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this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2024
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Asklemmy
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Sure there will be. Elections, especially the carefully controlled elections in the usa, are a great method of social control. If people are allowed to vote for someone it maintains the veneer of democracy, and reduces civil unrest.
Imagine if the party funded by billionaires didn't let you vote at all. It would be very clear that you live under a dictatorship of the wealthy owner class. But if instead you can vote for 2 candidates, both funded by the owner class, you "have a choice" and it appears democratic.
As well, with such a stranglehold on information/media, the same donors can accept third parties as they will never get enough votes for it to change the power structure. But what happens if a third party has a bit too much support? Well you can't have that, so the parties you fund work to get them taken off the ballot based on some law that is intended to maintain the status quo. That way you maintain "legitimacy" in the eyes of the people, remove the threat, and continue controlling the population for your own benefit.
Excellent answer. We need to compile yours and a bunch of other Marxist critiques of bourgeois "democracy", and how truly effective it is at manufacturing consent and giving the illusion of choice, for capitalist rule.