Nothing gives Israel a special right to invade neighbors, bulldoze their homes, and create a DMZ.

US voters must make anyone supporting the Israeli state unelectable until support for this bullshit stops.

@mcnado Ultimately it comes to AIPAC and shadow money which banks are happy to facilitate. Unless the banks are regulated and forced to pay for their crimes, then this will never stop. The banks can't be regulated without getting good candidates in... which can't get in because... circular logic. We're back to the billions of dollars spent bribing officials.

@Netraven @mcnado

yeah but despite all of the shadow money we can still vote

especially in the primaries coming up

so many elections are decided by such a small percentage

and such a large percentage don't vote

yeah not all of them are leftists but if leftists did show up imagine the difference

the problem is this sort of mindless cynicism, that something is inevitable. it's not

vote, assholes

why would anyone give dark money what it wants by not voting?

'No, That Is Not Your Job,' Say Critics After Schumer Claims 'Job' Is to 'Fight for Aid to Israel' | Common Dreams

"Seventy-five percent of Democratic voters oppose sending Israel more military aid, as do 66% of independents and 60% of Americans overall," noted one domestic policy expert.

Common Dreams

@Pine_Affinity @Netraven @mcnado

you don't vote for them

you show up in the primaries and you replace them

the problem is this "dems suck" whine then people don't show up in the primaries out of useless pathetic indolence. so nothing changes

@Pine_Affinity @Netraven @mcnado

this is an inversion of responsibility

if you vote, the party answers to you

if you don't vote, the party answers to dark money and spineless centrists who do vote

if we vote, we may fail. if we don't vote, we *will* fail. so why would you want to define your political consciousness as acceptance of fascism? you understand that is what your cynical "unlikely" is about right? cynicism is acceptance. do you accept fascism? i don't think so. so vote

It’s not my cynicism, it’s an assertion by The Hill.
Pockets of Dems have been calling for him to step down for over a year and here we are. By what mechanism will that change?
@benroyce @Netraven @mcnado

@Pine_Affinity @Netraven @mcnado

by voting

sitting back and passing your responsibility to dem leadership to magically change is absurdity

i am confused why you think that's a valid position

you mob the primaries, you replace them

proof it works?

mamdani

dem centrists opposed him every step of the way. and yet he won

how?

because people showed the fuck up

you have to change the way you think about the problem

don't depend upon assholes who will never change to change

vote

Asking them to eject a leader who illegally and unconditionally supports a genocidal nation is wanting magic?

This should be the bare minimum to exist as a political party much less a human being.

@benroyce @Netraven @mcnado

@Pine_Affinity @Netraven @mcnado

if no one on the left shows up, spineless corporatist dems win, because spineless corporatist dems show up to vote

but what you are saying is you want people you know are rotten to the core to suddenly and magically grow a conscience and resign?

rather than, you know, just getting off your ass and voting them out?

that's the way it works

why would you argue against the only way to remove them, and argue for a behavior which ensures their continuing power?

‘I’m not stepping down’: Chuck Schumer responds to growing anger after he agreed to Republican spending bills

Senate Minority Leader rejected any calls for his resignation, standing behind his decision to vote with Republicans to keep the government open

The Independent
@Pine_Affinity @benroyce @Netraven @mcnado I really don't understand why can't Americans accept that the democratic party is an imperialist party for the elites that doesn't answer to its people. Why can't you build actual grassroot movements and put forward your own candidates that are not compromised by the democratic party systems of control? Far easier task than changing the democratic party from within.

It’s like brainwashing. We’ve been voting for ‘the best possible’ Dem candidates for decades and it brought us to this exact moment.

@JakeKb @benroyce @Netraven @mcnado

@Pine_Affinity

No
Factually and historically false.

We got here BECAUSE "didn't vote" is the largest bloc, and instead of leaning in to bends things positive, they stood back and just let the Right snatch the victory, over, and over, and over, and over again

We got here because people who could have helped prevent Citizens United, didn't

@JakeKb @benroyce @Netraven @mcnado

Was Joe Biden voted into office? Did he then arm Israel to the teeth despite national and international law?

@screwturn @JakeKb @benroyce @Netraven @mcnado

@Pine_Affinity

Was Biden better than the Orange guy?
Was Kamal better than the Orange guy?

We got the worst option because people who should have voted for her, just never showed up

@JakeKb @benroyce @Netraven @mcnado

@benroyce @screwturn @Netraven @JakeKb @mcnado @Pine_Affinity a garden gnome shaped doorstop would have been better at the job

@Kierkegaanks

A magical garden gnome wasn't on the ballot. The ballot doesn't have a Refusenik "neither" option.

Millions of people who would have voted left, didn't vote, and now we have this - which is a whole bunch worse than if Kamala had come in.

@benroyce @Netraven @JakeKb @mcnado @Pine_Affinity

@screwturn @Kierkegaanks @benroyce @Netraven @JakeKb @mcnado @Pine_Affinity

Where is the "none of the above" button. '. . .

@A_Minion

Yup there is none.
Just like there is no "cast them all into a volcano" option

Would that there was, but there isn't

What you get is the optician's exam - Is 1 better, or 2. 1 or 2. If you stand away and don't choose, you get shitty spectacles, not the magical ones you imagine, not do your eyes suddenly improve on their own.

@Kierkegaanks @benroyce @Netraven @JakeKb @mcnado @Pine_Affinity

@screwturn if only there were, actually, a "cast them all into a volcano" option

then only the most confident and thoughtful persons would run.

however, I know Nevada has a NOTA option on their ballots. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/None_of_These_Candidates

@A_Minion @Kierkegaanks @benroyce @Netraven @JakeKb @mcnado @Pine_Affinity

None of These Candidates - Wikipedia

@draNgNon @screwturn @Kierkegaanks @benroyce @Netraven @JakeKb @mcnado @Pine_Affinity

Thanks, It never occurred to me to look it up. I guess it's just too obvious and thought folks would have said something if it existed, well, either that or boy am I dense. I'll go the the former to salve my wounded ego. . . 8*) The Volcano option is sure enticing tho as a permanent solution.

Peace

@A_Minion lol I only looked it up becuase I remember them doing it and hoping it would catch on. nearness matters, I'm in Cali and have friends living in Nevada 😄

imagine how different things would be if NOTA + Ranked Choice was the law of the land

@screwturn @Kierkegaanks @benroyce @Netraven @JakeKb @mcnado @Pine_Affinity

@draNgNon @A_Minion @screwturn @Kierkegaanks @Netraven @JakeKb @mcnado @Pine_Affinity

which we get by supporting dem candidates who say so

not because dems are perfect, but because you have dems against RCV and dems for it, and we have to make that choice

meawhile the GOP in 2024 took a blanket stand against RCV

@benroyce @draNgNon @screwturn @Kierkegaanks @Netraven @JakeKb @mcnado @Pine_Affinity

Even tho we don't have much choice in a presidential election we have massive choice in House & Senate. If we pick those candidates there it will put pressure on the President . . . But that requires fore thought Maybe even 5 thought. But only 6 years tho 2 would be enough.

@benroyce @draNgNon @screwturn @Kierkegaanks @Netraven @JakeKb @mcnado @Pine_Affinity

Remember that Alaska passed RCV inspite of massive complaint and protest from the GOP, Hell they even brought Sarah back into the deal. Sadly the GOP did get our single House member. So if it can be done here . . . .