Seems like they could just Google the lyrics and read that.

But I guess Spotify lyrics do give an idea on the pace of the song.

You are totally right.

Fascism appeals to humanity’s most basic impulses and fascists will therefore always be a threat to democracy.

People crave the strong, authoritarian leader who will protect them from danger.

Indeed - and I really hope it passes.

I thought about mentioning it in my previous comment. But basically, it’s another example that States hold most of the power. The States actually have the power to effectively replace the current system with a national popular vote if they choose.

Other examples are the IRV in Alaska and the district system in Maine and Nebraska.

Romney wasn’t that different from McCain, Bush or Reagan. Or Sunak or Thatcher.

Relative to other conservatives, he was within the norm.

Both elections exactly prove my point.

The federal system is set up to favor State power, which is why the US presidential election isn’t decided by popular vote. By design, Wyoming and California are considered equals in many respects.

It’s a bad system, but it’s very much entrenched in the constitution.

And it also requires critical mass. It’s basically impossible to enact meaningful change with a 50-55% majority. You need 60% or more to get big changes. And a majority of states.

A somewhat less pessimistic take: the system is set up to be self-stable.

And it was also designed so that States would have most of the power, not the Federal government.

At various points in history the common people did get benefits. New Deal. Universal suffrage. Civil rights. Abolition.

But it always requires a critical mass of the population to support change.

Indeed.

If you present this option to a full plane, would it really be surprising if half the plane chose to skip a meal?

Would you blame them?

Why do politicians think they are entitled to get votes just because the other option is even worse?

Not an American. If I were, I would vote Biden. But I also fully understand why a lot of Americans won’t vote for him.

Trump v Clinton

Trump v Biden

Trump v Biden (again)

Is the USA really not capable of getting some actually capable candidates on the ballot?

The last time it was actually two normal people was 2012 with Obama v Romney. That’s 12 years ago.

There are voters this election that were in kindergarten back then.

John Stewart always finds the best way to express what I’m feeling.

Regardless of the outcome, this election will go down as a shit stain on history.

I just hope the outcome doesn’t turn it into explosive diarrhea.

Israel only bombs terrorists, not civilians.

Your German nationality will now be revoked for thinking the wrong thought.

Unfortunate reality, but headline placement is quite OK.

Religion, sexual orientation, union membership and political beliefs have all been used in the past to persecute people.

To think that it’s not possible again is naive.

Privacy is the most fundamental right to be free.

Without privacy, the Chinese CCP model will be the model we all will eventually live under.

Yes, for those, too.

Also the kids in Lebanon.

The Zionists will be voting for Trump this year. And Trump will probably support expanding the war into Lebanon with American money.

He already said he wants Israel to “finish the job” in Gaza.

Perhaps he should.

It would most likely split the democratic vote and lead to a republican victory.

But it will send a message to Democrats that they must take progressives seriously if they want progressive votes.

Sending that same message in the presidential election would be a too high price to pay, but one House seat isn’t that bad.

Why make election season much longer than needed?

Printing ballots can be done quite quickly.

And is 6 months of campaigning really better than 2 months?

The way the US political system works is that it really requires solid majorities to want something.

So it will take a long time where nothing seems to happen and then suddenly big changes can happen.

I remember back in the 90s, it seemed impossible to ever get a black president, gay marriage or legal marijuana.

Or look at student loans or universal healthcare. Not perfect, but steps have been made.

So yeah, I do think the USA will lag for a long time and then suddenly surprise us all.

I know a lot of people don’t like the American First Past the Post system, but to be honest, even in a proportional system like here in the Netherlands, you end up with very similar dynamics.

Truth is, progressives are always a small minority, in every country. Because they are always ahead of the curve on change.

In the US, this means that you only get a handful of progressives in the most progressive districts and never a really progressive national government.

In the Netherlands, this means progressives are always represented, but need to compromise to form a government. And often, they even get skipped and the centrist and conservative parties form a coalition.

Truth be told, Biden is as progressive as you could hope to get in the USA.

And, while I do think it is important to criticize him - and even threaten to not vote for him - to enable him to move more towards the left, it is also important to vote for him.

Progressives always win, not through getting majorities, but because they have the right ideas and eventually the other parties catch up to them.

For recent examples, gay marriage in the USA or marihuana legalization are now law in the USA.

I am 100% confident that American policy on Israel will also shift thanks to progressive voices. And it will not require a progressive majority.

Americans still care about the price of oil, which is set in a global market and where Saudi-Arabia and Russia have more influence than the USA.

Obviously, the extremist Arabs that overthrew their own leaders are also to blame. Where did I deny that?

I don’t think you really have a lot of choices to be honest.

You’d first need to get new candidates to win a primary and then a general and the required majorities are lacking almost everywhere.

A more fruitful approach is to actually change public opinion.

It’s a long uphill battle, but it’s happening.

For decades, Israel and the US (and European countries) have pursued a policy to destabilize middle eastern regimes.

People don’t realize this, but there was a wave of Arab nationalism that was killed by sponsoring Islamic extremists. Had that not happened, the middle east would be much more secular today than it is.

Israel attacking and destabilizing Lebanon and Syria and the US maintaining a dictator in Egypt are part of this strategy.

In turn, this leads to hate towards the West and Israel by the Muslims affected.

It won’t stop as long as American voters care much more about gas prices than about human rights. American politicians are willing to sponsor genocide to have some control on oil prices in order to win elections.