I live in California, where we can still exercise our conscience, and I understand the bitter taste in your mouth, but what really bothers me is people bragging about their votes. To me, if you feel obligated to vote, it should be as silent as the seal of confession.
A friend and fellow activist posted today about rights and laws in the United States. I was born in Cuba, which is still occupied by the United States. We still have a prison where people are tortured and also because of more than six decades of sanctions, my people are starving.
I began offering my services as an interpreter for torture survivors, and have done so for decades. These torture survivors come from countries that have been invaded or been the victims of coups and military interventions. Argentina, Chile, El Salvador and many more. I am tired of the excuses. Tired of the “voting for the lesser evil.”
I really appreciate what you posted and how you posted it, but we really need to find a way to end the hypocrisy about this country, which is why the worst example of gaslighting I have ever encountered. It’s time to stop allowing people all over the world to suffer from our so-called democracy. Thank you for allowing me to express my views.
I hope to live long enough to one day vote for someone instead of against someone. Sadly, I don't think I will see that day until there are open conventions and a viable third party that is not handcuffed at every turn just to get ballot access.
Handcuffed or not, they made it on the ballot in my state (Pennsylvania) and I decided not to vote against my conscience this time or ever again. Honestly, if I hadn't voted for Jill Stein, I wouldn't have voted.
Where do you live? Unless you live in a swing state, you should have voted for Jill Stein. I did, in a swing state. The abortion damage is already done. That is on the reproductive rights movement who blew it by constantly focusing in SCOTUS while ignoring what was happening in the states. For all intents and purposes, there were seven states where you couldn’t really get an abortion even before they overturned Roe v. Wade. Some of these states are putting a constitutional amendment to allow abortions on the ballot. And Trump did say he would leave it up to the states. I don’t think he has an ideological commitment to the issue. He used to be pro choice. I don’t see him or Congress passing a national Right to Life Law if he wins.
I figure the first thing the Republicans do is pass a law prohibiting abortion. He's nothing but a vindictive jerk and a tool for the decades long strategy to get this done.
I can't imagine a situation where I would vote for Trump, but to your point about reproductive care, Vance actually scares me. Easy choice if not an enthusiastic one.
The alternative is a guy literally promising to use Justice to prosecute his political enemies, to unleash troops inside our borders for dragnets that will inevitably capture and deport citizens and residents. Are you assuming he's bluffing on these promises? Don won't be playing bumper ball this time, he will be on a revenge tour, with a side of dementia.
Speak truth to power, but this isn't a close choice. It's dishonest to pretend it is.
Bannon defied a subpoena. The administration didn't convict Trump, New York did.
Even the Trump supporter on the jury said the case was clear. He's a known business fraud going back decades, it caught up with him. All the attention on Hunter Biden led to a gun conviction that never happens. And Joe just let that fly without a pardon.
Pick a quote. “I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family."
Garland was found guilty of contempt but his department of justice elected not to prosecute... just like with Biden.
NY, the southern district, is a haven for Democrats and to believe it was hands off from the WH... is delusional.
Speaking of Hunter, it was Blinken who devised the letter from 50 former leaders of the surveillance community that claimed that the Hunter laptop had the earmarks of a Russian
If he did say this, you need to acknowledge that our DOJ is going after Trump and providing a Special Prosecutor that hasn’t gone through the process of confirmation.
Bannon was convicted for ignoring a subpoena. We should do more of that. trump hasn’t been convicted in a Federal Court. So not a Biden/Harris issue. The states should decide for themselves, remember? And, when people are worried they always imagine the worst. My fears are more of the rational kind. What if the new administration does roll back regulations. Another Love Canal? What if vaccination’s are no longer required for children to go to school? Will we see an increase in polio, measles and mumps? Will insurance companies still be required to pay for those vaccines if the parents want them? If infectious diseases come back, will the child mortality rate increase significantly? Or will we see another generation in iron lungs? These are my fears and based on what has been said, there is a higher probability of them coming to pass.
"Last night, news broke that a young American soldier had died from sustaining non-combat injuries while working on the Gaza aid pier — the Biden administration’s ridiculous publicity stunt intended to paper over its inability to influence anything with regard to the war. The pier ended up delivering almost no aid, as I’ve reported, before being damaged by the choppy seas and thereafter dismantled. The soldier, a young 23-year-old black man, reminded me of the three young soldiers, also black, killed in Jordan by a drone this past year, another consequence of the Gaza war. These four enlistees are exactly the middle class everyman the Harris campaign claims to fight for."
I continue to find it annoying that Biden claims that the US isn't involved in any overseas wars and now that talking point has filtered down as shown by some of the responses in this New York Times focus group:
For all that I have zero problem with insulting these people (they deserve at least that), they're not stupid (if they were, things would be _so_ much easier), just cynical and/or ideologically blinkered and/or enjoying being well paid.
I feel your pain: in the riding where I live, if I even want to dream about the merest chance of something that could, kind of, be called just a smidgeon more progressive than the usual Right bullshit, I have to hold my nose and vote for a party that I'd sooner see gone.
Trump and Co seem to be more connected to where the hurt lives than the Dems. Unfortunate. Why did they wait so long for the message: "don't tell your husband". Has no one thought about this before Cheney? Duh.
Yeah, you nailed it. I resent my vote being forced so that the unthinkable of a megalomaniac fascist felon isn't president again, while the dems get to ride on also being terrible. I mailed my ballot weeks ago and like to forget it happened.
I voted for Jill Stein, for all the reasons you grudgingly voted for Harris. I'm appalled that Kamala couldn't even say something to break with Biden over Israel, and I worry she won't have the courage to fight for anything. I know Jill Stein is a flawed candidate and won't win, but I couldn't bring myself to vote for Harris.
Voting for corporate Democrats over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity, I've heard. Or words to that effect.
If Harris wins, it will validate their belief that they can rig the primaries, punch left, and abandon the working class and get away with it.
Also, I won't vote for an aspiring war criminal, at all, ever, for any reason.
I wrote in Bernie Sanders, which delights me because:
1) if he hasn't been sabotaged by the Democrats (which would make the antisemitic, wouldn't it? If criticizing the IDF for killing kids over and over and over again is antisemitic, then surely the massive institution that is the Democratic Party conspiring to prevent the election of the first Jewish president surely is) Trump would have never been elected, we'd have had implementing a better healthcare system that would have handled COVID better, and corporations would be paying their taxes.
2) some of the people reading this are going to pull their hair out in a rage. Delish.
Just image what the world would be like if people just refused to vote for evil people. Seems like a simple ask.
I guess for a lot of people, being responsible for the deaths of thousands upon thousands of innocent people doesn't qualify as meeting evil.
Ya know, Bernie Sanders put out a video telling people they should vote for Harris because the alternative was so much worse. Did you watch it? He is persuasive.
Oh, I'm looking forward to Don Jr running with Chelsea Clinton as the Democratic ticket in 2032 and listening to the same chorus of voices telling me I should vote for them because the alternative is so much worse.
Yes, I disagree with Bernie, for the reasons that I tried to humorously detail above.
I didn't vote for Dick Cheney before when he was a Republican, and I'm not going to vote for him or his foul offspring now that the Democrats have embraced that mass murderer with open arms.
Maybe you should try to imagine what a million dead Iraqis look like, and wonder why you haven't before.
Cheney (along with many, many others, killed a million people that were no that to us to maintain American hegemony abroad.
I don't vote for evil. Maybe if get people refused to vote for war criminals and those who aspire to become war criminals, we wouldn't get so many.
Consider not supporting evil. Why not try something new?
I wrote in Ken Klippenstein on my ballot
My rule will be firm but just
But are you now, or have you ever been, a communist?
I live in California, where we can still exercise our conscience, and I understand the bitter taste in your mouth, but what really bothers me is people bragging about their votes. To me, if you feel obligated to vote, it should be as silent as the seal of confession.
A friend and fellow activist posted today about rights and laws in the United States. I was born in Cuba, which is still occupied by the United States. We still have a prison where people are tortured and also because of more than six decades of sanctions, my people are starving.
I began offering my services as an interpreter for torture survivors, and have done so for decades. These torture survivors come from countries that have been invaded or been the victims of coups and military interventions. Argentina, Chile, El Salvador and many more. I am tired of the excuses. Tired of the “voting for the lesser evil.”
I really appreciate what you posted and how you posted it, but we really need to find a way to end the hypocrisy about this country, which is why the worst example of gaslighting I have ever encountered. It’s time to stop allowing people all over the world to suffer from our so-called democracy. Thank you for allowing me to express my views.
I hope to live long enough to one day vote for someone instead of against someone. Sadly, I don't think I will see that day until there are open conventions and a viable third party that is not handcuffed at every turn just to get ballot access.
Handcuffed or not, they made it on the ballot in my state (Pennsylvania) and I decided not to vote against my conscience this time or ever again. Honestly, if I hadn't voted for Jill Stein, I wouldn't have voted.
Where do you live? Unless you live in a swing state, you should have voted for Jill Stein. I did, in a swing state. The abortion damage is already done. That is on the reproductive rights movement who blew it by constantly focusing in SCOTUS while ignoring what was happening in the states. For all intents and purposes, there were seven states where you couldn’t really get an abortion even before they overturned Roe v. Wade. Some of these states are putting a constitutional amendment to allow abortions on the ballot. And Trump did say he would leave it up to the states. I don’t think he has an ideological commitment to the issue. He used to be pro choice. I don’t see him or Congress passing a national Right to Life Law if he wins.
“To cheer myself up, I got a smoothie before heading back to my apartment in downtown Madison, Wisconsin.”
I figure the first thing the Republicans do is pass a law prohibiting abortion. He's nothing but a vindictive jerk and a tool for the decades long strategy to get this done.
Jill Stein is a whore and a vote for her is so ridiculous I do t know where to begin
I can't imagine a situation where I would vote for Trump, but to your point about reproductive care, Vance actually scares me. Easy choice if not an enthusiastic one.
The alternative is a guy literally promising to use Justice to prosecute his political enemies, to unleash troops inside our borders for dragnets that will inevitably capture and deport citizens and residents. Are you assuming he's bluffing on these promises? Don won't be playing bumper ball this time, he will be on a revenge tour, with a side of dementia.
Speak truth to power, but this isn't a close choice. It's dishonest to pretend it is.
He voted for Kamala, why are you criticizing him lol
Bill: your comment regarding Trump “... to prosecute his political enemies” is interesting.
- provide the quote from Trump saying he will prosecute people who are his political enemies who are not engaged in illegal activities.
- What do you think this current administration did by convicting Bannon and Trump?
By the way, your prediction that citizens being captured and deported is over the top. Your fear is being projected.
Bannon defied a subpoena. The administration didn't convict Trump, New York did.
Even the Trump supporter on the jury said the case was clear. He's a known business fraud going back decades, it caught up with him. All the attention on Hunter Biden led to a gun conviction that never happens. And Joe just let that fly without a pardon.
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/21/nx-s1-5134924/trump-election-2024-kamala-harris-elizabeth-cheney-threat-civil-liberties
Pick a quote. “I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family."
Garland was found guilty of contempt but his department of justice elected not to prosecute... just like with Biden.
NY, the southern district, is a haven for Democrats and to believe it was hands off from the WH... is delusional.
Speaking of Hunter, it was Blinken who devised the letter from 50 former leaders of the surveillance community that claimed that the Hunter laptop had the earmarks of a Russian
If he did say this, you need to acknowledge that our DOJ is going after Trump and providing a Special Prosecutor that hasn’t gone through the process of confirmation.
Why would Biden interfere with justice?
Bannon was convicted for ignoring a subpoena. We should do more of that. trump hasn’t been convicted in a Federal Court. So not a Biden/Harris issue. The states should decide for themselves, remember? And, when people are worried they always imagine the worst. My fears are more of the rational kind. What if the new administration does roll back regulations. Another Love Canal? What if vaccination’s are no longer required for children to go to school? Will we see an increase in polio, measles and mumps? Will insurance companies still be required to pay for those vaccines if the parents want them? If infectious diseases come back, will the child mortality rate increase significantly? Or will we see another generation in iron lungs? These are my fears and based on what has been said, there is a higher probability of them coming to pass.
I voted Stein. I couldn't bring myself to put my name on genocide.
Brainless, spineless and morally junk food. Enjoy your ridiculous vote.
"Last night, news broke that a young American soldier had died from sustaining non-combat injuries while working on the Gaza aid pier — the Biden administration’s ridiculous publicity stunt intended to paper over its inability to influence anything with regard to the war. The pier ended up delivering almost no aid, as I’ve reported, before being damaged by the choppy seas and thereafter dismantled. The soldier, a young 23-year-old black man, reminded me of the three young soldiers, also black, killed in Jordan by a drone this past year, another consequence of the Gaza war. These four enlistees are exactly the middle class everyman the Harris campaign claims to fight for."
I continue to find it annoying that Biden claims that the US isn't involved in any overseas wars and now that talking point has filtered down as shown by some of the responses in this New York Times focus group:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/opinion/focusgroup-swing-state-voters.html
You live in a swing state so you did the right thing. I live in NYC, so let’s just say that we vote swapped.
Ken wrote "Dimwits."
For all that I have zero problem with insulting these people (they deserve at least that), they're not stupid (if they were, things would be _so_ much easier), just cynical and/or ideologically blinkered and/or enjoying being well paid.
I feel your pain: in the riding where I live, if I even want to dream about the merest chance of something that could, kind of, be called just a smidgeon more progressive than the usual Right bullshit, I have to hold my nose and vote for a party that I'd sooner see gone.
Thanks, Ken, for your work and your articulate honesty. Take a few hours for a "busman's holiday" and watch some episodes of "The Diplomat."
Thrilled about the new season!
Trump and Co seem to be more connected to where the hurt lives than the Dems. Unfortunate. Why did they wait so long for the message: "don't tell your husband". Has no one thought about this before Cheney? Duh.
Yeah, you nailed it. I resent my vote being forced so that the unthinkable of a megalomaniac fascist felon isn't president again, while the dems get to ride on also being terrible. I mailed my ballot weeks ago and like to forget it happened.
I voted for Jill Stein, for all the reasons you grudgingly voted for Harris. I'm appalled that Kamala couldn't even say something to break with Biden over Israel, and I worry she won't have the courage to fight for anything. I know Jill Stein is a flawed candidate and won't win, but I couldn't bring myself to vote for Harris.
🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂
Voting for corporate Democrats over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity, I've heard. Or words to that effect.
If Harris wins, it will validate their belief that they can rig the primaries, punch left, and abandon the working class and get away with it.
Also, I won't vote for an aspiring war criminal, at all, ever, for any reason.
I wrote in Bernie Sanders, which delights me because:
1) if he hasn't been sabotaged by the Democrats (which would make the antisemitic, wouldn't it? If criticizing the IDF for killing kids over and over and over again is antisemitic, then surely the massive institution that is the Democratic Party conspiring to prevent the election of the first Jewish president surely is) Trump would have never been elected, we'd have had implementing a better healthcare system that would have handled COVID better, and corporations would be paying their taxes.
2) some of the people reading this are going to pull their hair out in a rage. Delish.
Just image what the world would be like if people just refused to vote for evil people. Seems like a simple ask.
I guess for a lot of people, being responsible for the deaths of thousands upon thousands of innocent people doesn't qualify as meeting evil.
Ya know, Bernie Sanders put out a video telling people they should vote for Harris because the alternative was so much worse. Did you watch it? He is persuasive.
Oh, I'm looking forward to Don Jr running with Chelsea Clinton as the Democratic ticket in 2032 and listening to the same chorus of voices telling me I should vote for them because the alternative is so much worse.
So you disagree with Bernie? Or you didn’t watch it?
Yes, I disagree with Bernie, for the reasons that I tried to humorously detail above.
I didn't vote for Dick Cheney before when he was a Republican, and I'm not going to vote for him or his foul offspring now that the Democrats have embraced that mass murderer with open arms.
Maybe you should try to imagine what a million dead Iraqis look like, and wonder why you haven't before.
Cheney (along with many, many others, killed a million people that were no that to us to maintain American hegemony abroad.
I don't vote for evil. Maybe if get people refused to vote for war criminals and those who aspire to become war criminals, we wouldn't get so many.
Consider not supporting evil. Why not try something new?