Mastodawn

Oct 6, 2024

Just a casual reminder that Germans who “didn’t bother to vote” in 1932 didn’t get a chance again until 1946, after Hitler’s death. — There’s a lesson there.

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Nicole Parsons

@Strandjunker

Trump is trying to make not voting seem like a relief from an onerous burden.

"Freedom from democracy" is a GOP selling point. But to whom?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/30/donald-trump-wont-have-to-vote-anymore-fox-interview

Yes, voting is an onerous burden to the billionaires financing massive public corruption.
https://americansfortaxfairness.org/billionaires-2-2-trillion-richer-since-2017-trump-gop-tax-law/

They're having to spend a tiny percentage of their net wealth to buy an oligarchy & immunity from taxation.
https://www.propublica.org/article/secret-irs-files-reveal-how-much-the-ultrawealthy-gained-by-shaping-trumps-big-beautiful-tax-cut

https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/the-2017-trump-tax-law-was-skewed-to-the-rich-expensive-and-failed-to-deliver

Donald Trump repeats controversial ‘You won’t have to vote any more’ claim

Republican presidential nominee denies threatening to stay in office after end of possible second term in Fox interview

The Guardian

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Dave Goldsmith Oct 6, 2024

@Npars01 @Strandjunker

Except of course the owners of media companies who make enormous profits during the election season.

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Nicole Parsons Oct 6, 2024

@Dave_Goldsmith @Strandjunker

The lack of limits on influence peddling is indeed profiting the mainstream media moguls supporting the moneyed in their drive to oligarchy.

Most countries place limits on spending & donations for elections.

Right now, MSM enjoy the benefits of "perpetual election cycles" & "forever election seasons".

1. Expand the Supreme Court. Place limits on campaign finance. End Citizens United & corporate personhood

2. Limit ad buys to an 8 week window before elections

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horen Oct 6, 2024

@Npars01 Definitely right. It is more buying an election as running one.
Anyways the archaic US Electoral College ignores in reality more than half of the country. The only places something happening are these critical states.
The national popular vote is completely ignored.
For democracy very strange but true.

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Dave Goldsmith Oct 6, 2024

@Npars01 @Strandjunker

Yeah most of the rest of the world have more sensible election systems and laws than we do. And of course it's only the United States that suffers the curse of the Electoral College.

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Nicole Parsons Oct 6, 2024

@Dave_Goldsmith @Strandjunker

The Electoral College is a holdover from the slave owning era.
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/electoral-college-slavery-three-fifths-compromise-history

https://www.npr.org/2020/10/30/929609038/how-electoral-college-came-to-choose-the-president-of-the-u-s

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/11/electoral-college-racist-origins/601918/

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/12/13598316/donald-trump-electoral-college-slavery-akhil-reed-amar

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/06/opinion/electoral-college-slavery.html

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/electoral-colleges-racist-origins

https://www.aaihs.org/slavery-democracy-and-the-racialized-roots-of-the-electoral-college/

Republican billionaires really want to keep it & for the same reasons. Slavery & white supremacy.
https://theconversation.com/electoral-college-benefits-whiter-states-study-shows-142600

https://time.com/4558510/electoral-college-history-slavery/

How the Electoral College Is Tied to Slavery and the Three-Fifths Compromise

As the electoral college has come under scrutiny, its history illustrates that its very design was intended to grant slave states more political influence.

Teen Vogue