#Our current president won the election again

[lost-in-fictionn]

The light bulb scene in karma mv is going viral in turkey 😂 we had presidential elections two weeks ago and there wasn't a certain result so we had elections today again. Anyway, one of the candidates' (our current president and he's been the president for 9 years. he was the prime minister the previous 11 years) symbol is a light bulb. Every one here wants him gone (except for the old population) and the light bulbs exploding in karma mv made a real huge noise 😂 the following scene being mother nature Taylor only helped the situation. It meant if our current president went spring would come and turkey would relax lol. It's just so funny and I wanted to share 😂

[batboyblog]

2024 Senate Elections: You'd Better VOTE!

Yes it's election year yet again in America! but not just for President, almost as important will be the US Senate!

I'm not gonna lie this is a rough map for Democrats, we're playing a lot of defense in some pretty red states with even our best hopes for a pick up being pretty long shots. But even with narrow control of the Senate we've managed the biggest climate bill in American History a huge infrastructure bill thats bring high speed rail to America capped the price of insulin changed the law to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices bring savings to everyone, and put over 160 federal judges on the bench, 2/3rds of whom are women and/or people of color the first time white men haven't been the majority of nominees by a President. So let's keep progress going by voting for, supporting, donating, and volunteering for the following candidates in the races that will decide the US Senate this year.

Arizona

Ruben Gallego (Hold)

After frustrating Democrats by repeatedly voting against major Democratic priorities, supporting the filibuster and putting donors over voters, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema left the Democratic Party to become an independent in 2022. Democratic congressman Ruben Gallego was running to primary Sinema before she left the party and is now the likely Democratic nominee to unseat her and give Arizona the Democratic Senator it deserves. Gallego is a former Marine, combat veteran, Harvard grad, a former state representative, and since 2014 a member of Congress. Gallego is a member of the Progressive Caucus and is known for his blunt and combative style standing up to Republicans. In Congress Gallego has been a strong supporter of native rights advocating for tribes on health care and child welfare issues. Gallego is also the sponsor of a bill to bring about nation wide, free, all-day kindergarten which isn't available in many states. If elected Gallego would be Arizona's first hispanic Senator. Republicans hope that the Democratic vote will split between Sinema and Gallego allowing them to win this important seat. The Republican front runner is conspiracy theorist and Trump super fan, Kari Lake. Lake rose to national fame in 2021 for pushing conspiracy theories about Trump having won the 2020 election, as well as anti-mask and anti-vaccine Covid conspiracies. Lake was the Republican nominee for Arizona governor in 2022. During that campaign she ran on an aggressive anti-LGBT platform, saying she'd ban drag, and was against trans rights. Lake also is against Abortion in all cases. After losing to Democrat Katie Hobbs, Lake refused to concede, and still pushes the conspiracy theory that she's the rightful governor of Arizona. If you live in Arizona please make sure you vote, but more if you have any time between now and November, volunteer to help Gallego! and if you don't live there you can still Donate or buy a pro-choice shirt from his campaign!

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Florida

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (Flip)

Florida's current Republican Senator Rick Scott is a right wing extremist pushing dangerous ideas even by the standards of the Modern GOP. During his first term as Senator Scott has pushed to defund the IRS, and the Department of Education. He's sponsored bills to punish schools that allow students to use preferred pronouns, to ban affirmative action, bans teaching critical race theory, and ban trans people from women's sports. Scott is against abortion in all cases. Most alarming Rick Scott proposed a radical plan that would "sun-set" ANY and all federal laws after 5 years, including Social Security and Medicare, Scott would place all federal programs and agencies on the chopping block every 5 years for a radical Republican minority to block their renewal and leave us without Social Security, or the EPA, to name just two examples. The likely Democratic nominee is former Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Born in Ecuador, Mucarsel-Powell immigrated to the US when she was 14 and had work to help support her family. When she was elected to Congress in 2018 she became the first South American born immigrant and first person of Ecuadorian heritage to be elected to Congress. In Congress Mucarsel-Powell was a member of the Progressive caucus, she fought to expand medicare, and secured $200 million for Everglades restoration. After a narrow defeat in 2020 Mucarsel-Powell joined the gun control advocacy group Giffords to fight for gun control a personal issue for her after her father was murdered when she was 24. If you're in Florida please make sure you vote, and Volunteer to help remove on of the most extreme Senators, If you're not in Florida you can help Debbie win by donating.

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Michigan

Elissa Slotkin (hold)

Long time Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow is retiring this election, so there will be a tough fight for control of this important swing state Senate seat. The likely Democratic nominee is Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin. Slotkin is a former CIA analyst, after retiring from the CIA she worked in the State and Defense departments during the Obama administration. Slotkin was first elected to Congress in 2018 winning and being re-elected in a tough swing district. In Congress she's fought for common sense gun control, supported the cap on insulin prices and Medicare drug price negotiation, she helped pass a law on drug price transparency, she championed the CHIP act to bring high tech manufacturing jobs back to America, and was a big supporter of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Slotkin is centering a pro-choice message in her campaign as well as gun control and bring down medical costs. Who the Republicans will pick isn't totally clear, it seems like it's between Former Congressman Mike Rogers and former Detroit Police chief James Craig. Craig ran for Michigan governor in 2022 before he was disqualified for fraudulent signatures on his nominating petition. Craig has listed cutting off US support to Ukraine as one of his top priorities, and endorsed Trump's 3rd run for President early in the primaries. Mike Rogers is also trying to win over Trump voters and has attacked the rights of LGBT students in schools calling it "social engineering". If you live in Michigan make sure to get out and vote, and also volunteer! And for everyone outside the state you can donate or buy some merch.

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Montana

Jon Tester (re-elect)

In most contexts Montana is a deep red state going for Trump in 2020 57% to 40%. This makes the reelection of Montana's only Democratic member of Congress and only statewide elected Democrat, Jon Tester maybe the toughest election for Democrats this year. A Senator since he was first elected in 2006 Tester has won a series of upset wins in Montana over the years. A 3rd generation farmer Tester has been as strong for small farmers and ranchers in Washington. Tester has always been a champion of accountably and transparency in government pushing ethnics and campaign finance reforms. Tester is rated one of the most effective senators and managed to pass more bills last year than any one else in Congress. He's never been afraid to stand up for the Democratic side even if it'd be an unpopular vote in Red Montana. Tester voted to impeach Trump twice, and he voted against all 3 of Trump's nominees to the Supreme Court. He supported President Obama on The Affordable Care Act and Dodd-Frank, and has supported President Biden on the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Republicans seem likely to nominate right wing influencer and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy. Sheehy promises to get drag queens out of schools and the Lord's Prayer in to the classroom. He also hopes to repeal Obamacare calling for a "total privatization" of health care and made statements against the very idea of health insurance, insisting people should pay full price at point of use. If you're a Montanan make sure to vote to re-elect a champion of the little guy, and also volunteer! if you're not please think of donating what you can, if you can only give to one campaign this cycle this one, or Ohio are the most important!

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Nevada

Jacky Rosen (re-elect)

First elected to Congress in 2016 Jacky Rosen moved up to the Senate in 2018. In her first term as a Senator Rosen has championed green energy for Nevada. Together with fellow Democratic Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Rosen has gotten millions for solar manufacturing in Nevada as well as millions to replace the state's school buses with electric, and programs to study new groundbreaking green technology. Senator Rosen has been a supporter of gun control, is in favor of banning assault weapons. She sponsored a bill, the Background Check Expansion Act, that would require background checks for all gun sales closing loopholes for on-line sales and gun shows. Rosen is pro-choice and has sponsored a bill to protect doctors from being prosecuted across state lines for providing reproductive care, and is a co-sponsor of a bill to codify Roe V. Wade into federal law. Rosen will likely face Republican celebrity and army veteran Sam Brown. Brown ran and lost a race for the Texas State House in 2014 and ran and lost for Nevada's other Senate seat in 2022. Brown stated he was in favor of getting rid of the Departments of Education, Transportation, and Energy. Brown is against Red Flag gun laws that allow police to temporarily remove fire arms from the home of someone deemed a danger to themselves or others. Brown also has refused to say if he supports a national abortion ban, but does say he's pro-life and wouldn't support any judges that weren't. If you live in Nevada make sure to get out to vote and volunteer to protect the state's green future and the right to reproductive care. If you're not in Nevada consider donating or buying some merch.

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Ohio

Sherrod Brown (re-elect)

Ohio together with Montana represents the toughest re-elect for Democrats this year. The state went for Trump twice, elected a right wing radical, JD Vaince, to the Senate in 2022 and has had a Republican governor since 2010. To complicate thing more Democrat Sherrod Brown is one of the most progressive members of the Senate, regularly scoring along side Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren for the most left wing in the Senate. From the time he was first elected to Congress in 1992 Brown refused to take the Congressional Health Insurance until all Americans could be covered. Brown first supported a Medicare for all bill in 2006 and has supported different efforts to expand Medicare and health coverage. He was a key supporter of the Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Brown is a strong supporter of unions and has struggled his whole career to protect unionized manufacturing jobs in Ohio. He was one of the first Senators out on the picket line during the UAW strike of 2023. Brown's hard work has help make Ohio the center of a new booming lithium battery manufacturing in America, a green manufacturing future for the state. Republicans look likely to nominate former used car dealer and father-in-law of Republican Congressman Max Miller, Bernie Moreno. Moreno's main qualification seems to be having been endorsed by Donald Trump. He lists among his priorities "End Socialism in America" and "End Wokeness and Cancel Culture". If you're in Ohio make sure to vote to re-elect a progressive giant and volunteer too! If you live out of Ohio donate, if you're looking for the race where your dollar will matter the most, this one or Montana guys.

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Pennsylvania

Bob Casey Jr. (re-elect)

First elected in 2006 Bob Casey famously beat incumbent Republican homophobe Rick Santorum by 17 points. Since first entering the Senate Casey has moved leftward on a number of issues. First elected as a pro-Gun Democrat since 2012 Casey has sponsored a number of bills to expand background checks, ban assault weapons, ban extended magazines, and well as supporting mental health funds for victims of gun violence. For a number of years Casey was called the last pro-life Democrat in the Senate, however in 2022 he came out in support of Roe V Wade and voted twice on bills that would have codified the right to an abortion into federal law. Casey voted against all 3 of Trump's Supreme Court picks and has long supported Planned Parenthood's contraception efforts with federal funds, seeing easily available birth control as key to reducing the number of abortions. In 2021 Casey published a plan he called "The Five Freedoms for America's Children" modeled after FDR's famous speech. He proposed automatically enrolling all kids in Medicaid, an expanded child tax cut, a federally supported college fund for all kids who's parents make under $100,000, expanded free school meals, more funds for head start and abuse prevention programs. Republicans are rallying behind Mitch McConnell's hand picked candidate, hedge fund CEO David McCormick. McCormick worked for the Bush administration during Bush's second term. McCormick's wife Dina Powell also worked for the George W. Bush administration and was a senior aid to Trump as well. If you're in Pennsylvania make sure to get out and vote for a solid Democrat out to solve child poverty in America and keep the Hedge Fund guy from Connecticut out, and Volunteer if you can. Remember you can donate where ever you are.

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Texas

Colin Allred (flip)

Texas is currently represented by likely the most hated man in Washington, Ted Cruz. Republicans hate him, Democrats hate him more, he has a very punchable face, he might be the zodiac killer (thats a joke and meme). From shutting down the government in 2013 to try to overturn Obamacare, to leading the charge in Congress to overturn the 2020 election on January 6th Ted Cruz is a greatest hits of the worst parts of the Republican Party of the last 10 years. When Texas lost power in the middle of a historic ice storm in 2021 Ted Cruz and family ditched the state to go on vacation in Mexico, classy. Cruz in the Biden years has cast himself as a culture warrior fighting against "woke" publishing a book "Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America" in 2023 to kick off his re-election campaign. Texas is a traditionally red state but things are starting to shift and in 2018 Cruz narrowly won re-election over Beto O'Rourke. Democrats hope with the right candidate they can turn Texas blue and beat the most hated Senator in America. Democrats think Congressman Colin Allred is the man for the job. Allred is a former NFL Linebacker for the Titans. After the NFL he went on to get his law degree from UC Berkeley, and work in the Obama administration. Allred was first elected to Congress in 2018, unseating a Republican who'd been in office since 1997 and becoming the first Democrat to represent the area in Congress since 1968. In Congress Allred has supported bills to expand voting right and protect abortion rights, as well as gun control. In the Senate he promises to address Texas' shaky power grid and make sure Texas is never left in the dark again with its leaders missing. Lets do this Texas, make blue Texas a reality if you live in Texas remember to vote and volunteer, if you're an American who hates Ted Cruz you can donate to make in unemployed.

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Wisconsin

Tammy Baldwin (re-elect)

When Tammy Baldwin first ran for Congress in 1998 she was the first openly gay person elected to the US House and the first open Lesbian to serve in Congress. In 2012 she became the first openly gay person elected to the US Senate and the first Lesbian to be a Senator, she is still the only openly gay Senator. Through out her time in office Baldwin has been a tireless voice for LGBT rights, in 2022 she helped spear head the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act to help protect gay marriage, she's also a sponsor of the Equality Act to protect all LGBT people from discrimination. Baldwin is a progressive who was a member of the House Progressive caucus, opposed the Iraq War and supported impeaching Dick Cheney. In the House she introduced bills for a single payer healthcare system in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2005. In the Senate Baldwin is regularly listed as one of the most progressive members, voting against tax cuts for the rich, supporting a bill to require companies to have workers on their boards, she sponsored a bill to create a public option in Health Care, and has supported gun control efforts. The Republican field to challenge Senator Baldwin is uncertain, but former Milwaukee sheriff David Clarke dominates the polls if he decides to run. Clarke's sheriff's department is accused a number of human rights violations from his time as sheriff, including allowing a prisoner to die of dehydration after 6 days without water in the Milwaukee County Jail. Clarke is a Trump super fan who has pushed conspiracy theories about mass shootings being fake, attacked Black Lives Matter, called Planned Parenthood "Planned Genocide", and called for the mass detention without trial of Americans because he believed there were a million ISIS supporters in America. If you're in Wisconsin make sure to get out and vote for a trailblazing icon and also volunteer if you can, all Americans can donate and support Baldwin wherever they are.

VOTE VOLUNTEER DONATE SHOP

If you're an American citizen and will be 18 years old (or older) by November 5th 2024, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! make sure you're registered to VOTE please check Vote.Org to find out what you need to do, what deadlines there are and act NOW

If you're an American living outside the US, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE. Please checkout Vote From Aboard they have literally all the information you need to get registered and get your ballot wherever in the world you are, and Check out Democrats Abroad to take part in the global primary

Where ever you live in the US, there is an important life changing election happening! Get off your phone or computer and get involved, There are Events happening all around you right now Volunteer

Finally if you're a US citizen of any age any where on earth you can donate, donate to elect Biden/Harris donate to elect Democrats to the Senate, To the House, to Governorships, to local office

and the smallest thing you can do is reblog this very long post, thank you!

[gansey-like]

Hey so this is super scary

Meta on Tuesday announced a set of changes to its content moderation practices that would effectively put an end to its longstanding fact-checking program, a policy instituted to curtail the spread of misinformation across its social media apps.

The reversal of the years-old policy is a stark sign of how the company is repositioning itself for the Trump era. Meta described the changes with the language of a mea culpa, saying that the company had strayed too far from its values over the prior decade.

“We want to undo the mission creep that has made our rules too restrictive and too prone to over-enforcement,” Joel Kaplan, Meta’s newly installed global policy chief, said in a statement.

Instead of using news organizations and other third-party groups, Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, will rely on users to add notes or corrections to posts that may contain false or misleading information.

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, said in a video that the new protocol, which will begin in the United States in the coming months, is similar to the one used by X, called Community Notes.

“It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression,” Mr. Zuckerberg said. The company’s current fact-checking system, he added, had “reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship.”

Mr. Zuckerberg conceded that there would be more “bad stuff” on the platform as a result of the decision. “The reality is that this is a trade-off,” he said. “It means that we’re going to catch less bad stuff, but we’ll also reduce the number of innocent people’s posts and accounts that we accidentally take down."

Elon Musk has relied on Community Notes to flag misleading posts on X. Since taking over the social network, Mr. Musk, a major Trump donor, has increasingly positioned X as the platform behind the new Trump presidency.

Meta’s move is likely to please the administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump and its conservative allies, many of whom have disliked Meta’s practice of adding disclaimers or warnings to questionable or false posts. Mr. Trump has long railed against Mr. Zuckerberg, claiming the fact-checking feature treated posts by conservative users unfairly.

Since Mr. Trump won a second term in November, Meta has moved swiftly to try to repair the strained relationships he and his company have with conservatives.

Mr. Zuckerberg noted that “recent elections” felt like a “cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech.”

In late November, Mr. Zuckerberg dined with Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago, where he also met with his secretary of state pick, Marco Rubio. Meta donated $1 million to support Mr. Trump’s inauguration in December. Last week, Mr. Zuckerberg elevated Mr. Kaplan, a longtime conservative and the highest-ranking Meta executive closest to the Republican Party, to the company’s most senior policy role. And on Monday, Mr. Zuckerberg announced that Dana White, the head of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and a close ally of Mr. Trump’s, would join Meta’s board.

Meta executives recently gave a heads-up to Trump officials about the change in policy, according to a person with knowledge of the conversations who spoke on condition of anonymity. The fact-checking announcement coincided with an appearance by Mr. Kaplan on “Fox & Friends,” a favorite show of Mr. Trump. He told the hosts of the morning show popular with conservatives that there was “too much political bias” in the fact-checking program.

The change brings an end to a practice the company started eight years ago, in the weeks after Mr. Trump’s election in 2016. At the time, Facebook was under fire for the unchecked dissemination of misinformation spread across its network, including posts from foreign governments angling to sow discord among the American public.

As a result of enormous public pressure, Mr. Zuckerberg turned to outside organizations like The Associated Press, ABC News and the fact-checking site Snopes, along with other global organizations vetted by the International Fact-Checking Network, to comb over potentially false or misleading posts on Facebook and Instagram and rule whether they needed to be annotated or removed.

Among the changes, Mr. Zuckerberg said, will be to “remove restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are out of touch with mainstream discourse.” He also said that the trust and safety and content moderation teams would be moved from California, with the U.S. content review shifting to Texas. That would “help remove the concern than biased employees are overly censoring content,” he added.

[fromchaostocosmos]

Like many others I'm worried about the USA presidential election and I'm worried for a variety of reasons.

I want to focus on specific worry I have in regards to said election.

I am Jewish and if don't already know Jews only make 0.2% of the world population, not even half a percent.

In the USA we make up 2% of the USA population. American Jews are majority democrat and our voting trends reflect.

The past two presidential ballots that have had Trump on them Jews were the second highest voting bloc to vote against Trump, the highest voting bloc being Black Americans.

I remember when Trump won the presidency and election night was not even over and how I saw people, leftist specifically, blaming Jews for his win.

Despite the numbers showing that we did not want him as president and did our best to make sure he did not win.

And the second time he was on the ballot, but he didn't win. Still we were blamed for not doing enough, for it being to close, for one thing or another.

Again regardless of what the facts had to say about how Jews voted and it was still the same people doing the blaming.

For a group that is only 2% of the countries population to be second highest voting bloc against Trump is something that I think is pretty impressive and we did it twice.

We currently are dealing with people openly celebrating one of the most horrific and tragic events in Jewish history since the Holocaust. We have people openly cheering on the deaths of Jews, calling for the deaths of more Jews, doxxing of Jews, calling us unclean, using blood libel, I mean you name it they are doing it and it is not coming from the Right only as one would expect. But rather from the Left.

Many Jews myself included who consider ourselves leftist and still do no longer feel safe in these so called progressive spaces and how can when our safety is at serious risk.

So I'm seriously concerned because if we had two elections with Trump on the ballot where leftist blamed Jews despite the evidence showing Jews overwhelming did not vote for Trump and now we have this climate that we have and the odds of Trump being the Republican nominee are pretty high.

What is going to happen after this presidential because either way no matter Jews do, no matter how we vote we still lose.

(This is not me saying Jews should vote for Trump, G-d forbid no, do not do that)

[genderkoolaid]

Hi. People listen to you more than they'll listen to me, so I hope it's okay to ask, but could you help share whatever mess is currently happening with the german elections & trump celebrating the nazi uprising. No one is talking about it and it's driving me insane.

“I’m devastated,” said David, 32. “And I’m scared and sad.” Preliminary results suggested that although the conservative CDU/CSU bloc had won the largest share of the vote (29%), likely to be the second force in the parliament was the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which garnered about 20% of the vote. Polls had long predicted this result, said David, who declined to give his surname. But now the question was what exactly it meant for the millions of Germans who were either racialised, like him, or who are migrants. [...] Half of the country’s voters had chosen to cast their ballot for either the CDU/CSU bloc or the AfD, pointed out Gian Mecheril, 32. “That means that the coalition of fascists with the conservative party is possible,” he said. “It’s a danger.” On Sunday night Merz again insisted there was “no question” of entering into coalition with the far-right party. But for the millions of Germans who regard the AfD as an unprecedented threat, that is of little comfort, particularly after a campaign marked by political rhetoric against migrants, while issues such as country’s ailing economy, deteriorating infrastructure or housing crisis were seemingly ignored. “The campaign was just filled with racist diversions from the actual problems we face,” said Flo, 19. “I’m anxious about what comes next.” The result was a divisive election that had helped to legitimise the far right, said Ella, 30. “The CDU’s win comes on the shoulders of the AfD,” she said. “They worked with them, they normalised them.” Tens of thousands sought to fight back in recent weeks, taking to streets across Germany to protest against the far right and the AfD’s co-leader, Alice Weidel, as she backed the mass deportation of migrants and peddled a party whose ranks include members who have played down the horrors of the Holocaust and chapters that have been designated as “rightwing extremist” by security authorities. “I would say the AfD is the ridiculous monster our period needs to have,” said Willi Schultz, 32, in a reference to the oft-cited quote attributed to Antonio Gramsci: “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.” He contextualised the AfD support within the wider, global surge of backing for rightwing populists – a link reinforced during the election as Elon Musk used his influence to tout the AfD, describing it as the only party able to “save Germany”.

In a post on social media — written entirely in capital letters — Trump did not mention either Merz or his party by name, referring to “THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY IN GERMANY,” but argued that the country’s swing to the right was part of a political shift that Germany shared with the U.S. “MUCH LIKE THE USA, THE PEOPLE OF GERMANY GOT TIRED OF THE NO COMMON SENSE AGENDA, ESPECIALLY ON ENERGY AND IMMIGRATION, THAT HAS PREVAILED FOR SO MANY YEARS,” Trump wrote. “THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR GERMANY, AND FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF A GENTLEMAN NAMED DONALD J. TRUMP. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL — MANY MORE VICTORIES TO FOLLOW!!!”

[the-zenith-calls]

So as of right now (1:43 EST), TikTok is back in the United States. At least for some of us. And if you don't trust that post I can currently access it and I'm American. I doubt anyone will actually take the time to read this, but there's a wild comparison I want to make here so stay with me.

In 1979, the Iranian hostage crisis happened. Fifty-three American diplomats were held hostage until 1981. At the time, Jimmy Carter was president, and no one really liked him. So obviously he and the government were trying to negotiate with Iran to give our people back but Iran wouldn't comply. So, Jimmy Carter ended his only term as president in a very bad light, and Ronald Reagan won the 1980 election. Iran waited until Jimmy Carter was out of office and Reagan was sworn in to agree to release the hostages on January 20, 1981, Inauguration Day. This made Reagan look amazing.

Back to the present, we were told that TikTok would be banned on January 19. Well, today is the day and it's back. They banned it yesterday, actually, at like 10:30pm, and we got this popup. First of all, the words "fortunate" and "President Trump" should never be in the same sentence unless it's his obituary. Second, this makes him look fucking amazing. Obviously, this wasn't as high stakes at fifty-three people literally being held hostage halfway across the world, and as far as I know the hostage crisis wasn't orchestrated by Reagan to get him elected, but I just really wanted to point out the similarities of benefiting the American people on or around your Inauguration Day. Imagine your first act as president of a global superpower is benefiting 170 million people. The real kicker is that he isn't even president yet.

What I really want to point out is that Trump created this crisis when he wanted to ban TikTok back in 2020. It was never about securing our data, it was about cutting us off from the rest of the world. And now they say he fixed it. This is what he's going to do while he's in office. He'll create problems and fix them again and anyone who says anything about it will be disregarded because of his weird cult followers. If this sounds familiar, something similar happened in 1930s Germany.

Semi-related, in his fare well speech, President Biden warned us of an incoming oligarchy. I just wanted to put that out there.

Finally, if I see a single one of you celebrating that the ban went through, even though it was for less than a day, I will commit unspeakable acts. It wasn't only about losing entertainment, it was about our freedom of speech. You don't have to like the app but I'm willing to bet you hate it less than losing our First Amendment rights.

[helpicant-stop]

Quackity Wins Annual 'Sexiest Dream SMP Member' Tournament 4th Year in a Row

Poll results from the 2024 Sexiest Dream SMP Member tournament released its unsurprising, if ill-timed results this Wednesday, revealing recently deceased President Alex Quackity H.Q. of Las Nevadas as the winner for the fourth year in a row—every year since the tournament's inception.

Quackity won by a landslide of 69%, with Foolish Gamers as the first runner-up at 11%. Dream Was Taken had received a shocking one vote; when asked for comment, poll runners refused to break anonymity to divulge the identity of this mysterious voter. However, they did elect to mention that the only living person who had not voted was George Not Found, as he was sleeping for the entire duration of the poll's runtime.

Various members of the SMP were contacted by our team to offer their standpoint on their vote, the results, and tournament as a whole.

“I think him winning was a great way to honor his memory, you know? One last big final hurrah. I mean, not counting the, you know... the explosion. That was a pretty big final hurrah,” first runner-up Foolish Gamers remarked. “I voted for him, of course. Pretty surprised I got second place though. Guess my himbo swag is more charming than I expected!”

“Um, I voted for Ranboo, personally. Didn't expect anyone other than Quackity to win, though, of course... he's like, the server sexyman. Probably getting his freak on as we speak, actually," Snowchester President Tubbo Underscore-Beloved said, seemingly under the impression that the man in question was still alive. Once informed of Quackity's passing, he added, “Oh,” and refused to speak further.

Former L'manburg President, current Utah gas station attendant Wilbur Soot commented over Zoom, “You know, in 2020, I didn't get a chance to vote because I was too busy being dead. But you can bet the moment I was outta that grave I put his name down on the ballot and never looked back, though it's been pretty hard mailing my votes in the years since I left. I'm not sure why they even bother, to be honest. The results are never going to change. I can guarantee you he'll win again for the 2025 round. Even though he's dead. God, I always knew we'd come to the same end, that copycat.” His grin faded. “I wish history didn't repeat itself. I thought I left early enough so the poison I brought to this server would stop seeping into everyone else. I never even said goodbye, you know? I thought...” After this point, Soot abruptly turned off his camera and microphone before disconnecting. He never rejoined the virtual meeting, and is no longer contactable by our team.

“Dude, Puffy was right there. Puffy was right there and everyone still voted for Quackity! I don't get it!” bank manager and former Eggpire member Hannah X. X. Rose insisted. “She got fourth place, which honestly isn't too bad for a woman in a server full of men, but come on guys. This thing is so rigged, it was rigged from the start with that ratio. Rest in peace, though, I guess. He was annoying, but, he could slay every once in a while.”

“Yeah, I voted for Quackity,” Captain Puffy, leader of the now-defunct Pro-Omelette Resistance turned vessel for the Egg (prior to its extermination), said. “Could've voted for Niki, but she didn't want me to, and obviously I didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Also, it's just, like, the obvious choice otherwise. Have you been to one of his strip shows? Rest in peace to that fallen diva.”

Quackity's fiancés (when asked for clarification on their marital status, conflicting answers were given, so the writers have elected to retain the fiancé label) both voted for him as well. “When we heard about what happened, it was...” General Sapnap sighed deeply, and paused for several moments before continuing: “Kinoko Kingdom and Las Nevadas are actually right next to each other, so we heard the explosion in the distance, and I geared up and ran there ready to see, like, a nuke or something. But it was Quackity. He looked so small under all that rubble. Compared to how big everything else in Las Nevadas was.”

Another long pause. “Karl's time travelling is limited to eras outside of his lifespan, so it's not like he could've dashed back in 10 minutes early to save him. I regret every second I spent in Kinoko, staring out the window at Las Nevadas in the distance not trying to bring him back. It's a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Sorry, can you give me a second?”

While comforting his partner, Karl Jacobs said, “I'm ace, but I had to vote for him, obviously. My amnesia took every good memory we had together from me, and turned him into a monster—the not sexy kind, by the way—and by the time it stopped progressing it was too late. But I still look at our old photos together, what we used to have, the look in Sapnap's eyes when he talks about him and about us, and I wonder what could have been. There is one thing I know: in every time I've travelled to, I've fallen in love with two people every time. One of them is familiar and the other one isn't. The next time I go, I'll find him. I have to.”

In the day after the interviews were conducted, the team was approached by a gelatinous green man who was not on the voter's or member's list. He claimed to be named Charlie, and stated that he too had been present at the time of the explosion. “I was Quackity's best friend, just ask anyone from Las Nevadas. Some may call me his successor, his right-hand man, his assistant, his boyfriend, his silly rabbit... someone even called me his son, which was kinda weird, but either way, we were something. And that something was flawed, but in the end I think we were able to make amends. At least, that's what I thought at the time. I was saying goodbye because I was leaving to go travel the world, and as I turned and started walking I suddenly hear this loud 'BOOM' and then I turn around and the entire casino's been exploded. I mean, he was destined to turn to dust either way, whether it was in five years or fifty-five years or five hundred five years, but I admit that was the first time I saw someone turn to dust 'prematurely' and feel something. I think that's what people call 'emotions.' I'm not a people, so I'm not part of the voter's list. But if I was, I would've voted for Mr. Cicle. Now that was a sexy fella.”

[warsofasoiaf]

You're massively overthinking things. It simply boils down to Americans being sick of forever wars as the world's police, picking Trump in 16 over the Bush-party and the establishment SecState, taking-credit-for-Libya Clinton, and in 24, because they have zero interest in tax dollars (or worse) being spent on a corruptocrat bullshit country fighting one with nukes & oil. Trump is simply not smart or prudent enough to refrain from getting hyperbolic in rejecting the anti-Putin mania.

Your hard-on for Putin also has you looking at concessions as "things you don't want Putin to have" instead of "things that might cost AMERICA less than funding the Keystone Kops civil war". How many times do Trump & his supporters have to say "America first" before you get that's what they mean, not "sure, America, but also we have to solve this international issue I did my thesis on/have a consulting job lined up concerning/etc..." that every foreign policy "expert" says is a priority? Final point: "The 80s called, they want their foreign policy back" - the last 100% mentally there POTUS, campaigning for re-election, which he won despite being black, and telling Medvedev on a hot mike that he'd be able to help more in his second term. Making 3 of the last 4 elections where Americans picked the not-fighting-Russia guy. Sorry Ukraine, but maybe don't go bullying ethnic Russian citizens next time. "It does not do to leave a dragon out of your calculations if you live near him."

LOL, this is amazing. Ukraine's corruption is a relic of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation - they actually want to be our ally.

Public polling said that inflation was a primary concern and that among Americans, they largely were supportive of Ukraine, rather than Russia. People wanted Trump in 16 because they were tired of being condescended to. And let's not forget, in a climate with >5% inflation, Trump squeaked by with 1.4%. He was given the 2024 election on a silver platter and he still managed to almost fuck it up. You're out of touch, deep in your Twitter echo chamber. Touch grass, boyo.

Forever war? Trump is openly fetishizing invading Greenland, Canada, and Panama. He's the forever war candidate butthurt that his current legacy is "the second guy that was a non-consecutive President but also got impeached because he was a little snowflake scared about losing an election that he tried to get oppo dirt."

I'll believe that Trump is "America First" when he actually starts doing policies that benefit Americans. Because right now, he's driving up inflation and driving down the stock market with tariff threats. Cost America less? Idiot wants to ram through 4.5 trillion worth of tax cuts and explode the deficit so don't tell me he cares about fiscal responsibility. Ukraine aid is spent here, in the US, spent at the Lima Plant modernizing our military. That's stuff that actually makes the US stronger. Meanwhile Trump is talking about trying to open up trade with Russia - and torpedoing trade with Europe (a larger partner) to do it. He wants the US to finance Russian reconstruction, the same Russians that tried to kill us in Khasham and that regularly arrest US citizens on flimsy charges so that they can extract concessions via hostage diplomacy. That's not caring about Americans - that's a "Russia First, America after" policy.

Ukraine bullying ethnic Russians. That's fucking rich. Boo-hoo, the ethnic Russians in Ukraine are big sad that everyone doesn't tell them that Russia is the biggest and best boy ever. Cry more, loser.

Try again, buddy! Maybe do some research instead of swallowing Russian propaganda wholesale and believing it makes you a free thinker.

-SLAL

[berniesrevolution]

CATALYST JOURNAL

As a lonely critic who dared to challenge Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan during the stock market mania of the late 1990s, then congressman Bernie Sanders received recognition from the political left and dismissive coverage from the mainstream media. Sanders subsequently won significant national attention as an outspoken populist critic of the banking system in the wake of the 2007–8 financial crisis. After declaring his presidential candidacy in 2015, he cemented this reputation as the nation’s preeminent critic of bankers, using the campaign to express the anger that many Americans shared about the financial crisis and the resulting bailout. “If elected president,” Sanders pledged, “I will rein in Wall Street so they can’t crash our economy again.”1 Hillary Clinton conceded the appeal of this campaign promise when — panicked by the popularity of Sanders’s attack on finance and unable to respond effectively to his criticisms — she sought to change the subject by exclaiming, “If we broke up the big banks tomorrow . . . would that end racism? Would that end sexism? Would that end discrimination against the LGBT community?”2 The stand that Sanders took against the banks was compelling, true to the contemporary moment, and appeared novel. But although unfamiliar to the times, opposing the excesses and power of bankers was hardly original. Sanders emerged as the successor to an influential strand of American political culture with deep historical roots that has motivated far-reaching economic demands in the past and could do so again in the future.

As the Sanders campaign demonstrated, while banking is widely considered to be dry and dull, it’s nevertheless an issue that can energize working-class politics. Discussing and debating banking calls attention to opposing material interests, which promotes a politics that is attuned to questions of class. Workers confront the relevance of banking to their daily lives every time they check their account balance or pay a bill.3 When Sanders presented financial policy as a clash between Wall Street on the one hand and “working families” on the other, he articulated a class-based populist message that could reach a diverse spectrum of working-class voters. In the past few years, local single-issue groups promoting public banks made real headway in several heavily Democratic cities and states. Among other issues, their campaigns foregrounded green energy projects and unequal credit access due to racial discrimination. This messaging excites liberal Democratic politicians, but its capacity to forge broader coalitions and inspire the solidarity that sustains working-class politics is more limited.4

A look at the past reveals that banking programs that are framed in universal terms can offer an effective organizing device with widespread appeal. Shared commitments to remaking the banking system were the cornerstone of an influential American political tradition. In the late nineteenth century, the “money question” galvanized two mass political parties that protested Gilded Age inequality, the Greenback and Populist parties. In the early twentieth century, large numbers of workers and farmers across the nation rallied around banking reforms as a means to make American society more democratic. Seen in the light of this history, the promise of material benefits from government banking continues to present a source for working-class political mobilization today.

Recent polling indicates that the public is dissatisfied with the private banking system. In 2024, the Pew Research Center revealed that 60 percent of Americans think that banks have a negative effect on the nation. This discontent with the current banking system is bipartisan: Democrats and Republicans were equally likely to view banks as having a negative impact.5 Such an outlook conformed with the findings of earlier surveys. A 2016 poll by Edison Research found that a majority thought Wall Street — a term commonly used for large banks — did more to hurt than to help the lives of Americans, an opinion that prevailed across racial, gender, educational, and partisan lines, with one exception. The only group that bucked this pattern were those with postgraduate educations, though here, too, a plurality thought Wall Street did more harm than good.6 And these poll results aren’t a post–financial crisis phenomenon. When Louis Harris and Associates conducted polling on the subject in 1996, amid an economic boom, the firm’s chairman concluded that the public’s impression of Wall Street was “awful.” In the survey, 61 percent of Americans agreed that Wall Street was “dominated by greed and selfishness” and 64 percent agreed that “most people on Wall Street would be willing to break the law if they believed they could make a lot of money and get away with it.”7

Government banking could open up new economic possibilities. Absent the imperative to maximize profits, public banks from the local to the federal level could help advance social democratic policies. Operating under the mandate to promote social welfare, such banks could help finance universal government programs. Public infrastructure projects would be prime candidates for these loans. Importantly, government banking would bolster public control over capital flows. Increasing funding opportunities for social goods and government services would invigorate the public sector. Government banking could allow for greater public management of capital allocation among different economic sectors and make investment decisions more democratically responsive.

(Continue Reading)

[anghraine]

Perhaps the most purely surreal aspect of the election, btw, is that it actually went pretty great in my state (Washington). I don't even mean standard West Coast results. Washington is sapphire this year.

Harris/Walz are running about 20 points ahead of Trump statewide—currently, they're further ahead here than in Oregon or California. They're winning in Whitman County in eastern Washington and came within a few of points of winning Spokane County. Clark County, which is adjacent to the border with Oregon and contains the Portland suburb of Vancouver WA, can be a lot "swingier" than Multnomah County just to the south (which contains Portland) and a ballot box was literally blown up there to screw with the election results. Clark County worked to get new ballots to everyone affected and Harris is not only clearly winning in Clark, but further ahead than Biden in 2020—leading Trump by nearly 10 points iirc.

One of the few politicians I truly like, my beloved governor Jay Inslee, is stepping down, and had endorsed his Democratic AG, Bob Ferguson. Ferguson is easily winning the state, though not leading as much as Harris is, which is a kind of nice change from so many Democrats (including pretty mediocre ones) doing better than her, even though I've liked Ferguson as AG.

I will say that Ferguson was running against what goes for a good Republican candidate these days—a "moderate" with ties to King County (Seattle) who was not the first choice of the vile Washington GOP, but beat out some far-right assholes in the Republican primaries. For part of the campaign, it seemed like Reichert (the Republican candidate) might be "normal" enough and local enough to conceivably eke out a win, but in the event, Ferguson is ahead by double digits.

Our Democratic senator easily held her seat and also ran ahead of Ferguson in counties like Whitman.

Inslee's acknowledgment of Trump's win includes zero congratulations or unity blather, but instead remarks that Washington State sued the first Trump administration 97 times and won 95 of those cases while he was still president, and we will do it again if we have to (these suits were of course driven by AG Ferguson, now our governor-elect).

For the first time in generations, Washington Democrats actually won every statewide elected office—there are nine of them and the margins of the victories vary a lot, but the GOP failed to win even one, and the state government remains a Democratic trifecta as well.

There were four deceptively-worded, Republican-funded, corporate bullshit initiatives on the state ballot this year. Three are already dead in the water. As Governor Inslee put it, "Washingtonians sent an unequivocal message that they want action on pollution and climate change. Washingtonians also made clear they want to preserve the equity of our tax system with the capital gains tax on the super wealthy. When they or a loved one need long-term care, they want the WA Cares Act to be there for them." Yup!

Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez (a current Democrat in the House) is still leading in the Trumpy WA-3 district, which redistricting only made redder than it was before (when her victory was considered one of the biggest House upsets of the year). She's about three points ahead still.

This may sound like bragging about my state and isn't really meant that way. It feels like existing in a weird capsule because we're still very much in the USA and affected by national politics and we have our own right-wing assholes, of course, but so much about the country we live in is decided thousands of miles away from here, in large part by people who don't seem to share even the most basic sense of reality with most people here. It is a very strange experience to feel so estranged from what's happening in so much of the country.

[mariacallous]

The GOP-controlled House approved its rules package on Friday evening, including provisions targeting transgender and immigrant rights, but notably did not include the trans bathroom ban Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) had proposed.

The Republican introduced her controversial ban in November to restrict access to all “single-sex facilit[ies] on Federal property” based on “biological sex.” She admitted to HuffPost the ban specifically targeted incoming Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first transgender woman to be elected to Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who narrowly won reelection to the chamber’s top job earlier on Friday, had reportedly assured Mace that her bathroom ban would be included in the package.

Mace congratulated Johnson on his reelection and did not make any mention of the bathroom ban’s absence from the rules package.

“Speaker Mike Johnson has rightfully been reelected to lead the People’s House once again. His leadership offers a clear path forward to restore safety, security, and accountability in our nation,” she said in a statement.

“We have a mandate to secure our borders, rebuild the economy, and hold Washington accountable. Speaker Johnson understands this, and with President Trump’s leadership, we are ready to fulfill those promises and deliver on the America First agenda.”

Mace spent much of the last weeks of 2024 drumming up support for the ban while using anti-trans slurs and engaging in anti-trans theatrics. After protesters were arrested for staging a sit-in at a U.S. Capitol restroom, Mace loudly read their Miranda rights through a bullhorn at the jail where they were held.

Mace also introduced legislation in September to ban medical providers from offering gender-affirming care for minors. Twenty-five states have passed similar bans, with the Supreme Court set to decide this summer whether such bans are constitutional, determining the future of health care for trans youth.

Mace and McBride did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The rules package, passed at the beginning of each congressional session, sets the rules for the next two years in the House of Representatives. Most of its provisions are uncontroversial.

Notably, this Congress’ package raises the threshold for a “motion to vacate,” the tactic conservatives used to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023. While previously just a single member could introduce such a motion, now nine members of the majority party need to agree.

While Friday’s rules package does not mention restricting access to sex-segregated government facilities, it does take several swings at the rights of transgender people, immigrants and people seeking abortions.

One item in the package would fast-track a bill to amend Title IX, a federal law that bars sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding. The new bill would restrict school sports based on one’s sex assigned at birth, undoing Biden’s Title IX guidance that expanded protections for LGBTQ+ students.

The amendment, introduced by Rep. Gregory Steube (R-Fla.) and cosponsored by Mace, would recognize sex as defined “solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” The language mirrors that of dozens of state laws that currently bar transgender students from participating in sports that align with their gender identity and other policies that restrict trans people of all ages from updating their sex marker on government IDs.

The package also fast-tracks legislation that would target abortion providers, prevent sanctuary cities from being able to provide benefits to undocumented immigrants, and bar immigrants convicted of certain crimes from being admitted to the United States.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) criticized the rules package for fast-tracking a dozen bills that target vulnerable communities ahead of the vote on Friday evening.

“This package tries to fool the American people by scapegoating immigrants and trans people in the hopes that it will distract you from the fact that the first move from Republicans in the 119th Congress is to do absolutely nothing to help you and your family build a better life,” Jayapal said.

[whysperingwoods]

Based on what I'm seeing getting reblogged today, it looks like it might be a good time to share this article again from Waging Nonviolence:

This was published before the election, obviously he has won, but there are a lot of excellent points that I think are great to remember in these times.

It's a very long article, if you're on Firefox I use the extension Read Aloud to listen to articles while I'm getting other things done.

I have many favourite parts of the article, but I'm going to share point #5 because people are feeling like doing everything and that is not sustainable. This point is about finding the pathway that works for you over the next few years, and focusing your efforts instead of spreading yourself thin:

5. Find your path

[...]

One pathway is called “Protecting People.” These are folks surviving and protecting our own —  especially those of us directly targeted, such as trans people, folks choosing abortions and immigrants. This might mean organizing outside current systems for health care and mutual aid, or moving resources to communities that are getting targeted. Further examples include starting immigrant welcoming committees, abortion-support funds or training volunteers on safety skills to respond to white nationalist violence.

Another pathway is “Defending Civic Institutions.” This group may or may not be conscious that current institutions don’t serve us all, but they are united in understanding that Trump wants them to crumble so he can exert greater control over our lives. Each bureaucracy will put up its own fight to defend itself. 

Insider groups will play a central battle against Trump fascism. You may recall government scientists dumping copious climate data onto external servers, bracing for Trump’s orders. This time, many more insiders understand it’s code red. Hopefully, many will bravely refuse to quit — and instead choose to stay inside as long as possible. 

Institutional pillars understand a Trump presidency is a dire threat. The military, for one, is well aware that Trump’s potential orders to use them to crack down on civilian protesters would politicize them permanently. 

These insiders will need external support. Sometimes it’s just folks showing compassion that some of our best allies will be inside, silently resisting. A culture of celebrating people getting fired for the right reasons would help (then offering them practical help with life’s next steps). Other moments will need open support and public activation.

Then there’s a critical third pathway: “Disrupt and Disobey.”This goes beyond protesting for better policies and into the territory of people intervening to stop bad policies or showing resistance.

Initially a lot of that prefigurative work may be purely symbolic. In Norway, to create a culture of resistance during World War II people wore innocuous paperclips as a sign they wouldn’t obey. The symbolism is to build preparation for mass strikes and open resistance. In Serbia, protests against their dictator started with student strikes before escalating to strikes by pensioners (which were both largely symbolic) before finally escalating to the game-changing strike of coal miners. 

In effective “Disrupt and Disobey” type actions the ultimate goal is paving a path for mass noncooperation: tax resistance, national strikes, work shut-downs and other nonviolent mass disobedience tactics — the most effective strategies to displace authoritarians. (Training on how to do that in a new Trump era can be found here.)

Lastly, there’s a key fourth role: “Building Alternatives.”We can’t just be stuck reacting and stopping the bad. We have to have a vision. This is the slow growth work of building alternative ways that are more democratic. It includes grounding and healing work, rich cultural work, alternative ways of growing food and caring for kids, participatory budgeting or seeding constitutional conventions to build a majoritarian alternative to the Electoral College mess we’re in.

Myself, I’m attracted to “Disrupt and Disobey” — though I know when certain moments hit I’ll be pulled into some immediate “Protecting People.” I’m perhaps too impatient for most “Building Alternatives” and too unhappy with the status quo to do “Defend Civic Institutions.” However, I’m delighted others will do that work!

I’m reminded of another way of finding your role that comes from my friend Ingrid’s grandfather, who lived in Norway under the Nazi regime. He learned that the resistance was hiding people in the basement of a church near a cemetery. As a florist he already traveled to and from the cemetery — so he found a role smuggling messages in funeral wreaths, delivering them all over the city. 

He didn’t go out designing his perfect role. In fact, I’m not sure he would have looked at the list of possible “roles” and found his political path. Instead, he found his space by circumstance.

In other words: Your path may not be clear right now. That’s okay. There will be plenty of opportunities to join the resistance.

[arabian-batboy]

you do realize that jill stein basically is in with the russians and is in putin’s back pocket? she’s practically a russian asset. it’s so obvious that she doesn’t truly understand or cares about how the us political system works and opts to speak political misinformation. if she truly wants to be a good candidate she needs to start at the local governments rather than jumping into the presidential ballot every four years to basically steal votes? she’s just appropriating the current movements that would potentially give her some votes without an actual plan for anything. she’s “anti war” but takes money from lockheed martin? be so fr rn now.

what’s her plan for a ceasefire? a two party state does she understand how the government would come to that? she’s antivax and spreads conspiracy theories - one of the reasons why we even lost in 2016 is bc of people like you voting for her.

it’s unfortunate, believe me, that we even have a two party system. i hate it but that’s simply how the government works and there’s nothing we could do to change that right now, but if you’re voting for hee then you’re voting against women and the lgbt and poc in the us as well. if trump does end of winning this election bc of voters who vote third party, like how he won in 2016, the us is going to be so much worse than what we could possibly ever imagine. there’s so much at stake this election cycle it’s mind boggling.

if she really wanted to be president, she’d start at local elections and work her way up rather than just jumping onto certain states ballots every four years for the presidential election tbh.

You got proof that she receives millions of dollars from Russian lobbies? Because there's proof that Kamala, Biden and Hilary all received millions of dollars from Israeli lobbies in the form of AIPAC publicly announcing that they use lobbying money for them without any shame, they literally don't try to hide it. Yet I don't see you rushing in to call them or any other AIPAC's recipients an 'Israel's asset" or accuse them of being in Bibi's back-pocket......even though they are.

Here's a video of Stein's fundraiser director debunking her receiving money from Lockheed Martin: X

Trump was the first person to become a US's president without any political or military history, people thought it was just a joke when the funny old man from Celebrity Apprentice ran for office yet he won and there's a chance he will win again, so I don't see why holding any local government should be obligatory for 3rd party before jumping straight into the presidential ballot.

I already said everything I wanted to say about voting for 3rd party here X, frankly I have no interests on putting Stein on a pedestal or convincing others that she's a morally good person, all I care about is that she does the bare minimum of "doesn't unconditionally support a genocide against my people" and is the only 3rd party candidate who has any chance of winning, so that's more than enough for me.

But back to you, everything you said is so fucking narcissistic, telling people that are dying that its "simply how the government works and there’s nothing we could do to change that right now" must be easy for you to say because you're not the direct victim of the US's imperialism, but its not our fault that you're such a spineless complicit who believes the US simply can not exist without genocidal war-criminals running the government at all time and everyone who suffers from it should shut up and stop being an inconvenience because things will not change for them and instead they should put your needs and wants before their very lives.

Through-out human history many empires that were considered the strongest in the world came and went, the US empire isn't an exception and if it can't change from within then eventually it will be forcibly changed from the outside and its mostly likely the latter, since asking you to grow a conscious is asking for too much.

Also I just don't understand why you people talk about women, people of color and gay people as if they only exist in the US or that them living in the US while Republicans are in office is somehow worse than living in a country that is currently being bombed by the US? Democrats' bombs kills women, Democrats' bombs kills people of color, Democrats' bombs kills LGBT community, matter of fact Democrats' bombs kills as many people as Republican bombs do, so explain to me how things will be worse for women/PoC/LGBT exactly if the Republican win? Because Republican were in office from 2017 to 2021 and I didn't see minorities in the US being indiscriminately killed by the thousands in day-light without any repercussions for their murder, but they are being killed overseas, both by Republican and Democrats while you are here busy making up cartoonishly-evil scenarios about how the things that are happening to them will happen to you if people vote 3rd party and the Republicans win because of that.

Spoiler Alert: No it will not, you will continue living a safe peaceful life in a developed nation without having to fear 60,000 tons of bombs being dropped on you while you're hiding in a tent in a refugee camp or searching for food among rubble regardless of who wins, whether its the red, blue or green party. So at the very least vote for a 3rd party so that other people from other countries will enjoy the same privilege as you instead of making up ridiculous stories about how all of your human rights will be stripped away if the blue war-criminal wasn't in office so therefore those annoying victims of war should be quiet and not dare suggest the heinous crime of voting for a 3rd part.

[equalidran]

just gonna come out and say this now super super ahead of the curve

if miracle of miracles happens and we still have elections in four years and we get a democratic president. it doesn't matter if it's white guy centrist number 3000 or we actually manage to switch it up again. if we get a democratic president they are going to be promising the moon on the campaign trail. but i NEED you all to understand the consequences of this presidency first.

it doesn't matter what progressive promises they make. i am telling you now that this trump presidency is going to strip everything so far back that we aren't going to have much room for progressive policies. that president is going to fight for their life to return to where we are right now under biden and will be blamed for not doing anything at all. you need to understand this. even if you aren't directly affected in the coming years you need to understand how bad this is.

trump has a trifecta. do you understand this? he has not only a majority in the senate but in the supreme court as well as the presidency. there's a very real possibility he'll win the house too. this means he will have a very, very easy time to pass anything and everything he wants. read the project 2025 outline. that's what he wants.

and im telling you right now. unless there's some magical swing in the electorate, the next democratic president is going to barely scrape into office by the skin of their teeth. i have no hope in getting congress. the supreme court is lost to us. so im TELLING you. the next democratic president is going to fight for their life to achieve anything at all. the president cannot unilaterally decide to do anything. trump probably will, because he's a dictatorial idiot and he has a trifecta and they won't stop him. but the next democrat down the line? they would be lucky to even propose an idea of a bill.

worst case scenario here is it's gridlock entirely. this current congress (not the newly elected one) is known as the least effective in history, and some things are still getting passed. it could be that a hostile congress flat out refuses to do anything the new president says. and that's not good at all and they look like a failure and im telling you now that they are and always will be working within the bounds of our system and are trying their best.

"the system is rotten so just tear it down! then we'll get something done!" forgive me for not putting any faith in your revolution here. that one tweet about not voting in favor of firebombing a walmart and then never firebombing a walmart. anyway back to the way things actually work.

even if they're able to pass things, the democratic president will be starting from so much further back than harris would have if she'd won. do you know how bad things were when trump was president the first time? not only the big, obvious things, but the tiny problems he caused that the layperson would never think about.

did you know he fired nearly the entire appointed staff of the state department (not entirely out of the question for a new administration who wants to put their own people in positions, but it's usually not the ENTIRE staff, only higher level diplomats) and then never refilled so many of those positions? did you know part of project 2025 calls for the dismissal of every unloyal staff member in government and replacing them with loyal members?

these are the kinds of things the new president will be facing. with a hostile congress and a hostile staff, they have to start small by pure necessity. they will fight to bring the us back to where it was in 2024 and it will look like they've done nothing and you will not understand the work it takes to even get that far. so im telling you that now.

if there's somehow a democratic supermajority things would look a lot different. but i don't have any hope for that. best i can reasonably hope for is retaking congress in 2026 so things don't go too bad. worst case scenario there is no 2026.

the solution here, the way to see actual progress, is to vote democrat ALL the way down the ballot in every election forever. independents do not have a chance at the presidency in the two party system, but they do have a chance in congress, provided of course you know they're going to win. and when there's democratic victory after democratic victory, then we can safely move on to progressives. im telling you now that this is a strategy not morality. maga and the tea party and the heritage foundation did this over the course of fifty years; it will take at least that much to do it our way. but we need to work together and we need to be smart about this.

so when the next democrat shows up and doesn't seem to be doing anything at all despite the shiny promises they made on the trail, look closer. see what's holding them back. and get rid of it. and THEN yell at them for not using the unobstructed path.

[justahumblememefarmer]

I do like to think that if Trump loses this election, he's really going to drag Republicans further and further down until they either reject him or die.

He won them the presidency in 2016 and firmly tied Republicans to himself. They refused to keep him in check at all, and anybody who stood against him was either ousted or beat into submission to become another sycophant.

Then he did such a terrible job that in 2020 it inspired record turnout to oust him. Republicans still had the chance to oust him with the second impeachment for the insurrection, but they stood by him.

For the 2024 election, they again had a chance to oust him. Running somebody who already lost the presidency, especially against the same person he lost to last time, is probably not the best formula. He had mounting legal troubles they could've used as an excuse to drop him. When it came to the primaries, it was somewhat in question whether he'd get backed again, but more importantly if he lost the primary, would he run as an independent or as the MAGA party and split the right's vote? We didn't ultimately find that out.

What we're seeing now is that dropping Biden from the ticket and having Trump now be the older candidate is definitely hurting them. There's a lot of frustration with the fact that so many of our politicians are extremely old, so putting in Harris who's (relatively) younger has been a great move.

Now let's say Trump loses this election, what happens to him and the Republicans? He's still facing several legal issues, but honestly with this current Supreme Court, I don't have a lot of faith he'll face many consequences there. But I highly doubt that he will want to give up any power that he currenty has over the party, and desperately wants to have the power of the presidency again. So Republicans are going to have to face the same choice they did for this election.

Continue to follow behind him and run him as the oldest ever presidential candidate who has now lost TWO presidential elections

Oust him as the leader and elect somebody else, potentially risking his base coming after them

In option one, the party likely remains united, however if Trump loses this election, I don't think he will ever be able to win any election again. Running him in 2028 would likely be a third loss for him. And if he keeps running every 4 years, that ticket is just going to get worse and worse.

If they reject him and run somebody else, how will he react? He could tell his base to not vote. He could run independent/third party and split the vote. How much of his base would actually go with him might not be certain, but certainly enough that it could still cost them huge in some major elections.

So I think if Trump loses this, Republicans best option is for him to die. He's never going to give up power voluntarily. He's never going to name a true successor. Him dying while they trot him out as their hero is the only way they can be rid of him without causing a huge party schism or running a failing candidate yet again.

[ask-but-beware-the-consequences]

It is pride month, I had to miss both occasions of the pride event because of university, so I'm going to vent all my anger out here about the country I live in.

We're standing before the (minister) votes' results, and we see who won the election, but I am already on edge, crying vomiting (derogatory), because i just know it would be too good to be true that our current bitch president will be switched off. The president who made laws against the entirity of pride event (2016), against every lgbtq+ person (2020 in JUNE), and new laws against trans people (2024), including surgeries. The president who is advertising himself in fucking chineese outside of China, just to get more votes idk how or how is that legal.

I love my country, I love my people, my heritage, the familiar places and its biological surroundings, but I can't and don't want to live in a closed world where all that has haunted and damaged me in my childhood is coming back to me. I don't want to hear people go back to: "men are right, women are wrong", at gender options: "men, women, and women with extra steps (the option for not wanting to mention or they/them or etc)".

A person shouldn't experience feeling both demasculinezed for being gay and for "looking like a girl" (bc long hair) while being repulsed because the society around you associates women with their reproductive organs, which is the biggest bs I've heard.

We need the soul of rock 'n' roll back and being a punk, a hippie with what they've stood for.

We need trans rights, trans surgeries NOT ONLY for the trans people (like nullification surgeries), but for strengthening the aspects of acceptance of people in general; to weaken the toxic "masculinity rules"; for asexuals, and for all of those who are repulsed by: -having a gender -having reproductive organs without wanting to use them for reproduction -the idea of being r*ped in war (literally next door countrywise) and so on

And what is wrong with people, taking away their rights in general? Like, yeah I'm used to the logic of "we don't have 'problematic people' on paper officially, since we don't give that as an option". But this? New move? Of just ganging up on literal people? For being individuals? For being different? Do the other people not see that they are still literally under the same, only one species' in this world, that can talk? That they are still human? The nerve, the disrespect. I have a better idea, how about we gang up on people legally, based on their actual crimes like idk, robbing a whole fucking UNION.

But I digress. Aside the section of the lgbtq+ community.

We need feminism too for allowing men to be human without feeling less of a man, for not ridiculing women. (Because, you think women are defenseless? Come to the fucking military bro they can kill you with or without a weapon.) I am so angered because I will not go back to that past bullshit view without a damn fight. I might be a gay asexual, but I am an adult, I've lead battles for rights before, I will lead one again if I have to. You just watch me medieval sword larp this shit because I am anything but a "sissy", contrary to popular belief.