Every time one mentions that Biden has committed genocide, someone says “But Trump will be worse!”
Well, here’s your answer:
If you don’t get this something is wrong with your ability to put yourself in other people’s shoes.
And yes. it is on Biden and Democrats:
“All of our missiles, the ammunition, the precision-guided bombs, all the airplanes and bombs, it’s all from the US. The minute they turn off the tap, you can’t keep fighting. You have no capability. … Everyone understands that we can’t fight this war without the United States. Period.”
Also, the idea of “holding them accountable after they’re elected” is almost entirely bullshit. It rarely works. Pre-election is your point of maximum leverage, not after. Especially if a politician is in power, make them do something for you before you vote for them.
But, basically, “Democrats killed your family, but Trump will be as bad or worse” isn’t going to convince people whose families Biden killed to vote Democratic.
If you think it will, something is wrong with you.
Jan Wiklund
The only realistic relation to a politician is intimidation, as Randy Shaw wrote in Activist’s Handbook.
Oakchair
“We support genocide, censorship, banning protests, forced injections of harmful drugs, and forever war, but our opponents are so so much worse.
Vote for us you dumb selfish fools!!!” —-Dem establishment
Can’t wait for a repeat of 2017 when the Dem establish goes around blaming everyone but themselves and their actions.
Willy
There was once a blog called “Chicken Soup for the Terrorist Soul”. They described four kinds of people:
1. Bullies, who enjoy exercising power over anything weaker than themselves.
2. Victims, who suffer in silence and powerlessness.
3. Bystanders, the vast majority of people who enable bullies. A few are ‘go along to get along’ henchmen, but the majority of them and most people really, are ‘we don’t want to get involved’ cowards.
4. Terrorists, who can’t take being bullied anymore to then lose it by lashing out against Bystanders instead of the Bullies.
That blog was trying to explain that Bullies just do what comes naturally for their own extremely controlling temperamental natures, but Bystanders are making a conscious choice to do nothing to help victims out of a cowardly and selfish desire of self-preservation. They were trying to explain why Victims who became Terrorists seemed to prefer punishing Bystanders instead of the Bullies who’d tormented them.
Regarding Gaza, if Netenyahoo and AIPAC are Bullies, then Biden is a Bystander. I also see Trump as a Bully, but bullies don’t usually meddle in each other’s affairs unless they think a fight with another bully will enhance their own power position.
One problem I had with that blog was the lack of support and advice for what I saw was a fifth type of person, the Hero. It seems that Ian wants a hero in this situation. I wonder who that heroic person, organization, or nation could possibly be?
Feral Finster
Team D nuthangers bleating that a President Harris would somehow be different, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, not to mention $5 million plus of AIPAC money that she received when she was a Senator.
Their naivete is truly touching. Or not, for theirs is the naivete of those who want to believe, evidence be damned.
Feral Finster
@Oakchair:
It is also satisfying when Team D wins and proceeds to do all the horrible things they promised to do while Team D cultists make excuse after pathetic excuse for them.
Soredemos
@Willy
Biden isn’t a bystander. He’s actively involved. He is committing genocide.
Purple Library Guy
@Feral Finster I don’t find that satisfying at all. What I find satisfying is when good guys win. Probably why I try to pay more attention to Latin American than any other region–good guys winning is at least a possibility in play there. Bolivia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Mexico, amazingly Honduras and Colombia (I continue to be amazed that the new-ish president of Colombia hasn’t been assassinated yet).
Just getting to say I told you so is a pleasure that has waned for me over the years; the things I get to say I told you so about are getting too dashed distressing.
Oakchair
that a President Harris would somehow be different, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary,
——
This is the marketing age, a time where every ugly thing can be made lush and beautiful with proper blush and lighting. The written page replaced with neon-color and explosions.
Harris by definition is completely different because all that matters is appearance.
When you compare speeches of Harris now with ones she made 4-5 years ago does anyone else notice the decline? Her smile has become slightly crooked, her facial expressions and muscles are stiff and don’t fully respond (These are some of the most noticeable signs of nerve damage particularly cranial nerve damage). At times her voice becomes slurry, and her coherence is not what it once was.
It’s not anywhere near the massive decline Biden has experienced, but the signs are still present if ever so slightly.
If she manages to win, I wonder if 4 years from now we’ll see history rhyme with itself.
Willy
Biden isn’t a bystander. He’s actively involved. He is committing genocide.
No he’s not. He’s exactly like my old high school principal who had much power over that school but took no serious actions against bullies, excepting a few moralistic speeches. Just like Biden, that’s bystandering. I saw plenty of bullying. I wondered why the PTB in those schools, the teachers, counselors, and administrative staff, didn’t just expel every bully and then file charges and sue their parents.
Me, if I was Biden with my new imperial powers operating as a “senile old man”, I’d imprison AIPAC’s senior membership and then have a small nuke dropped on Jerusalem. Make the SC think twice about giving me such powers. But then, I don’t have a family to protect and don’t think much about consequences to established precedents.
My school’s principle probably knew that bullies can grow up to be ruthless, rich and powerful players who are quite vindictive.
Do you have the ability to answer my question?
Dan Kelly
The ‘Israel Lobby’ controls both parties. The Israel Lobby is a labyrinthine entity that includes B’nai B’rith and the ADL. The Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations acts as a coordinating body. It is not simply AIPAC (which still isn’t subject to FARA like every other nation).
Quite frankly – and I know this will sound ‘antisemitic’ and I don’t care: Almost every Jewish org in the country should be monitored in the manner Muslim and Arab groups were, and continue to be, spied on and monitored. The overwhelmingly majority of Jewish orgs are in fact working on behalf of Israel, whether openly or clandestinely.
Russia is kicking out and jailing US-sponsored groups in its midst. The US should do the same to Israel-sponsored orgs.
The Democrats defaulting to “But Trump Worse!” has obviously reached epidemically stupid proportions.
And Donald Trump is completely owned and occupied by Israel himself: just follow the money, not to mention his life to this point. He’s clearly been willingly “Epsteined” having been on the pedophile child rapist’s plane multiple times, Epstein having been on his plane multiple times, and Trump’s name being one of the few circled in Epstein’s little black book (along with slick Willie Clinton).
Roy Cohn’s best friend and protege and Miriam “I’m stuck in the US, wish I were in Israel” Adelson’s biggest recipient of she and her late husband’s Israel-bidding largesse is not going to do anything to stop the wholesale slaughter in, let alone reverse the occupation of, Palestine.
As convention opens, Israel only foreign country in new GOP platform
“The tenth chapter of the platform delineates Trump and his party’s vision for foreign relations. Israel stands out as the only country explicitly mentioned as one the US will support, with the platform stating, “We will stand with Israel, and seek peace in the Middle East.” In an exclusive interview with Israel Hayom several months ago, Trump said he “was the best president in the history of Israel,” and that he will continue to be if elected. It appears the Trump administration also aims to expand upon the Abraham Accords. “We will rebuild our Alliance Network in the Region to ensure a future of Peace, Stability, and Prosperity,” the platform declares.
Notably, unlike other nations, Israel is not singled out as a country expected to fully fund its defense expenses. “Republicans will strengthen Alliances by ensuring that our Allies must meet their obligations to invest in our Common Defense and by restoring Peace to Europe,” the platform states regarding NATO allies. This stance is not applied to Israel.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/07/15/israel-only-foreign-country-mentioned-in-gop-platform/
So, nothing that applies to others is applicable to Israel, and they don’t pay. Talk about playing into old canards! Israel’s monstrous ‘founding’ and its ongoing barbarity has continually been called out by many, many people, both Jewish and non-Jewish.
To no avail.
https://irmep.com/
Feral Finster
@Purple Library Guy: perhaps “satisfying” is the wrong word. “Darkly comic” may be better, especially as “I told you so” doesn’t work on cultists. Rather, they insist that We Have Always Been At War With Eurasia.
@Oakchair: Was it not written of old that, for Team D, all problems can be solved with better PR? Is that not emblematic of Team D, the manifestation of the political will of the PMC, glib and self-serving hucksters?
Feral Finster
@Willy: so your high school principal armed the bullies (in the face of strident opposition) and physically attacked those victims who tried to fight back, as well as actively bullied bystanders who tried to assist the victims?
What kind of wack-ass high school was this? Or do you just make excuses for your beloved democrats?
Soredemos
@Willy
Biden is selling them the bombs. He’s actively providing diplomatic cover. He isn’t merely someone who is letting them run rampant and not sufficiently restraining or disciplining them. He’s actively assisting them. He is committing genocide.
Joe Biden is committing genocide.
Joe Biden is a mass murderer.
mago
Oakchair got it right with his comments about the age of marketing and making even a pig look good with the right makeup, although please don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against pigs, and I don’t eat bacon.
What the spinmeisters are going to do is turn a turd into a sparkling bangle and the fog dwellers will buy the shiny object. Well, some of them, anyway Others will buy another brand of canned shit.
I’d like to take the easy way out, but there ain’t no exit.
mago
Also, Dan Kelly is spot on. I’d go even further, but it’s all just words in the wind until it isn’t.
mago
I just read a comment at NC that extolled the virtues of spite as an effective political tool.
Somehow I lack access to that sites’ comment section, but if I did I would rebut that proposal.
It’s like hate is love, 1984 style.
Cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Think about it.
Spiteful or not?
Si o no?
Soredemos
@mago
Politics is about power and setting policy. There’s something deeply infantile about trying to understand it through any kind of personalized emotional lens.
Anonymous
Western liberalism is a vibes based belief system. And they’re barreling through the end stage when even they can’t fully blind themselves into believing their own good vibes so it becomes all about projecting bad vibes towards everyone else. Read the histories about any religious cult and you’ll see the same shift happen right before it all implodes.
That’s why it’s not possible to have a reasoned discussion with the liberal stand bearers here. All they have to cling into are their vibes and projected fears of the other.
Willy
Soredemos,
One day Biden’s a dotty old feckless, the next he’s a ruthless bully with total power.
Wouldn’t it be simpler to be consistent and claim that he’s a dotty old feckless being easily manipulated by ruthless powers, who take advantage of his being confused by all the competing ideologies and status quo political traditions?
Or a better question, what exactly would you have done in his shoes given all the hostile powers aligned against you, to change the AIPAC status quo?
I know that being a Marxist these days is tough, but does it have to be so nonsensical? Do we even get the irony of communists crying about genocide? That lesser evil is actually greater evil? Proclaiming that Stalin was an unequivocal hero to all Russians?
That Biden is everything bad while Trump is better because he’s even more bad (superbad?).
Sorry, but to your average nonaligned observer it all just looks silly. Not gonna be taken seriously. Why not pick a single purity police morality track and then stick with it? People might begin to suspect an adherence to principles and maybe, even start to consider what a society living with leftist principles might be like.
Tc
Also “trump will be worse” ignores the fact that the democrats opened the door for Trump to be worse. Not to mention that 10% of the senate is jewish, none of them republican, thats, 20% of the dem caucus, who could have stopped this, but besides bernie’s schizo performance the rest are actively cheerleading genocide and ethnic cleansing. Similar in the house of reps. If I were muslim or arab or any minority I could never trust american liberals or jews ever again
Soredemos
@Willy
What strange black book of communism tripe. No one even mentioned Stalin, nor is every communist a Stalinist.
Creigh Bruce Gordon
“Biden is responsible” and “Trump would be worse” can both be true. The lesser of two evils is still the lesser of two evils.
Soredemos
@Creigh Bruce Gordon
I have yet to see anyone actually describe how Trump would in practice be worse on this issue. It’s already genocide.
Willy
Trump was worse because he emboldened Netanyahoo. There’s no way Mossad (2nd largest intelligence agency in the western world) didn’t know the original attack was coming. They had one job to do, and they fucked it up.
No one even mentioned Stalin, nor is every communist a Stalinist
No, not in this debate. But out in the ‘common wisdom’ communism still looks pretty bad for most, because genocide is what they’re still most famous for. (and no, I’m not happy about that). Might want to work on that.
Dermot O Connor
Jesus, that “Trump would have been worse” tweet is BlueAnon psychopathy.
It’s sad that Dennis Perrin’s ‘Savage Mules’, written in mid 00s/ Bush era, a left wing crit of the warmongering Dems, has been largely memory holed.
Willy
It’s not all Dems. Other places claim that it’s the corporate centrist Dems causing all the problems with the Dem organization, mostly because they’ve been compromised by money. Bowman was strongly anti-genocide but got primaried out of political existence by AIPAC.
The Dems who turned a blind eye toward this without comment, are the ones most likely to have been compromised, cowed, or never really had much in the way of actual integrity to begin with. As a group, R’s are far worse.
Punishments should scale with the severity of the crime and not involve some kind of magical ‘manipulative protest’ which most PTB don’t really care about or will simply use to their own advantage.
Soredemos is correct in proclaiming that “genocide” is already rock-bottom evil. But they’re wrong in suggesting (knowingly or not) that Trump had less influence than Biden during each of their terms. Trump emboldened and enabled, while Biden enabled and then whined a little about it. True, that whining is pathetic for “the most powerful man on the planet”, but it’s a start. Trump telling voters whatever he thinks they want to hear and then doing the exact opposite without the slightest regret, is worse.
If you want to do something about it, then starting with doing whatever helps to sever the connection AIPAC has with the DC PTB might be a good start. If you dont and after both Trump and Biden are gone, somebody else will turn up to suck off AIPAC and we get to have the same old debate all over again, about “who’s worse”.