Just to give a dope slap to all those s***heads allowed out in public who are pushing this guff, the obscene $1.5 trillion we spend - actually, waste - on the Pentagon, including billions upon billions to the genocidal entity, comes at the expense of critical domestic needs, to wit the American Society of Civil Engineers, in its 2025 Report Card on Infrastructure, gives the Roads, Schools, and Wastewater sections in the report an impressive "D+" for each. That's what's behind the largest, most robust economy in the world.
IIRC Bernie's long term vision is to replace corporations with worker run cooperative, which is a long standing interpretation of socialism. In the short run he prioritizes welfare state type measures. Marx believed the state would either away under communism so far from the government owning things the government would not exist.
Do you happen to remember if he was talking about _just_ corporations ie businesses with "divided" ownership, or was he using the term more loosely to mean business in general?
"Marx believed the state would either away under communism so far from the government owning things the government would not exist."
He didn't mean government-as-such ie the bureaucracy, elected officials, etc. just its class character. Marx wasn't fond of anarchism.
Ken, you nailed!!!! Great work. So...whose side is Piker on? I thought he was hardcore DSA, which, by the way, is a name that immediately resonates with lots of people. I designed a huge banner and hung it on the porch that shows a clenched fist (solidarity) below the words Democratic Socialists of America. I live in an enclave of rich Clinton style Democrats. But there are kids in apartments around too. NO ONE does not understand who I support and why. Let's not overcomplicate this. Let's not let our agenda be hijacked by "social issues." It's the economy, stupid. And we want to take it back.
And the solution is to support the candidate, NOT the Party. Discuss IDEAS, not labels, or people.
MAGA has become too extremist, and folks are leaving the R Party in droves.
The Old Guard of the Democratic Party is so milquetoast that it seems to exist only to maintain itself in power. One hill they will die on, and I mean that literally, as a Party, is their complete support for Netanyahu. They have fallen under the spell of a Foreign power, just like Trump has fallen under the spell of Foreign dictatorships (Russia, North Korea...)
Remember James Madison called the "violence of faction" the most dangerous vice of popular governments. Federalist No. 10 (1787),
President George Washington in his Farewell address strongly cautioned Americans against the baneful effects of party politics and geographical factions. As Washington stated, “The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.”
He predicted that political factions would lead to revenge, allow ambitious leaders to usurp power from the people, and open the door to foreign influence and corruption. We can now see that in both Parties.
And so it is happening. We The People have had enough.
It is a political law of gravity, (and the French Revolution is a perfect example), that extremist movements end up eating their own: It was the excesses of Royalty that brought the French Revolution, the excesses of the French Revolution that brought about its demise as they happily started beheading each other. MAGA is falling. the Old Democrats will fall too. Hopefully, something much better comes out of the fracas...
I fully expect the establishment (corporate center-right) wing of the DNC to either sheepishly embrace the coming Trump crackdowns on elections or to openly support them. This is mostly about money; big money. And the corporate liberal media is doing its best to spread the alarm.
Don't get me wrong. There is something very sick about the return of the Corbyn protocols in the US. They tried it with Bernie in 2016 and the "antisemitism" accusations ultimately fizzled out when the DNC opted instead for open internal sabotage on his candidacy (similar in 2020, though by that point he'd been exposed as a veritable sheep dog without any true aspirations of becoming President). But it's pretty disgusting that the perpetrators of an undeniable modern live-streamed and brazenly-bragged-about genocide not only don't have to register under FARA regulations, but seem able to dictate the discourse simply by leveling "antisemitism" allegations - no matter how veiled, murky or just plain laughable they are once you read what a targeted person actually said about "Israel" or 9/11 - and how willingly the so-called "left" Democratic Party establishment and their media apparatus always embraces it. With a tyrant like Trump in office, these things tend to drift into actual policy mandates, including those aligning with the stupid (but dangerous) NSPM-7 BS about "left wing terrorism". The Israelization of American society is underway and neither of the fake opposing branches of the UniParty will do anything to stop it.
But while most Democrats consider themselves capitalists, D.S.A. members envision ultimately accomplishing those goals by establishing public ownership of the largest corporations. The D.S.A. agenda is also further to the left than most Democrats on social and foreign policy issues. It includes policies like ending all aid to Israel, closing overseas military bases and fully abolishing the police and prison systems.
Klip takes the inbound pass, recognizes the coverage, finds his spot, and puts up a comfortable jumper at the top of the key.
Once again...nothing but net.
You are a future Hall of Fame'r, Ken. A "national treasure", if you will. Despite the fact that the motivating factors behind your work are truly terrifying, knowing you are out there looking out for us all and breaking it down in a way that we can all decipher without the use of CIA code-breaking equipment, I am grateful that you and I are riding this big round space-rock at the same time.
Power likes to maintain itself for that alone. To maintain itself it associates with other powerful individuals or groups. There may be ideological claims, but they are secondary in that the power of association with ideas is only good for the power it gives.
This is what has the DP in a panic. The DP agenda warped beyond recognition from the FDR days in particular by Clinton and Obama isn't holding the crumbling fort. Thus we have the panic you describe.
The critical times in political history in America are when ideas become so persuasive with the people that they threaten power and in rare cases, can flip a party or replace it.
Lincoln ran in a four way contest and his win guaranteed civil war but out of the ruins the Republican Party was in and has stayed in. The Nixon Southern Strategy flipped the Republican Party to the extent that it pushed out the traditional control of the South by Democratic bigots who became Republican bigots still with us today.
Our current critical point is due to the extremism of Trump that has horrified much of the populace. The DP wants to get back to comfy "normality" (democracy of lobbies/rule of the 1%) while the public sees the problem is Trumpist fanaticism that has no interest in comfy normality instead demanding authoritarian control, tested in the GWB years and now out in a rampage that threatens political collapse by testing all laws even the legal system itself.
What is the lesson of all the above? That the public rules if it will get off its ass and take responsibility for demanding power conform to rules and regulation. These DSA people that are taking office are the embodiment of American Democracy/Liberty and justice for all. Since there can be no argument against LJ4A (note that it is NEVER mentioned), the powers that be must jump outside argument to present scary stuff with the things you mention in your essay.
My personal favorite is calling the DSA communist as the Boy Scout den master without his uniform on, Mike Johnson, said the other day.
They hate their Base, now more than ever.
it's amazing how little they try to hide it
The deplorables caste is expanding
Excellent perspective.
Probably should have said they all meant that back then already
Just to give a dope slap to all those s***heads allowed out in public who are pushing this guff, the obscene $1.5 trillion we spend - actually, waste - on the Pentagon, including billions upon billions to the genocidal entity, comes at the expense of critical domestic needs, to wit the American Society of Civil Engineers, in its 2025 Report Card on Infrastructure, gives the Roads, Schools, and Wastewater sections in the report an impressive "D+" for each. That's what's behind the largest, most robust economy in the world.
Take that to the voting booth in November.
"the government should own the means of production. That’s the textbook definition of socialism!"
You're reading the wrong textbook. (Certainly not anything written by Karl Marx . . . .)
Yeah, it's the workers that would own the means of production.
IIRC Bernie's long term vision is to replace corporations with worker run cooperative, which is a long standing interpretation of socialism. In the short run he prioritizes welfare state type measures. Marx believed the state would either away under communism so far from the government owning things the government would not exist.
Do you happen to remember if he was talking about _just_ corporations ie businesses with "divided" ownership, or was he using the term more loosely to mean business in general?
"Marx believed the state would either away under communism so far from the government owning things the government would not exist."
He didn't mean government-as-such ie the bureaucracy, elected officials, etc. just its class character. Marx wasn't fond of anarchism.
Ken, you nailed!!!! Great work. So...whose side is Piker on? I thought he was hardcore DSA, which, by the way, is a name that immediately resonates with lots of people. I designed a huge banner and hung it on the porch that shows a clenched fist (solidarity) below the words Democratic Socialists of America. I live in an enclave of rich Clinton style Democrats. But there are kids in apartments around too. NO ONE does not understand who I support and why. Let's not overcomplicate this. Let's not let our agenda be hijacked by "social issues." It's the economy, stupid. And we want to take it back.
Right on Ken. Been a reader for many a year on various forums of yours, finally broke down and subscribed!
thank you Bill!! welcome aboard 🫡
It’s driving the elites crazy that they’re losing control — that the people are finally waking up.
And the solution is to support the candidate, NOT the Party. Discuss IDEAS, not labels, or people.
MAGA has become too extremist, and folks are leaving the R Party in droves.
The Old Guard of the Democratic Party is so milquetoast that it seems to exist only to maintain itself in power. One hill they will die on, and I mean that literally, as a Party, is their complete support for Netanyahu. They have fallen under the spell of a Foreign power, just like Trump has fallen under the spell of Foreign dictatorships (Russia, North Korea...)
Remember James Madison called the "violence of faction" the most dangerous vice of popular governments. Federalist No. 10 (1787),
President George Washington in his Farewell address strongly cautioned Americans against the baneful effects of party politics and geographical factions. As Washington stated, “The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.”
He predicted that political factions would lead to revenge, allow ambitious leaders to usurp power from the people, and open the door to foreign influence and corruption. We can now see that in both Parties.
And so it is happening. We The People have had enough.
It is a political law of gravity, (and the French Revolution is a perfect example), that extremist movements end up eating their own: It was the excesses of Royalty that brought the French Revolution, the excesses of the French Revolution that brought about its demise as they happily started beheading each other. MAGA is falling. the Old Democrats will fall too. Hopefully, something much better comes out of the fracas...
I fully expect the establishment (corporate center-right) wing of the DNC to either sheepishly embrace the coming Trump crackdowns on elections or to openly support them. This is mostly about money; big money. And the corporate liberal media is doing its best to spread the alarm.
To wit, I just saw this earlier:
https://fair.org/home/corporate-media-worried-second-homes-of-blue-collar-millionaires-might-be-taxed/
Don't get me wrong. There is something very sick about the return of the Corbyn protocols in the US. They tried it with Bernie in 2016 and the "antisemitism" accusations ultimately fizzled out when the DNC opted instead for open internal sabotage on his candidacy (similar in 2020, though by that point he'd been exposed as a veritable sheep dog without any true aspirations of becoming President). But it's pretty disgusting that the perpetrators of an undeniable modern live-streamed and brazenly-bragged-about genocide not only don't have to register under FARA regulations, but seem able to dictate the discourse simply by leveling "antisemitism" allegations - no matter how veiled, murky or just plain laughable they are once you read what a targeted person actually said about "Israel" or 9/11 - and how willingly the so-called "left" Democratic Party establishment and their media apparatus always embraces it. With a tyrant like Trump in office, these things tend to drift into actual policy mandates, including those aligning with the stupid (but dangerous) NSPM-7 BS about "left wing terrorism". The Israelization of American society is underway and neither of the fake opposing branches of the UniParty will do anything to stop it.
NYT's The Morning Newsletter today:
But while most Democrats consider themselves capitalists, D.S.A. members envision ultimately accomplishing those goals by establishing public ownership of the largest corporations. The D.S.A. agenda is also further to the left than most Democrats on social and foreign policy issues. It includes policies like ending all aid to Israel, closing overseas military bases and fully abolishing the police and prison systems.
Klip takes the inbound pass, recognizes the coverage, finds his spot, and puts up a comfortable jumper at the top of the key.
Once again...nothing but net.
You are a future Hall of Fame'r, Ken. A "national treasure", if you will. Despite the fact that the motivating factors behind your work are truly terrifying, knowing you are out there looking out for us all and breaking it down in a way that we can all decipher without the use of CIA code-breaking equipment, I am grateful that you and I are riding this big round space-rock at the same time.
Thank you, Ken. For all if it.
🥹
Keep up the great work, Ken!
Thank you !
Well said, especially about electability.
Thanks Pablo!
Thanks for bringing Hasan Piker out in the open.
You are so right on!!!
:)
I thought I was subscribed already! Thank you 🙏 for your work!
Thanks for subscribing, William!
Power likes to maintain itself for that alone. To maintain itself it associates with other powerful individuals or groups. There may be ideological claims, but they are secondary in that the power of association with ideas is only good for the power it gives.
This is what has the DP in a panic. The DP agenda warped beyond recognition from the FDR days in particular by Clinton and Obama isn't holding the crumbling fort. Thus we have the panic you describe.
The critical times in political history in America are when ideas become so persuasive with the people that they threaten power and in rare cases, can flip a party or replace it.
Lincoln ran in a four way contest and his win guaranteed civil war but out of the ruins the Republican Party was in and has stayed in. The Nixon Southern Strategy flipped the Republican Party to the extent that it pushed out the traditional control of the South by Democratic bigots who became Republican bigots still with us today.
Our current critical point is due to the extremism of Trump that has horrified much of the populace. The DP wants to get back to comfy "normality" (democracy of lobbies/rule of the 1%) while the public sees the problem is Trumpist fanaticism that has no interest in comfy normality instead demanding authoritarian control, tested in the GWB years and now out in a rampage that threatens political collapse by testing all laws even the legal system itself.
What is the lesson of all the above? That the public rules if it will get off its ass and take responsibility for demanding power conform to rules and regulation. These DSA people that are taking office are the embodiment of American Democracy/Liberty and justice for all. Since there can be no argument against LJ4A (note that it is NEVER mentioned), the powers that be must jump outside argument to present scary stuff with the things you mention in your essay.
My personal favorite is calling the DSA communist as the Boy Scout den master without his uniform on, Mike Johnson, said the other day.