247 Comments

The United States is neither a democracy nor a democratic republic, but an oligarchy featuring unlimited political bribery for those who can afford pricey lawyers.

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I just hope that in 24 I can vote,drop off my tax payment and go get my booster all in one trip. That will limit my chances of getting gun violenced and keep my carbon tiptoe down to a socially acceptable level.

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The US has a surprisingly popular World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) organization which stages completely fake, scripted 'fights' that millions of US citizens watch. US national elections are on that same level of authenticity. Only popular revolt will bring any meaningful change. Nice piece

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Thank you!

I stopped voting years ago. Election Day is Laundry Day. At least I get something constructive done.

I am comforted by the thought that, just like during the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, Russian boats are patrolling the American coasts. This time, rather than protecting us from the Satanic British who are behind this (and, of course, their whores in our “government”), they are protecting the World from us.

My only request to our Russian brothers and sisters, who Lindsay Graham (may his soul burn in hell for eternity) wants to murder as many as possible, is when you launch the missiles, may I have the opportunity to see the fireball before I’m immolated.

I’m making my peace with God. I leave this world to Satan and the cockroaches.

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We the Elites, Why the US Constitution Serves the Few; by Robert Ovetz

Synopsis

Written by 55 of the richest white men of early America, and signed by only 39 of them, the constitution is the sacred text of American nationalism. Popular perceptions of it are mired in idolatry, myth and misinformation - many Americans have opinions on the constitution but have no idea what’s in it.

This book exposes the constitution for what it is – a rulebook to protect capitalism for the elites. The misplaced faith of social movements in the constitution as a framework for achieving justice actually obstructs social change - incessant lengthy election cycles, staggered terms and legislative sessions have kept those movements trapped in a redundant loop. This stymies progress on issues like labour rights, public health and climate change, projecting the American people and rest of the world towards destruction. Robert Ovetz’s reading of the constitution shows that the system isn’t broken. Far from it. It works as it was designed to do.

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the length of the US election season indicates a key function: to drain the money and energy and time of activists every four years (to a much lesser extent in the off-year elections) so that we are not spending our time talking about what we might do, together, to actually change things.

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May 29, 2023·edited May 29, 2023

It’s all ONE BIG ACT. It’s like “pro wrestling.” A bunch of “interesting characters“ but it’s all SCRIPTED and FAKE.

If you buy into it, I can't help you with your problem.

Best wishes!

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Caitlin, you knocked it outta the park with this one: a grand slam. This is the best, most honest, summation of America's national elections I've ever read in an article of this brevity.

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What? There are sausages at polling sites? I must truly be living in an authorative regime that adminisyers extreme capitalistic cruelty! Really, never knew that before. No matter who we vote for our vote is meaningless because as you said, we had no say in anything that matters. I mean, I don't remember voting for giving the Ukraine money, I don't remember voting for the Patriot act, I don't recall voting for the expansion of the insurrection act, I certainly wouldn't vote for Senate bill 686...Imagine all the bills and actions that I don't know about, likely hundreds of thousands of things that screw us over. We live in a republic that uses a representative democracy and oue representatives represent the wealthy, not us.

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am not able to vote, but if I could I would vote for Trump

He has that hated by the security services seal of approval and said he would end the Ukraine war in one day

I’m not exactly excited at the prospect but in my view it’s a no-brainer

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What applies to the USA also applies to all so-called "Western" democracies, because they are in fact Americanized democracies. The only difference is that only the election of the comedian who will stay in the White House for 4 years is "globally" followed and commented on throughout the West, whereas the election of the lackeys hardly leaves the borders of the country in question. I confess that, as a French citizen, I don't give a damn about the American presidential election, but I'm still waiting for the French statesman who will restore France's independence and sovereignty. Unfortunately, statesmen (and stateswomen, let's be modern) are a very, very rare commodity in Western democracies. Not even like Siberian tigers, an endangered species, but like dinosaurs, an extinct species, I'm afraid.

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This is brilliant writing describing reality , using a very sharp pen/sword. Absolutely love it!

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The only reason that you are encouraged to vote is so you sign and date the voter registration legal documents that you agree to abide by the dictates of the establishment installed puppets. And get a little sticker like a grad school child to delude yourself you had a say.

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I view the political season sort of like March Madness on steroids. It's entertaining but nothing of real consequence.

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With all the expectations over the last 100 years that voting would change anything, look where we are? We are in the most precarious situation as a nation that we have seen since at least the Civil War.

I am not going to waste much time over the next 17 months paying attention to candidates. The fact is that even with a rogue or 3rd party president, they still have to work within the confines of the utterly corrupt DC Swamp which never seems to change.

The only remaining answer is to abolish all government and replace it with something that works for all without anyone becoming a slave to the system.

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Yes!!! This is your best essay yet, IMO, Caitlin & Tim. It had me alternately laughing and crying--and cry-laughing all the way through.

Never a truer statement made on God's green earth than this sentence: "When all is said and done, the person sworn into office on January 2024 will oversee an administration which governs in more or less the same way as their predecessors."

It's what I've been saying for years, and all I ever get when I say it is stares or outright hostile jibes. But it's the truth of the matter and always has been.

When some random American posted a poll on Twitter saying, "Is our Democracy in trouble?" I answered his tweet with, "No, of course not. We've never had a "democracy." You'd actually have to experience a real democracy first in order to know if it was in trouble or not. The trouble is, you THINK you're living in a "democracy" in 21st America. You've swallowed the Kool-Aid propaganda. Time to spit it out so we can actually start working on a way to bring about a true democracy."

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