Quote:
Originally Posted by Original Position
I don't assume that you also lol at democracy. I don't think Bernie Sanders does. Victor seems to be down about it right now though. And yes, I think rejecting democracy and elections leads to violence. Also, the most important socialist movements that reject democracy historically have embraced violence as a legitimate means of social change.
I don't believe it's "the left" who rejected democracy. The position has been forced on everyone, and now it's about
saving democracy instead. What's the play if that can no longer be achieved solely by the will of the voters? What happens next? Pelosi made what was probably the most alarming comment I've seen her make in 2019 when she said something like "We just have to beat Trump in numbers too big for him to claim manipulation", or whatever. I tried finding the exact quote, but the point is that's hair-on-neck level scary talk from her.
Russia has shown that we have the ability to make elections
appear free & fair for a long time after they aren't. Trump and the GOP understand this concept well, have stepped up their game, and have left us in situation where we have to either trust in the same institutional guard rails that keep failing us, or say the unspeakable, undemocratic things we're not allowed to say in the first place. Questioning the legitimacy of our election process is exactly the goal of democracy's enemies, and so the media, DNC, IC, etc will
never do it.
If Trump wins 2020, the above is a guarantee rather than just a strong possibility.
As far as violence goes, I don't see a way to avoid at least some kind of battling no matter who wins this year. If Trump pulls crazy moves to avoid a regular election, it will surely make things worse sooner.
At this point though, diffusing the situation doesn't seem very likely at all. Trump kept doubling down on crimes and delays Martingale style, and has become too big to fail. His freedom is on the line. The oligarchy's finances are on the line. The GOP's authoritarian power grab is on the line. And they've shoved all in to make one final stand.