#democract socialism

[hecho-a-mano]

u.s citizens: please vote today if able

#me #personal #lgbtq #lgbt #trans #genderfluid #u.s politics #gop #democract #progressive #leftism #anarchism #communism #socialism

[unicorntyrant]

Summary of the US Right Now:

Corporations get socialism with tax dollars they don’t contribute anything near their fair share to. Meanwhile, they regularly break labor laws and/or are responsible for extremely harmful disasters such as fires and toxic spills, but they are rarely held accountable for clean-up or reparations to the people they’ve harmed. They spend millions on union busting rather than pay or treat their employees decently.

In the last few decades, privatization has become the newest way for corporations and the wealthy to profit off of Americans under the guise of providing goods/services the government should be directly providing so that they can control how well it’s done. Industries which have been privatized have been shown to be riddled with problems because instead of the goal being to do what is best for the people, the goal becomes to make the most money possible off of the people.

The majority of citizens get fuck all from the government AND screwed over by corporations. The government provides minimal public services, many of which are difficult if not almost impossible to obtain and which have bizarre and inhumane restrictions/requirements. The cost of living has been jumping, but wages have been stagnant for decades for anyone not a CEO or similar higher up.

In some states, people can be put in jail for “failing to obey a court order to pay a debt” even if paying it would leave them at or below the poverty level, and this can include medical AND credit card debt. The majority of people live in at least some fear of crippling medical debt due to an injury or illness. The thought of becoming physically disabled holds the same terror for many as insanity did during Victorian times.

Our population is shrinking because people literally cannot afford children and/or don’t want to have them in a world where the future is so painfully uncertain due to climate change (and various other issues). Politicians on both sides blame all sorts of unrelated issues abs keep insisting people have more babies.

The wealthy and corporations pour money into conservative politicians who then (in order to hide that they are basically only promoting and protecting the financial interests and rights of corporations and the rich) keep lying to their constituents about how it’s the “woke liberal left” (or whatever current the bogeyman they’re faux panicking about) is responsible for how badly the corporations and the government are screwing people over because SOMEHOW it’s all due to “woke” thinking.

Said conservative politicians and pundits keep their base fired up/scared by engaging in non-stop distraction tactics which include fear campaigns, culture wars, and media which flat-out lies to people with zero consequences. None of it really makes sense, but their base believes them because their are no consequences for most of the lies they tell.

The real “left” politicians can’t seem to get their shit together to achieve anything in the face of the opposition from the disturbingly unified through hate and fear conservatives. Most of us who vote for the Democrats do so because they’re pretty much the only option we have agains Republicans who have been pretty clear they are gunning for a racist Christo-Facist society that wants to strip rights from everyone but (wealthy) white men because, you know, they’ve done such a good job while basically being in charge the last few centuries.

There’s more, but I am EXHAUSTED from a week from Hell. Goodnight for now.

#USA #America #America Sucks #Corporations Control America #politics #Democractic Socialism NOT Corporate Socialism

[terrence-silver]

How would Terry react if beloved wanted to have an abortion because she wasn't ready for a baby?

---

Oh, this man could be entirely pro-choice until it's his kid.

Privately, behind closed doors or in specially chosen, likeminded company, I see Terry Silver as a man who enjoys crude, juvenile locker-room humor. Humor concerning making lovers sign NDA's. Paying them to 'scrape it out' at a private gynecologists at private clinics, of course, at his beck, call and under his strict oversight, without such incidents needing to ever even take place because he's too careful to slip up, but hey --- he can joke about it. Contractually obligating them to take contraceptives he chose for them, for as long as he wants them to because 'Mr. Silver is very particular and doesn't enjoy unpredictable outcomes beyond his control'. He's very much cold as an iceberg, business-like and practical like that when he wants to be. Did I said he's pro-choice up there? Yeah. More like, the choices are whatever he says they are, especially if he isn't invested emotionally and sees someone as a temporary arrangement.

He's too smart to compromise himself.

Once the 80's and the 90's come to an end, and dark comedy of this variety doesn't fly as much as it used to decades prior --- and knowing that and strategically adapting to it like a chameleon, he might just pose himself into the other extreme of the political spectrum and present himself as a New Age Californian upper crust Liberal type that supports someone's and everyone's right to choose loud and proud when the situation calls for it because he's just that equitable and perfectly Democractic. Ain't he wonderful? The scheduled Vegan brunch at nine o'clock is there, clapping, collectively impressed and in awe of him while he pretends to be humble faced with their attentions. Don't you know Mr. Silver is an egalitarian saint who donated high-end medical equipment to several Planned Parenthoods across the State, renovating just as many urban hospitals this month alone?'

And then it's beloved who wants to visit one of said facilities --- oh, the irony.

Suddenly, the man who was making abortion and Vietnam baby killing jokes decades ago and snickering like a meanspirited little kid and then doing a 180 degree shift and possibly hypocritically advocating for human rights the very next decade to acquire the status of a social champion both disappear so something else can take their place; a man who absolutely won't compromise and does the exact opposite of everything he's been broadcasting all his life; he wants to keep the baby. Will keep the baby. Is baffled, angry, distraught and perturbed beloved ever considered not having it. And there's just about nothing anyone can do to dissuade him from ensuring his legacy comes into the World by any means necessary. He advocated choices. He joked around too. It was funny then --- now ow it ain't funny anymore. He stopped laughing. Oh, did he ever. All the choices but one dried over too.

#terry silver #kk3 #cobra kai #tw; abortion #terry silver x reader #terry silver x beloved

[ahaura]

the liberal idea of "good vs evil" in the media is insidiously being used to justify genocide. the state committing genocide right now (israel) is objectively the bad guys. the existence of the apartheid, fascist, genocidal ethno-state was created and is maintained by the murder, displacement, brutalization, and dehumanization of palestinians. the idea that israel is "the only democracy" in the middle east is nothing more than colonial propaganda garbage when an apartheid ethno-state cannot functionally be democratic, and the claim/implication that a country is "civilized" while it brutalizes the people whose presence in the region that predates both the creation of the zionist state and the zionist, colonial movement itself is not only racist and stupid but absurd. it's been a month and western media still touts the line that "israel is the victim" and "they're surrounded by enemies on all sides" when 1) israel cannot be the victim when experiencing the blowback of its own violent, heinous occupation and ethnic cleansing of the people who were there first 2) any and all deaths that occur are the fault of the apartheid state; violence begets violence and when you eliminate all other forms of resistance except for armed struggle then that resorting to violence is the fault of the apartheid, settler state, 3) maybe if they didn't constantly bomb their neighbors things would be a little different wouldn't you think? they're the only country who can bomb 3 different countries at once and the media will still say they're the victim

irt the united states: the two-party system is always described as "the worst people [republicans] vs. the lesser evil [democrats] and it's true that their facades are different and on internal social issues they differ but the truth is that both parties have the same corporate backers and they both functionally serve capital, and US imperialism. biden was elected on the premise of being "less bad than trump" despite being pro-segregation and pro-crime bill during his tenure prior to being obama's vice president. the police receive equal material support from democracts and republicans alike even if party members decry police brutality. and despite biden being "the lesser evil", he is not only allowing genocide to happen but is on record for saying, as of today, that there is "no chance" of a ceasefire for gaza. over 11,000 people have been murdered en masse by israel, with even more injured and displaced. the material goal of israel is to remove palestinians from their land by any means - be it murder or displacement. the existence of israel ensures that the u.s. and the west has a military base and foothold in the middle east; the u.s. empire is waning and desperate to maintain its hegemony and power and the benefits reaped from exploitation and extraction.

the u.s. disguises their material interests by saying "this is about defending jewish people" (when the u.s. and israel clearly don't care about jewish people) or "we're defending democracy" (israel cannot be a democracy as an apartheid ethno-state) or "it's a country defending itself from terrorists" (never mind that 'terrorist' is a political designation that western powers use when it suits their interest; the mujahideen was famously referred to as "freedom fighters" by the white house when the u.s. used them against the soviets; 9/11 happened when the fighters the u.s. trained turned their sights on america; then the government lied about WMDs and iraq's supposed role in 9/11 to justify the invasion of iraq, et cetera) and they depend on people not taking a good hard look at the real, material reasons and the reality of the united states' role and actions, both direct and indirect across the global stage and, in this case, specifically in israel.

the idea that zionists care about jewish people is laughable when the vast majority of zionists in the u.s. are evangelical christians who see the jewish people's presence in israel as a means to trigger the rapture (i think?). the deliberate conflation of anti-zionism and antisemitism is genuinely dangerous for jewish people; it benefits the israeli state - and by extension u.s. interests - for people to defend the existence of an apartheid settler colony. zionism was originally acknowledged as a colonial movement; it still is. that zionists are now trying to humanize and rehabilitating nazis in their efforts to demonize palestinians and justify genocide should tell you all you need to know about who they actually care about.

never mind the fact that, if you simply take a look at u.s. history, it has and never will be a country founded on "freedom" or "democracy". the genocide and displacement of the indigenous peoples should tell you that; the history of chattel slavery and the conditions that followed the abolition of slavery should tell you that. the united states role following WWII and also in korea, vietnam, nicauragua, iraq, afghanistan, cuba, cambodia, and practically everywhere across the world should tell you that. it's not hard to look at the history and begin to understand where american interests and motivations come from & how they manifest.

colonial movements and imperialist interests are disguised as good vs. evil conversations. they depend on people's liberal frameworks, partnered with the unmitigated propaganda on behalf of israel and the genocide the state is carrying out against palestinians, in order to justify their actions (or lack thereof) to the public. no one is immune to propaganda but there are ways of combating it and educating yourself so you are more resistant to it.

#people have already talked about it but i am directly addressing liberals here. #again. im just some guy on the internet. u should read and consult theory 4 more. #📁.zip

[edwad]

why are you a communist? serious, non-combative question

it's gotten harder to fully articulate this over time tbh but at root it ultimately stems from a lack of faith in liberalism's -- and esp its social democractic forms' -- ability to deliver on its """"promises""""". i do think capitalism is pretty reformable and that a lot of perceived structural problems could be theoretically eliminated even under capitalism, but i also think there are real limits that can't be overcome and those are the things that make the difference for me. in this sense i'm still a bit of a kaleckian wrt revolutionary reformism. we should demand changes to the system that either resolve problems or expose them as real social limits which we can agitate around

[qqueenofhades]

oh, i'm sorry for not specifying! no, the ADL published a huge document showing hundreds of cops, military, EMTs(!?) and R politicians' membership in the oath keepers. it's grim but i'm kind of curious which direction the fallout will go, considering what U-turns elected Rs are making right now.

Okay, I've checked the report on their website and it is, yes, absolutely pants-shittingly terrifying, if not entirely surprising. Fascist white supremacist rhetoric that advocates overwhelming violence to overthrow the "tyranny" of democractic rule (and put minorities and women in their "places") has been growing and metastasizing for years, in plain sight, and yet the prevailing attitude has been either "don't worry about it, they're so radical nobody would ever actually join them" or "let's act like both sides are bad and undermine the remaining confidence that anyone has in a democratic republican system of government."

This is what I mean when I say that most social problems in America can be traced to its massive, unexamined, and constantly excused systemic racism, and it's definitely gained speed in the post-Obama era. The top-to-bottom backlash against a black president, driven by social media and misinformation ecosystems as well as Trump himself (as the loudest and most visible mouthpiece of this grievance) is spawning this kind of deranged racist militarism by the bucketload, and until it's properly acknowledged and dealt with, it's going to keep happening. Until Republicans suffer a huge and organized political repudiation, there is no limit to how far they are willing to go. Which is likewise why they're trying so hard to dismantle any mechanisms that would keep them from exercising that power, at all times and for all reasons, and see no reason not to go as extreme in their rhetoric as possible. Why shouldn't they, when it's working so well?

Yes, some of them are backpedaling now, faced with the prospect of appealing to a general electorate instead of cuckoo-for-crazypants Republican primary voters, but even then, the media is softening it up for them, making excuses, refusing to state the obvious (that they're lying), and even trying to find out how to "better accommodate" their views. (Yes, CNN, looking at you.) So it's overall a pretty grim state of affairs, and this report should be an eye-opener for anyone who thinks the problem is just confined to Trump and his inner circle. Because. Yeah. 74 million people voted for the guy, and a substantial fraction of them would do it again. The cruelty is a feature, not a bug.

#anonymous #ask #politics for ts #cw white supremacy #cw racism

[comaranism]

In 1920, the Communist Party of Australia was formed and in 1931 we were the first party to commit to indigenous rights which were included in the manifesto.

The party was banned breifly in 1940 and again in 1950 an attempt to ban it was made but in 1951, a referendum was held and the right to exist as a communist party was won by the vote. The party also changed its name breifly to Australian Communist Party between 1944 and 1951.

The first split occurred in 1961 with the formation of CPA-ML when Ted Hill was expelled from the CPA for supporting the Communist Party of China during the Sino-Soviet split, believing that the CPA had abandoned Marxist Leninist Principles.

Though CPA-ML take an anti China stance now.

The CPA continued to criticise soviet communism and eventually adopted democratic socialism/eurocommunism and abandoned Marxist Leninism and the principles of democractic centralism.

So in 1971 a second split occurred and the Socialist Party of Australia was founded by Pat Clancy and Peter Symon. To remain committed to the principles of Marxist Leninism and democratic centralism.

So as we have it we have the original CPA1920, CPA-ML and the SPA1971.

CPA1920 later dissolved in 1991 and the New Left Party was formed and abandoned in 1992. The CPA1920 assets were then absorbed by the SEARCH foundation a not for profit company, a democratic socialist group.

In 1996, the SPA1971 reclaimed Communist Party of Australia as its name as the rightful successor to the CPA1920.

So now we have CPA 1971 and CPA-ML.

A third split occurred in 2019 when the resigned CPA general secretary Bob Briton formed the ACP in response to internal and personal conflicts within the party.

The Communist Party of Australia remains committed to the principles of Marxist Leninism and democratic centralism. We hold strong fraternal relations with prominent Communist Parties around the world and affiliated with the International Meeting of Communist and Workers Parties. Our goal is a revolutionary transformation of society and to establish socialism in Australia

#communist #australia #history #communist party of australia #communism #socialism #auspol #leftist

[heroismisdeadfinally]

Welp it sounds it no more political commentary left to follow in the world less it's in Korea Candace girl first we're all aware how pathetic and trashy the Kardashians are for scamming every regular human being second you just came across as a femme girlboss assholes for assuming chicks in underwear ain't welcome to disability grounds following trump's downfall too it's safe to say how self exploratory it is that Republican and democracts fuck themselfs over and independents and the rising forward party are winning ahead of the curve ask yourself is extremism still worthy to every american's TV and social media regardless of both red pill or blue pill content😒💩💩💩💩

#Purplepill💜💜💜💜💜

#Politicians are equally worse as celebs fight me if ya must😠☝☝☝

#Nolivesmatter

#We're fucked and there ain't no heroes left in the post doomsday world y'all!!!!

#Easy to blame social media like tik tok too cause one person or negative stereotype boom subculture and community is ruin fast as columbine was too mallgoths😢💔💔💔💔

#tumblr milestone #i hate social media #punk rock #bimbocore #corperate greed not for me #Youtube

[a-typical]

the timeline is fucked

#roe v wade #greg abbott #texas #abortion law #abortion rights #covid #regeneron #fetus #fetal cells #equality #republican #conservative #democratic #democrat #liberal #neoliberal #socialist #socialism #democract socialism #communism #fascist #Fascism #feminist #feminism #texas law #pro vaccine #pro choice #vaccinate

[ellayurman]

4am in quarantine means it’s time to be angry about politics

anyway follow me on twitter

#politics #american politics #trump #biden #2020 election #primaries #democracts #republicans #socialism #socialist #leftist #leftism #fascism #bernie sanders #donald trump #joe biden #twitter #.txt #eli irl

[seeingtheworldasitis20]

To clarify, I was very interested in certain information I would like to learn from. Trying to finding to make sense of it all-if it started on the wrong path, that was not my intention. I am a student that is still learning about politics and history which deeply interests me.

Explanations are always welcome-if it is contained with direct seriousness and fact checked. If a threat, it would not be perceived seriously in Tumblr.

However that aside, don’t mistake me as naive.

Simply put, I put one certain information I would like to share about in which certain people has a certain mindset, which surprises me that it is reacted with hostility-I just want to share if there is an explanation to it.

I won’t be silent on right morality.

I question conformist mindsets that seemed to attack only one area.

“... in the time that is now, Republicans are the party of Donald Trump, Steve King, Stephen Miller, and so many other white supremacists.”

I wonder if you forgot David Duke, not only endorsing and later condemnation of President Trump (who in turn condemned David Duke and racism in particular), endorsing Tulsi Gabbard a Democrat (rejected the endorsement) and IIhan Omar (who tweeted anti Semitic comments).

Did you forget the long term racism with the Democratic Party that still remain in Civil Rights era? Figures like Orval Farbus, George Wallace, Nestor Maddox, and infamous Bull Connor? Any thoughts on information that it still remains today due to cities that are usually Democratic that contain high crime rates and negligence?

Republicans are still massive hypocrites for claiming to be “pro-life”...

What happened to Chuck Schumer a Democrat then? Made a threating comments at pro-choice rally?

There was a saying I heard about abortion, which had me thinking: “If the conservatives lied, we put a lot of stress on women. If the liberals lied, we murdered countless babies”.

Law and Order: Dignity episode furthered the thinking also.

In addition, Planned Parenthood is under weird historical scrutiny that one of their leading founders Margaret Sanger, spoke at white supremacists rallies.

“#i’m cooped up and angry and i will take your head right off”

Something that a school bully, cyber bully, any racial supremacist, and Antifa would say.

I strongly condemn terrorism and violence against pro choicers and abortion clinics. But what about videos of peaceful pro-lifers being harassed and assaulted?

I wonder if Democrats can also be honest for seconds also. Doesn’t their agendas do not anger you also? Afterall, is it not true that politicians, regardless of their affiliations, are fickle? Wouldn’t their hypocrisy not make you into a volcano?

Discuss. Questions?

#smitethepatriarchy #politics #us politics #political #government #history #quotes #republicans #democracts #racism #abortion #social issues

[survivingcapitalism]

You gotta read this if ya care about how nation states destroy lives and peoples

But lets be honest, what they should be saying is liberals instead of some imaginary centrist “Mainstream Democrat”

Mainstream Democrats  want the diversity of the food court. They’re pleased to be able to point to different skin tones and exotic names — but once someone actually draws on their experience in a way that makes a difference? Horror….  All the Democrats lining up to scapegoat a Muslim-American woman should be ashamed of themselves. It’s an absolute fucking disgrace.  

One question worth asking here is: Why do pro-Israel lobbying groups spend so much money to influence US politicians? I can think of some reasons.

First, the US is a super corrupt country and it works. Second, the special relationship of Israel to the US is the only thing standing between them and pariah status.  Israel is engaged in appalling, obviously criminal behavior in the Occupied Territories — the kind of thing that an opportunistic US administration might seize upon for humanitarian cred some day. Hence you need a constant, wall-to-wall, bipartisan propaganda effort.  You know how people say Kim Jong Il looked at what happened to Qaddafi and decided he needed to get nukes at all costs? What if the Israelis looked at what happened in South Africa when they lost unconditional US support and decided: “that can’t happen to us”?

#Anarchism #Study to Struggle #Liberals #Mainstream Democracts #leftists #feminism #the Occupied Territories #Palestinian rights #Justice for Palestine #Colonialism #Imperialism #social justice #Racism #islamophobia #islamophobes #lobbying #settler colonies #settler colonialism #anti-semitism #Ilhan Omar

[misscamthenorwegian]

Can I help you with anything?

It’s time for the yearly traditional ‘can I do anything for you?’ - now on Tumblr. (I’ve done this previous years elsewhere but I’m repeating it, because it’s still mostly true and it’s become sort of a tradition.) Right now, my life is fairly comfortable economically. I’ve been where it isn’t, and it is not a good place to be at all. And because I’ve had such great times with you all, awesome people, and because I am a social democrat at heart, I like to share the good. This is an open offer of a little hand, or maybe a little something you don’t have the money for right now but would really cheer you up or anything in that vein. Because the Norwegian krone is doing all right and our income level a bit higher than a lot of places, it’s easy for me and it is such a small thing compared to how much splendid time I’ve had online with you all. So. My ask is open. All asks about this will be answered privately unless requested otherwise. Only you and I will know, and we’ll never speak of it again unless you wish. ETA: Oh, and of course this offer goes for things I could help you with that is non-economic too. Just as long as it’s something I could actually be helpful with and not manage to make worse.

#Can I help you with anything #annual can I help you with anything #mainly for people who follow me but others can poke me too #cam is a social democract

[urmomsstuntdouble]

yeah i feel you. it's too much. at this point i feel like i've grown numb to it bc the us kills wayy more poc outside of its borders than inside every single day and the fact absolutely crushes me. it even feels downright insulting how the left protests the death of one individual but ignores all the others outside of america because we have a democract for a president. that's why as a poc i've just learned to shut myself off and distance myself from politics and social justice altogether. one day i'll move out of this damn settler state

(sorry for taking a few days to respond, wasn’t sure what to say)

it really is just. bad that numbess is even a thing. we’re all so accustomed to violence (and of course however hard i took things in that. reactionary post of mine its not comparable to being a person of color) and living off of it

#i have more to say about this but i dont have my thoughts organized and id prefer to spotlight poc in any chats about that #anyway yeah #ask #anon #ceros posting

[southeastasianists]

Since the middle of last month, Southeast Asian countries have been experiencing an exponential rise in Covid-19 related infections and deaths. To flatten the coronavirus curve, governments have introduced a range of restrictions on travel including closing borders, banned or limited numbers in public and private gatherings, introduced social distancing, prevented people movement and introduced lockdowns, preventing resident population mobility and assembly.

Although this has the support of the general public, the worry is some governments in Southeast Asia are simultaneously taking political advantage of the situation. Measures are being imposed at politically sensitive times that impact the timing of elections and post-elections transitions giving authoritarian regimes the opportunity to extend their reign or make a comeback.

On Thursday, Thailand declared a state of emergency to address the health crisis. However, the ban on public gatherings is a convenient measure that stifles the opposition and their reform agenda for a country. Massive protests across university campuses which erupted after the new Future Forward Party was disbanded in January 2020 were the outcome of serious rumblings of discontentment among the youth. Now, the bans on large gatherings will effectively quash this momentum. Free expression by media outlets can be curtailed under this state of emergency should the government decide to censor criticism.

Similarly, in the Philippines, on March 24, President Rodrigo Duterte was granted emergency powers to combat Covid-19. This has become for concern given his propensity for authoritarianism. Congress has wisely extracted provisions from the draft bill that would allow for excessive use of such powers, which critics fear. However, Mr Duterte's track record on abusing human rights does not breed confidence.

In Cambodia, Covid-19 has given Prime Minister Hun Sen the opportunity to announce he is exploring using Article 22 of the constitution to put the country in a state of emergency. Meanwhile, ordinary Cambodians and opposition activists have been arrested for sharing their concerns about the virus over social media.

In Malaysia, the elected government of 2018, collapsed in January this year, resulting in the re-emergence of the corruption-plagued old guard anchored by the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) that had run the country for six decades. In the political tussle over whether the "back-door" government has sufficient support in parliament, the usurpers to date have been able to side-step this question by delaying the sitting of parliament and directing attention to containing the coronavirus. Presently, Malaysia's Movement Control Order, which was initially implemented until March 31, was extended to April 14. This affords the Umno-supported old guard crucial time to consolidate power as large political gatherings are forbidden for people-led pressures against this back-door government.

Singapore elections have to be held latest April 21, 2021. Following the release of the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report on March 13, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of the People's Action Party the next day said the city-state could either hold elections early or wait for things to stabilise. Since then, opposition parties have been making public statements that it would be irresponsible to hold an election during this period of pandemic. Opposition parties, in particular, are concerned that the ruling party might introduce measures to limit campaign activities and gatherings at rallies thereby impacting their political chances.

Myanmar officially reported its first two Covid-19 cases on March 23. While it is seen as too early to predict a re-timing of the elections scheduled for November this year, the country's immediate concerns centre on returning migrant workers across the border from Thailand and the movement of people internally. This offers the junta a pole position as the force to implement movement orders, offer up its doctors to support medical aid and demonstrate proactive action to cancel large scale military related activities. In this way, the junta can shore up its image and political position in the run up to the polls. This will make it hard for Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy to attain the 75% sweep of seats in parliament to make constitutional amendments and to do away with the military's 25% of seats in parliament.

In Indonesia, as the number of cases increases daily, critics claim that the government has not been transparent and has been slow in responding. Mishandling of the crisis and incantations of "prayer" as a preventive tool are set to impact the democratic credibility of Jokowi's administration, which narrowly won elections in 2019 against military-friendly forces.

In Vietnam, lockdowns of affected areas around Hanoi have been implemented. As Vietnam chairs Asean this year, the annual civil society gathering scheduled for October, the Asean People's Forum, is likely to be postponed or held in an abridged version.

Laos recorded its first cases in late March and has announced its looking to China for examples for its control measures. Perhaps bringing full circle into the spotlight the increasingly positive view in parts of Southeast Asia of the authoritarian approach of China to the coronavirus outbreak that started in Wuhan.

To ensure that states' uphold the protection of democracy, civil society, the media and the international community must closely monitor the machinations of authoritarian regimes and the sleight of hand to exploit Covid-19 containment measures for political advantage. If this happens, these authoritarian regimes will have a chance to entrench and stretch the duration of their regimes. This will be the democractic fallout of the coronavirus crisis.

#coronavirus #covid-19 #southeast asia #democracy #politics

[jeannettegray]

All the posts going "you have to hold your nose and do the unbearable sacrifice to vote for Biden, even though he is an evil monster with abominable policies who'll kill us all, because he is a tiny little bit better than Trump" are getting out of hand.

Biden is going to tackle climate change head on with policies that for all intents and purposes are the Green Deal in all but name. He is going to massively expand and improve Obamacare. First two years of college are free. Raise the minimum wage. Increase social security payments. Eliminate mandatory minimum sentences and end the death penalty. Decriminalise marijuana and expunge prior cannabis convictions. Invest 30 billions into business support for minorities in response to BLM protests. Address the pandemic with proper responses as dictated by experts. Reverse Trump's policies on immigration. And more and more.

No, it's not M4A and it's not Defund The Police. But it's a MASSIVE improvement over the Status Quo of the past decades.

On top of that, Obama started out opposing gay marriage, and ended up supporting it. Democracts can be pushed to the left of their starting point.

The usual response to this is that Biden is lying about his progressive platform. To which I reply that he risked his entire career to try and pass Obamacare back when the "SOCIALISED HEALTHCARE IS DEATH PANELS!!!111" propaganda was at its ugliest and even a sizeable percentage of left-wingers thought it was a bad thing. So yes, I think that's decent evidence of his good intentions.

Of course, good intentions won't mean squat if the GOP retains control of the House and Senate. Hundreds of Dems' bills have been sitting on Mitch's desk. And if the GOP manages to steal the Supreme Court, the only possibility of survival is to increase the number of Judges.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/election-us-2020-53575474