Bernie Would Have Won : usa

[–] [email protected] 143 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (15 children)

He's right. In a declining capitalist state like the current US, workers want change. In the absence of a genuine working class party that correctly blames capitalism and the capitalist class for a revolution, you get a "radical" capitalist-funded party that at least points the blame at someone — marginalized people.

The dems only offer to preserve the status quo, and no one fucking wants the status quo.

Get organized. Liberal democracies in the imperial core historically always slide to fascism.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

While it's good to hear him say it now, I'm very annoyed that he didn't attempt to hold Dem feet to the fire while they were in an election, and could have potentially extracted concessions. AFAIK he's also still not calling the Palestinian genocide a genocide.

This is not to take away from the message that the democratic party must be destroyed and replaced with a working class (IE: Communist) party, which is correct, but merely to point out that Bernie himself cannot be trusted to lead it.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Brother is hurtling towards 90. I wouldn't trust him to lead a drum circle.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

...this is the crux of it: bernie's time was eight years ago, and even though i absolutely respect his lucid resolve, the movement needs fresh figureheads to sustain its momentum...

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

It's worth noting that "fascism" specifically is a eurocentric — or even more specifically a 20th century-centric — ideology. You could argue the US has always been "fascist", just that the fascism has been focused on people outside it — the countries it constantly wages wars on. Still a good way to describe the direction declining capitalist states are headed to, I guess.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

You could argue the US has always been “fascist”, just that the fascism has been focused on people outside it

Hitler was inspired on how to treat the Jews, Romani, disabled, and queers, based on how we treated Native Americans and Black Americans. He saw the country doing so well in the world stage excluding millions from the same status and privilege as the normalized default, and thought it would work for Germany and Europe, by force.

America was founded by rich white oligarchs, it was never going to support anything good without a lot of people letting go unless they died.

EDIT: Sorry if you get double pinged, server had a hiccup as I was posting.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 weeks ago

Fascism is Capitalism in decay, the violent immune system employed by the Capitalist class. A great work on fascism is Blackshirts and Reds. I can provide a longer Marxism intro reading list if you'd like, but Blackshirts is a great start.

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 weeks ago

Link to the tweet

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

Even here in Europe where there are genuine left wing parties, where there's proportional representation, where we have mistly functional education, labour class people are voting for folks who blame poor people and immigrants for everything that goes wrong. I think part of the blame is with tabloid style media and social media magnifying formerly fringe opinion. Just saying that having a real alternative for the populist right, might not be enough.

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[–] [email protected] 62 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The most relevant paragraph imo

Bernie’s coalition was filled with the exact type of voters who are now flocking to Donald Trump: Working class voters of all races, young people, and, critically, the much-derided bros. The top contributors to Bernie’s campaign often held jobs at places like Amazon and Walmart. The unions loved him. And— never forget — he earned the coveted Joe Rogan endorsement that Trump also received the day before the election this year. It turns out, the Bernie-to-Trump pipeline is real! While that has always been used as an epithet to smear Bernie and his movement, with the implication that social democracy is just a cover for or gateway drug to right wing authoritarianism, the truth is that this pipeline speaks to the power and appeal of Bernie’s vision as an effective antidote to Trumpism. When these voters had a choice between Trump and Bernie, they chose Bernie. For many of them now that the choice is between Trump and the dried out husk of neoliberalism, they’re going Trump.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

Bernie’s coalition was filled with the exact type of voters who are now flocking to Donald Trump... It turns out, the Bernie-to-Trump pipeline is real!

Except this election wasn't decided by voters switching sides, it was decided by something like 16 million Biden voters not showing up for Harris or Trump, who himself lost about 2 million votes from his 2020 total.

For those 16 million who sucked it up and voted for Biden in 2020, the choice this time wasn't Harris or Trump, it was Harris or staying home.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 2 weeks ago

Yes but then the DNC would not be able to please their donor class. Which is far more important than winning.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 2 weeks ago

No, Democratic Party would throw an election rather than move an inch to the left.

[+] [email protected] 28 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

[deleted]

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[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Most likely the DNC would have sabotaged him like Labour sabotaged Jeremy Corbin

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Yeah that's the subtext of the headline. Or should be if it isn't the author's intent. This shouldn't be understood as an endorsement of social liberalism, but as a denunciation of the system as a way of obtaining good outcomes.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

He should found a new party based on his moral and ethical values. First, take over Vermont government, after that let's see. He's the only politician I know whou could pull this one in the American scene. He's already independent and representing much more than Vermont.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

I'm down, but he's just so old. With his only heir apparent being AOC. People don't like her nearly as much despite basically identical policy proposals. I wonder why?

I've said this before but at this point I think our only hope is the destruction of the Republican party so Democrats are the new conservatives. This way a progressive party could arise.

Or get rid of first past the post voting and the electoral college. But that seems harder somehow.

Or, honestly, this is the end and there is no hope left.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (9 children)

We already have like 5 more. Why wouldn't he join greens or communists or peace and freedom or another?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I don't get it. He seems to understand the dems will never be a working-class party. Why's he still in there instead of an actual socialist org like the PSL or FRSO?

[–] Arelin 5 points 2 weeks ago

Fear for his life, probably. He seems to be popular enough to give those parties a momentum that would make him a target of both the capitalist parties.

Black Panther party members — including its leader — were killed by the FBI. A genuine threat to capitalist rule will naturally have to face these threats.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Yes. in 2016. Not this year, he took too many terrible bargains.

And of course the dems would rather get dissolved in acid then actually run him. They would have ran the ghost of Richard Nixon over him.

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