Thump! posted:

To me, an appropriate and needed Political Revolution would, very simply, be this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exnaY0l4XsM

Matey posted:

I like what you're saying,

Something Else posted:

this isn't about any cult of personality, this is about real direct action that we can all engage in.

Something Else posted:

seems like more of a traditional revolution but i see what you're sayin

A Time To Chill posted:

i support Supreme Leader Something Else and his dogge revolution

Something Else posted:

Bernie Sanders has famously called for a political revolution in America. But this thread isn't about Bernie Sanders - it's about you.

What does the political revolution mean to you? For me, it means seeking out and supporting progressive candidates at every level of government. We have to create a progressive Tea Party to combat not only the existing Tea Party, but also the Progressive-in-speech-only conservatives of the Democratic party. If I was at all qualified, I'd run myself.

If you don't think we need a political revolution, maybe you could explain what you think is actively good about the two-party system funded by large corporations and banks. Or how you feel about being interested in politics but not at all interested in the people those politics claim to represent. I dunno, just spitballin'

Something Else posted:

EugeneJ posted:

Remove the nonprofit status of churches. Tax them as businesses.

EugeneJ posted:

Remove the nonprofit status of churches. Tax them as businesses.

copy posted:

i think the biggest thing to change is how we as a society engage in the political process. for example i think that we need to figure out a way to eliminate the overbearing sense of despair people have wrt voting in america. following that we need to turn that into increased voter turnout. also like you said we need to be concerned with all levels of government, not just the presidency.

so that's what political revolution means to me in a bernie context

Ayatollah Hermione posted:

Privately funded public service announcements. Any NBC or CBS affiliate will sell regional ad space to local businesses (car dealerships, restaurants, etc) that air only in certain cities or counties. Cherry pick which states/ districts are having elections an advertise there only.

I don't know offhand how much a 30-second spot during Judge Judy on a Thursday would cost, but I can't imagine that it wouldn't be thousands of dollars. Use that time to reach people who, unlike us, don't spend their free time combing the internet obsessing about politics. Expose them to news stories and points of view that mainstream media won't touch. End the spot with an onscreen URL for more information.

Set the whole thing up as a non-profit organization funded via donations and merch. Approach progressive celebrities to donate their time to read the announcements (much later down the road of course). Give it a snappy name like "Real Truth Media" or "Americans Informing America." Make the ads outrageous and funny. People will pay more attention to climate change if they learn about it from a guy in a penguin costume chugging maple syrup out of a Quaker State bottle. The Daily Show follows this model but has always been entertainment first and news second. Reverse that dynamic and you might be able to sway some hearts and minds.

The establishment capitalizes on an uninformed populous. The first step in a revolution is always disseminating information. The internet is a wonderful thing but many Americans don't use it for anything much beyond netflix and porn.

Something Else posted:

yeah this type of poo poo is mine as well. i think a good way to increase voter turnout, especially in downticket races, would be to loudly proclaim the positive influence a progressive candidate could have in that position if elected, rather than to focus on the bad things a conservative candidate would do.

and we need an example to prove that voting CAN overcome the dastardly influence of money over politics, even with the laws as they are today. it's fortunate that there's someone running currently who can and will provide such an example, but it will be incredibly important not to backslide into despair if the Bern is somehow extinguished. we need progressives getting into government NOW, so that our children will have 17 Bernies to choose from, rather than 17 establishment fucknuts!

Sheng-ji Yang posted:

To be serious, I hope Bernie builds an independent third progressive party to challenge the Democrats - not necessarily in 2016, but possibly in the future. I know he wont, but it would be pretty sweet. The Democratic Party is trash and only a challenge from the left could fix it.

Abner Cadaver II posted:

I think it's more likely to be a well-organized Democratic faction

the two party system is here to stay until the revolution sweeps it away

Helsing posted:

The Democrats are hosed because they will lose their sweet billionaire SuperPAC money if they actually play to their base with populist economics, and Obama's Presidency saw the total decimation of the Democrats in Congress and in most state governments so that they will keep getting Gerrymandered to hell. The new Supreme Court will stop the Justice Department from taking sufficient action to halt voter Suppression in places like Texas and Arizona, preventing the shifting demographic tides from saving the Democrats.

The Democrats might retain the Presidency but otherwise things don't look good for them. Bernie Sanders can't change that.

Obama was your best shot and he hosed you guys completely. When the stock market collapses again you'll be lucky if Donald Trump is the worst you have to deal with.

Helsing posted:

The Democrats are hosed because they will lose their sweet billionaire SuperPAC money if they actually play to their base with populist economics, and Obama's Presidency saw the total decimation of the Democrats in Congress and in most state governments so that they will keep getting Gerrymandered to hell. The new Supreme Court will stop the Justice Department from taking sufficient action to halt voter Suppression in places like Texas and Arizona, preventing the shifting demographic tides from saving the Democrats.

The Democrats might retain the Presidency but otherwise things don't look good for them. Bernie Sanders can't change that.

Obama was your best shot and he hosed you guys completely. When the stock market collapses again you'll be lucky if Donald Trump is the worst you have to deal with.

Helsing posted:

The Democrats are hosed because they will lose their sweet billionaire SuperPAC money if they actually play to their base with populist economics, and Obama's Presidency saw the total decimation of the Democrats in Congress and in most state governments so that they will keep getting Gerrymandered to hell. The new Supreme Court will stop the Justice Department from taking sufficient action to halt voter Suppression in places like Texas and Arizona, preventing the shifting demographic tides from saving the Democrats.

The Democrats might retain the Presidency but otherwise things don't look good for them. Bernie Sanders can't change that.

Obama was your best shot and he hosed you guys completely. When the stock market collapses again you'll be lucky if Donald Trump is the worst you have to deal with.

Helsing posted:

The Democrats might retain the Presidency but otherwise things don't look good for them. Bernie Sanders can't change that.

maker posted:

^doesn't know a thing about politics
standing for populist economics works, the democratic party sucks because they're a bunch of spineless losers who don't stand by those types of policies. Only campaign on them.
the obama administration started pandering to the republicans when he had a super majority, that disheartened many supporters and empowered the other side. The rise of the tea party can be attributed to obama being weak and not being an aggressive president.

Something Else posted:

Also because apparently you've never even listened to Bernie for more than enough time to say "funny accent;" he literally says he can't change anything on his own. THAT IS THE POINT OF THIS THREAD. Jesus fuckin christ everybody wants to be so goddamned smug all the time what the gently caress

Helsing posted:

If you look at the Tea Party a lot of what made them effective was their ability to link local organization and mobilizing with a national movement and goals. Might be something in that model that a lefty could emulate.

Something Else posted:

neat, a worthwhile discussion point! I agree.

AssassinPrincess posted:

I would just like to have healthcare because I'm single, I work three jobs and still can't afford it, tia People's Revolution.

Helsing posted:

I don't really care about integrity I just think you might as well know what you're up against. Short term impact of a progressive assault on the Democrats is probably a decade or more of Republican dominance.

Conservative takeover of the GOP lead to Barry Goldwater running for President in 1964 and he lost huge. It took them 16 more years before they were able to get Reagan elected and then another decade for Reagan to really transform things. During that time the Democrats and liberal Republicans passed all kinds of Great Society stuff that the conservatives hated and they weren't able to do much about it.

I agree you can't have a real progressive option without destroying the Democrats but you better realize what that might entail in the short term.

Helsing posted:

Probably worth reading this then.