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The broligarchs are trying to have their way

theatlantic.com

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Re: The broligarchs are trying to have their way

#31

Post by matthewmacleod »

ruok_throwaway wrote: post #14
rndmize wrote: post #12

[flagged]

To a reasonably informed outsider the entire US political system looks like a cynical dirty circus. I have no horse in the political race; I only wish for the US to be strong, since I see it as a shining beacon for many good in the world. That said, you mentioned the ridiculousness of one side, with completely ignoring what has happened on the other. So let me list some of the hard to believe details regarding that o…

This seems like a silly comparison, doesn’t it? She’s been nominated by the party following their internal rules, and now the voting population has the free choice of whether or not to support her.

I’m not seeing where the democratic compromise is; this is exactly the sort of thing that happens pretty frequently, globally, where party candidates are nominated unopposed.

Re: The broligarchs are trying to have their way

#32

Post by matthewmacleod »

Gud wrote: post #24
peutetre wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The internal processes of a political party aren't that interesting. There is a presidential election coming up. That is the test that actually matters. Kamala Harris will either win it or she won't. If she wins then she was good enough to win. If she doesn't win then she wasn't good enough to win.

Obviously they are interesting. It's the preselection of what the general population can vote for. If you can only vote for two different candidates(which is the case now, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump), how the f*k is that democratic? It's a sham.

I absolutely agree that this entrenched two-party system is a clear issue that needs to be resolved if the US is to become a real functioning democracy. But also woe to noting that there are other parties in the race also; they just don’t have popular support.

Re: The broligarchs are trying to have their way

#33

Post by hi-v-rocknroll »

At least it's clear now: It's not about blue or red, it's all about who has the green vs. everyone else.

"There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party … and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their laissez-faire capitalism than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt — until recently … and more willing than the Republicans to make small adjustments when the poor, the black, the anti-imperialists get out of hand. But, essentially, there is no difference between the two parties." - Gore Vidal

Re: The broligarchs are trying to have their way

#34

Post by hi-v-rocknroll »

kombookcha wrote: post #5
oceanplexian wrote: post #4

> Eight years ago, the PayPal and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel was an outlier in liberal Silicon Valley for publicly supporting Donald Trump. Is the opening sentence supposed to imply that Thiel (and Elon) are no longer outliers? I thought 99% of the SV elite were still donating vast sums of money to the other party. Since, all of a sudden, everyone is concerned with billionaires why the obsession with Elon? It’s…

>why the obsession with Elon Elon is notorious for chasing the limelight and keeping it on him personally more so than the product. Most billionaires are content with doing this type of stuff fairly quietly, hence they attract less attention. If you do shit for attention all the time you're probably going to get more of it, but it won't necessarily be flattering or directed in the way you want.

John McAfee-style.

Re: The broligarchs are trying to have their way

#36

Post by hi-v-rocknroll »

oceanplexian wrote: post #4

> Eight years ago, the PayPal and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel was an outlier in liberal Silicon Valley for publicly supporting Donald Trump. Is the opening sentence supposed to imply that Thiel (and Elon) are no longer outliers? I thought 99% of the SV elite were still donating vast sums of money to the other party. Since, all of a sudden, everyone is concerned with billionaires why the obsession with Elon? It’s…

The second time around helps normalizes deviancy through repeated exposure.

Re: The broligarchs are trying to have their way

#37

Post by matthewmacleod »

oceanplexian wrote: post #4

> Eight years ago, the PayPal and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel was an outlier in liberal Silicon Valley for publicly supporting Donald Trump. Is the opening sentence supposed to imply that Thiel (and Elon) are no longer outliers? I thought 99% of the SV elite were still donating vast sums of money to the other party. Since, all of a sudden, everyone is concerned with billionaires why the obsession with Elon? It’s…

It’s OK when big money donates to one side but not the other?

Yes. People are reasonably permitted to form opinions based on causes that people fund.

I think it is bad when people pump money into a cause, campaign, or other endeavour that I think is harmful, and think people can reasonably be criticised for doing so. Funding the opposition isn’t something I think is bad; you are free to feel differently.

I don’t like the idea that we are somehow obligated to be neutral in all things. Trump is awful, any person contributing to his campaign deserves to be criticised, and that’s totally okay.

Re: The broligarchs are trying to have their way

#38

Post by Gud »

peutetre wrote: post #30
Gud wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obviously they are interesting. It's the preselection of what the general population can vote for. If you can only vote for two different candidates(which is the case now, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump), how the f*k is that democratic? It's a sham.

> It's the preselection of what the general population can vote for. No. It's the candidate the party is putting forward. > If you can only vote for two different candidates There are five candidates in this election. Vote for the one you like best. You can run for president too. When will you be announcing your 2028 campaign?

Actually I can't, because I don't live in the US.

Which I'm glad I don't, because I live in a country with a functioning democracy.

https://www.eda.admin.ch/aboutswitzerland/en/home/politik-ge...

Re: The broligarchs are trying to have their way

#40

Post by karmakurtisaani »

hi-v-rocknroll wrote: post #33

At least it's clear now: It's not about blue or red, it's all about who has the green vs. everyone else. "There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party … and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit stupider, more rigid, more doctrinaire in their laissez-faire capitalism than the Democrats, who are cuter, prettier, a bit more corrupt — until recently … and more willing…

I feel like this quote stopped being as true as it once was around the Trump era. The blatant authoritarianism among Republicans is something else.
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