A Less Long and Rambling Response to Lesser Evil Voting
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/10/26/a-less-long-and-rambling-respons...
"A vote for the lesser evil is a vote against the greater evil. But it is also a vote for the system of lesser evil politics..."
With Just Days To the Midterms, Russiagate is MIA
https://www.thenation.com/article/russiagate-2018-midterms-interference/
"And that's a good thing. Russiagate, for all its hype, has not gone as advertised. For all the dire warnings about Russian trolls and hackers over the past two years, it is those sounding the alarms who have fueled a much worse threat."
Russiagate is MIA for a reason. It's policy, Comey nothwithstanding, for those investigating malfeasance in Washington not to make announcements or issue indicatments in the month leading up to a federal election.
Mystery of the Midterm Elections: Where Are the Russians?
https://twitter.com/yashalevine/status/1058090008370995200
"Yes, the Russian threat to US democracy we hyped is indeed bullshit. But the Iranians are after us now!"
Russiagate is MIA for a reason. It's policy, Comey nothwithstanding, for those investigating malfeasance in Washington not to make announcements or issue indicatments in the month leading up to a federal election.
Someone should have sent a memo to Comey. His interference 10 days before the 2016 election has caused the world a lot of harm.
The Jimmy Dore Show
"How to eliminate the 'spoiler' vote phenomenon with Jill Stein."
#ICYMI: How to Spot Russian Influence in the US Midterm Elections (and vid)
Midterm Scoreboard Reveals Massive Influence of Pro-Israel PACs on Congressional Candidates
https://www.mintpressnews.com/midterm-scoreboard-reveals-massive-influen...
"The scoreboard presents 29 bills and resolutions that were introduced on behalf of Israel, some openly drafted by AIPAC, the America Israel Public Affairs Committee. A just released Midterm Elections Scoreboard shows that Israel partisans have dominated Congress over the past ten years..."
But Russia...
But Russia was caught running a huge Internet troll farm located in Saint Petersburg? On the other hand AIPAC is legally and openly located in Washington DC.
Re-read #205 and Mate on the actual influence of your 'huge troll farm in St Petersburg'. As for the 'legal and open' operations and influence of AIPAC, this may be useful.
The Lobby - USA, Episode 1
https://electronicintifada.net/content/watch-film-israel-lobby-didnt-wan...
Maybe Russia should be up front and open up a lobby group in the U.S. Every major interest group seems to have one. I'm sure Putin et al would be welcome to open their offices at the Trump Tower or Mar-a-Lago.
It's Not Left Versus Right, Both Parties Have Let Us Down (and vid)
https://therealnews.com/stories/its-not-left-versus-right-both-parties-h...
"The liberal versus conservative narrative ignores the real concerns of voters, healthcare and corporate control of congress..."
Scum vs Scum - by Chris Hedges
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/scum-vs-scum/
"That sums up this election season. The rot inside the American political system is deep and terminal..."
Americans who care about issues like health care, the environment, and corporate control of Congress, know their is a huge difference between Democrats and Republicans. Equating Democrats with Republicans got the US Donald Trump. Hopefully voter participation will be way up tommorow and the Democrats will make huge gains. Hopefully they will gain control of both the House and Senate, although winning the Senate is a very tall order given the Republicans are defending only 9 seats in the Senate.
Why I'm Not Voting
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/11/05/why-im-not-voting
"On Tuesday, millions of people will vote in a midterm election that's touted as one of the most consequential in decades. Millions of people, perfectly eligible to do so, will not vote, however. Once again, I'll be one of them, and I'm happy to explain why..."
Another reason not to vote - to allow the rich and powerful to rule.
[quote=JKR]Another reason not to vote - to allow the rich and powerful to rule.
[quote=NDPP]
I used to. They still did/do.
I used to. They still did/do.
If voting didn't matter, the rich and powerful wouldn't spend billions trying to alter elections.
Clearly Emma Goldman was right: "If voting changed anything they'd make it illegal."
Clearly Emma Goldman was right: "If voting changed anything they'd make it illegal."
This is certainly a witty and oft-repeated saying, but JKR is the one with the facts on his side. Oligarchs don't spend billions of dollars on influencing a process that has no effect. If you think they do, perhaps you could explain what their motivations are. Why spend huge sums on something that doesn't matter?
Do you seriously suggest that large capitalist concerns are chewing their fingers off over who wins an American election? Do you think Israel cares? Chomsky correctly observed that the US eagle flies on two right wings, the Dems and Repugs. Get real.
Clearly Emma Goldman was right: "If voting changed anything they'd make it illegal."
Look at voter suppression of black people in Georgia and the refusal to allow First Nations people to vote in South Dakota just to name two examples.
In 2000, the Republicans had to throw away some votes from visible minorities in Florida in order to overturn the Democratic election victory of Al Gore.
Republicans do these things because voting does matter, and not because they want to humour themselves.
Just like elections, round and round we go. This has already been done to death here. Numerous threads have already canvassed the issue. I'm with Goldman and won't be moved.
Smash the Vote Campaign
http://rabble.ca/babble/election-2015/smash-vote-campaign
"Very often we lose ourselves down in the stinking weeds of Capitalist subterfuge, until we become part of the intrigues, becoming integral to the back and forth that only cements us in place where we're left to agonize over a multitude of specifics while losing site of the agony that constitutes the whole." - Slumberjack-
"Ah, the old questions, the old answers, there's nothing like them!" - Beckett
Just like elections, round and round we go. This has already been done to death here. Numerous threads have already canvassed the issue. I'm with Goldman and won't be moved.
I know you won't be moved. I post against your erroneous statements for the benefit of other readers, not you. And by the way, Chomsky encourages voting, as a minor but important part of activism.
"Very often we lose ourselves down in the stinking weeds of Capitalist subterfuge, until we become part of the intrigues, becoming integral to the back and forth that only cements us in place where we're left to agonize over a multitude of specifics while losing site of the agony that constitutes the whole." - Slumberjack
I believe it was Slumberjack who argued that mass non-voting would be a blow to the powers-that-be, as it would make the politicians realize that no one was taking the system seriously anymore.
2019...
KENNEY: Yes! A clean sweep! Even took Edmonton Strathcona! Royalty breaks and deregulation, here we come!!
FLUNKY: I dunno, Jason. Did you see the turnout numbers? Voting was down by 60 percent.
KENNEY: Holy shit. You think the people know something we don't? Maybe the whole system's a sham. I might have to give some serious thought to embracing socialism.
Americans who care about issues like health care, the environment, and corporate control of Congress, know their is a huge difference between Democrats and Republicans. Equating Democrats with Republicans got the US Donald Trump. Hopefully voter participation will be way up tommorow and the Democrats will make huge gains. Hopefully they will gain control of both the House and Senate, although winning the Senate is a very tall order given the Republicans are defending only 9 seats in the Senate.
I think Democrats will retake the House with around a 30 seat gain. Probably lose 1 or 2 in the senate. And gain about 8 governorships.
Clearly Emma Goldman was right: "If voting changed anything they'd make it illegal."
People would revolt if voting was made illegal. The rich and powerful definitely don't want that so they reconcile themselves to spending billions and globally trillions on altering political systems in their favour.
Do you seriously suggest that large capitalist concerns are chewing their fingers off over who wins an American election?
They're just spending their fortunes on altering elections. If their fingers need replacing they also have more than enough money for excellent plastic surgery.
And so here we are: The warmongering corporate blue party vs the warmongering corporate red party. No matter who wins Americans lose.
If foreign policy were the only thing Americans had to be concerned with then you're right, it would be a dead heat.
On the Eve of the US Midterm Elections The Political Issues Facing the Working Class
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/11/05/pers-n05.html
"Whatever the rhetoric and however the seats at the Senate and House of Representatives are allocated, the basic factors that drive American politics will persist..."
*I am a supporter of the #metoo campaign.
And so here we are: The warmongering corporate blue party vs the warmongering corporate red party. No matter who wins Americans lose.
It's amazing how much more intelligent you are than American voters!!!
Not at all. 100 million don't vote.
Not at all. 100 million don't vote.
Well at least you're smarter than the voters who vote!!!
What Else You [Americans] Can Do
http://davidswanson.org/what-else-you-can-do/
"You've been radically misled to believe that the only thing, or the most important thing, or one of the super important things you can do is vote..."
..a very good discussion. sorry no transcript available.
Democrats Take the House – What Now?
TRNN midterm elections panel with Thomas Frank, Eugene Puryear, Jacqueline Luqman, Paul Jay, Khalilah Harris, Lester Spence, Ralph Nader, Danny Glover, and host Marc Steiner discuss what the Democratic party can do now that it re-took the House of Representatives
Democrats Win The House
https://www.politico.com/election-results/2018/house/
Democrats Take The House - What Now?
TRNN midterm elections with panel Thomas Frank, Eugene Puryear, Jacqueline Lugman, Paul Jay, Khalilah Harris, Lester Spence and host Marc Steiner discuss what the Democratic party can do now that it re-took the House of Representatives.
CrossTalk: Finally the Midterms
Finally the midterm elections. And there are many questions. Were these races a referendum on Donald Trump's time in office? What will the Democrats do in power? And what are Trump's chances in 2020?
If foreign policy were the only thing Americans had to be concerned with then you're right, it would be a dead heat.
You are right, unfortunately for the rest of us residents on the same planet as them they don't give a fuck about their imperialist war machine. They all know in their hearts that Amerika has not only the weapons but the moral authority to tell everyone else on the planet how to live their lives. That is exactly why I don't care who wins in the US. Besides from a social justice perspective will the Democrats end jail slavery for black men. I doubt it but they will give insurance companies more money to provide limited care to poor people and call it progress.
I don't recall who the babbler was that predicted that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would be "crushed" in the general election, after she won the primary on a very left wing platform, but last night she won 78% of the vote in her district. It was her Republican opponent that was crushed.
I believe that was progressive17. And good on Ocasio-Cortez!
Ralph Nader On How The Democratic Party 'Almost Blew It Again' (and vid)
https://therealnews.com/stories/ralph-nader-on-how-the-democratic-party-...
TRNN: Panel with Ralph Nader examines the shortcomings of the Democratic Party and how it almost failed to beat the Republicans in the midterms, even though they were in a relatively weak position.
How many people couldn't vote because of the Republican's voter suppression laws and how many races did the Republicans win via voter suppression? I think they won the Senate races via voter suppression in places like Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Arizona, and that in turn gave them control of the Senate.
US elections are all about maintaining the status quo. Never about change. Barak Obama cemented that one forever!
It would probably be a better venture at trying to calculate how many people would have to die in US chaos to usher in actual progressive changes.
I’m going to guess at lest over 100K
..eventually this turns into a very good discussion
Abby Martin: The Democratic Party’s ‘Abysmal Failure’ Presenting a Platform
Being anti-Trump is not good enough for defeating Trump. The Democratic Party needs a clearer and more progressive platform if it hopes to halt the country’s rightward movement, says Empire Files’ Abby Martin on the TRNN midterm election panel.
Big oil spilled big bucks into defeating Washington carbon fee vote
While Tuesday’s election dominated the news, a key climate vote ended in a triumph for big oil.
Voters in Washington, one of the most progressive states on climate policy, rejected Initiative 1631, a carbon fee that would be imposed on fossil fuel emissions. The “no” side spent an unprecedented $31 milllion, mostly contributed by the oil industry. Phillips 66, BP America, Andeavor, and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers gave a combined $16 million to the anti-1631 campaign.
Here's a partial list of companies that gave more than $1,000 to the "No" campaign, reported by The Seattle Times.
PHILLIPS 66 - $7.2 million
BP AMERICA - $6.3 million
ANDEAVOR - $4.3 million
AMERICAN FUEL AND PETROCHEMICAL MANUFACTURERS - $1 million
U.S. OIL & REFINING COMPANY - $558,531
CHEVRON U.S.A. INC. - $500,000
VALERO ENERGY CORPORATION - $495,000
KOCH INDUSTRIES, INC. - $300,000
THE HOLLYFRONTIER COMPANIES - $250,000
CASCADE NATURAL GAS COMPANY - $50,000
BP AMERICA - (in kind) $47,677.63
WESTERN STATES PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION - (in kind) $46,887.08
The Jimmy Dore Show
"Pelosi promises Dems will do absolutely nothing..."
On the to vote or not to vote issue, has anyone read Blindness and Seeing by Jose Saramago? Particularly Seeing, which is a sequal of sorts, and concerns the government response to an election where, with no explanation, a vast majority of the voters hand in blank ballots. From a review by Ursula K Le Guin:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/apr/15/featuresreviews.guardianre...
"The story begins with those ordinary citizens, who not so long ago regained their sight and their tranquil day-to-day lives, doing something that seems quite unconnected with vision or lack of it. It is voting day, and 83% of them, after not going to the polls at all in the morning, go in the late afternoon and cast a blank ballot.
We see the dismay of bureaucrats, the excitement of journalists, the hysteria of the government, and the mild non-response of the citizens, who, when asked how they voted, refuse to say, reminding the questioner that the question is illegal. The satire is at first quite funny, and I thought it was going to be a light, Voltairean tale.
Turning in a blank ballot is a signal unfamiliar to most Britons and Americans, who aren't yet used to living under a government that has made voting meaningless. In a functioning democracy, one can consider not voting a lazy protest liable to play into the hands of the party in power (as when low Labour turn-out allowed Margaret Thatcher's re-elections, and Democratic apathy secured both elections of George W Bush). It comes hard to me to admit that a vote is not in itself an act of power, and I was at first blind to the point Saramago's non-voting voters are making. I began to see it at last, when the minister of defence announces that what the country is facing is terrorism."
I don't recall who the babbler was that predicted that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would be "crushed" in the general election, after she won the primary on a very left wing platform, but last night she won 78% of the vote in her district. It was her Republican opponent that was crushed.
It goes to show that if the DNC had not used Nixonian style dirty tricks against Bernie he most likely would have been elected President. It would be great if in two years the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) caucus becomes a major force in the US.
I expect for the next two years to have constant attacks on these Congressional Representatives. Neither side of the feuding US oligarchies wants to see them succeed and will both be trying to drown the baby before it grows up.
I don't recall who the babbler was that predicted that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would be "crushed" in the general election, after she won the primary on a very left wing platform, but last night she won 78% of the vote in her district. It was her Republican opponent that was crushed.
It goes to show that if the DNC had not used Nixonian style dirty tricks against Bernie he most likely would have been elected President. It would be great if in two years the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) caucus becomes a major force in the US.
I expect for the next two years to have constant attacks on these Congressional Representatives. Neither side of the feuding US oligarchies wants to see them succeed and will both be trying to drown the baby before it grows up.
I agree with all of this. Sanders would be president right now if the DNC had run a fair set of primaries. The DSA plus the other Democratic left organizations (Justice Democrats, Our Revolution et al) are well aware that they will face the wrath of the corporate Democrats and their corrupt political consultants in the next 2 years. However, they now have a small but talented caucus of a dozen or so Representatives in congress, and they have many tens of thousands, if not millions of active members, who will be working to extend their influence. They have many candidates who didn't quite make it this year, but will just keep campaigning for the next primaries in 2020. The establishment Democrats have the nomenclatura on their side, and they have lots of money, but very few actual voluntary activists. It should be interesting.
Thanks, Mobo, for the link to the book review by Ms. LeGuin. She was one of my favourite authors (I particularly love "The Lathe of Heaven") and a very wise person. However, I suspect from her description that the writing of Saramago lies far beyond my ability to comprehend without a months long effort to study his work. Even were I to make such an effort, my software developer's mind tends to have difficulty with this level of abstraction. So, while I accept LeGuin's view that "Seeing" has something meaningful to say about the issue of whether or not to vote, I do not ever expect to understand what it is saying.
