ck4829
ck4829's Journal"... because I believe in Progressive Capitalism"
Here are some examples:
"A fine for one class of people shouldn't be 'just the cost of doing business' or having a privileged and 'highly charged lifestyle' but mean no groceries or even jail if you can't pay be facts of life for another class of people. Opposing that is Progressive Capitalism."
"If the US truly does have the greatest healthcare system in the world, then it should come with freedom from disease, I believe that because I believe in Progressive Capitalism."
"No, you morons, not wanting to get shot in school is not 'socialism'. It has nothing to do with central command of the economy, but if Karl Marx was alive today, he would have wanted youth who are indeed marginalized and disaffected to own weapons and be ready to use them. Let's un-marginalize those youth, I believe that because I believe in Progressive Capitalism."
It's nice to see people start to say it, but let's weaponize this against the worst and most disgusting things the right wing has called "socialism" in the past two years alone.
If it takes off, I will get behind it, and I think other people will too.
So how do we stop "socialism"?
So I hear we shouldn't even talk about "socialism", we shouldn't call ourselves "socialist", etc.
But at the same time that won't stop the airwaves and the internet from being filled with "Democrats are socialist" from the other side. A lie repeated often enough becomes seen as the truth, right?
Look at the White House, look at Fox News, look at Breitbart, at InfoWars, etc. On and on.
We're going to be hit with the label of "socialism", of "socialist", every candidate will be labeled a "socialist", every policy Democrats put out there will be called "socialism"...
No matter how non-socialist, how un-socialist, or even how anti-socialist it is.
That's going to be a given.
Now going forward and the way I see it, there are several options we can all choose and participate in, and I think I've got it down to three general ones:
1. Say we're not socialist and let that be the end of it. Hope that us saying "we're not socialist" is enough to stand up to Republican-friendly media soundbites of "SOCIALIST!", of sensationalist conspiracy theories involving Je-globalists, of shadowy figures like Bill Ayers and George Soros that just screams movie deal, hope and pray that despite being washed in an ocean of propaganda that says Democrats are socialists that people will see through it, of hoping the quick "YOU ARE ALL GAY SOCIALIST COMMUNISTS" is not enough to sway voters and we can tell people to check our empirical data and mountains of evidence that proves we are not socialist. People will go for all the technical book data and facts, not the quick and LOUD soundbites, right? Sure.
2. Defang the label of "SOCIALISM". Take the air out of it. Don't let it become something that elicits a Pavlovian boo and hiss from people. Run socialists. Run as socialists. Have positions and call them socialist. AOC could very well be the future of the party. Accept it. Embrace it. "Socialism" doesn't have to mean bread lines or repression. This one is going to be very involved and very hard to do, if someone were to ruin it, it could cause ruin for the whole Democratic Party. But at the same time, a less demanding one here would be pointing at Republicans and talking about all the crazy things they've called "socialism" over the past couple years... like not wanting to get shot in school, saying black lives matter, getting vaccinated, tax cuts for the middle class, the metric system, having health insurance without the chance of getting hit with pre-existing conditions, etc., but it will end up legitimizing socialism or at least the idea of it.
3. No platform. The right wing is at war with the left, they see themselves in a culture war with us. It very well might be time to fight fire with fire. Don't let Republicans call Democrats "socialist". Destroy the propaganda. Destroy the sources of propaganda. Ban them, report then, and more. Call them "conspiracy theorists" and insane kooks, let it be known that's what they are. A lot of these "socialist" tropes do have roots in antisemitic and other forms of racist nonsense, let it be known, magnify it. Speak louder than them and over them. They say "Sociali--", you raise a finger, put it over their lips, and go "shhhh". Anything that can be done legally to get them to be quiet, go for it.
There could be other options and we could have a mixture of all three, but at the end of the day and going into 2020, we will see at least of a part of one these three in play in response to "socialism" from the GOP, but several questions remain, which one will help us win in 2020, and which one are we willing to use? And which one will we end up using?
I am for all intents and purposes... one of those "globalists"
It's my personal philosophy, my politics, something that has been formulated since I was about 20 years old.
It's my belief that race, ethnicity, borders, nations, and more are all social constructs, inventions of man, not of nature or divinity.
This also comes with the belief that everyone, regardless of what nation they are in or how wealthy they are or the wealth of their nation, should have a guarantee of certain minimum rights and protections. Just one of the applications of that being is that I support the eradication of infectious diseases left and right anywhere it can be done, drive as many as possible to extinction.
Something like that though would require internationalism, multinationalism, and transnationalism... things not possible in the wave of nationalism sweeping the world today.
And for what? What's the benefit of this nationalism?
It feels like this is gaslighting and it almost feels personal since this is my philosophy and something I've personally, physically, and financially supported. And then to see it described as some vague conspiracy with racial undertones right under the surface (And sometimes right out in the open), like not only what I support without any direct benefit to myself personally as immoral and wrong, but not my own beliefs which are created by people like George Soros. It's heartbreaking.
I'm not going to let nationalism be "business as usual", the opposite of this nationalism today is as much my identity as my religious beliefs, the color of my eyes, or my very name. That's just the way it is.
Myth: Nationalism is just the idea that a nation is and should be a nation
Fact: There are many extreme concepts that easily pop up within nationalism, no matter the country, almost like a convergent evolution of sorts.
Just some of these concepts are:
Blood and Soil: This is where the idea that a "racial blood" is tied to land and that "racial blood" is superior to migrant, nomadic, or "stateless" groups.
"Cleansing": Identity, political, religious, social, and of course... ethnic. This all refers to getting rid of some "undesirable" group from the nation.
Conspiracy theories: Nationalism often runs on bizarre and unfounded conspiracy theories that are often enshrined in state policy which in turn leads to atrocities and other tragedies. These conspiracy theories include "Cultural Marxism", "globalism", a "new world order", an idea that some group has stabbed the nation in the back, white genocide, a Zionist occupation government, and conspiracy theories involving George Soros.
Cults of personality: This is where the leader is elevated to godhood in the eyes of the media, party events, supporters, etc. who does all the thinking for the people, the first worker, the eternal leader, all that crazy stuff.
Eliminationism: This is where a group is referred to as a tumor, a cancer, a parasite, etc. in the nation, and this 'thing' must be excised to protect the purity of the nation.
Enemy of the people/state: This is where a group of people, often dissidents, personal enemies of the leader, or opponents of the party just happen to also be enemies of the whole nation. What a coincidence! Emmanuel Goldstein is a great fictional example of what happens when a regime declares someone to be an enemy of the state.
Ethnic hatred: This is where there are feelings of hatred and prejudice towards an ethnic group and this is often enhanced by nationalism.
Historical negationism: This is where pseudoscience and pseudohistory are used to forge new accounts of a nation's history so the party or ideologues can look awesome.
Palingenesis: This is where the nation can be reborn into some mythic/romanticized era. So when nationalists say they want to return to the 1950's (Or in the case of Roy Moore voters... before the Civil War), this is actually palingenesis. Too bad this often involves overthrowing/getting rid of all the "decadent" people and groups so we can return to the mythic era. May involve making a nation great again.
Welfare chauvinism: This is where welfare and jobs should not go to immigrants, well, it starts with immigrants, when there are no more immigrants to deny welfare and jobs to, it becomes the homeless, undesirable types, academics, intellectuals, and other 'useless' people.
So any time you see something reading as "Nationalism is just...", refer them to this post, thanks.
I am actually quite afraid of the spread of "socialism"
Decades ago, "socialism" was being told you like the USSR.
Years ago, "socialism" was thinking everyone should have healthcare.
Today, "socialism" is apparently not wanting to be shot in school or valuing the environment and people who would be harmed by climate change over profit margins.
What will it be tomorrow?
Will "socialism" be not wanting to throw virgins into volcanoes to appease the Blessed Job Creators and so the Dow can rally for the day?
Not just elections or power plants. Russian trolls have proven they can hack our minds.
Trump is a financially and morally bankrupt individual? Boom! But what about Hillary's emails!
Muslim Americans want to build a cemetery? Boom! It's now a matter of 'national security' that they don't!
In a nation that claims to be the greatest with the "greatest healthcare system in the world", we should have a robust public health protocol that not only eliminates diseases in the US but supports the eradication of diseases worldwide? Boom! Maybe "childhood diseases" are actually a good thing!
Kids are protesting to not be shot in school? Boom! Whoa, they clearly didn't reach this opinion on their own volition, maybe they were paid by George Soros to say this!
Black lives matter? Boom! Hold up...
The Putin regime has shown an ability to turn anything they want into an issue, as well as things of basic decency and human rights into issues that shouldn't even be on the table.
They could very well turn "Toilet paper... Over or under?" into an issue that could divide Americans.
I'm going to come out and say it... Ivanka is more disgusting than her father
Ivanka Trump challenges Ocasio-Cortez platform, says Americans don't want 'guaranteed minimum'
“You’ve got people who will see that offer from the Democrats, from the progressive Democrats, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ‘Here’s the Green New Deal, here’s the guarantee of a job,’ and think, ‘yeah, that’s what I want, it’s that simple.’ What do you say to those people?” Hilton asked Ivanka Trump in the interview set to air in full on Sunday.
“I don’t think most Americans, in their heart, want to be given something. I’ve spent a lot of time traveling around this country over the last 4 years. People want to work for what they get,” Trump told Hilton. “So, I think that this idea of a guaranteed minimum is not something most people want. They want the ability to be able to secure a job. They want the ability to live in a country where’s there’s the potential for upward mobility.”
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211864242
It's 100% clear she has no idea what she is talking about OR she does and she doesn't care. Let me tell you all something, I was actually unemployed for a long period of time, about 4 years in fact, the same time Ivanka claims she was traveling around the country. It wasn't a fun time, it wasn't some magical gap period. I was trying, desperately, to find work, any work, I was fine with minimum wage, zero benefit, some travel required, nada. I don't know what it was, but I had no luck period.
I wish there was this "guaranteed minimum" back then; it was a period of humiliation, of dreading every phone call and of the future, of anxiety trying to find out what happened with the hundreds of jobs I applied to, I had a girlfriend back then and I wanted to give her the world but there were times I couldn't even buy her breakfast, I'm still playing catch-up "upward mobility"-wise I know it, and I overcompensate way too hard at every job where I'm underpaid anyway, so I'm wracked with pain giving 110% because I want managers to love me for jobs I'm overqualified for.
At least with her father, even his supporters claim he's not refined, that he doesn't know everything political. Ivanka comes in and she says she's going to be a voice of moderation in the White House, that she's going to have the ear of Daddy. She claims to have wisdom, but she doesn't. At least with Daddy, he's rude and crass up front, her rudeness and crassness comes with the aftertaste. She hides her traits behind a pearly white grin. She talks about "upward mobility" when she was born at the finish line, where does she get off?
Say what you will about Donald Trump, but I say with this last comment, his horrible qualities are refined in his daughter.
What a disgusting woman.
The other problem with Darla Shine's anti-vax comment that I just find amazing
Darla Shine's not a doctor, she just plays one on Twitter.
According to Shine — whose husband, Bill Shine, is White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and a former Fox News executive — having the measles as a child actually helps a person down the road. "The entire Baby Boom population alive today had the #Measles as kids," she tweeted Wednesday. "Bring back our #ChildhoodDiseases they keep you healthy and fight cancer."
Shine doesn't believe that the measles outbreak in the Pacific Northwest is an issue, tweeting, "Here we go LOL #measlesoutbreak on #CNN #Fake #Hysteria." She also lamented the fact that her kids received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination when they were younger: "I had the #Measles #Mumps #ChickenPox as a child and so did every kid I knew — Sadly my kids had #MMR so they will never have the life long natural immunity I have." When Shine wasn't tweeting rhapsodically about the joy of the measles, she was gleefully following along with the media coverage she was receiving and declaring there are "so many ignorant people on #Twitter."
https://theweek.com/speedreads/823753/antivaccine-rant-wife-trump-aide-says-time-bring-back-childhood-diseases
Technically speaking, her kids DID get measles, mumps, and rubella; that's what the vaccine is. Viruses that get so used to attacking egg embryo cells (In one example of what viral attenuation is), they can not infect human cells.
To me, this looks like an attempt to rationalize the anti-vax conspiracy theories. The nonsense that vaccines make kids, as Michele Bachmann says, "mentally retarded" is losing steam so now they have a new shtick, claim the diseases that are being driven out were good things! That "childhood diseases" were magical things that came to a child's bedroom at night and told them they were going to take a week off of school and have lots of fun and not things that you know... killed them.
It's just sad that Darla Shine views not losing face as more important than the health and happiness of children.
Trump's real emergency: He is not getting the "rally 'round the flag" effect
Or maybe he is... which would be even worse for Trump.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rally_%27round_the_flag_effect
These are the approval ratings of George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006, other than a steady drop (Which sounds about right), there are three very large noticeable spikes, which would be the same dates 9/11, the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the capture of Saddam Hussein happened.
Ever since Trump's became President, what has happened, we've had nothing but conflict...
* Getting elected on seeing migrants and Muslims as threats.
* Everyone is lying; the media, climate scientists, economists, etc.
* A war on the illusory "deep state"
* Trying to set MS-13 up as some sort of hyper-existential threat to the US while the victims of the people who are shooting up our schools and churches are all "crisis actors" or something
* A trade war with China
* Saber rattling against Iran and Venezuela
* Support from conservative evangelicals, the same ones who supported that 2003 Iraq War to bring on the End Times and see themselves as the tip of the spear in a perpetual culture war against GLBTQ people, Planned Parenthood, and liberals
* Support from far righters who are in an eternal struggle against "antifa" and "socialism", which now apparently means the opposition to getting shot in school and things like prioritizing decency and compassion over profit margins
* One of the places where some of Trump's strongest supporters can be found even names itself after conflict... InfoWars
* The source of this latest 'emergency', migrant caravans and the five year old children in them, which according to Trump lapdog Fox News, can crash our "World's greatest healthcare system" with their super diseases
* And of course it all goes without saying that every single one of these super #1 threats to the US are all here and threatening us because of generous funding from our government's own Emmanuel Goldstein, that (((international banker))) George Soros and his Je-, I mean Globalist Gold.
You don't have to be a political scientist to see that we have a president who is actively fishing for a crisis, fishing for an emergency to shore up his approval ratings; that's not what we should be asking ourselves.
What we should be asking ourselves is what are we going to do about it and what are we going to ask of lawmakers in response to this fishing for a conflict for higher approval ratings.
Has the president EVER elaborated on this statement he made back in 2011?
"We very early on did an investigation into Barack Obama's birth certificate," Bill O'Reilly said, noting that his team had turned up two Obama birth announcements in local Hawaiian newspapers, " (So) I just dismissed it but you made a big deal out of it."
Trump said of the birth announcements: "I grew up with Wall Street geniuses. What they do in terms of fraud, and how they change documents — and I'll tell you something, if you notice, those dates were three days later. And here's what I ask people — who puts announcements? [Here's] two poor people, a man and a woman with no money, they have a baby. There's announcements in the newspaper? ... Nelson Rockefeller doesn't put announcements in. I've never seen one."
https://www.politico.com/story/2011/03/oreilly-slams-birther-trump-052271
So who are these "Wall Street geniuses" AKA criminals who committed a litany of crimes? Do they have access to the White House? Do they have access to classified information, government policy making, or government funds? Are they working in government agencies now? Is there a chance these frauds are in the cabinet right now?
If only there was some political body that could subpoena people and access things. If only there was some legislative actor that could use some sort of check and/or balance to get to the bottom of this...
Oh well.
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Member since: Sat Mar 20, 2004, 11:37 AMNumber of posts: 35,069
