Bernie Would Have Won : usa

[–] [email protected] 138 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (7 children)

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

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

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

[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

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

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

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

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

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

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

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

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

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

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 weeks ago

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

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago

Link to the tweet

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

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

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

Any example at hand of these liberal democracies that hystorically always slide to fascism? What does imperial core mean?

[–] [email protected] 18 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Primarily referring to Germany and Italy's descent into fascism, and we're currently seeing this happen in France, and now in the US. These countries only see a shift to the left with an external force, like Scandinavian states giving concessions to the working class when the nearby USSR posed the threat of a good example — and by extension, the threat of a working class revolution; of course, these concessions are gradually being taken away now.

Imperial core countries refers to colonizer countries that now control financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank, and depend on the continued exploitation of former colonies.

How Capitalism Robs The Developing World
⠀

I specify liberal democracies in imperial core countries because we have seen limited successes for the left outside it. Like Allende coming to power in Chile (before being overthrown in a US-backed coup 2 years later), or now Lula and Claudia coming to power in Brazil and Mexico.

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

It's not that liberal democracies always slide, specifically, it's that Capitalist states always slide, and this is heightened by being in the Global North. Global North countries brutally explioit Global South countries via Imperialism, by relying on vastly under-paid labor and selling it in the Global North for higher prices.

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

I also recommend Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, and the famous Yellow Parenti Speech (a small excerpt here.

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[–] [email protected] 59 points 3 weeks ago

The most relevant paragraph imo

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

[–] [email protected] 41 points 3 weeks ago

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

[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 weeks ago

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

[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

The failure that will forever define Bernie's political legacy will be not turning the energy that was behind him in 2020 into a more permanent movement. He just gave the phone bank and email lists to the Dems and fell in line.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

...the progressive movement held our collective noses and reacted to an existential crisis for the preservation of american democracy in the face of imminent fascism, and the coalition succeeded at that goal for a short while, but only just...

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

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

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

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

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

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

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

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

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

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

This is why he should do it now. It's his ideas the ones founding the party, not him. This is still one right moment, the Democrats are in crisis and the people opposed to Trump feel strayed. Meanwhile, the Republican party is raving on their victory, but we all know Trump will fuck it up as soon as he is in charge the next year, leaving people disenchanted.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

despite basically identical policy proposals

You don't really have this problem when you vote for political parties instead of presidents.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

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

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

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

https://youtu.be/moNHfeBJ81I

Yup.

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