Flip the script

open thread_28.jpg

Ok, I've reached a real dilemma, choosing between democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republican Joe Kent in the Wa-03 district House race.
As a lifelong democrat it should have been and easy choice.
But after watching a debate between them I have come away with a serious concern for the Demo candidate.
She consistently failed to address the questions presented, but focused instead on what her opponent has said, done, or will do. She has swallowed the narrative of Ukraine good and wholesome/Russia bad and evil hook, line, and sinker.
And because she is an auto repair shop owner, I can understand the threat of electric cars to her future business.
But her claims she could buy eight hybrid electric cars for one all electric was a bridge to far. Maybe if you are comparing a Prius ($25k) vs. an all-electric Porshe ($200k), but that is not oranges to oranges. If fact, it's deceptive.
And she raised the small business owner meme eleven times, reminding me of the longtime Republican position the country should be run like a business (Trump anyone?).
She also believes every business owner should have the right to ban anyone who is not vaccinated from their shop.
Joe Kent was focused and stuck to the questions and rarely referred to Perez, citing the Biden/Pelosi cabal that his opponent supported.
He is against the war and supports defunding Ukraine and pulling our troops back to secure our own Southern border.
To boost our economy, he wants to ban all immigration for 20 years and focus on "Buy American, Hire Americans", instead of relying on H1B visas that take American jobs.
He labeled the current Democrat Party as Corporate Democrats bent on fealty to the MIC and foreign interests but said he could work with leftists like Bernie Sanders to return prosperity to the common people, even citing the old values of one income should be enough to raise a family.
He spoke of both parties being one and not serving the people.
After serving 20 years in the military, and losing his wife to an IED, he returned to civilian life feeling betrayed and lied to.
This is a tough decision to make. I have never in my life voted for a Republican.
But Joe Kent is anti-war and insists on, de-escalating the conflict in Ukraine, ending the wasteful funding of billions of dollars there, and exiting our troops from there and the middle east.
I guess preventing extinction of the human race should be a priority, nothing else is really all that important.
Looking forward to what you all have to suggest.
The thread is open.

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Comments

Lookout's picture

but I'm a peacenik first and foremost.

I heard Oregon might elect a Repub Governor.

These days up is down and right is left. Tulsi's been out campaigning for Repubs as well.

Me, I'm not voting this year. No one on either side of the aisle running here is worth the time and effort. Good luck and don't let the corrupt Dim party vs Repub label confuse you.

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17 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

earthling1's picture

@Lookout
how corrupt the Democrat Party has become. Warmongers fill the ranks of it's leadership.
They only pay lip service to the working families, the poor, and the sick.
I haven't exited the Party yet, like Tulsi, but I keep waiting for someone to step up and sieze the Party away from the ideologues that control it.
At the present time, I can think of no one person world-wide that can stand next to Putin as a leader and diplomat.
What happened to all of our great thinkers and leaders?
I guess we don't produce them anymore.
Thanks for your kind responce.

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16 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

@Lookout

Hi, Lookout - I *think* I remember you mentioning in passing that you lived in Marjorie Taylor Green's district.

If so, was wondering what that's like. Have you had occasion to interact with her office? Were they responsive? How is she viewed by the locals? I'd guess not too negative, attempts to primary her failed badly and from what I understand it's a deep red district...

Apologies if I hallucinated the whole thing...

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3 users have voted.
usefewersyllables's picture

pick the lies you like the best and vote that way, knowing in your heart of hearts that once they have the gig they'll probably do something else entirely- since we never seem to vote anyone out of office, no matter how bad they are.

I'd be tempted to vote for the R, but only tempted. When I was faced with races than had only a D and an R this cycle, I just left that line blank. I don't know that I sent any sort of a message to anybody by doing so, but it made me feel marginally better...

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15 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

earthling1's picture

@usefewersyllables
enter office thinking they can and will make a difference but find an astounding amount of money offered to do the bidding of others.
Imagine the offer of becoming enormously wealthy and elected office for as long as they please and all decisions made for them.
Hard for most to pass up.
Thanks for stopping by.

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13 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

lotlizard's picture

@earthling1  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust

We need to understand what a huge temptation every soul is subject to, whether the simplest, or the most sophisticated. The moment you step into the public limelight, up pops He Who Must Not Be Named with a modest proposal for your corruption.

It’s so easy! Even those who believe themselves jaded are surprised. Merely accept Mephistopheles as manager and agent, and indeed all the power and pleasure of the world can be yours. He is a hundred-proof distillation of Hollywood, Big Tech, and Deep State. He has access to, not only to your personal behavior profile and surveillance history on the Internet, but the entire akashic record of your life from the moment of conception!

Hell has thoroughly hacked material existence’s database. For knowing Heavenly Good shall win over Hell’s Evil in the end, yea, even with all the cards face up, Heaven hath allowed this.

“Selling out” is not a single binary threshold but a spectrum; there are many shades, flavors, levels, and degrees. How extreme in exaltation and ecstasy — and deep in diabolical degradation — are you willing to go? That iconic, historic White House inhabitant — that blockbuster pop star ⁄ actor ⁄ actress — that Harvard-MIT grad and Nobel Prize winner — whatever and whoever you always secretly wanted to be? Can do!

For Mephistopheles knows you better than you know yourself! Who can resist his pitch? He seems to understand, to just get you, ohhh! the way your mom, dad, siblings, guardians, teachers, friends, lovers, bosses, associates, trainers and therapists never did!

Wanna bet that when the devil tenders his barter, that custom-tailored offer is going to fit you like the finest bespoke suit?

That’s what we’re up against here in trying to find worthy leader figures to follow. Or perhaps even just trying to live from day to day without being big hypocrites ourselves, eh?

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0 users have voted.

to do anything when a politician swears in, and does the opposite of what he or she campaigned to do.
Recalls are slow, clumsy, and while they might lead to an official being ousted, it doesn't undo what they did while in office.
We are encouraged to vote as an expression of our personal patriotism and power.
A vote expresses nothing but futility.

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16 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

earthling1's picture

@on the cusp
TPTB keep sending in demolition agents to slowly knock apart our Democracy one piece at a time.
For fifty years I've watched this slow motion destruction and the march of the Dem party to the right. Beyond the Nixon right wing.
Nixon was a leftist compared to these ghouls.
Thanks for the post.

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13 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

First,whether to vote. Even if the GOP candidate gets elected to Congress, the chance that any Governmental policy of significance will change, is very, is very small, even if the Republicans gain a majority. The neo-con fairy tale of full spectrum dominance will remain the central goal of national security and foreign policy, which will require ever more billions of dollars from the Federal Budget -- effectively preventing any potential Snaders-Old School Republican alliance from making any positive economic reform.

Second, how to vote. In prior decades, i occasionally cast strategic votes for Republicans when the Democrat posed special problems. Way back in the 1970s, for example, an oil industry tool named Kruger got the Texas Democratic nomination to challenge the odious Senator John Tower. I figured if Kruger got into the Senate, he'd hold office for decades, competently serving
his right wing donors. So I held my nose and voted for Tower.

In your District, it seems to me, there is no worthwhile reason to try to keep Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House and so whatever benefit that keeping a Republican asshole out of that Chair is outweighed by the preposterous "economic" war against Russia. The only way for you to vote against that lunacy is to vote for the Republican.

As for me, I am a committed non-voter. I don't want to waste the few minutes it takse to fill in the ballot and mail it in.

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15 users have voted.

I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.

earthling1's picture

@fire with fire
As for your first point, I think there is a widening rift between the deplorable and the business/upper income crowd of the Republican Party.
I don't think the Trumpers support the "Full Spectrum Dominance" vision and want to bring our troops home and keep our national treasure here.
After all, Trump ran on a platform of exiting the neverending wars and bringing jobs back home. He also suggested that Russia would make a better friend than an enemy.
To your second point, I agree. I'm just going to hold my nose and pull the lever for Kent.
I use the slot machine reference to indicate it is just a gamble after all.

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15 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

The Rs becoming an anti war, pro common people party? Most Rs will be liars or disappointments, the few who aren't will either be corrupted or fail. It's the nature of the beast. But we have to try. The other choice is more corrupt quisling Democrats. They have proven themselves irredeemable.

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14 users have voted.

On to Biden since 1973

earthling1's picture

@doh1304
are poles anymore. Seems to me everything has shifted to the right.
It may be the above mentioned deplorable sect of the Repubs are sensing a kinship with the Bernie Bros/ anti war crowd, or at least some loose votes they can snatch from the right wing Dems.
I've long thought the working class conservative Republicans have much more in common with the anti-war peace and freedom Democrats than differences.
Perhaps we are witnessing a "re-poling" of American thought?
The coming economic collapse should push it one way or the other. IMHO.
Thanks for the post.

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16 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

@earthling1
I think the R strategists have just changed tactical priorities. White working class conservatives have always thought their opinions benefited everyone in the working class, people just are finally catching on to how the Ds have always lied. But if I'm right the tactic is doomed because some Rs will realize that the tactic will only last if they're sincere. Why would sincerity be positive for Rs and not Ds? 1, sincere Ds are sabotaged by insincere Ds and 2, the Ds have become known for lies and betrayal, the Rs not so much.

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8 users have voted.

On to Biden since 1973

snoopydawg's picture

and to protect social security, but only if they get enough democrats in power. I guess having 60 votes to pass everything that they ran on isn’t a big enough majority. And they are trying to tell you that it’s the republicans that you should be afraid of and not to believe that it is not their shepherd who takes them to slaughter that would do them harm, but the wolf lurking unseen in the shadows of the wood. Joe Biden has said that he wanted to cut social security and Medicare since he got elected all those 50 years ago. Same thing with Pelosi and Schumer and they want you to forget that they campaigned for Cueller, an anti abortion dude over the woman who was for abortion, but was also a progressive. And for gawd’s sake Hillary picked Tim Kaine a huge anti abortionist as her VP.

Never forget that Obama promised McConnell that yes indeed he would cut SS if only McConnell would vote to raise the debt ceiling. Biden is continuing to push Medicare advantage over regular Medicare even though he knows that it’s more costly and filled with corruption which makes the costs even higher.

Sorry, but believing that either party is going to quit serving their donors and start looking out for we the people is the same as believing that Santa is going to visit you for Xmas. Democrats have shown us that campaign promises aren’t worth the paper they are written on. Besides the people who really run the country are never voted on. How many times have you voted for an anti war candidate only to see them vote for more wars?

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13 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

earthling1's picture

@snoopydawg
But I think that the Trump deplorables (conservative everyday working folks) have rejected the current Repub ideology and are in lock step with the leftist Bernie Bro rejection of the rightward warmongering shift of the Demo party.
Would you vote for a Trump/Sanders ticket?
Or Sanders/Trump?
The only thing keeping them apart are stupid ID issues.
While the world stands on the brink.

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9 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

snoopydawg's picture

@earthling1

Would you vote for a Trump/Sanders ticket?
Or Sanders/Trump?

Nope I would not vote for Bernie because he’s not anti war nor does he speak much about what Israel is doing to the Palestinians. He just voted to give Ukraine another $40 billion while so many Americans are hurting. I don’t know his voting record on giving billions to Israel except for the time he did in 2015 during Israel’s mow the lawn campaign and they ran out of weapons. He voted to give them more money to kill women and children. Plus he is a sellout. He just folded when Hillary and democrats cheated during the primary and he didn’t complain when Obama cleared the field of everyone but Warren who only stayed in to siphon votes from Bernie. Oh yeah and when he was accused of being a Putin puppet he just took it and then he signed on with Russia Russia.

As for voting for Trump…I’m thinking…nah I don’t think we need another round of his obnoxious presidency.

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8 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

forget the labels and vote with your conscious. In other words vote with your head and not your heart.

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17 users have voted.
Granma's picture

@JtC ignore the labels. Vote for the one who makes sense to you.

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11 users have voted.

@Granma Unfortunately, in many instances none of the candidates make any sense to many voters.

I went to no party preference from the D party years ago when I could no longer deal with the cognitive dissonance of reading the Dem platform ("hey, this sounds pretty good") but then couldn't see them make any effort to implement any of the worthwhile "planks" in it. Or if they did, they watered things down and means-tested it to a point where it was clearly mostly just another graft with a thin shell of "good for the public" wrapped around it.

On the other hand, the Rep platforms are often filled with scary stuff, and there frequently seems to be a significant push to implement a lot of that stuff.

So you get back to the dilemma of voting for the person who says they want to do damage to you and the country, or for the person who claims high and benign ideals, but who have proven time and again that they are at least OK with doing damage to you and the country, even if they aren't going to go all out to do that.

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14 users have voted.
dystopian's picture

vote blue for proxy war with Russia via Ukraine.
vote red for proxy war with China via Taiwan.

/s

I don't see an anti-war party.

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15 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

earthling1's picture

@dystopian
have always been anti-war/non-interventionists.
I just don't like most of their other dog-eat-dog views.

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12 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

dystopian's picture

@earthling1 Absolutely agreed. The libertarians do have a good foreign policy I have always liked. Stay the F out of it. Non-interventionist all the way, and I totally agree. If only their domestic policy was not the polar opposite resembling a cross between slash-and-burn clear-cutting and strip-mining. Smile

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11 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

usefewersyllables's picture

@dystopian

strip mining using water jets, Gold Rush style. That way they can do clear-cutting, strip mining, silting of the waterways, and pollution of the water itself, all at once! It's a perfect fit, especially if it is smelly as well...

sluice.jpeg

Or maybe not- perhaps not all libertarians go for the water thing. There could be some nice ones, after all..

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9 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

The R is probably lying, and the D may be telling the truth, but in the end unless they're long termers with some power they'll just fall in line with whatever the party leaders tell them to do. They're both the $$$ party.

I guess I can't help you.

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10 users have voted.

said about our policy re China and Taiwan? He is after all ex-Green Beret/special ops, 20 yrs in the military. Likely not a peacenik of any sort.

He's also an election-denying MAGAist, getting an endorsement from Trump. In other words, his loyalty will always be to the Donald, not to the country. What if Donald wakes up one day and tweets about how the US needs to get more aggressive towards China to defend Taiwan? Joe would meekly fall in line. He would just be Donald's puppet in the House.

He's also ex-CIA, which always makes me suspicious.

Might have ties or affinities with some very far-right racist groups.

More than enough there for me at least to not cast an affirmative vote for him if I lived in that district. I can understand the anti-D candidate attitude over UKR, so I likely wouldn't vote for her either, but I would try to bring a critical eye to both candidates as opposed to giving one the kid gloves treatment.

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9 users have voted.
earthling1's picture

@wokkamile
He definitely sees China as an emerging economic threat. But he is way behind, CHina is already more than threat. It is the manufactoring powerhouse of the globe and only growing more powerful economically and militarily. And China's growing influence in trade and diplomacy are on course to destroy dollar supremacy and US hegemony.
I know Trump's answer to China's rise is economic battle, not military.
I get the sense Kent's position is similar.
I do, however, see his Cia association troubling. I read a piece a few years ago revealing the agency recruiting returning veterans to run for office, and thereby gaining more control over the halls of power.
In that debate he seemed very focused and unusually alert, filling every second of his allotted time with position and bullet points.
It was as though he was on some military drug to enhance mental performance.
It was off-putting.
Needless to say, he wiped the floor with Perez.
She came off as a shill, verbally bumbling, small town nobody.
I know there are a lot of people who just give up on voting, can't blame them. But that's just what TPTB want us all to do.
It makes their graft and corruption that much easier. Only less graft.
Thanks for the post.

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7 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Neither party is going to buck the current effort of the US Government to rule the world; fomenting regime change whenever it suits, spending lavishly on military interventions, while neglecting urgent domestic needs at home.

It may still be that state or local choices at the polls have the possibility to bring meaningful change. However, at the national level (President, House and Senate) the preselected candidates of our two party system and the massive amount of corporate and MIC money and influence have usurped the hollow shell of our democratic process.

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13 users have voted.

Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all."
- John Maynard Keynes

earthling1's picture

@ovals49

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7 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

snoopydawg's picture

@ovals49

It would take $20 billion to end homelessness here and not much more to end poverty and food challenges. Instead of finding money for this they sent it to Ukraine, the most corrupt country in the world. Can’t even afford to feed school children anymore either

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13 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

enhydra lutris's picture

is the most credible, keeping in mind that they will be under a lot of pressure to toe their party line, and which has the preferable platform. She sounds far less credible based on her debating style.

Step two, see what will happen if they bend to their parties will. She will support war, be heavy into corporate welfare, and do nothing regarding abortion. She will be at least 50% woke. He will quite possibly still oppose war, be into corporate welfare and most likely do nothing about abortion. He is a bit less likely to be woke.

Keep in mind that those of us who render an opinion are somewhat not unlike those who spew medical and psychological diagnoses without ever examining the patient or reviewing their medical file.

be well and have a good one

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9 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

earthling1's picture

@enhydra lutris
more than any other source.
Full stop.
Your full disclosure statement is proof I am among those who would cause no harm.
Thank you.

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12 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

lotlizard's picture

They had the choice of fourteen (count ’em, 14) parties.

Live reporting of election returns here (not that I understand Danish; I just like the sound of it):

https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/live-folketingsvalget-naermer-sig

It’s amazing how even-handed the reporting seems. My impression is that an effort is made to give each one of the 14 parties its fair share of attention.

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12 users have voted.
enhydra lutris's picture

@lotlizard

be well and have a good one

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10 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

earthling1's picture

@lotlizard
But is not stepping down. Quite a difference in style from Denmark.
Thanks.

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5 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

@earthling1 that Bolsonaro would not contest the election and will step down.

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7 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

earthling1's picture

@on the cusp
brought up to date.
Thanks OTC.
Now, if Lula can do his magic again Brazil will be much better.

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6 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

@earthling1 will bring some order back to that country. Bolsonaro did damage to the rain forest and to social programs. Brazilians deserve better.
I just now read where Bolsonaro didn't formally concede, but that the new government is selecting committees, planning the transition. His trucker supporters have blockades around the capitol. Reminds me of the mess of Jan 6. But, no formal contest or challenge to the election results.

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9 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

@on the cusp too familiar. He doesn't give the usual public concession, but allows some transition processes to take place. Lula isn't scheduled to take over until Jan 1, so Balso probably is trying to buy more time to see what happens in the next two months. I don't trust him to go quietly any more than the guy he so closely resembles over here.

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9 users have voted.
earthling1's picture

@wokkamile
And they still have a close relationship.
Pins and needles till Jan 2nd.

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7 users have voted.

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Maybe we will see less of these situations and more true indie candidates.

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7 users have voted.

"The Republican and Democratic parties, or, to be more exact, the Republican-Democratic party, represent the capitalist class in the class struggle. They are the political wings of the capitalist system and such differences as arise between them relate to spoils and not to principles."

Eugene V. Debs, The Socialist Party and the Working Class (1904)

"They are all the same anyway. All politicians are bastards anyway — every one of them. [It] doesn't matter who you vote for you'll always have a shitty government. All they are after is themselves and their pockets. They are all lying, cheating bastards."

Lemmy Kilmister, ca 2004

I have Primala up here in Seattle, beyond useless, not an ounce of feck. No vote this round from me. Same for Patty (Murray), she should have done something for someone besides the corporations for all her time in office.

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10 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@BORG_US_BORG

"They are all the same anyway. All politicians are bastards anyway — every one of them. [It] doesn't matter who you vote for you'll always have a shitty government. All they are after is themselves and their pockets. They are all lying, cheating bastards."

They capitulated to the robber barons back in the 1800's and numerous people since then have said the same thing that Debs did.

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11 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@BORG_US_BORG @BORG_US_BORG

"They are all the same anyway. All politicians are bastards anyway — every one of them. [It] doesn't matter who you vote for you'll always have a shitty government. All they are after is themselves and their pockets. They are all lying, cheating bastards."

"All" - No.

There have been way more than a few courageous and principled congresscritters, although they have mostly suffered for it and not written the history books (as if anybody reads such anymore).

A few, more or less off the top of my head:

- Davy Crockett

US Rep. Tennessee 1827-31 - lost re-election to Congress mostly over opposition to Andrew Jackson's policies, esp. the Indian Removal Act (see: Trail of Tears)

Source

- Clement Vallandigham -

US Rep. Ohio 1856-62. Anti-war Democrat and leading critic of Lincoln. Arrested and tried before a military tribunal for opposing the war. Expelled to the South he made his way to Canada and ran for governor from there. He lost, but re-emerged as a Democratic party leader post-war and supported resolutions ending slavery and granting full legal rights to blacks.

Source

James B. Weaver -

Served several terms in Congress - (after losing as a Republican) Greenback Party and later. Civil War veteran of at least five major battles, including Shiloh. Two-time Presidential candidate - Greenback Party in 1880 and Populist Party 1892. Greenback Party advocated for an 8-hour work day, factory safety regulations and ending child labor as early as 1875.

Weaver lost both times, losing some support for insisting on racial inclusion, but did get electoral votes of six states in 1892...

(his great-grandson, also James Weaver represented Oregon CD-4 from 1972-82

Source

- Richard Pettigrew

US Senator, South Dakota 1889-1901. First US Senator from SD initially as Republican, but supported Populists in 1892. Advocated abolishing Indian reservations and tribal governments (and granting of individual land allotments) *but* was instrumental in establishing the National Forest system, opposed annexation of Hawaii and the Spanish-American War - especially suppression of Philippine independence.

Opposed US entry into WW! and was charged under the Espionage Act (as were Bill Haywood, Eugene Debs..) although charges were eventually dropped.

- Jeanette Rankin

Two (widely separated) terms Republican Congresswoman, Montana - First woman member of Congress (before universal suffrage - her entrance to Congress was delayed for months while whether she should be admitted was debated). Was one of only 50 votes opposing US declaring war on Germany in WWI and the only vote in Congress against declaring war on Japan after Pearl Harbor.
She was active in protesting the Vietnam War from 1967 till her death in 1973.

Source

The list, actually, goes on and on...

The fact that all too many are hacks, non-entities, corrupt, etc. shouldn't distract from the numerous positive examples and the need to try and recognize and support such potential when it comes along.

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5 users have voted.
The Liberal Moonbat's picture

She also believes every business owner should have the right to ban anyone who is not vaccinated from their shop.

...Does she also support the right to ban people who are?

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8 users have voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

This sounds like a Blue Republican sort of situation, allow me to weigh in.

Blue Republic became Blue Republic in response to an appeal by (then still Brit, now naturalized US citizen jounalist) Robin Koerner published in Huffington Post Sept. 2011

If You Love Peace, Become a "Blue Republican" (Just for a Year)

Urging peace and liberty-loving Dems and independents to register Republican, at least temporarily, to support Ron Paul's 2012 candidacy in the primary cycle. I, and an unknown number of others responded - for me one year has extended to a decade plus.

Paul, predictably, was thrown under the bus by the R establishment much in the manner of the Dem PTB disposing of the likes of Dennis Kucinich, Cynthia McKinney, Bernie, Tulsi... or anyone they can that dares to go off-narrative.

some excerpts from Koerner's piece:

The world lost its goodwill toward the USA when Americans voted for George W. Bush the second time around.
I don't endorse the idea that American politics should be dictated by foreign opinions but a reading of the foreign press over the last six years reveals that the first election of President Bush Jr. was largely excused around the world since no one could have known what this new president was going to do.
Moreover, America arguably didn't vote for him anyway in 2000.
However, the second election President Bush was not excused, because by 2004, the modus operandi of the Bush administration was clear. He wanted to 1) conduct wars against countries that did not threaten us (e.g. Iraq), 2) oversee large financial benefits to companies with which those in his administration were close (e.g. Halliburton), 3) establish a legal framework for riding roughshod over the liberties of private individuals who are not suspected of crime (e.g. Patriot Act), and 4) establish a massive federal apparatus to carry out such intrusions on innocent Americans in what is becoming a police state (e.g. domestic wiretapping, TSA etc... )

Continuing on to Obama:

The more-or-less global delight upon Obama's election in 2008 followed largely from the hope that Americans had realized what a mistake they had made with Bush's second term and were therefore voting against the egregious actions of the then Republican establishment.
When most Americans voted for "Hope" and "Change," the above four objectives were at the top of their list of what they "hoped" would be "changed."
After two years, however, we now see that Obama 1) conducts wars against countries that do not threaten us (e.g. Libya, Yemen etc.), 2) oversees large financial benefits to companies with which those in his administration were close (e.g. Goldman Sachs), 3) supports the legal framework for riding roughshod over the liberties of private individuals who are not suspected of crime (e.g. Patriot Act), and 4) is growing a massive federal apparatus to carry out such intrusions on innocent Americans in what is becoming a police state (e.g. domestic wiretapping, TSA etc.. )
Put another way, when it comes to such things as the killing of innocent people, taking from the common man to support cronies, and the elimination of the basic values that make our lives worth living, we had the hope, but we haven't had the change.

And goes on to urge people to overlook partisanship and focus on individual integrity and principles

If you are a Democrat, and you sit tight and vote Democrat again "because you've always been a Democrat" or because you think that some group with which you identity will benefit more from Democrat programs than a Republican one, then that is up to you, and I wish you well. But don't you dare pretend that you are motivated primarily by peace, civil rights or a government that treats people equally.
That Ron Paul, who has been standing up for these principles quietly for half a lifetime, happens to be a member of the Republican party is a lot less important than the principles that we should be voting on.

OK, parallels are not exact, but if history is not repeating itself it may well be resonating - and not necessarily in a good way but in the fashion known to lead to catastrophic failure...

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XggxeuFDaDU]

Kent seems legit to me - and hardly the sort of candidate the establishment (D or R) feel comfortable with - all too prone to go off the reservation and take seriously subversive ideas like actually defending the Constitution or representing his constituents.

I say screw the partisanship, support integrity, principles and policies.

In any case, thanks for giving the issue the consideration it deserves, good luck to everyone in their choices.

"We have to bring the National Security State to heel."

Joe Kent

I hear that...

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8 users have voted.

I think you should go for whoever will do YOU the most good personally. It used to be a chicken in every pot, or making things better for the voter. Now it's mostly big divisive distractions. If you hear things that will help you, go for it.

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7 users have voted.

And Joe Kent has embraced that Q-anon religious fascism that has gutted the former Republican party. Joe Kent believes that climate change is a Chinese hoax and wants to try Dr. Anthony Fauci for "murder." (Praise the Lord and pass the horse dewormer!) This type of Q-MAGA crazy has no business running the government.

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2 users have voted.

@SancheLlewellyn
horse dewormer one more time and you're out of here. We don't play that game here at c99.

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8 users have voted.

@JtC

I thought that was a joke, but maybe there are still people fighting truth with madness?

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5 users have voted.

@JtC Thou shalt never speak evil of the Sacred Ivermectin. (It has, however, really taken off on Twitter, since everyone's favorite billionaire bought it. Ditto for mentions of the n-word.)

Wonder how many people have died believing in that quack cure? Along with fish tank cleaner, of course.

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1 user has voted.

@SancheLlewellyn @SancheLlewellyn

Wife and I have been taking Ivermectin (human version) for over a year with no apparent ill effects.

I intend to continue taking as protection against spike protein and cancer.

The mechanisms of action of ivermectin against SARS-CoV-2—an extensive review

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8688140/

The multitargeted drug ivermectin: from an antiparasitic agent to a repositioned cancer drug

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29511601/

I'm sure everyone here is fully supportive of your right *not* to take IVM.

The active suppression of early treatment of Covid using repurposed and inexpensive medicines and the censorship and cancellation of anyone advocating for them cost countless lives.

These were not 'mistakes' - *someone* had an agenda to sow fear, to promote or mandate non-fully-tested gene therapy as the only alternative to global die-off. Careers, livelihoods, health and lives continue to be destroyed as a result.

Those responsible SHOULD be held responsible, Fauci most certainly included.

"If you have a right to respect, then other people don't have a right to an opinion."

- Thomas Sowell

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6 users have voted.
mhagle's picture

But . . . Oh my . . . voting. Ugh. I went to vote411.org to see who was on the ballot for my part of Texas. Republican for congress running unopposed as is the republican for state senator. The republicans have passed so much horrible legislation here recently we would hope to be able to dial some of it back. I won't vote republican. Voting for war-mongering democrats at the moment makes me feel nauseous (really truly). There are a few greens and libertarians, both of whom are anti-war in the U.S. at least. The greens in Germany don't seem to be anti-war.

It's doubtful the dems have much of a chance here unless the GOTV people are working really hard.

I don't know what to do. I would personally probably vote for your anti-war republican though, just in the hope he really is anti-war, while the alternate clearly is not.

Sigh . . .

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8 users have voted.

Marilyn

"Make dirt, not war." eyo

snoopydawg's picture

@mhagle

How many republicans are running unopposed and why aren’t democrats trying to win those races? Democrats in Utah are the permanent minority and I don’t know if it’s because they get no help from democrats in DC or it’s just the makeup of the state. Plus I think the electoral college is a joke. My vote for president here doesn’t count because of it. But I’m not knowledgeable enough to know if doing away with it would be good or bad.

Our legislators are in real estate and it shows. They let companies save money by building mostly wood apartments and this weekend one under construction burned to the ground and it was impossible to put out. They are gawd ugly and being built everywhere there’s barely enough ground to do it. Ugh.

Also I don’t see what good voting does for us when it’s the oligarchs in charge of the world and they own our government and tells them what they must do for them. Don’t believe me? Read the essay. Who is it that owns the world? Vanguard and Blackrock of course.

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7 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

we are presently instigating. Yeah, stop the bombs, stop the spending on nuclear
armament, stop shoveling all these kids into the death throes of the empire. There
is a choice, but we are not given one. Don't vote for the war party!

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9 users have voted.