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this post was submitted on 07 Jun 2024
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Yes, I appreciate the good faith discussion about this. I really just want to figure out strategically the best way forward, because I have to admit after Bernie's run in 16, I thought we'd be further along by now building up something new. As far as the Green Party goes, Stein's positions on Palestine and Ukraine alone, not to mention the rest of her platform in general, I can't help but seriously consider if this is the best strategic move for the next 5 months. The platform certainly doesn't seem any worse than Bernie's. They've been chugging along, putting in the hard yards to maintain ballot access. It seems now is as good a time as any to try to use that.
When I say I believe in voting I guess I mean in the abstract, that it can be used by democractic movements to achieve tangible things, like in Mexico and Brazil. So then I'm wondering if it is possible there then why not here? If there is something unique about the US system that makes it "impossible", I just want to learn more about that and why people feel that way. I guess at the minute I am not convinced it's completely hopeless outside the existing dominant corporate parties. But if people are convinced then I am open to hear why. Really trying to come at this with an open mind.
I know there are anti-democratic structural obstacles to winning here. The Electoral College is certainly less democratic than a popular vote. As far as I understand you need just a plurality, not majority, of votes in a state to win all of that state's electoral votes in the EC. And then it's 270 to win I guess which is the majority of total available. I could be wrong especially about the first part. Still, it doesn't seem insurmountable?
The MSM problem is real, even if it continues to undermine itself in the eyes of more and more people as the contraditions become too obvious. Still, I feel like those other countries also have shameless corporate media, so I'm wondering how AMLO and Lula overcame them. I don't know how they did it I wish I did. But again, if they did it, maybe we can?
I think there's also value in forcing them to steal it from you, like Bernie did in 16 and 20. Having the undemocratic, top-down nature of the regime forced to reveal itself is useful, at least for the future. But really I'm thinking we should just try to spend the next 5 months and try to win. I know it seems impossible but Mandela said "it always seems impossible until it's done" and that's something I really believe. But if you're not going to win, I guess making them steal it from you is the next best thing.
So basically let's say a conservative estimate is that in a three way race we'd need 70 mil votes to actually win it. Bernie had 1 million volunteers, so that'd be like 70 votes turned per volunteer on average. Obviously we don't have 1 million volunteers at the minute, but I don't know it still seems possible and more importantly worth trying. Again, this is just how I see it. If I'm wrong about something, I'm open to hear people's thoughts. I feel like this is as good a place as any that I know about to be having these discussions.
Damn that ended up being a lot my bad and thanks to anyone who read it all lol.