Where did people get the idea that voting for Trump would improve the economy? Everything I've read suggests the exact opposite. He's going to help the very rich pay fewer taxes. None of my friends are economically in the top 1%, so I don't know anyone who will benefit.
I agree! Which is why I'm not voting for Trump! But what will voting for Harris do for us? As bad as my finances were under Trump, they got worse under Biden! And the wars escalated to a nightmarish extent! That's where billions of our tax dollars will go under Harris, not to help us out economically. Clinton, Obama, and Biden proved that. Which is why I am completely post-duopoly and working to build a third party for the working class. This widespread dissatisfaction with the two corporate-controlled wings of the duopoly is why third party candidates are receiving an unprecedented amount of support from working class voters who would otherwise have stayed home on Election Day (contrary to popular "spoiler" narrative, they would NOT likely have voted for the Democrat!). This is why Jill Stein, who I'm voting for, has a chance of getting that 5% of the vote. Both Trump and Harris are rightfully hated by many, and neither of them earned working class votes.
Here is the problem with Dem supporters like yourself when it comes to this issue, SIr. I am not going to divest myself of cordiality, but I am going to tell you like it is, and while I do not expect to reach anyone too emotionally captured by this troubling tribalistic loyalty, I am going to tell you how it is for the benefit of those on the Left who are willing to listen. Especially at this point.
There is a *huge* difference between merely "imperfect" and "rotten to the core." All orgs, political parties, and individuals have imperfections. But it's a matter of the nature of these imperfections and how far they go, and whether or not they completely compromise what said individual, org, or party purport to represent, that determines whether they are "good" despite these imperfections.
The Democrats, and the horrible establishment capitalists they have been trotting out since Clinton, are not merely "imperfect."
For one thing, they are shameless war-profiteers that are pushing a very dangerous global agenda that is escalating towards a catastrophic world war that could very well get *every single one of us* killed. And they are funding a genocide as part of that war machine! No, it's not about fighting evil or standing up for democracy (as if Dems actually know what the word means anymore), it's about perpetuating war for profit by demonizing every single world leader who won't go along with that business-oriented agenda. And this when the people running the White House are loose cannons who want to solve every issue with *literal* cannons (and cluster bombs, and drones -- you get the picture), not to mention funding maniacs like Ben Netanyahu who is by far a worse maniac with more Hitleresque behavior than Putin, Jinpeng, Suk Yeol, and any other world leader who is allegedly the modern Hitler.
You are very seriously manipulated by the oligarchs of that particular wing of the duopoly if you expect us to ignore this and consider such people "good" and merely "imperfect" compared to the Republicans!
Both wings of the duopoly are controlled by the exact same donors, including the Military Industrial Complex, the Fossil Fuel Industry, and AIPAC -- all of which are fueling the war industry! Is it any wonder that currently *over 30 countries* are now putting their differences aside to create BRIC, which is designed to stand up against the American war-machine by negotiating for peace (within the context of global capitalism, yes, but that's better than leading with the gun). And I'm supposed to agree to declare every single one of these nations our "enemy" and cheerlead America and its closest cuck allies carpet bombing them into oblivion? Are you serious? You seriously think we should ignore this, and that "we" -- meaning, our government and the plutocrats that control it -- are on the side of the angels here?
And how about the fact, Mr. Brass, that me and *millions* of other Americans cannot afford groceries, are mired in medical and college debt, cannot afford our property taxes, cannot afford to buy a house, cannot afford our utilities, cannot afford a vacation, and are constantly sucked dry by the cost of living with more and more jobs being low-paying service sector and gig work affairs that offer no benefits?
For that matter, how about the fact that millions of us are no longer having kids and starting families because we *cannot afford to*? And how about having no universal health care, and the fear of getting sick and having to visit the doctor constantly looming over us because we do not have universal health care and the Dems refuse to give it to us just as much as the Repubs do? And how about the fact that millions of us cannot afford a $500.00 emergency?
And how about the fact that this situation got *worse* under four years of Biden than it did under Trump? And please don't use the tired old excuse, "You have to understand that Biden inherited a mess from Trump!" The same excuse was used for Obama following Bush, and Obama did jack for us after *eight* year in office! He paved the way for Trump, that boogeyman you use to try to swat us into voting for your chosen wing of corporate-controlled maniacs. Just like Biden did for a *second* time. And just like Clinton paved the way for Bush.
Do you people *ever* learn?
And you are telling us to *ignore* the fact that they're pouring billions and billions into the war machine instead of into relief programs for the working class? You think pushing "feel good" identity politics that are driving huge amounts of white male members of the working class into the arms of the Republicans because of your crew constantly telling them they have no use for them? How about the unprecedented numbers of blacks, Hispanics, and Muslims now running over to Trump because of the fact that Biden did *nothing* for them? And because of all the young black men Harris threw in prison during her time as Attorney General in California, including for marijuana possession, and refused to release them because that might interfere with the system of slave labor in the privatized prisons she supports. And you want us to consider this to be mere "imperfections", let alone "good" compared to Trump?
And you tell me that all these people are "good" compared to the other wing of plutocrats driving the working class into the ground? Mister, this is why you Democrat supporters are in panic mode right now. This is why you are all so embarrassed by the fact that for the *third* election cycle in a row your horrible plutocrat candidate is neck-and-neck with that reality show host buffoon.
This is how poorly your chosen plutocrats are performing for the working class. We DO NOT owe your chosen tribe anything if they refuse to do anything for us. We do not owe them votes for nothing; they owe us results if they want support from us.
If they were truly "good" they would be clobbering the Orange Buffoon right now. The fact that you can offer no rebuttal to any of this shows that you're motivated entirely by party loyalty, not by any set of pro-working class principles.
Your Dems did nothing for the economic class I support and they're bringing the entire world to the brink of catastrophic war. I am NOT supporting them unless they seriously change their ways. And instead of pushing for them to do just that, you keep staying the course as before, using a combination of insults, fear-mongering, shaming, and pleading to get us to vote for them instead of demanding to THEM that they provide us with results.
Well, the polls show how you're paying the price for that. Which is why I will NOT vote for that Cackling Hag you support any more than I will for the Orange Buffoon or any tool of the plutocracy. I am voting for Jill Stein and I encourage all others on the Left who actually care about the working class rather than "team loyalty" to do the same. We need to challenge the plutocracy, not play their game.
A victory for the Democrats is NOT a victory for the working class. It's only a superficial, ego-massaging, symbolic victory for those who are obsessed with the brand and favor a certain iteration of identity politics. And NOTHING more.
The Dems offer us only more poverty, more war, and more identity politics -- and most people of all races and both genders *do not* want that. And they certainly do not want that more than being able to afford a decent meal every day, or have a guarantee of a roof over our heads with heating & electricity, not worrying about what will happen if we get sick, how we can afford to take care of our elderly family members when they can no longer care for themselves, or having other nations provoked into a nuclear exchange.
Your brand needs to do better, Sir. And so far, all you're doing is the same thing you've done that the got the Dems into this mess in the first place. Frankly, you deserve to be sweating with anxiety a few days before the election rather than feeling self-assured of a well-earned victory. Because your crew *didn't* earn it.
While much of what you say is unfortunately true, it is not tribalistic loyalty, but rather wide-awake simple realism, that is motivating me. Take anything bad, real or not, about the Dems, and multiply it by an order of magnitude at least to even approach what awaits us under Trump and the Rethugs. I believe we need to make sure the dangerous madman doesn't win, a lunatic who will solve ZERO of the problems you mention, and only create more. And only Kamala can make sure of that. We will just have to agree to disagree I guess.
Kamala is a war-mongering, genocidal, working class-hating tool of the plutocracy who will ensure that business as usual happens if she wins. There is nothing Trump would do that is worse than what she will do to the working class of America and to the world.
We do not need to pick and choose between which plutocrat is “worse.” The working class could be the ones to make sure the plutocratic empire falls if only we started supporting a working class-controlled party and movement and broke away from the duopoly. NOTHING will improve until then. Which is why I am working towards that goal while not giving a free pass to either the Rethugs or the Demogogs because they both support the same economic and political world order.
“We will just have to agree to disagree I guess.”
You’re going to get a lot of that from the working class as long as you refuse to hold the Dems accountable and demand they do lots for the working class and stop with the damned wars.
“I believe we need to make sure the dangerous madman doesn't win, a lunatic who will solve ZERO of the problems you mention,”
First off, need I remind you that I agree he will solve NONE of those problems? Which is why I am not voting for him either?
Secondly, are you seriously trying to convince me he is more of a madman than those war-mongering monsters that you support in your chosen wing of the duopoly, or the maniacs that pull their strings via donor money, or the maniacs they are funding like Netanyahu? Are you serious? Trump at least wanted to make deals to stop all of this war-mongering, much as the many countries joining BRIC want to do. Yet you say these people are worse maniacs than those people you support?
That, IMO, proves you are not focusing on realism but complete tribal loyalty due to being fully manipulated by the plutocrats in your favored wing.
“and only create more.”
You mean by going to war with even more nations? That seems to be the bag of the Dems more so than the Rethugs, and they are both beholden to the Military Industrial Complex. Again, your histrionic statements while failing to provide any substantive evidence while ignoring much evidence to the contrary that the polls are confirming makes it clear that realism is not your motivator. Doing what is best for the working class is not your motivator. Creating a more peaceful world order is not your motivator. Defeating Trump is your sole motivator, and he only lives “rent free” in your mind because he opposes the Democrats. You will be saying the same things about the next Rethug boogeyman to replace him, while again giving a free pass to every maniac funded by the Dems in the future. That has been the pattern.
And they too will do absolutely ZERO for us. Which is why they do not deserve our votes either.
“While much of what you say is unfortunately true, it is not tribalistic loyalty, but rather wide-awake simple realism, that is motivating me.”
I would be more inclined to believe that, Mr. Brass if, 1) You did not throw every emotionalistic talking point and histrionic narrative-based fear of the Dems at me; 2) Provided actual evidence instead of just rhetoric that is, again, indicative of a narrative that does not play out in real life; 3) Stopped ignoring all of the horrendously and unequivocally bad things I have pointed out about the Dems and simply calling the party “imperfect.” As I said before.
“alistic loyalty, but rather wide-awake simple realism, that is motivating me. Take anything bad, real or not, about the Dems, and multiply it by an order of magnitude at least to even approach what awaits us under Trump and the Rethugs.”
Your desperation over your team losing, along with your refusal to demand anything of them but keep repeating the very mistakes that is causing them to lose, is not convincing. That is a serious problem I have been trying to point out to Dem supporters. Which is why there is such a good chance you will lose to that buffoon a third time in a row (once losing; once coming close to it) and more importantly, why you deserve to lose.
Yes it is tribalistic loyalty, Sir, because you throw every single Democrat talking point in the book at me, including their histrionic hatred of Trump and any world leader that they declare our "enemy", with no evidence or substantive rebuttals. And you do this with *no concern* that they are pushing us towards World War III and forcing more than a third of other nations in the world into an alliance against us -- while doing NOTHING for us economically.
What what type of "realism" is motivating you? As I noted, the Democrats have done *nothing* for the working class and will continue to do nothing for us. And they have threatened the entire world with their incessant war-mongering, which is doing no one on the planet any favors. They are funded by all the same billionaire donors as the Rethugs and continue to push pro-corporate and pro-war policies for the plutocratic empire that they serve and are the direct beneficiaries of.
What type of "realism" is that for the working class? What you say goes against all evidence and is akin to an emotionally-driven focus, as if you're cheering on your home city's football team with no concern for their behavior on and off the field. What about this is connected to a set of principles or an agenda that is in any way good for the working class, let alone a better and more peaceful world?
"Take anything bad, real or not, about the Dems, and multiply it by an order of magnitude at least to even approach what awaits us under Trump and the Rethugs."
Seriously, Sir? Again, you keep repeating these emotionally-driven spiels and claims with NO evidence provided, and against plenty of evidence to the contrary provided by both myself and the polls. This is in no way indicative of a reality-based stance, but one that puts emotion, symbolism, tribalism, and wishful thinking ahead of actual working class principles. And all those truly bad things I mentioned that you continue to ignore only makes Dem supporters come off as seriously manipulated or unhinged rather than champions for the working class.
"We will just have to agree to disagree I guess."
Yes, absolutely. And this is why the Dem supporters are now in panic mode, as I mentioned before. Yet you continue to stay the course that is a proven failure for both your team and the working class itself. Instead of facing your wing of the duopoly and *demanding* that they do better. You see how poorly attacking Trump, and claiming that he and the Rethugs are "many times worse", when millions of working class people do not see the slightest evidence of this is going for you. Demanding that they actually earn their votes would be honoring realism. And this is why, again, the Dems deserve to lose.
"(Mic drop)"
*Picks the mic back up and whispers into it: "Tell the Dems to change their ways and start producing results for us. Help us out economically and stop with the war-mongering. Stop saying they're 'good' while doing horrendously bad things. Put Jill Stein on their ticket or someone like her instead of some war-crazy billionaire indebted to billionaire donors. That is the ticket to success, Sir. Otherwise, you're going to lose and it won't make a shred of difference to millions in the working class which plutocrat 'wins' the election because the same billionaires behind the scenes will be the real people in charge in any case. We know what the game is at this point and we're not playing it anymore. That is realism, Sir."*
I'm scared, too, more scared than I've ever been regarding the results of an election. I'm a blue dot in a very red area of a purple state and here's my take: Add 40 years of downgrading public education (good info is not easy to get if you're functionally illiterate & you lack critical thinking skills), 24-7 Faux News grievance cultivation (why has Rupert Murdoch not been jailed?), plus the huge economic and cultural divides, and you have the Trump cult. All their friends are there, reinforcing their gullibility. Babes in the dark woods of the corporate takeover of democratic institutions, and Trump's election will be their (suicidal) revenge.
Sorry, I will shut up now and resume beating my head against the wall until next week.
You know what I keep telling myself? I think about my husband's family surviving the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands and how well his family members are doing now. (I must hasten to say that NOT EVERY FAMILY WAS OK. Certainly not Jewish families, or Roma folks, or many others.) But they lived through a situation in which really terrible people were in charge. We may be doing the same soon, but I do not think it will last forever. My fondest hope is that by the time I'm on my deathbed, people will spit at the very mention of Trump, and that we will do what Germany has done with teaching their schoolchildren about Hitler. Germany doesn't sugar-coat it and neither should we. I hope the curriculum in 20 years will include the tragedy of the Trump years, when America briefly lost its way.
"prices are lower than they were in 2012. Nobody seems to realize that." Actually. they are lower than they were in 2008. I was paying $4.65/gal in 2008. I am paying under $3 now.
Ridiculous that people think the President (or Prime Minister here in Canada) is personally responsible for inflation, interest rates, housing costs, etc. Both countries worship the free market, and leaders couldn't change any of these even if they wanted to.
Inflation never happened. Inflation and record corporate profits are necessarily and absolutely mutually exclusive. Therefore the rise in prices must end necessarily are correctly labeled “antitrust violations.” seems like market fixing in price gouging. Fuck you’re a danger too polite society and should never be allowed out of doors lacking adult supervision.
Oh, rest assured I have no illusions that Trump will fix the economy. That is why I won't be voting for him. You noted: "Plenty of people who acknowledge that Donald Trump is a convicted felon," -- that is, railroaded numerous times by the Democrats that things Hillary Clinton also did with no complaints by Dem supporters, and which they would not have attempted to convict anyone of who was not running against the Dems" -- "a racist and rapist" you mean similarly to Joe Biden, the good friend of Klandsman Strom Thurmond and his ally in anti-bussing, pro-segreation, and racial-profiling crime legislation, which Dem supporters ignore; and the Bill Clinton & Joe Biden accusations of rape and sexual assault that Dem supporters ignore? - "a traitor to the Constitution" -- you mean like Biden, Harris, AOC and other Democrats when they ban people they dislike from social media; insist that freedom of speech is problematic; ban a popular social media outlet like TikTok to appease Zionists; and banning student protests at universities against the genocide in Gaza that the Dems are now funding? -- "and an all-around odious pig" -- you mean like the several times Biden was caught on camera invading the boundaries of girls and women by touching them and sniffing their hair?, -- "nevertheless believe he has some secret power to lower prices. People say they’ll hold their nose and vote for him because of inflation and the economy." -- Except I won't be voting for him for the same reason I won't vote for Harris, because they are both filthy rich capitalists who support the same world order, are loyal to their class above any constitutional principal or working class policy. and are beholden to the same capitalists donors, including the Military Industrial Complex and AIPAC, both of whom are pushing both wings of the capitalist duopoly to fund a genocide and push us towards World War III, which is why numerous other nations are unifying against the U.S.-U.K.-Israeli War Machine by forming BRIC.
I agree with you about opposition to Fascism, and that we cannot trust capitalists to be friends of the working class. However, I am not a party loyalist so I have no more self-imposed illusions about the Cackling Hag than I do of the Orange Buffoon. Hence, I will be voting for Jill Stein because her platform is actually pro-working class and anti-war and those are the principles I support.
Yup! And let's face it, my friend.... if Trump had railroaded Biden in a similar fashion, the Dems would not only be fully sympathetic they would be in pure rage mode about abusing the system and using "lawfare" to keep an opponent they knew had a good chance of defeating them off the ballot. Then again, they and the Repubs work together to keep third party candidates off the ballot with all sorts of grimy legal maneuvers. So much for being pro-democracy.
The two men are very equivalent when you examine their record of conduct through the years, and Biden has many, many more years of bad conduct in politics. Biden is a war criminal many times over, going along with the lies following 9/11. He is known for making many shady deals, including with that energy company in Ukraine before he provoked Putin into attacking Ukraine by bringing NATO right up to his front door following years of the U.S.-backed coup government bombing the Donbas region of ethnic Russians living in Ukraine.
And when he isn't doing such things, his son Hunter is doing it at his behest or on his own while using his father's name. Remember the incident regarding that info on Hunter's computer?
Trump was not able to get indicted and put in prison for a single thing, because all of those charges were (if you pardon what may seem like a bad pun) trumped up.
Biden is responsible for the racist legislation passed during the 1990s, for funding the destructive proxy war in Ukraine and an honest-to-god genocide (as declared by the International Court) in Gaza. He is also responsible for lying to us numerous times and breaking numerous promises and then conveniently blaming it on the Republicans. As always. And his bankruptcy bill got millions of us in student loan debt that he lied about having the intention of getting us out of.
The financial situation of myself, my working class neighbors, and millions of others got worse under Biden than they were under Trump, which shows how both are dedicated to the exact same world order.
He did nothing to earn our vote, nor did Harris with her similar record of horrible behavior and war-mongering since she got into office. This is why more of us on the Left need to cease being blind party loyalists to the Democrats because it causes us to apply what are supposed to be our unswerving principles in a highly selective manner. We thus come off as hypocrites who are driven more by emotion than any set of actual ethical principles.
It should also be noted that Trump was held over the fire for things that Hillary Clinton did regarding classified documents, and the Dems were asking us to forgive and forget what she did rather than trying to put her in jail. So, this is another example of party loyalty and Trump Derangement Syndrome rather than applying a set of principles to everyone.
Neither of those pluotocratic clowns are going to do anything for us, and I'm going to remain pro-working class rather than pro-party. If the Dems were doing so much for us compared to the Republicans than the pre-selected pro-corporate Dem candidate would not be running neck-in-neck with that buffoon for the *third* election cycle in a row. If he wins, it will be the fault of the Democrats and their working class supporters for refusing to demand anything from them for our votes other than defeating Trump. And if Harris wins, it will for the second time in a row be by the skin of the party's teeth.
Where did people get the idea that voting for Trump would improve the economy? Everything I've read suggests the exact opposite. He's going to help the very rich pay fewer taxes. None of my friends are economically in the top 1%, so I don't know anyone who will benefit.
Exactly!
It beggars belief.
I agree! Which is why I'm not voting for Trump! But what will voting for Harris do for us? As bad as my finances were under Trump, they got worse under Biden! And the wars escalated to a nightmarish extent! That's where billions of our tax dollars will go under Harris, not to help us out economically. Clinton, Obama, and Biden proved that. Which is why I am completely post-duopoly and working to build a third party for the working class. This widespread dissatisfaction with the two corporate-controlled wings of the duopoly is why third party candidates are receiving an unprecedented amount of support from working class voters who would otherwise have stayed home on Election Day (contrary to popular "spoiler" narrative, they would NOT likely have voted for the Democrat!). This is why Jill Stein, who I'm voting for, has a chance of getting that 5% of the vote. Both Trump and Harris are rightfully hated by many, and neither of them earned working class votes.
Thing is, if we make the perfect the enemy of the good, we ultimately end up with neither.
Here is the problem with Dem supporters like yourself when it comes to this issue, SIr. I am not going to divest myself of cordiality, but I am going to tell you like it is, and while I do not expect to reach anyone too emotionally captured by this troubling tribalistic loyalty, I am going to tell you how it is for the benefit of those on the Left who are willing to listen. Especially at this point.
There is a *huge* difference between merely "imperfect" and "rotten to the core." All orgs, political parties, and individuals have imperfections. But it's a matter of the nature of these imperfections and how far they go, and whether or not they completely compromise what said individual, org, or party purport to represent, that determines whether they are "good" despite these imperfections.
The Democrats, and the horrible establishment capitalists they have been trotting out since Clinton, are not merely "imperfect."
For one thing, they are shameless war-profiteers that are pushing a very dangerous global agenda that is escalating towards a catastrophic world war that could very well get *every single one of us* killed. And they are funding a genocide as part of that war machine! No, it's not about fighting evil or standing up for democracy (as if Dems actually know what the word means anymore), it's about perpetuating war for profit by demonizing every single world leader who won't go along with that business-oriented agenda. And this when the people running the White House are loose cannons who want to solve every issue with *literal* cannons (and cluster bombs, and drones -- you get the picture), not to mention funding maniacs like Ben Netanyahu who is by far a worse maniac with more Hitleresque behavior than Putin, Jinpeng, Suk Yeol, and any other world leader who is allegedly the modern Hitler.
You are very seriously manipulated by the oligarchs of that particular wing of the duopoly if you expect us to ignore this and consider such people "good" and merely "imperfect" compared to the Republicans!
Both wings of the duopoly are controlled by the exact same donors, including the Military Industrial Complex, the Fossil Fuel Industry, and AIPAC -- all of which are fueling the war industry! Is it any wonder that currently *over 30 countries* are now putting their differences aside to create BRIC, which is designed to stand up against the American war-machine by negotiating for peace (within the context of global capitalism, yes, but that's better than leading with the gun). And I'm supposed to agree to declare every single one of these nations our "enemy" and cheerlead America and its closest cuck allies carpet bombing them into oblivion? Are you serious? You seriously think we should ignore this, and that "we" -- meaning, our government and the plutocrats that control it -- are on the side of the angels here?
And how about the fact, Mr. Brass, that me and *millions* of other Americans cannot afford groceries, are mired in medical and college debt, cannot afford our property taxes, cannot afford to buy a house, cannot afford our utilities, cannot afford a vacation, and are constantly sucked dry by the cost of living with more and more jobs being low-paying service sector and gig work affairs that offer no benefits?
For that matter, how about the fact that millions of us are no longer having kids and starting families because we *cannot afford to*? And how about having no universal health care, and the fear of getting sick and having to visit the doctor constantly looming over us because we do not have universal health care and the Dems refuse to give it to us just as much as the Repubs do? And how about the fact that millions of us cannot afford a $500.00 emergency?
And how about the fact that this situation got *worse* under four years of Biden than it did under Trump? And please don't use the tired old excuse, "You have to understand that Biden inherited a mess from Trump!" The same excuse was used for Obama following Bush, and Obama did jack for us after *eight* year in office! He paved the way for Trump, that boogeyman you use to try to swat us into voting for your chosen wing of corporate-controlled maniacs. Just like Biden did for a *second* time. And just like Clinton paved the way for Bush.
Do you people *ever* learn?
And you are telling us to *ignore* the fact that they're pouring billions and billions into the war machine instead of into relief programs for the working class? You think pushing "feel good" identity politics that are driving huge amounts of white male members of the working class into the arms of the Republicans because of your crew constantly telling them they have no use for them? How about the unprecedented numbers of blacks, Hispanics, and Muslims now running over to Trump because of the fact that Biden did *nothing* for them? And because of all the young black men Harris threw in prison during her time as Attorney General in California, including for marijuana possession, and refused to release them because that might interfere with the system of slave labor in the privatized prisons she supports. And you want us to consider this to be mere "imperfections", let alone "good" compared to Trump?
And you tell me that all these people are "good" compared to the other wing of plutocrats driving the working class into the ground? Mister, this is why you Democrat supporters are in panic mode right now. This is why you are all so embarrassed by the fact that for the *third* election cycle in a row your horrible plutocrat candidate is neck-and-neck with that reality show host buffoon.
This is how poorly your chosen plutocrats are performing for the working class. We DO NOT owe your chosen tribe anything if they refuse to do anything for us. We do not owe them votes for nothing; they owe us results if they want support from us.
If they were truly "good" they would be clobbering the Orange Buffoon right now. The fact that you can offer no rebuttal to any of this shows that you're motivated entirely by party loyalty, not by any set of pro-working class principles.
Your Dems did nothing for the economic class I support and they're bringing the entire world to the brink of catastrophic war. I am NOT supporting them unless they seriously change their ways. And instead of pushing for them to do just that, you keep staying the course as before, using a combination of insults, fear-mongering, shaming, and pleading to get us to vote for them instead of demanding to THEM that they provide us with results.
Well, the polls show how you're paying the price for that. Which is why I will NOT vote for that Cackling Hag you support any more than I will for the Orange Buffoon or any tool of the plutocracy. I am voting for Jill Stein and I encourage all others on the Left who actually care about the working class rather than "team loyalty" to do the same. We need to challenge the plutocracy, not play their game.
A victory for the Democrats is NOT a victory for the working class. It's only a superficial, ego-massaging, symbolic victory for those who are obsessed with the brand and favor a certain iteration of identity politics. And NOTHING more.
The Dems offer us only more poverty, more war, and more identity politics -- and most people of all races and both genders *do not* want that. And they certainly do not want that more than being able to afford a decent meal every day, or have a guarantee of a roof over our heads with heating & electricity, not worrying about what will happen if we get sick, how we can afford to take care of our elderly family members when they can no longer care for themselves, or having other nations provoked into a nuclear exchange.
Your brand needs to do better, Sir. And so far, all you're doing is the same thing you've done that the got the Dems into this mess in the first place. Frankly, you deserve to be sweating with anxiety a few days before the election rather than feeling self-assured of a well-earned victory. Because your crew *didn't* earn it.
While much of what you say is unfortunately true, it is not tribalistic loyalty, but rather wide-awake simple realism, that is motivating me. Take anything bad, real or not, about the Dems, and multiply it by an order of magnitude at least to even approach what awaits us under Trump and the Rethugs. I believe we need to make sure the dangerous madman doesn't win, a lunatic who will solve ZERO of the problems you mention, and only create more. And only Kamala can make sure of that. We will just have to agree to disagree I guess.
(Mic drop)
“And only Kamala can make sure of that.”
Kamala is a war-mongering, genocidal, working class-hating tool of the plutocracy who will ensure that business as usual happens if she wins. There is nothing Trump would do that is worse than what she will do to the working class of America and to the world.
We do not need to pick and choose between which plutocrat is “worse.” The working class could be the ones to make sure the plutocratic empire falls if only we started supporting a working class-controlled party and movement and broke away from the duopoly. NOTHING will improve until then. Which is why I am working towards that goal while not giving a free pass to either the Rethugs or the Demogogs because they both support the same economic and political world order.
“We will just have to agree to disagree I guess.”
You’re going to get a lot of that from the working class as long as you refuse to hold the Dems accountable and demand they do lots for the working class and stop with the damned wars.
“I believe we need to make sure the dangerous madman doesn't win, a lunatic who will solve ZERO of the problems you mention,”
First off, need I remind you that I agree he will solve NONE of those problems? Which is why I am not voting for him either?
Secondly, are you seriously trying to convince me he is more of a madman than those war-mongering monsters that you support in your chosen wing of the duopoly, or the maniacs that pull their strings via donor money, or the maniacs they are funding like Netanyahu? Are you serious? Trump at least wanted to make deals to stop all of this war-mongering, much as the many countries joining BRIC want to do. Yet you say these people are worse maniacs than those people you support?
That, IMO, proves you are not focusing on realism but complete tribal loyalty due to being fully manipulated by the plutocrats in your favored wing.
“and only create more.”
You mean by going to war with even more nations? That seems to be the bag of the Dems more so than the Rethugs, and they are both beholden to the Military Industrial Complex. Again, your histrionic statements while failing to provide any substantive evidence while ignoring much evidence to the contrary that the polls are confirming makes it clear that realism is not your motivator. Doing what is best for the working class is not your motivator. Creating a more peaceful world order is not your motivator. Defeating Trump is your sole motivator, and he only lives “rent free” in your mind because he opposes the Democrats. You will be saying the same things about the next Rethug boogeyman to replace him, while again giving a free pass to every maniac funded by the Dems in the future. That has been the pattern.
And they too will do absolutely ZERO for us. Which is why they do not deserve our votes either.
“While much of what you say is unfortunately true, it is not tribalistic loyalty, but rather wide-awake simple realism, that is motivating me.”
I would be more inclined to believe that, Mr. Brass if, 1) You did not throw every emotionalistic talking point and histrionic narrative-based fear of the Dems at me; 2) Provided actual evidence instead of just rhetoric that is, again, indicative of a narrative that does not play out in real life; 3) Stopped ignoring all of the horrendously and unequivocally bad things I have pointed out about the Dems and simply calling the party “imperfect.” As I said before.
“alistic loyalty, but rather wide-awake simple realism, that is motivating me. Take anything bad, real or not, about the Dems, and multiply it by an order of magnitude at least to even approach what awaits us under Trump and the Rethugs.”
Your desperation over your team losing, along with your refusal to demand anything of them but keep repeating the very mistakes that is causing them to lose, is not convincing. That is a serious problem I have been trying to point out to Dem supporters. Which is why there is such a good chance you will lose to that buffoon a third time in a row (once losing; once coming close to it) and more importantly, why you deserve to lose.
Yes it is tribalistic loyalty, Sir, because you throw every single Democrat talking point in the book at me, including their histrionic hatred of Trump and any world leader that they declare our "enemy", with no evidence or substantive rebuttals. And you do this with *no concern* that they are pushing us towards World War III and forcing more than a third of other nations in the world into an alliance against us -- while doing NOTHING for us economically.
What what type of "realism" is motivating you? As I noted, the Democrats have done *nothing* for the working class and will continue to do nothing for us. And they have threatened the entire world with their incessant war-mongering, which is doing no one on the planet any favors. They are funded by all the same billionaire donors as the Rethugs and continue to push pro-corporate and pro-war policies for the plutocratic empire that they serve and are the direct beneficiaries of.
What type of "realism" is that for the working class? What you say goes against all evidence and is akin to an emotionally-driven focus, as if you're cheering on your home city's football team with no concern for their behavior on and off the field. What about this is connected to a set of principles or an agenda that is in any way good for the working class, let alone a better and more peaceful world?
"Take anything bad, real or not, about the Dems, and multiply it by an order of magnitude at least to even approach what awaits us under Trump and the Rethugs."
Seriously, Sir? Again, you keep repeating these emotionally-driven spiels and claims with NO evidence provided, and against plenty of evidence to the contrary provided by both myself and the polls. This is in no way indicative of a reality-based stance, but one that puts emotion, symbolism, tribalism, and wishful thinking ahead of actual working class principles. And all those truly bad things I mentioned that you continue to ignore only makes Dem supporters come off as seriously manipulated or unhinged rather than champions for the working class.
"We will just have to agree to disagree I guess."
Yes, absolutely. And this is why the Dem supporters are now in panic mode, as I mentioned before. Yet you continue to stay the course that is a proven failure for both your team and the working class itself. Instead of facing your wing of the duopoly and *demanding* that they do better. You see how poorly attacking Trump, and claiming that he and the Rethugs are "many times worse", when millions of working class people do not see the slightest evidence of this is going for you. Demanding that they actually earn their votes would be honoring realism. And this is why, again, the Dems deserve to lose.
"(Mic drop)"
*Picks the mic back up and whispers into it: "Tell the Dems to change their ways and start producing results for us. Help us out economically and stop with the war-mongering. Stop saying they're 'good' while doing horrendously bad things. Put Jill Stein on their ticket or someone like her instead of some war-crazy billionaire indebted to billionaire donors. That is the ticket to success, Sir. Otherwise, you're going to lose and it won't make a shred of difference to millions in the working class which plutocrat 'wins' the election because the same billionaires behind the scenes will be the real people in charge in any case. We know what the game is at this point and we're not playing it anymore. That is realism, Sir."*
Well, that decides it. I’m voting for you. You’re the only person who makes sense.
I only need a few hundred million more votes to win!
If you think that, Ray Anne, you may want to read my perspective here: https://lightningpress.substack.com/p/dem-supporters-need-to-accept-why
They need to have Khan go after the near-monopolies in the media sector...
What people say isn't always what they think. I think a lot of people just hate the same people he does
By the way, I really like The Trailer Park Rules, planning to buy your new book too.
Thank you! If you'd be so kind as to leave a review, that would be amazing. Totally up to you, of course!
I'm scared, too, more scared than I've ever been regarding the results of an election. I'm a blue dot in a very red area of a purple state and here's my take: Add 40 years of downgrading public education (good info is not easy to get if you're functionally illiterate & you lack critical thinking skills), 24-7 Faux News grievance cultivation (why has Rupert Murdoch not been jailed?), plus the huge economic and cultural divides, and you have the Trump cult. All their friends are there, reinforcing their gullibility. Babes in the dark woods of the corporate takeover of democratic institutions, and Trump's election will be their (suicidal) revenge.
Sorry, I will shut up now and resume beating my head against the wall until next week.
You know what I keep telling myself? I think about my husband's family surviving the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands and how well his family members are doing now. (I must hasten to say that NOT EVERY FAMILY WAS OK. Certainly not Jewish families, or Roma folks, or many others.) But they lived through a situation in which really terrible people were in charge. We may be doing the same soon, but I do not think it will last forever. My fondest hope is that by the time I'm on my deathbed, people will spit at the very mention of Trump, and that we will do what Germany has done with teaching their schoolchildren about Hitler. Germany doesn't sugar-coat it and neither should we. I hope the curriculum in 20 years will include the tragedy of the Trump years, when America briefly lost its way.
"prices are lower than they were in 2012. Nobody seems to realize that." Actually. they are lower than they were in 2008. I was paying $4.65/gal in 2008. I am paying under $3 now.
Ridiculous that people think the President (or Prime Minister here in Canada) is personally responsible for inflation, interest rates, housing costs, etc. Both countries worship the free market, and leaders couldn't change any of these even if they wanted to.
trump’s idea on tariffs is an absolute nightmare for us as people, our economy and our country.
Yes, complicated problems don't have simple solutions....and politicians can't control or 'fix' everything even if they want to. Great post.
Your title is my favorite quote for this absurd election!
Thank you! Spread it far and wide :)
Amen.
The way the first paragraph made me cackle. Just cartoonishly ridiculous but the way some folks talk, you'd think it was a real thing. Great article!
Inflation never happened. Inflation and record corporate profits are necessarily and absolutely mutually exclusive. Therefore the rise in prices must end necessarily are correctly labeled “antitrust violations.” seems like market fixing in price gouging. Fuck you’re a danger too polite society and should never be allowed out of doors lacking adult supervision.
Oh, rest assured I have no illusions that Trump will fix the economy. That is why I won't be voting for him. You noted: "Plenty of people who acknowledge that Donald Trump is a convicted felon," -- that is, railroaded numerous times by the Democrats that things Hillary Clinton also did with no complaints by Dem supporters, and which they would not have attempted to convict anyone of who was not running against the Dems" -- "a racist and rapist" you mean similarly to Joe Biden, the good friend of Klandsman Strom Thurmond and his ally in anti-bussing, pro-segreation, and racial-profiling crime legislation, which Dem supporters ignore; and the Bill Clinton & Joe Biden accusations of rape and sexual assault that Dem supporters ignore? - "a traitor to the Constitution" -- you mean like Biden, Harris, AOC and other Democrats when they ban people they dislike from social media; insist that freedom of speech is problematic; ban a popular social media outlet like TikTok to appease Zionists; and banning student protests at universities against the genocide in Gaza that the Dems are now funding? -- "and an all-around odious pig" -- you mean like the several times Biden was caught on camera invading the boundaries of girls and women by touching them and sniffing their hair?, -- "nevertheless believe he has some secret power to lower prices. People say they’ll hold their nose and vote for him because of inflation and the economy." -- Except I won't be voting for him for the same reason I won't vote for Harris, because they are both filthy rich capitalists who support the same world order, are loyal to their class above any constitutional principal or working class policy. and are beholden to the same capitalists donors, including the Military Industrial Complex and AIPAC, both of whom are pushing both wings of the capitalist duopoly to fund a genocide and push us towards World War III, which is why numerous other nations are unifying against the U.S.-U.K.-Israeli War Machine by forming BRIC.
I agree with you about opposition to Fascism, and that we cannot trust capitalists to be friends of the working class. However, I am not a party loyalist so I have no more self-imposed illusions about the Cackling Hag than I do of the Orange Buffoon. Hence, I will be voting for Jill Stein because her platform is actually pro-working class and anti-war and those are the principles I support.
Yup! And let's face it, my friend.... if Trump had railroaded Biden in a similar fashion, the Dems would not only be fully sympathetic they would be in pure rage mode about abusing the system and using "lawfare" to keep an opponent they knew had a good chance of defeating them off the ballot. Then again, they and the Repubs work together to keep third party candidates off the ballot with all sorts of grimy legal maneuvers. So much for being pro-democracy.
The two men are not equivalent. Trump is a lawbreaker. Biden isn’t. There wasn’t any railroading. Trump should have been in prison long ago.
The two men are very equivalent when you examine their record of conduct through the years, and Biden has many, many more years of bad conduct in politics. Biden is a war criminal many times over, going along with the lies following 9/11. He is known for making many shady deals, including with that energy company in Ukraine before he provoked Putin into attacking Ukraine by bringing NATO right up to his front door following years of the U.S.-backed coup government bombing the Donbas region of ethnic Russians living in Ukraine.
And when he isn't doing such things, his son Hunter is doing it at his behest or on his own while using his father's name. Remember the incident regarding that info on Hunter's computer?
Trump was not able to get indicted and put in prison for a single thing, because all of those charges were (if you pardon what may seem like a bad pun) trumped up.
Biden is responsible for the racist legislation passed during the 1990s, for funding the destructive proxy war in Ukraine and an honest-to-god genocide (as declared by the International Court) in Gaza. He is also responsible for lying to us numerous times and breaking numerous promises and then conveniently blaming it on the Republicans. As always. And his bankruptcy bill got millions of us in student loan debt that he lied about having the intention of getting us out of.
The financial situation of myself, my working class neighbors, and millions of others got worse under Biden than they were under Trump, which shows how both are dedicated to the exact same world order.
He did nothing to earn our vote, nor did Harris with her similar record of horrible behavior and war-mongering since she got into office. This is why more of us on the Left need to cease being blind party loyalists to the Democrats because it causes us to apply what are supposed to be our unswerving principles in a highly selective manner. We thus come off as hypocrites who are driven more by emotion than any set of actual ethical principles.
It should also be noted that Trump was held over the fire for things that Hillary Clinton did regarding classified documents, and the Dems were asking us to forgive and forget what she did rather than trying to put her in jail. So, this is another example of party loyalty and Trump Derangement Syndrome rather than applying a set of principles to everyone.
Neither of those pluotocratic clowns are going to do anything for us, and I'm going to remain pro-working class rather than pro-party. If the Dems were doing so much for us compared to the Republicans than the pre-selected pro-corporate Dem candidate would not be running neck-in-neck with that buffoon for the *third* election cycle in a row. If he wins, it will be the fault of the Democrats and their working class supporters for refusing to demand anything from them for our votes other than defeating Trump. And if Harris wins, it will for the second time in a row be by the skin of the party's teeth.
Am I wrong or isn't trump's "degree" in economics?
Kamala Harris has degrees in economics, law and political science.