Well, it's a start.

They won't, which was my entire point.

All Socialism is democratic, or it's not Socialism. "Leftist" literally means "pro-democracy," not "pro-socialism," although it's clear you can't have one without the other. You can't have popular control of the means of production without democracy. That's why stateless "Socialism," Communism and Anarchism, make no sense—with no state to protect rights and hold elections, there are no rights and no worker control of the economy. Oligarchy doesn't magically vanish under Socialism—see modern China, which has metasticized into full-blown authoritarian state capitalism—you need popular control.

America: The United States has the best system of government ever devised! No need to change it!

The Left: Who told you that?

America: Ha! I learned it in Civics class! I guess you weren't paying attention.

The Left: Your Civics class—in your government school?

America: Uh...

The Left: Let me get this straight. This government—the one we live under right now—told you it was the best system of government ever devised?

America: Well..

The Left: And you believed them???

America: ...

Americans: The Government is oppressing me!

Corporations, Banks, and Landlords: Actually, we keep 3/4ths of your wages, exert direct control over your work and social lives, direct the course of the economy and of society, oh and the police and military work for us directly. And you have no control over this, or recourse against us, except the courts, who—wait for it—work for us.

Americans: Yes sir, thank you sir, your boots are tasty, sir.

I hate to burst your bubble, but Democratic Socialism and Social Democracy are in fact Socialism. They are not Revolutionary Socialism, and as such are probably doomed to failure. The oligarchy will not allow political revolution; then they will brand you a terrorist when you resort to direct action, even if it's as benign as unpermitted protest.

Capitalism will never allow true democracy, which is the fundamental flaw of so-called Liberal Democracy. But attacking and alienating Liberals is a tactical mistake. I used to be a Liberal. I used to love Bernie. I'm still grateful to Bernie, because he taught me (unintentionally) that political revolution is basically impossible.

Bernie's ideas are the best ideas possible under Capitalism. Democratic Socialism is an attempt to "fix" Capitalism. The Oligarchy will not allow even Sanders' tepid reforms, which would nonetheless help a lot of people. Also, nobody did more to rid the label "Socialist" of the baggage of absurd Cold War propaganda.

The Bernie Left could become the actual Left. Save your ire for the oligarchs and Centrists. Find well-intentioned people and convert them. Don't alienate them, even when they try to alienate you.

All of this. 👆

Economics is not some occult alchemy only the elite can understand. That's propaganda to protect the status quo. "Socialists don't understand economics." No, socialists are the ones who DO.

I'm up to the "I dunno maybe children working 13 hour shifts is bad, guys" part of Capital and it feels important to inform people that haven't read it yet that capitalists in the 19th century were not by any means wringing their hands and twirling their mustaches about employing children to squeeze out profits, they were hiring "experts" to write newspaper articles for them, explaining how "well, the socialists have these big demands about an 8-hour work day, and taking Saturdays off, but it's actually just so complicated, it's too complicated for most people to understand, we just NEED to hire children for night shifts because the stamina of their strong, youthful bodies is the only way we can survive as a business! It's science, you see. Economics doesn't work like that, just ask our economics professors at Oxford. You CAN'T turn a profit only working people 8 hours! Trust the experts, they know. It's just so complicated..."

That exact infuriating cadence that you read in New York Times articles, in the Atlantic Monthly, in the WaPo and all the other bourgeois rags where "everything is so complicated, and it's actually a lot more complicated than you think.." that has been around since the beginning. It is nothing new. So the next time you see some op-ed from Matt Yglesias or any of those other guys huffing their own farts about how "complicated" everything is, and how "unrealistic" a 30-hour work week is, remember that Marx was dealing with that exact class of "intellectuals" "explaining" how working 13 hours at age 10 was "vital" to the "moral fibre" of those poor kids.

"How seriously should we take “Project 2025”? Isn’t this all just the abstract raging of feverish minds? Just empty threats far removed from any chance of implementation? Mostly just a messaging effort intended to placate and mobilize a frenzied base? If only.

'Project 2025' is evidence that the American Right has concrete plans and a detailed strategy of how to take over and transform American government into a machine that serves only two purposes: Autocratic revenge against the “woke” enemy – and the imposition of a reactionary vision for society against the will of the majority."

Americans are so propagandized they think a two-party system is normal (it's not), inevitable (it's not), and democratic (it's not). For every office, I want to be able to choose between multiple viable Liberals and an actual viable Democratic Socialist. I want to be able to replace a poorly-performing politician, instead of being forced to vote for the same failed policies over and over because they're marginally better than the sole alternative.

Holy shit. I knew things were bad but not this bad. There is an actual plan for a Trump fascist takeover IN PROGRESS, and that's NOT an exaggeration or histrionic. Both the wider Left and the reasonable Right oppose this. I don't think even many MAGA people want this. VOTING FOR BIDEN WILL ONLY DELAY THE INEVITABLE—if at all, since these people do not seem like the type to let a mere election defeat get in their way. We have to get in the street. We have to shut the country down. There has to be a General Strike. There have to be mass protests. It's the only response that has a chance.

Please explain how voting for mainstream Democrats, who do not support universal healthcare, will bring about universal healthcare. Be specific. If you want universal healthcare, get in the street and SHUT THE COUNTRY DOWN.

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