As per always, my personal notes on the piece in question:

""Republican" politicians"

No, it's every capitalist politician not affiliated with the US democratic party. Even in Russia we see clowns championing this culture war nonsense. When I am not on here or another leftist space, I am on Russian spaces monitoring the war in the Ukraine. I see Russian chauvinism on a constant basis and I believe it only hides the damage and the nature of the true actors if we constrain this issue to simply an American political issue. Many populist right factions in many countries in the west and in Russian space as well are also employing this strategy.

"Sure, Chip, that’s what’s been causing all that vital resource expenditure in the US military: the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion. Can’t possibly have anything to do with all that extremely expensive military equipment you’ve been moving into every corner of the earth now, can it?" Exactly.

"This idea that “wokeness” is hurting the US military’s ability to prepare for war with China"

I have to say this is nothing new, just a further step forward for the populist right's scapegoating of the LGBT for the abject failures of capitalism.

"Do you see how fake and stupid this is? "

Those who's economic position under American neoliberalism are not swept up consumption of the latest pile of garbage (whether commodity or media) and who do not economically benefit from said garbage will see this for what it is and avoid this. Those who do benefit or whose economic position predicates consumerism (the labor aristocrats) will also see the stupidity but will do as they've been - eating the garbage and rolling in it's filth. If this comes to pass as the mainstream as the populist right desires, make no mistake and do not feel betrayed, the middle class were never allies, the bourgeois never cared about the LGBT to begin with.

"And it’s a good illustration of the function that both of the major “populist” strains serve in US politics, both on the Bernie Sanders/AOC “progressive” side and the Trump/MAGA side. Both branches appeal to the anti-establishment sentiments of their respective bases, and then herd their adherents into support for America’s two mainstream political parties — both of which are designed to serve the interests of the same depraved establishment these “populist” factions supposedly abhor."

"The oligarchs and empire managers who pull the strings of the US government not only control both parties, they control both of the major factions which purport to fight the mainstream establishment in those parties. It’s a redundant security measure designed to protect the globe-spanning power structure which depends on keeping everyone marching in accord with its interests. They control the opposition, and they control the opposition to the controlled opposition. ** Both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party are designed to take power away from the people and feed it to the empire. Every attempt to draw you into supporting them is designed to disempower you, even when it flies the flag of “populism” and claims to oppose the same interests you oppose. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to turn you into a tool of the powerful."**

💯👏

The populist right is quite lame, agreed. This reminds me of the sub The Right Can't Meme 😁 Well, in America at least, the right can't relate to the working class. In social democratic Europe and Russia consistency is easier to constitute, however this is not the case in America. As well, the global south (save for India) is not in love with Russian chauvinism either which is Russia's populist right, despite being momentary allies in the struggle against American imperial capital.

As such, the populist right is confined to the social space which is filled by Europe, Australia, parts of America, parts of Canada, parts of Russia, and much of India. Predominately social democratic spaces and those in the middle class of their respective countries otherwise. As well, those are the same countries the neoliberal imperial capitalists are attempting to steal capital from in this conflict as their assault against Russia had failed. Europe is deindustrializing and profits are flowing towards American bourgeois.

The pette bourgeois being shaken down by the big bourgeois and rallying against social issues in place of capitalism, together they seek a revolution of sorts where capitalism remains in place however the pette bourgeois "get a better deal"..where have I seen this before? 🤔

American capitalists have attempted to make capital gains in both South America (Brasil, Venezuela) as well as India since this conflict began as well. This follows the path of development American neoliberalism has followed since it's birth upon the corpse of American social democracy in the 70s, eating social democracies and leaving confused fascists in it's wake is nothing new. Russia represents a superpower for these individuals of reaction and so this will be something we must face moving forward into the multipolar world order.