I think we are past the point of protests and need to start a general strike. I don’t care if we have to plan it around a certain date like the protests, it needs to be done. Hit them where it hurts, their wallets. And I know some of y’all are gonna say shit like “we’re so docile that we have to plan it and we’re not just out in the streets all day everyday so it’ll never work,” and you are absolutely right and it’s by design. Unfortunately we are still human and would rather keep ourselves and our families fed and housed and that’s exactly what they are taking advantage of here. But instead of complaining online that everyone else isn’t doing enough, we need to just work with what we have. And if we need to pick a date so people can get shit together, so be it.
Bitching about how things are and who’s at fault is never going to work when we need everyone. I don’t care if you are a regretful republican, non voter, or a democrat and I don’t care if it’s technically your fault, we need everyone. We are all fucked right now. And laughing at your fellow passengers on this sinking ship isn’t going to save you, we are all going down.
I think now is the time for No Kings to start floating the idea for fundraising a general strike fund and signing the general strike cards.
I work for a pretty small company with only 15 employees so I’m not sure how big my impact will be, but we do have a lot of clients that are much larger companies and corporations. I will absolutely inquire within.
Gosh, The Atlantic, maybe you shouldn’t have spent the last 20 years shitting on progressive politics and politicians, then.
One thing our author forgets about the Philippines and Ferdinand Marcos is that his authoritarianism was going on for years before the uprising. And that his son is the current president of the Philippines.
So I’m not sure it’s the great example of democracy over authoritarian cult of personality.
“May sink?” … bad news, we have sunk. We sunk in it the minute Trump got elected.
I ageee. But at the same time. This is where democracy plays in. Even though I believe trump stole the 2024 election (3 million + purged votes). He won the PV and EC. The American people elected him to lead, as did they with electing republicans to a majority in congress.
THEY CHOSE THIS! Overthrowing the president goes against the will of the people. However, that’s where Congress is supposed to uplhold the constitution, which they aren’t by allowing this pedo to do whatever he wants.
Also, overthrowing the government of the Philippines is a lot easier than the US. Unless we all agree to just tank the economy by not working.
Tank the economy. The alternative is not better.
Well, the president failed. So… where are all the calls for impeachment this time? Funny how that’s not happening yet every past president for decades had to deal with the other side threatening that.
He was impeached 2, 3? Times?
It doesn’t force him out and it isn’t very helpful.
This year?
My bad I forgot that this time it will do something because reasons.
You’re completely missing the point
Democracy isn’t just about what (a short) majority of the voters have decided, it’s also about checks and balances, and protection of the individual, especially those from minority groups… and a lot more. There is nothing democratic about Trump’s rule and the fact that 52 or 53 or whatever percent of those citizens who went to actually cast a ballot voted for this doesn’t change that fact
Edit: Also, a general strike is not going to « tank the economy »
It wasn’t even a majority. 49%.
A just system doesn’t appoint a king this way.
How would a general strike be neutral or positive for the economy?
General strikes have to involve a meaningful percentage of the working population and are only supposed to end when the demands are met. The people on strike stop working, reduce spending as much as possible and stop paying tax.
It’s hard to imagine a scenario where that wouldn’t affect it massively in a negative way, so I’m genuinely curious as to what you think would happen in that scenario
Edit: I’m not sure I understand why this has been met with downvotes and no comment? I don’t see how I’m saying anything false here
Unless it’s a misunderstanding that I’m saying people should not do a general strike, which couldn’t be more wrong. Tbf I think Americans should have started one long before this point.
Hurting the economy in a sustained manner is the mechanism through which general strikes are an effective tool of the working class
Bernie had the option to ignore the orders of the DNC and ursurp the Duopoly. He didn’t do it.
Kamala had the option to ignore the orders of the DNC and ursurp the Duopoly. She didn’t do it.
Barrack had the option to ignore the orders of the DNC and ursurp the Duopoly. He didn’t do it.
Biden had the option to ignore the orders of the DNC and ursurp the Duopoly. He didn’t do it.
AOC currently has the option to ignore the orders of the DNC and ursurp the Duopoly, she’s not doing it.
There’s no person who is allowed on TV who is interested in the necessary defiance it takes to end the Duopoly.
Sanders didn’t have the votes to command a majority in the Democratic primaries; only was ahead because the centrists were fragmented. Actually getting somebody like him means doing the outreach and coalition building which enables that, not just snarking about the past
Pretty sure the DNC didn’t run like 7 different progressives against him while bolstering the campaigns of those progressives because Bernie failed to command a majority. If he was the only progressive that ran then he would have beaten Hillary easy.
Bernie Sanders had more individual contributions to his campaign than any other canidate in US history, he had massive grassroot support.
He clearly had the majority vote, the DNC even admitted to cheating and diluting his votes after Shultz’s and Hillary’s emails leaked.
This kind of revisionism is part of why people are becoming disillusioned with Neoliberals. Neoliberalism will no longer win elections in the United States. You have the option going forward to get with the program or get out of the way.
He had about 1/3 of Democratic primary voters going for him. In a highly fractured field, this was giving him a majority of delegates in 2020. He hasn’t ever been in a position to actually win, despite all the conspiracy-mongering.
The makeup of the DNC has also changed significantly over time.
It’ll be interesting whether this trajectory can still be changed. At the moment it sure doesn’t seem like it. The midterms are going to be very interesting indeed.
I hate living in interesting times.
NK rallies are toothless pressure release valves that accomplish nothing but a feeling of participation in politics. They are not a threat to the oligarchy or their power which is why they are allowed.
They show people that they’re not alone and that there is broad popular support for their views. This helps get people involved in more meaningful ways; people around me who were not previously active went to the last one and are now knocking on doors for California Prop 50 for example.
Yes, but they can be used to build something more. If you think of everything as a single event with no connection to anything before or after, then there’s no way to win against an ingrained foe. Everything can’t be the decisive victory, we need to build an army first.
We collectively have the attention span that’s strained by the length of a Tik Tok video, acting long-term is a big ask.
Is the appeal of defeatism that it makes you feel like you’re in control?
