What gets me is that the side pearl-clutching over the White House is arguably more correct than the side pearl-clutching over the demolition company. But, like, how are those the two sides lmao

Lib discourse is so wild.

Let’s be clear: taking action like boycotts or whatever against companies collaborating with fascists is 100% appropriate and valid. But there’s so many companies that are complicit in much worse ways than bulldozing the White House. Why should I even give a shit about the White House? How about instead we pressure corporations that are involved in manufacturing weapons and bombs for the regime? Or companies that provide it with data, surveillance, and technical support? You know, the companies that give the admistration material power over people?

By all means, knock yourself out doing this, I’m just confused why everyone is so invested in the White House. But if I had to guess, I’d say it’s because it’s a way of reaffirming loyalty to the state while criticizing it, making the criticism safely toothless. Me, I’d just say that all he did was save us the trouble of knocking it down ourselves.

I’m convinced some chud staffer made this entire thing just to slip in this frame as a Warhammer reference.

The issue is that, as conditions decline, more and more people are going to radicalize. If the only option that people see is reaction, then the rise of the far right is inevitable. We have likely already crossed the line where “maintaining the status quo” is sufficient to win elections, but even if not, it’s only a matter of time. Maintaining the status quo means maintaining a state of decline, and that decline is going to win out.

And making them panic does what, exactly?

What on earth is that response? You’re taking offense because I wanted to hear your strategy? That’s crazy. You should be glad that someone’s seeking out your perspective.

For example, since you deflected it back to me, I’m happy to share my thoughts.

The left is a long way from posing a real threat to the powers that be. It is poorly organized, poorly armed, and lacks clarity of vision. So long as that’s the case, the left doesn’t have much negotiating power, if push comes to shove, it’d be slaughtered, and there is little choice but to back down because of that. Whatever other approaches are taken, it is important to account for the possibility of enemies using extreme measures, for example, in the event of a general strike, the state might just start killing striking workers until they go back to work. And indeed, they may even force the left’s hand without waiting for something like that.

The best way to avoid the other side using a nuclear option is through deterrence. When the left has a “nuclear option” of it’s own, then there will be reason to come to the table and negotiate with the peaceful side, and tactics such as a general strike can be deployed more effectively and with less risk.

Of course, the logistics of such a “nuclear option” take time to set up, and, God willing, it should only serve to increase negotiating power and shouldn’t develop into a full-fledged conflict - meaning that we need to be realistic about what we can bargain for. Trump being almost 80, may well be dead before we are really in a position to achieve anything, and there will likely be more important priorities at that time than holding him accountable.

In short: buy a gun, join an org, and read and discuss theory.

What’s the plan, then?

but data shows over and over that non violent ones more often end to being more successful at regime change.

What data is that, exactly?

Texas should be forced to secede.

In a statement, village spokesperson David Ormsby said Noem appeared “unannounced” at the Village Hall “asking for a meeting while Mayor Katrina Thompson was out of the building.” Thompson, Ormsby said, was instead on her way to meet Noem at the ICE facility.

“Mayor Thompson went to the ICE center, accompanied by the Broadview Police Chief Thomas, and officers, to ask for the illegal fence to be dismantled. The mayor was told by agents at the gate the secretary was unavailable to meet,” Ormsby said. "Additionally, we are distressed to hear that the bathrooms are unavailable at the ICE facility.”

Yeah, maybe they just didn’t have enough genital inspectors on staff to clear her entry.

The American Empire is falling apart, and has been for quite some time now, what we’re seeing right now is a childish trashing about and refusing to accept reality or adapt to present global conditions. Every year, more and more countries that used to be pro-US turn neutral, and countries that used to be neutral turn towards China. The US will become more and more isolated, diplomatically, economically, and so forth, and it will become increasingly impossible to pretend that it’s “#1,” while domestic conditions get worse and worse.

Soon, if not already, we will be in a situation where the only credible advantage the US has to leverage is the military, and it may choose to start WWIII with China in a desperate attempt to stay on top.

The ruling bourgeoisie don’t really want this, they’re doing just fine in the current system, but stoking fear and hate of the Other distracts from problems at home. The danger is that some true believer is going to get into a position of power. Someone who isn’t just saber-rattling to justify giving more money to the CEOs of Raytheon and Lockheed Martin so they can buy another beach house, but who actually sees a hot war between major, nuclear-armed powers as desirable. The further conditions deteriorate, and the longer we go on with fear and hate being stoked, the more this possibility becomes an inevitability.

If that happens, everyone will lose. If somehow it remains contained and doesn’t end life on earth (as it probably will), then, win or lose, the US will be finished. Maybe the US could throw everything it’s got into stopping China, but then another power will emerge and it’ll be spent.

To avert this future, we need a radical left wing shift, with drastic cuts to the military and the money going towards improving ordinary people’s lives and addressing various domestic crises. The US is not Superman, we are not invulnerable, we do not have the ability to go around the world “fixing” every situation everywhere. Instead, we need to focus on the things we can control, starting with within our own borders. Because when the world sees us falling apart, why would anyone want to follow us anywhere? And repairing domestic issues would go a long way to averting the rise of fascism.

But unfortunately, nobody seems to want this, Republican or Democrat. Every administration keeps funnelling more and more money towards the military, keeps getting involved in conflicts and resorting to force, and keeps failing to address domestic problems. No, we can’t just mind our own business and focus on getting our own shit sorted out, we have to go send bombs to Syria and Yemen and Palestine and Ukraine, bombs bombs bombs, the only currency the US uses in international diplomacy. If we had spent a tenth of the money we’re spending fighting over Ukraine on making life better for ordinary Ukrainians after the end of the Soviet Union, there wouldn’t be a war. And right now, there are tons of countries that are slipping away because we’re too stingy to spend that 1/10th on them (of even on our own people), because building bombs instead helps the rich get richer. But nobody cares. It’s madness.

Either we have some broad social reckoning with our obsession with militarism and hatred of the poor and forigners, or we stay on this idiotic course until we drive off a cliff.

If Trump goes down via something like the 25th amendment, or like, assassination, I can see the base rallying around Vance. But left to their own devices to pick a successor? Idk. The whole “Trump 2028” meme, as much as it’s supposed to “trigger the libs,” kinda shows a lack of confidence or at least excitement regarding Vance, and I can envision a contested primary, especially as things continue going towards shit and they have to find someone or something to blame.

Personally, I suspect that we’ve entered a period of one term presidents. There are systemic issues that will cause things to continue to get worse regardless of who’s in charge (barring radical change) and at the modern pace of discourse, four years feels like an eternity.

They belong in Wolfenstein, let’s be honest.

In what universe are any of these people going to be held accountable??

The safest route for sure is to just follow the pack and not stand out. Unless you think that the average Republican has a serious risk of ending up in prison, in which case you’re more delusional than she is.

I’m old enough to remember when people (including my young and naive self) thought that the Bush administration would be held accountable for illegal torture and spying and all that. Democrats got a supermajority and didn’t touch them, and even continued a lot of the shit they’d been doing. The rule of law simply doesn’t apply to you if the only people who could enforce it against you are these soft, civility-obsessed careerists. It’s pure cope to think otherwise.

I’m genuinely curious if you really believe that they were never arguing that Trump was a Maoist, as they’re now suggesting. Like when you read where they said:

I’m not trying to be mean but how in practice is this substantially different than Maoism?

They may sell it to you in a different package but the contents are essentially the same and I’d argue the result would be largely the same.

So in practice they aren’t functionally different

Have I actually “misread” or “misinterpreted” that? What other interpretation exists?

They’re just playing games and acting coy because they know they can’t actually defend what they said. It’s clear bad faith, and I tend to react with hostility towards that. They’re just good enough at operating in bad faith to muddy the waters.

Live in ignorance then. Bye.

I’m always impressed by the level of effort people will put into mental and rhetorical gymnastics to avoid admitting they don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about rather than putting half that effort into actually studying the thing they’re talking about.

You wouldn’t have to play these games if you just read a fucking book.

good friends with Lenin as Trotsky was

Tell me you’ve never read Lenin without telling me

Trotsky arrived, and this scoundrel at once ganged up with the Right wing […]

What a swine this Trotsky is: Left phrases, and a bloc with the Right.

This is an instance of high-flown phraseology with which Trotsky always justifies opportunism… The phrase-bandying Trotsky has completely lost his bearings on a simple issue.

Trotsky has never yet held a firm opinion on any important question of Marxism. He always contrives to worm his way into the cracks of any given difference of opinion, and desert one side for the other.

Trotsky behaves like a despicable careerist and factionalist of the Ryazanov-and-co type. Either equality on the editorial board, subordination to the central committee and no one’s transfer to Paris except Trotsky’s (the scoundrel, he wants to ‘fix up’ the whole rascally crew of ‘Pravda’ at our expense!) – or a break with this swindler and an exposure of him in the CO. He pays lip-service to the Party and behaves worse than any other of the factionalists.

This is just a random sample, if you want more I can go on, for as long as you like.

Where does it say trump is a maoist you fuckin buffoon.

You said, “you haven’t quoted me once.” I have, in fact, quoted you, so that’s blatantly false.

So when you said, “I’m not trying to be mean but how in practice is this substantially different than Maoism?” you weren’t implying that Trump is a Maoist?

Obviously, this whole time you’ve been arguing that position, and even when I directly asked this, you refused to answer. You’re still refusing to answer.

You’re just playing games, and I have no interest in it. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don’t spend this whole conversation arguing something and then say, “Well, I never actually said it outright” when you can’t defend it just to save face. It’s pathetic and dishonest.