shitposting

So, along with continuing the genocide, hell, even advocating for it to be done quicker with Trump's beach resort comments, the US is literally overtly more fascist now (instead of just an unjust capitalist hellscape).

https://lemmy.world/post/31482689

This is what pisses me off about high horse moralising. The righteous are so concerned with being righteous, they would prefer do nothing to mitigate the worst, if it means getting their hands dirty and voting for people they also despise, even if they're the better option to the worst option.

How exactly is having an despot in power going to help the leftist cause? They (not the democrats in large part, the people) are scrambling to react to Trump and the Republicans rapid fire undermining rule of law.

Sure, under the democrats it's business as usual of capitalist exploitation, but at least you wouldn't have the president literally directing federal officers to target cities with kidnappings as political reprisal.

I'm not advocating for voting for the democrats forever, but until you stand a reasonable chance of electing someone who will implement voting reform.

Am I advocating for voting against Bernie Sanders, even though he's technically an independent, and not a Democrat? No. Am I advocating for voting for the democrats in a very safe seat? No.

But Christ on a bike, if you live in an electorate that's on the knife's edge and can't dirty yourself with accepting the awful voting system for what it is, and voting against the worst outcome, then there is no reasoning with you because you don't understand the spoiler effect.

Voting reform is the first thing leftists in the US need to get implemented. Above everything else, literally. You have some states even outlawing ranked choice voting, because they correctly identify it as a threat to their stranglehold on power.

While the US is going to hell in a hand basket, our voting system (in Australia) means the socialist party can expand outside just Victoria. It's still a small party, that's what decades of eroding unionism, the Labor party losing it's way, and living under capitalism has done, but there are little electoral barriers against them making gains (beyond obscurity and incumbent's advantage). Our Overton window is shifting left. Our conservative and country parties (the Liberal and National parties) are further left than your Democrats.

Your Overton window is ratcheting further and further to the right, and at accelerating speeds partially BECAUSE Trump and the Republicans get back in power.

Do you really think the US electoral system is going to be left in a better position to be reformed after all this?

I reckon the US has pushed electoral reform at least a decade down the line, if not more. Everyone will be so concerned with "righting the ship" they won't meaningfully change the system. Not unless it gets so bad you have some sort of revolution and seizure of power, and that's not exactly a recipe for stability and actual democracy.

Anyway, I just came back to gloat (morbidly), but hopefully get through to you that bring righteous isn't helping anyone.

I am still sad that Trump won over Kamala. We in the provinces need to live with it too, since the US is the preeminent imperialist power.

So, if you live in a competitive electorate, as a leftist you had better bloody vote for the most likely candidate to unseat Republicans at the mid-terms, and in the meantime organise like hell to have a chance of unseating both the Republicans and democrats WHEN ELECTORALLY POSSIBLE.

You can put your fingers in your ears, but it won't change what your voting system is.

Christ.