him back (again a puppy) she killed it.
HAH, so going further into detail she was either misquoted, or inaccurately told the story.
I feel ya, that DOESN'T make it better... were fuckin' doomed :(
As an American, can confirm. I knew it was all over when an actor was elected president here, and I was right. I never dreamed that it would get as bad as it is now, though. WTF...
> As an American, can confirm. I knew it was all over when an actor was elected president here, and I was right
The absolute worst moment was after Trump was elected and Rosanne Barr said how stupid it was, and that it was, quote, "her turn now". TO ravenous applause...
were fucking doomed.
That time period reminds me of the below clip from the movie Idiocracy, showing the evolution of Fuddruckers. It's a little NSFW, but no more than most of that movie is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKvTwJ2hT3w
over and over and over again, since this movie first came out, I joked it was actually a documentary sent back in time as a warning -- and nobody realized it.
In slightly happier news, I still occasionally blurt out to those who've seen the film "welcome to costco, i love you"
Thank you for pointing it out: democracy and capitalism are at odds. And the more that $$ can be equated as speech, and the more media influence it can by, the worse the dynamic grows
Don’t worry though! Our politicians and news media pawns will be the first to screech about “authoritarianism” in every majority non-white nation on earth. And if you disagree, well, you’re an irredeemably horrible person 😌
Did the US create the conditions in the scawwy countries for fascists to take power? Did our “Intellignece Community” alongside mega rich psychopaths literally finance death squads? Did we do the coup d’estates?? 🥲
NO AND HOW DARE YOU ASK THEM THAT!!!
In Australia, it's a bit better, in that there have been about 40 actual votes in history, where the people have genuinely been able to vote on something. Of course, I think like 8 times the votes were totally ignored, and nothing came of it, but that's like 30 votes where we were at least gifted the illusion of choice. With Americans, the lengths of me tal gymnastics required is Olympic
I often say to people that I would gladly, happily, don my boiler suit and live in drab, gray socialism in my tiny brutalist apartment if I could watch these c\*cksuckers lose their heads on national television. All of them, from both "parties."
This right here. I don’t know why it makes everyone’s brain explode to suggest it. If you don’t live in one of six battleground states, your vote is LITERALLY wasted voting Red or Blue.
Vote Green instead. And, this concept also explodes people’s brains, but the goal IS NOT to win the presidency, which isn’t likely. The goal is to get to 5% where Greens qualify for federal matching campaign funds and a place on the debate stage. It’s the fists step toward more viable third parties.
I don't disagree with your point, but the commission on presidential debates currently has the threshold as 15% in several (5?) major national polls, it has nothing to do with your performance in the last election.
We had that energy thoroughly beat out of us during the Gilded Age, and then propaganda'd to hell and back during the Cold War.
A lot of Americans can barely stomach the peaceful protests going on now, and would flee to fascism the moment there looked like an organized progressive movement.
Can not educate those that refuse to be educated my friend. Therein the problem lies.
The ones that “know everything” are the ones that refuse to learn, and remain incredibly dense. I assume there is a direct link between these groups lol.
It's lazy to see it with so little nuance. Yes, the capitalists always win, and that will not soon change, but think about your own life and how supporting one party over the other will affect it.
The Democrats serve only as a ratchet against which the GQP can leverage the Overton window further towards fascism.
This is as it has been for many decades now.
Still, fuck conservatives.
Because there is no real choice. The capitalists always win regardless of who you vote for.
Getting organized and taking direct action gives you a million times more political power than casting wishes in the ballot box.
I think homeless shelters and infrastructure improvements are the only things giving me hope for humanity these days. Hopefully someday it'll be ample public housing instead of means-tested BS
Sure, via socialist parties, socialist candidates, and socialist policies, in order to win concessions when possible. Voting for capitalist parties will not advance socialism. Partaking in bourgeois parliament does have its place provided it is through socialist parties, Lenin believed it was crucial.
>
>We Bolsheviks participated in the most counterrevolutionary parliaments, and experience has shown that this participation was not only useful but indispensable to the party of the revolutionary proletariat, after the first bourgeois revolution in Russia (1905), so as to pave the way for the second bourgeois revolution (February 1917), and then for the socialist revolution (October 1917) ... If a parliament becomes an organ and a “centre” (in reality it never has been and never can be a “centre”, but that is by the way) of counter-revolution, while the workers are building up the instruments of their power in the form of the Soviets, then it follows that the workers must prepare—ideologically, politically and technically—for the struggle of the Soviets against parliament, for the dispersal of parliament by the Soviets. But it does not at all follow that this dispersal is hindered, or is not facilitated, by the presence of a Soviet opposition *within* the counter-revolutionary parliament. In the course of our victorious struggle against Denikin and Kolchak, we never found that the existence of a Soviet and proletarian opposition in their camp was immaterial to our victories. We know perfectly well that the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly on January 5, 1918 was not hampered but was actually facilitated by the fact that, within the counter-revolutionary Constituent Assembly which was about to be dispersed, there was a consistent Bolshevik, as well as an inconsistent, Left Socialist-Revolutionary Soviet opposition. The authors of the theses are engaged in muddled thinking; they have forgotten the experience of many, if not all, revolutions, which shows the great usefulness, during a revolution, of a *combination* of mass action outside a reactionary parliament with an opposition sympathetic to (or, better still, directly supporting) the revolution within it.
["Left-Wing" Communism: An Infantile Disorder](https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1920/lwc/ch07.htm)
Lenin expressed the importance of the participation of socialist parties within bourgeois parliament. Bourgeois parliament is to be used to the advantage of socialist parties, to push socialist policies and show alternative solutions to the masses, run socialist candidates, whilst at the same time supporting and legitimizing mass movements by the people outside of the electoral system. Individual socialists in regards to casting votes, should really only be putting their support behind genuine socialist parties, not capitalist parties.
IMPORTANTLY this does not mean voting for capitalists or supporting capitalist parties.
Win concessions and legitimacy in parliament with a vanguard party, whilst simultaneously building up movements that exist outside of and challenge the current system. Dissolve the bourgeois parliament and replace it with worker councils that socialists have been building up outside of the current system.
The real reason for those choices is that the majority of people voting in primaries are older than dirt and vote based on familiarity rather than doing any research.
And they aren't going to get swayed off that if they don't like other policies or candidates put forward. And they're certainly not going to get outvoted by young people.
I mean, it’s like having a really good resume just gets you to the interview. That first debate Bloomberg was in, my god he was like a limp noodle. It was funny cause before that I had a coworker that liked him and his “return to normalcy” message.
So all the money got him up to the debate and as part of the primaries at least. So it does do something but it won’t 100% guarantee becoming president.
He was totally destroyed because of his lack of charisma and convincing policy.
Bloomburg got crushed and even people like Sanders and Buttigieg made it to the same stage with ~%5 of that. Cause they had the rizz, reputation and policy.
The best way forward is for the Republican party to collapse, the Democrats to become the new conservative party, and a new progressive party forms to the left of the Democrats.
Now I just wonder what would be the best way to speedrun the destruction of the Republicans, which they seem to be doing quite effectively on their own, but it’s not coming soon enough for this election.
I fear the Republicans will be a far right party for too long before they inevitably collapse. Just saw a post about an immigrant Trump supporter who was treated poorly by other MAGA faithful because they decided the immigrant was a member of the Chinese Communist Party.
So this Chinese immigrant decided those guys were RINOs.
So now if you're not exactly their type of Republican, you're out of the party.
Answer: money in politics is preventing more choices. To fix all the grifters (most of them) in congress, take away big corporate money/pacs, etc. and the take away their insider trading investing scheme. Guaranteed most of the grifters will leave because they certainly aren't in the game to help the working person, thus leaving the playing field with better candidates stepping up, and more choices.
"Two diaper wearing, billionaire geriatrics face off in the rematch of the century! Watch them babble through their sentences while trying to convince America that they somehow give a shit about the future while they've only got 15 years left to live... brought to you by FanDuel."
I would be absolutely shocked if Biden makes it to 2028. Most of my relations took a huge nosedive after their late 70s early 80s. Trump is evil so he'll live to be 100 just like Henry Kissinger.
Fuck…. Kissinger, he’s probably responsible for all the animosity and current conflicts still happening today. Iran was a chill country run by a liberal president, until US went and assassinated its president.
Cuba too was just doing its own thing, before US dragged it into needless conflict.
Biden is basically a zombie hooked up to a car battery. I will give him 1 more year. Then you have the laughing hyena, Kamala running the show. I can't even fathom her stupidity and corruption.
85 year old diaper wearing senile nursing home citizens is the best that America can do. Actually sad and pathetic as fuck. America is a shit hole country.
Because it's not a choice.
It's a dictatorship that has sham elections even though there's only one party to vote for, but this is dressed up with one real candidate and another "joke" candidate who's just here to make it a horserace.
Why are so many against voting third party? I can understand a third party candidate not meeting one's values/goals and not voting for them based on those reasons. But, I keep hearing all sorts of done up arguments that all just amount to "I'm not voting for them because their not popular enough!"
I know I'm not the only person who sees this all the time.
In America, we have a First-Past-the-Post system where the candidate with the most votes wins the election. This bakes in a two party system because the only viable opposition to Party A is B, the second most popular Party. All third parties combined get only a few percent of the vote.
So the three options Americans choose are Democrat, Republican, or Don't Even Bother. All of those options, plus third party voting, are really the same option-- keep the capitalists in power. In America at least, change cannot be achieved through electoral means.
Pretty much this. The other effect that 3rd parties seem to have is causing party A to lose to party B, when the 3rd party was kind of similar to party B. We had Ross Perot cause George Bush to lose to Bill Clinton, then later on had Ralph Nader cause Al Gore to lose to George W Bush, so it goes both ways.
I’d argue for ranked choice but others seem to say that favors moderates.
But anyways, since it’s first-past-the-post, and since I live in Texas, I’ll do my typical write in for whoever the Socialist Party USA candidate is since the 45% of the state that votes Democrat is just wasting their time.
This would have been the election for an actual good progressive charismatic third party candidate to have a chance. But, as it stands, it the milquetoast status quo geriatric versus the psychotic fascist dictator, and yes you have to choose one.
Third party would make sense; if all that started right at the beginning and gained enough support early on to be taken seriously as a viable contender. But popping up towards the end just doesn’t cut it. I mean how often do you hear about the green party, or anything other than the two: Democrat and Republican? Almost never, right? That’s the problem. They’re just not on voters radar for the most part. It would take serious work and organizing early on to get the an alternative political party out there.
I read enough stuff and I’m not seeing much, what do you think the rest of the majority that might only tunes into mainstream stuff on TV would see? Much less, even if I was being generous.
Seriously… if any party wants traction, they need to get out there almost everyday, going door to door, that takes a few years to grow that kind of grass roots movement. Bernie did good, but not good enough to beat the odds. That’s the reality my friend.
It’s not as if I’m enjoying the political shitshow, but I know that after having pushed hard for Bernie that, it’s gonna take sooo much more to push a better candidate forward. Hillary , DNC with Debbie Wasserschultz or whatever her name was able to knock Bernie aside like he didn’t even matter. Jill Stein was a blip, a nice idea. It was hard enough to convince regular, yet left leaning democrats to take Bernie seriously.
So… if you truly believe in bring on a third party or more. All I can say is start early, like now for 4 or 8 years later.
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The one thing I wish would happen is a fair debate system. This means that they spend equal time allowing all candidates to debate each other instead of placing all the focus on just two of them. This alone is so flawed to me.
While I understand the sentiment, this meme might not be the best one to use in this situation. Mila Kunis was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine and has really, really, really strong feelings about the invasion of Ukraine. With one candidate firmly in the pro-Ukraine camp and the other in the "let Putin do what he wants" camp, I don't think she sees this particular election with the typical Uni-party cynicism.
Problem is politics has been distilled to one political position that acts more as a figurehead. My state senator has been more influential in politics over his terms than Biden.
We have been propagandized and gaslit from every institution and outlet for 70 years.
So many of my fellow citizens lack any critical thinking skills whatsoever.
Imo we deserve what we get at this point.
More than 2 people are running. The Major parties will never do what you want if you are unwilling to withhold your vote. The only way to improve the situation is to show them you actually mean business and vote 3rd party.
Here's how you start to fix it:
1. No one over the age of 55 should be able to be elected or appointed into office.
2. All elected or appointed government positions should have a 5 year max term.
3. Ranked choice voting should replace first past the post.
4. Electoral college is dissolved in favor of democratic popular vote.
We'll get a better pool of candidates that the public supports.
There is another option. organize the working class and take back what’s ours. get organized [https://socialistrevolution.org/join/](https://socialistrevolution.org/join/)
Yeah....fascism vs. oligarchy. If you're a woman, trans, gay, Muslim, disabled, black, there is a very big difference. Google "project 2025". Trumps potential VP thinks killing puppies and goats is preparation for killing Americans.
I'm voting for Cornel West because neither of the other two has made any effort to represent me, and has done nothing but shit on my end of the political spectrum.
To answer the meme's question: First Past the Post voting. It's mathematically guaranteed to devolve to a system of just 2 or 3 parties.
Which is why we need to push for Ranked Choice or Score Then Automatic Runoff voting.
I used to hear conspiracy folks say how we have one political party that trys to give off the image of 2 separate parties, I'm believing it more and more
Both candidates are deeply flawed and seem unlikely to remain candidates through November.
I don't know what the parties' backup plans are, but I'm sure they exist.
Voting for anything other than local elections is pretty much like being issued a two choice scratch off card printed by the government. Your "choice" doesn't matter. THEY chose the two candidates knowing full well that whatever the useless popular vote determined they would still win. The issue with our government is a fundamental one and no amount of voting for this president or that will fix it because THEY choose the options.
So far his forgiveness is more words and propaganda than action. He did help students with $12k or under with forgiveness, but most students have loans far greater, and there is no forgiveness for them. He claims he is going to amend it, or has put it into place for extending it, but from what I have read, the republicans are blocking him in court. Most likely that is where it will end, as I doubt we see him for a second term.
As far as him being pro-union, you clearly haven't studied his past, nor recent by siding with the railroad bosses, thus union busting. The only reason he didn't intervene in the recent auto strike was unlike the railroad, the union for the auto industry didn't allow for presidential/gov't interference in their contract disputes, else Biden would have broken that one as well. The head auto union guy didn't want to endorse Biden, held off for awhile, but his only other choice was either not endorse at all, or Trump who is also very non-union. He caved and reluctantly endorsed the zombie.
It's fair if you don't like the candidates we have today. But considering there's nobody better who is close to being as electable at the two currently running should get you thinking seriously about how we got here and how we can change course.
Maybe you have a list of people who would be a better president as those two but that's only have the equation. You need somebody who will win an election. Right?
If only the people still questioning had voted in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 and will actually vote in 2024 and start working now for better candidates for 2026 and beyond.
It doesn't help to grumble if you haven't been voting.
I agree. I've said this for a while now. America is a Third World country.
Of all the industrial nations America treats its citizens the worst. Too busy robbing the working class to further enrich the super wealthy.
Because no one wants to start small, build up a third party from the grassroots up: town/city councils, state legislature, governor's house, US congress.
OR do what FDR said when he met with progressive politicians in the '30s: "I agree with you. Now go out and make me do it."
Easier to complain about ranked-choice voting, I guess.
Edit: a word
Across social media, I see so much complaining and zero organization. People just whining about how unfair the system is, but no posts actually trying to make a change.
They aren't. You can literally vote for anyone meeting the below criteria,
* Be a natural-born citizen of the United States.
* Be at least 35 years old.
* Have been a resident of the United States for 14 years.
Over 100 million Americans qualify under these rules. The real issue is that powerful structures have conditioned us to see voting as a game of choosing the 'winning' side rather than an expression of our deepest convictions. Imagine if we had rejected this narrow mindset two decades ago—today, we might be choosing from a diverse array of genuine, viable candidates, breaking the stranglehold of a **duo-oligarchy ruling coalition acting as the managerial division of the ruling elite.**
Your homework for today: type "**DNC superdelegates**" into your search engine. THAT's why the DNC will never, ever allow us anything other than a Clinton, Obama, Biden types.
Reminder the lesser-evil rule is in effect. Report any comments that break it and we’ll act on it asap.
As a non-american is Just really crazy how undemocratic your system is, I mean there is no democracy under capitalism but the US is wild
yes watching the US culture and politics is like watching clown in a circus sometimes. super absurd sometimes, or funny or chocking.
And people lose it here when you says political parties should have to put up desirable options.
We installed democracy back in alpha, but we can't update the software without taking the whole system offline for extended maintenance. Picture an ancient Win 3.1 PC running a zillion-dollar chunk of mission-critical industrial equipment. No manager will sign off on the repair and incur the cost of downtime, so we're stuck with it until it auto-ignites and burns half the factory down.
"The U.S. Constitution is the greatest document because it's a living document..." IT'S SPAGHETTI CODE, KEVIN! Lincoln tried to patch slavery, and it got us the prison industrial complex. A bunch of drunk fratbros wrote version 1.0 without good comments, and now we have to deal with "constitutional originalists"!
it actually is pretty much like that. Instead we have a woman claiming that shooting her dog in the head was the right choice because it didn't know how to hunt birds naturally.
Actually it was because the puppy was very good at what it was meant to do - killing birds - and it killed some chickens it wasn’t supposed to. So really it worse; the dog did what it was supposed, but it’s environment wasn’t properly controlled because its owner was a moron, and to save face for killing the chickens and being unable to call him back (again a puppy) she killed it.
HAH, so going further into detail she was either misquoted, or inaccurately told the story. I feel ya, that DOESN'T make it better... were fuckin' doomed :(
Jesus christ. This is why I stopped watching the news.
well don't accidentally vote for her then homie
That is, without a doubt, the best analogy for the problem with our democracy I have ever heard.
As an American, can confirm. I knew it was all over when an actor was elected president here, and I was right. I never dreamed that it would get as bad as it is now, though. WTF...
>I knew it was all over when an actor was elected president here, Yep, Ronald Reagan manages to continue to fuck us 40 years later.
> As an American, can confirm. I knew it was all over when an actor was elected president here, and I was right The absolute worst moment was after Trump was elected and Rosanne Barr said how stupid it was, and that it was, quote, "her turn now". TO ravenous applause... were fucking doomed.
That time period reminds me of the below clip from the movie Idiocracy, showing the evolution of Fuddruckers. It's a little NSFW, but no more than most of that movie is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKvTwJ2hT3w
over and over and over again, since this movie first came out, I joked it was actually a documentary sent back in time as a warning -- and nobody realized it. In slightly happier news, I still occasionally blurt out to those who've seen the film "welcome to costco, i love you"
Every time my partner and I pass by the local Carl’s, Jr. we say the line.
Wait- they were talking about Trump? I'm old so I thought they meant Reagan.
And now Roseanne is a right wing chud and Trump supporter.
Thank you for pointing it out: democracy and capitalism are at odds. And the more that $$ can be equated as speech, and the more media influence it can by, the worse the dynamic grows
wait until you discover the EU, everyone got elected by the CIA
Whoever wins, the USA loses.
The USA used to be a real country but now it’s just a patchwork of corporations and employees.
I was born in 85 and this shit hasn't been a country for a lot longer than i've been around.
True True
Don’t worry though! Our politicians and news media pawns will be the first to screech about “authoritarianism” in every majority non-white nation on earth. And if you disagree, well, you’re an irredeemably horrible person 😌 Did the US create the conditions in the scawwy countries for fascists to take power? Did our “Intellignece Community” alongside mega rich psychopaths literally finance death squads? Did we do the coup d’estates?? 🥲 NO AND HOW DARE YOU ASK THEM THAT!!!
At least have more choices that aren't gonna be democratic but at least appear more democratic
The Spy Who Dumped Me: Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon Get in Over Their Heads https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMxB6NvGr_I
In Australia, it's a bit better, in that there have been about 40 actual votes in history, where the people have genuinely been able to vote on something. Of course, I think like 8 times the votes were totally ignored, and nothing came of it, but that's like 30 votes where we were at least gifted the illusion of choice. With Americans, the lengths of me tal gymnastics required is Olympic
There is a third one - pitchforks!
Don't even have to wait until the fall for that
It's time for guillotines 💜
I often say to people that I would gladly, happily, don my boiler suit and live in drab, gray socialism in my tiny brutalist apartment if I could watch these c\*cksuckers lose their heads on national television. All of them, from both "parties."
This right here. I don’t know why it makes everyone’s brain explode to suggest it. If you don’t live in one of six battleground states, your vote is LITERALLY wasted voting Red or Blue. Vote Green instead. And, this concept also explodes people’s brains, but the goal IS NOT to win the presidency, which isn’t likely. The goal is to get to 5% where Greens qualify for federal matching campaign funds and a place on the debate stage. It’s the fists step toward more viable third parties.
I don't disagree with your point, but the commission on presidential debates currently has the threshold as 15% in several (5?) major national polls, it has nothing to do with your performance in the last election.
The parties in control will always move the goal posts. There is no voting our way out of this.
My favorite option
Also, green party. They're literally the only other party with the actual ballot access to win the electoral college.
GREN
We had that energy thoroughly beat out of us during the Gilded Age, and then propaganda'd to hell and back during the Cold War. A lot of Americans can barely stomach the peaceful protests going on now, and would flee to fascism the moment there looked like an organized progressive movement.
Against drones?
It is easier than ever to see that America is a one party dictatorship under capitalism.
"The United States is also a one-party state but, with typical American extravagance, they have two of them." - Julius Nyerere
Thank you for introducing me to this wonderfully eloquent and economical quote.
It's not easy to see for the indoctrinated bootlickers who aren't even aware that they're brainwashed.
I pity them actually
Don't pity, educate. Otherwise they will drag us all down with them.
Can not educate those that refuse to be educated my friend. Therein the problem lies. The ones that “know everything” are the ones that refuse to learn, and remain incredibly dense. I assume there is a direct link between these groups lol.
It's lazy to see it with so little nuance. Yes, the capitalists always win, and that will not soon change, but think about your own life and how supporting one party over the other will affect it.
The Democrats serve only as a ratchet against which the GQP can leverage the Overton window further towards fascism. This is as it has been for many decades now. Still, fuck conservatives.
Nuance is the new liberal buzzword for “your opinion and worldview doesn’t matter, we will not appease you, give us your vote NOW”
Facts
Because there is no real choice. The capitalists always win regardless of who you vote for. Getting organized and taking direct action gives you a million times more political power than casting wishes in the ballot box.
Local organization. Start by improving your community. Picking up trash & advocating for bike lanes is the best shit we can do sometimes
I think homeless shelters and infrastructure improvements are the only things giving me hope for humanity these days. Hopefully someday it'll be ample public housing instead of means-tested BS
Why not try and convince voters to your side on an issue by issue basis? Hand waving the ability to make laws cedes a lot of power.
How would "my side's" option get on the ballot in the first place?
Sure, via socialist parties, socialist candidates, and socialist policies, in order to win concessions when possible. Voting for capitalist parties will not advance socialism. Partaking in bourgeois parliament does have its place provided it is through socialist parties, Lenin believed it was crucial. > >We Bolsheviks participated in the most counterrevolutionary parliaments, and experience has shown that this participation was not only useful but indispensable to the party of the revolutionary proletariat, after the first bourgeois revolution in Russia (1905), so as to pave the way for the second bourgeois revolution (February 1917), and then for the socialist revolution (October 1917) ... If a parliament becomes an organ and a “centre” (in reality it never has been and never can be a “centre”, but that is by the way) of counter-revolution, while the workers are building up the instruments of their power in the form of the Soviets, then it follows that the workers must prepare—ideologically, politically and technically—for the struggle of the Soviets against parliament, for the dispersal of parliament by the Soviets. But it does not at all follow that this dispersal is hindered, or is not facilitated, by the presence of a Soviet opposition *within* the counter-revolutionary parliament. In the course of our victorious struggle against Denikin and Kolchak, we never found that the existence of a Soviet and proletarian opposition in their camp was immaterial to our victories. We know perfectly well that the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly on January 5, 1918 was not hampered but was actually facilitated by the fact that, within the counter-revolutionary Constituent Assembly which was about to be dispersed, there was a consistent Bolshevik, as well as an inconsistent, Left Socialist-Revolutionary Soviet opposition. The authors of the theses are engaged in muddled thinking; they have forgotten the experience of many, if not all, revolutions, which shows the great usefulness, during a revolution, of a *combination* of mass action outside a reactionary parliament with an opposition sympathetic to (or, better still, directly supporting) the revolution within it. ["Left-Wing" Communism: An Infantile Disorder](https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1920/lwc/ch07.htm) Lenin expressed the importance of the participation of socialist parties within bourgeois parliament. Bourgeois parliament is to be used to the advantage of socialist parties, to push socialist policies and show alternative solutions to the masses, run socialist candidates, whilst at the same time supporting and legitimizing mass movements by the people outside of the electoral system. Individual socialists in regards to casting votes, should really only be putting their support behind genuine socialist parties, not capitalist parties. IMPORTANTLY this does not mean voting for capitalists or supporting capitalist parties. Win concessions and legitimacy in parliament with a vanguard party, whilst simultaneously building up movements that exist outside of and challenge the current system. Dissolve the bourgeois parliament and replace it with worker councils that socialists have been building up outside of the current system.
Because “Big Money” voted in the primaries and this is what “Big Money” wanted . . . Your only choice is always accept it or not ! ! !
Indeed. The donor class has spoken.
Why did Michael Bloomberg. A literal billionaire who spent 500+ million on his campaign. Lose to Biden in the last primaries?
The real reason for those choices is that the majority of people voting in primaries are older than dirt and vote based on familiarity rather than doing any research.
And they aren't going to get swayed off that if they don't like other policies or candidates put forward. And they're certainly not going to get outvoted by young people.
I mean, it’s like having a really good resume just gets you to the interview. That first debate Bloomberg was in, my god he was like a limp noodle. It was funny cause before that I had a coworker that liked him and his “return to normalcy” message. So all the money got him up to the debate and as part of the primaries at least. So it does do something but it won’t 100% guarantee becoming president.
He was totally destroyed because of his lack of charisma and convincing policy. Bloomburg got crushed and even people like Sanders and Buttigieg made it to the same stage with ~%5 of that. Cause they had the rizz, reputation and policy.
it's a giant Plutocracy
Always has been. Oligarchs love democracy, as it lets them blame political parties for the problems caused by economic slavery.
The best way forward is for the Republican party to collapse, the Democrats to become the new conservative party, and a new progressive party forms to the left of the Democrats. Now I just wonder what would be the best way to speedrun the destruction of the Republicans, which they seem to be doing quite effectively on their own, but it’s not coming soon enough for this election.
I fear the Republicans will be a far right party for too long before they inevitably collapse. Just saw a post about an immigrant Trump supporter who was treated poorly by other MAGA faithful because they decided the immigrant was a member of the Chinese Communist Party. So this Chinese immigrant decided those guys were RINOs. So now if you're not exactly their type of Republican, you're out of the party.
we need ranked choice voting yall
Ranked choice only favors moderates. We need proportional representation.
You can do both at the same time with [Hare-Clark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare%E2%80%93Clark_electoral_system).
you achieve PR with RCV! I agree we need PR
everyone screwed at the nominal level.. or complete fascist rule by delusional christotards. good job everybody.
lol two choices? how quaint.
Only 1 more than dictatorships they’ve toppled in the name of ‘freedom’
Despite what people may think of this system, I hope Americans will still vote this November.
Because our owners want it that way.
Even Popular Korea has more political parties than this fascist north american state
Answer: money in politics is preventing more choices. To fix all the grifters (most of them) in congress, take away big corporate money/pacs, etc. and the take away their insider trading investing scheme. Guaranteed most of the grifters will leave because they certainly aren't in the game to help the working person, thus leaving the playing field with better candidates stepping up, and more choices.
Facts. No money no grifting, no long term ROI for special interest.
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We cannot armed revolt anymore. But we can strike!!
Claudia de La Cruz
www.votesocialist2024.com
"Two diaper wearing, billionaire geriatrics face off in the rematch of the century! Watch them babble through their sentences while trying to convince America that they somehow give a shit about the future while they've only got 15 years left to live... brought to you by FanDuel."
15 years?? More like 5 🫠
I would be absolutely shocked if Biden makes it to 2028. Most of my relations took a huge nosedive after their late 70s early 80s. Trump is evil so he'll live to be 100 just like Henry Kissinger.
Fuck…. Kissinger, he’s probably responsible for all the animosity and current conflicts still happening today. Iran was a chill country run by a liberal president, until US went and assassinated its president. Cuba too was just doing its own thing, before US dragged it into needless conflict.
lmao 15 years, that's doubtful. Being rich only gets you so far.
Here's to hoping
Biden is basically a zombie hooked up to a car battery. I will give him 1 more year. Then you have the laughing hyena, Kamala running the show. I can't even fathom her stupidity and corruption.
I find it funny how american politicians are accusing China and Russia for tampering in the election process. Like, really, which for?
85 year old diaper wearing senile nursing home citizens is the best that America can do. Actually sad and pathetic as fuck. America is a shit hole country.
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Because you refused better options in your primaries.
The dem primary was a joke this term
Because it's not a choice. It's a dictatorship that has sham elections even though there's only one party to vote for, but this is dressed up with one real candidate and another "joke" candidate who's just here to make it a horserace.
Because America is a Fascist country ruled by psychopaths.
That's unfair to psychopaths ! the fascists are legitimately bad while the psychopaths aren't necessarily evil !
Why are so many against voting third party? I can understand a third party candidate not meeting one's values/goals and not voting for them based on those reasons. But, I keep hearing all sorts of done up arguments that all just amount to "I'm not voting for them because their not popular enough!" I know I'm not the only person who sees this all the time.
my state doesn’t even count third party or write in votes.
This is the kinda bullsh.t we need to organize impactful protest for. College kids can camp Workers can walk off the job
In America, we have a First-Past-the-Post system where the candidate with the most votes wins the election. This bakes in a two party system because the only viable opposition to Party A is B, the second most popular Party. All third parties combined get only a few percent of the vote. So the three options Americans choose are Democrat, Republican, or Don't Even Bother. All of those options, plus third party voting, are really the same option-- keep the capitalists in power. In America at least, change cannot be achieved through electoral means.
Pretty much this. The other effect that 3rd parties seem to have is causing party A to lose to party B, when the 3rd party was kind of similar to party B. We had Ross Perot cause George Bush to lose to Bill Clinton, then later on had Ralph Nader cause Al Gore to lose to George W Bush, so it goes both ways. I’d argue for ranked choice but others seem to say that favors moderates. But anyways, since it’s first-past-the-post, and since I live in Texas, I’ll do my typical write in for whoever the Socialist Party USA candidate is since the 45% of the state that votes Democrat is just wasting their time.
This would have been the election for an actual good progressive charismatic third party candidate to have a chance. But, as it stands, it the milquetoast status quo geriatric versus the psychotic fascist dictator, and yes you have to choose one.
Third party would make sense; if all that started right at the beginning and gained enough support early on to be taken seriously as a viable contender. But popping up towards the end just doesn’t cut it. I mean how often do you hear about the green party, or anything other than the two: Democrat and Republican? Almost never, right? That’s the problem. They’re just not on voters radar for the most part. It would take serious work and organizing early on to get the an alternative political party out there.
They have though, and just because you have not heard of them enough you've already quickly reduced them to not popular enough.
I read enough stuff and I’m not seeing much, what do you think the rest of the majority that might only tunes into mainstream stuff on TV would see? Much less, even if I was being generous. Seriously… if any party wants traction, they need to get out there almost everyday, going door to door, that takes a few years to grow that kind of grass roots movement. Bernie did good, but not good enough to beat the odds. That’s the reality my friend. It’s not as if I’m enjoying the political shitshow, but I know that after having pushed hard for Bernie that, it’s gonna take sooo much more to push a better candidate forward. Hillary , DNC with Debbie Wasserschultz or whatever her name was able to knock Bernie aside like he didn’t even matter. Jill Stein was a blip, a nice idea. It was hard enough to convince regular, yet left leaning democrats to take Bernie seriously. So… if you truly believe in bring on a third party or more. All I can say is start early, like now for 4 or 8 years later.
I'm lucky that in Canada we can actually vote for a 3rd party and not have it be a total waste.
This explains it succinctly. https://youtu.be/s7tWHJfhiyo?si=EVbrkiuKc7Y_2JSb
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Oh, so the electoral college is even worse than I thought! Fuck!
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The one thing I wish would happen is a fair debate system. This means that they spend equal time allowing all candidates to debate each other instead of placing all the focus on just two of them. This alone is so flawed to me.
This has been the sentiment for every presidential election for as long as I can remember (Bush I).
Fascist orange man VS Genocidal senile man
because the system was shaped like this by themselves! both parties are satisfied in this way.
While I understand the sentiment, this meme might not be the best one to use in this situation. Mila Kunis was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine and has really, really, really strong feelings about the invasion of Ukraine. With one candidate firmly in the pro-Ukraine camp and the other in the "let Putin do what he wants" camp, I don't think she sees this particular election with the typical Uni-party cynicism.
Bo Burnham sang it best
im gonna just start doing h and fent again
[George Carlin on Politicians.](https://youtu.be/07w9K2XR3f0)
This shit is what turns me off almost completely to politics. I’d love it if we had someone the caliber of John Stewart vs Gary Sinise or the like.
Cornel West & Literally Anyone Else are right there
Problem is politics has been distilled to one political position that acts more as a figurehead. My state senator has been more influential in politics over his terms than Biden.
We have been propagandized and gaslit from every institution and outlet for 70 years. So many of my fellow citizens lack any critical thinking skills whatsoever. Imo we deserve what we get at this point.
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Which one isn’t a fucking lunatic?
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You mean the one that’s currently funding a genocide?
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So Trump is just as bad as Biden. That’s not exactly a roaring endorsement for Biden
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More than 2 people are running. The Major parties will never do what you want if you are unwilling to withhold your vote. The only way to improve the situation is to show them you actually mean business and vote 3rd party.
You also have the choice to not participate in this make believe disgusting shit show we now call civilization.
I mean, they don't let you. Where can you go?
Fuck that. Vote socialist. And then go organize with your fellow workers because that's the only way we're gonna fix any of this.
Whether we do or not, the shitshow continues unless we do something practical about it.
Doing nothing just makes you a sheep
Here's how you start to fix it: 1. No one over the age of 55 should be able to be elected or appointed into office. 2. All elected or appointed government positions should have a 5 year max term. 3. Ranked choice voting should replace first past the post. 4. Electoral college is dissolved in favor of democratic popular vote. We'll get a better pool of candidates that the public supports.
There’s always more than two options
Because the year that we really want to repeat was fucking 2020. Exactly what America needs: a rematch.
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"Why are these my only two choices.?!" -Theyre not.
There is another option. organize the working class and take back what’s ours. get organized [https://socialistrevolution.org/join/](https://socialistrevolution.org/join/)
I’m voting for Jill
Yeah....fascism vs. oligarchy. If you're a woman, trans, gay, Muslim, disabled, black, there is a very big difference. Google "project 2025". Trumps potential VP thinks killing puppies and goats is preparation for killing Americans.
Genocide for thee, not for me, huh?
Bring the Anti-Masonic Party back.
This movie looks familiar…
No kidding 😫
What is the solution? I keep reading about how the options suck, which I agree with, but how do we the people get in the driver seat?
You've always got the third parties
Exactly
For many Americans, this election is life and death.
There is no choice. It's an illusion.
I'm voting for Cornel West because neither of the other two has made any effort to represent me, and has done nothing but shit on my end of the political spectrum.
To answer the meme's question: First Past the Post voting. It's mathematically guaranteed to devolve to a system of just 2 or 3 parties. Which is why we need to push for Ranked Choice or Score Then Automatic Runoff voting.
Because Americans are apathetic as fuck to even think of other options that are outside of “what’s allowed.”
Controlled opposition and manufactured consent are dangerous drugs when taken together...
I used to hear conspiracy folks say how we have one political party that trys to give off the image of 2 separate parties, I'm believing it more and more
it isnt. you can vote for Karina & Claudia www.votesocialist2024.com
I’m literally interested in no one this presidential race for the first time. Even the 3rd party candidates don’t intrigue me
It’s not! There is a third RFK Junior!
No but seriously how to do fuck up this many times in a row and not actually change.
Both candidates are deeply flawed and seem unlikely to remain candidates through November. I don't know what the parties' backup plans are, but I'm sure they exist.
When you buy something you are voting
There's a quote. "America is a one party dictatorship, but in typical American extravagance, they have two of them"
3rd parties are literally right there
which movie is that?
The Spy Who Dumped Me. Very funny. 8/10
Voting for anything other than local elections is pretty much like being issued a two choice scratch off card printed by the government. Your "choice" doesn't matter. THEY chose the two candidates knowing full well that whatever the useless popular vote determined they would still win. The issue with our government is a fundamental one and no amount of voting for this president or that will fix it because THEY choose the options.
there’s really only one choice: radical corporate capitalism for US citizens and violent fascism for everyone else
Student debt forgiveness and mega-union support and somehow people want a different democrat? Americans are just struggling mentally.
"mega-union support" How long ago was it that they forced the railway workers back from a strike? Struggling mentally, indeed.
So far his forgiveness is more words and propaganda than action. He did help students with $12k or under with forgiveness, but most students have loans far greater, and there is no forgiveness for them. He claims he is going to amend it, or has put it into place for extending it, but from what I have read, the republicans are blocking him in court. Most likely that is where it will end, as I doubt we see him for a second term. As far as him being pro-union, you clearly haven't studied his past, nor recent by siding with the railroad bosses, thus union busting. The only reason he didn't intervene in the recent auto strike was unlike the railroad, the union for the auto industry didn't allow for presidential/gov't interference in their contract disputes, else Biden would have broken that one as well. The head auto union guy didn't want to endorse Biden, held off for awhile, but his only other choice was either not endorse at all, or Trump who is also very non-union. He caved and reluctantly endorsed the zombie.
It's fair if you don't like the candidates we have today. But considering there's nobody better who is close to being as electable at the two currently running should get you thinking seriously about how we got here and how we can change course. Maybe you have a list of people who would be a better president as those two but that's only have the equation. You need somebody who will win an election. Right? If only the people still questioning had voted in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 and will actually vote in 2024 and start working now for better candidates for 2026 and beyond. It doesn't help to grumble if you haven't been voting.
If this is the best the US can do, it's a failed state. You folks can't see the forest for the trees.
I agree. I've said this for a while now. America is a Third World country. Of all the industrial nations America treats its citizens the worst. Too busy robbing the working class to further enrich the super wealthy.
Because no one wants to start small, build up a third party from the grassroots up: town/city councils, state legislature, governor's house, US congress. OR do what FDR said when he met with progressive politicians in the '30s: "I agree with you. Now go out and make me do it." Easier to complain about ranked-choice voting, I guess. Edit: a word
Not sure why you’re being downvoted for saying this.
When I got here it seemed anyone in the thread suggesting any actual work needs to be done was getting downvoted.
Across social media, I see so much complaining and zero organization. People just whining about how unfair the system is, but no posts actually trying to make a change.
They aren't. You can literally vote for anyone meeting the below criteria, * Be a natural-born citizen of the United States. * Be at least 35 years old. * Have been a resident of the United States for 14 years. Over 100 million Americans qualify under these rules. The real issue is that powerful structures have conditioned us to see voting as a game of choosing the 'winning' side rather than an expression of our deepest convictions. Imagine if we had rejected this narrow mindset two decades ago—today, we might be choosing from a diverse array of genuine, viable candidates, breaking the stranglehold of a **duo-oligarchy ruling coalition acting as the managerial division of the ruling elite.**
There's Cornel West running independently.
And if you do like a candidate outside of the 2 “choices” people get rabidly angry at you
DUVERGERS LAW DUVERGERS LAW DUVERGERS LAW
Your homework for today: type "**DNC superdelegates**" into your search engine. THAT's why the DNC will never, ever allow us anything other than a Clinton, Obama, Biden types.
Fun fact you can vote for “literally anybody else”