US Politics, July 2024 - "Will you just drop out, man?"

I realize we're summarizing this stuff in a hasty manner, but, no, he doesn't at all deny the primacy of identity -- he objects to its corporatization, which is economics.

I haven't read the book, but I'm guessing this essay by him summarizes some of its thrust: https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/olufemi-o-taiwo-identity-politics-and-elite-capture/

A key problem with elite capture is that the subgroup of people with power over and access to the resources that get used to describe, define, and create political realities—in other words, elites—are substantively different from the total set of people affected by the decisions they make. As the part of the group closest to power and resources, they are typically the part whose interests overlap with the total group’s the least. In the absence of the right kind of checks or constraints, they will capture the group’s values, forcing people to coordinate on a narrower social project than the group would if power were distributed differently. When elites run the show, the “group’s” interests get whittled down to what they have in common with those at the top.

Also makes the point that this dynamic isn't unique or specific to gender/race representation but to politics/economics in general. Which to me gets back to, representation is important but not sufficient. Pretending that symbols — first woman CEO, first Black president, etc — are the same as systemic change is obviously a trick of the elite. But ALSO I would say that just because symbols don't upend systems doesn't mean they don't have some import. There are a gazillion interviews and testimonials out there from people in everything from astrophysics to art saying they were inspired by seeing "someone like me" doing the work. So I don't discount the value of symbols, I just think they need to be understood for what they are.

Like, Jackie Robinson didn't end racism in America. But I still think he was important!

Starbucks allowing trans employees the liberty to dress as they like and their store managers to stick Pride flags on every surface while union busting is what Táíwò's got in his crosshairs.

Which is more than fair to call out. But obviously the point is not to get rid of inclusive dress codes or pride flags.

I have read Elite Capture, yes— I recommended it either earlier this year or last year on the seasonal WAYR thread. I think everyone should read it.

A preview of at least one thing they'd throw at Harris:

"She's going to constantly be forced to answer a very simple question: 'Why were you hiding Joe Biden’s lack of mental acuity from the American people?'"

That would never stick, right? Surely people not inside Trump's 35% or whatever would realize that every VP ever would have behaved exactly the same. You can hold the party as a whole responsible, sure, but hardly Harris.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/04/politics/trump-campaign-plans-biden-debate/index.html

She's no Mike Pence — he had the guts to betray his boss for the good of the nation!

(Probably not a GOP attack line, I suppose)

Of course--the most obvious and immediate example.

It would stick for plenty of people. Doing what every other politician has or would have done is not a mark of honor when the average person professes to dislike (if not hate) politicians in general.

After Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii, a physician, asked Mr. Biden questions about the status of his health, Mr. Biden replied that his health was fine. “It’s just my brain,” he added, according to three people familiar with what took place — a remark that some in the room took as a joke but at least one governor did not and was puzzled by.

hmmm makes you think. people entering dementia are generally aware that they are in the process of losing their mental acuity

at least one governor did not

Guesses? I'm going with Kathy Hochul, who is clearly one of the dumbest people alive.

"it's just my brain" is good stuff

it's so bleak

What.

President Biden told Democratic governors that he plans to stop scheduling events after 8 p.m. so he can get more sleep, sources say https://t.co/yZTIkBiBdB

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) July 4, 2024

I do this as well tbh

trump's lack of mental competence was never in question

Leave our king alone. He can still beat up your king.

nothing good happens after 8pm

The 3am call will go to voicemail.

hopefully Russia and Ukraine will understand that they need to move their schedules onto Eastern Daylight Time.

To demonstrate how hard CNN is pushing this story, they say "The comment left several of the governors in the room frustrated"--from one to several.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/04/politics/biden-governors-sleep/index.html

really wish we were seeing more conversations about how Stein and RFK should drop out, tbh

#france

Another call with sleepy Joe.

🚨🚨BREAKING: President Biden told Prime Minister Netanyahu in their call that "it is time to close the deal" to release the hostages and reach a ceasefire in Gaza, a White House official said

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) July 4, 2024

Oval Hammock

A preview of at least one thing they'd throw at Harris:

"She's going to constantly be forced to answer a very simple question: 'Why were you hiding Joe Biden’s lack of mental acuity from the American people?'"

She replies "The President is fully capable of performing the job, as our low unemployment, record investment in green energy, and renewed respect around the world will reveal. But because you in the media will not hold the rapist and convicted felon Donald Trump accountable for his misdeeds, we need younger or more energetic forces on the campaign trail to communicate our message of expanding freedoms and an economy that works for everyone, not the few, to the American people. Our opponent has shown real decline in his abilities - why aren't you worried about that? Why aren't you demanding that he drop out, instead of the man presiding over the largest economic expansion of our country's history?"

that works

optional jill stein sidebar (i would post this in a jill stein thread if there was one, sorry):

can anyone sum up the current arguments against jill stein? tbh, i know who she is, i remember friends voting for her in 2016, i remember lots of libs blaming trump's victory on her. so, lots of things that can be summed up as "running as a third party in the united states, which is designed for two parties". the other thing that is always brought up is anti-vaxx stuff (pre-dating covid - not sure of her views on covid). can someone elaborate on those? looking into the past is turning out to be _exceedingly difficult_ on the internet these days. the stuff i can find is not damning exactly damning, but i must be missing something.

besides the third party issue (a huge one, for a voter, but one that is larger than her), and the anti-vaxx stuff (which...i want to know more about), why else are people palpably filled with contempt for her?

context: many of my friends are not voting for biden (due to his steady enabling support of the genocide in gaza). it's missouri. our votes don't count (not for president at least). some of them say they're voting for jill stein. so, what would you say to them? the 2016/third party stuff is the reason i won't vote for her, and i've made that point before. it's not persuasive, to many people. she recently got beaten up by the cops here in st louis, at a protest. people find that inspiring! so, if i'm going to be against her candidacy it would probably be good for me to understand why a vote for her is more than a "wasted" vote

If you're a Green Party member, then by all means, vote for Jill

that works

how well that works depends entirely on how it's delivered. otherwise it dissolves in listeners minds into more political blah-blah.

the "Green" party in the US is a grift, plain and simple (xxp)

more to the point, why keep running performative presidential candidates who will never win? because that brings donations, not slowly building a coalition from the ground up with local offices first

more to the point, why keep running performative presidential candidates who will never win? because that brings donations, not slowly building a coalition from the ground up with local offices first

You will never, ever, ever convince people of this.

"We've gotta break the duopoly, maaaaan!" [giant bong rip]

if by "people" you mean "the people who actually believe that a 3rd party candidate can magically become president", then yes

again, if the greens cared about anything besides grifting people every four years we would have had green members of congress decades ago

sleeve otm. their popular support is static. they can't be said to be serious.

the most frustrating thing about it is that I am like the ideal target market for a viable, progressive 3rd party! lord I hate them.

Jill Stein is an embarrassment but the Green Party platform sucks in 2024.

Trump now six points ahead. Motherfucker, drop out

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-leads-biden-new-polls-by-new-york-times-wall-street-journal-2024-07-03/

Trump now six points ahead. Motherfucker, drop out

Shit! And the election's tomorrow! This is a catastrophe!

I mean, if you truly think this will turn around, power to you. Some of us need to be realists

Trump now six points ahead. Motherfucker, drop out

What was Clinton's margin in July of '16?

there isn't going to be a viable third (or fourth) party in this country unless the GOP splits in two, which looked possible a few years ago and now seems very unlikely

Don’t worry. Biden will be much younger by November.

The curious case of Benjamin Biden

I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now

I don't know why I'm watching this

lol wrong thread

it's not

lol was gonna say