Yes the title is correct. SCOTUS ruled in citizens united that money is speech. Simply put, there is nothing in the constitution which prohibits it. Period. I think we need to stop blaming SCOTUS and start getting to work on passing a constitution amendment to get the money out of politics. Stop blaming the refs, even if the refs are corrupt. We haven’t made progress. That’s on us! There’s no crying in baseball.
I don’t think there’s any reason to blame Citizens United for our current woes. Our problems are because we don’t fully see the kind of conflict that is required. I don’t see it happening without violence. No slave revolt in history has ever happened without violence. It will be Civil War 2.0. I’m certainly not saying we should be initiating violence but I believe the other side will.
Well, sure, lets have SCROTUS rule on any work of fiction. Maybe they can weigh in on whether or not Thanos has the authority to wipe out all living things?
I blame SCOTUS and agree that complaining about it has gotten us nowhere. This is why we need someone like Tim Walz in the White House. I’m afraid you might very well be right about the violence, too.
Are you waiting for conflict to erupt or would you consider joining forces with others working on systemic reform? The 75 is taking direct action against legalized corruption, and we’re always looking for people who recognize the severity of the problem. I’m curious where you see yourself in this fight.
If the “systematic reform” includes boycotts (or other legal creative ways to take money from the oligarch slaveholders) I support it. IMO it’s the only way to get this done without violence. We can’t defeat the beast by feeding it. We can do all the social media strategy we want, shareholders own all the social media platforms that matter. Those shareholders don’t give a shit about social change. They want their money. Do you think they, or any other oligarchs, are going to step aside because they are deeply moved by the nobility of our cause? Nope! They’re going to fight with every arsenal at their command until it becomes bad for business. They’ll use the media, they’re on people, and politicians to crush us and we’ll lose.
The time for being nice is over. This is a war. We have to get street level. If they won’t open the door for us we need to kick the fuckin door down! The only way to fix this is to create a financial disincentive for supporting conservative policies. If we see any business supporting conservative policies we need to put their ass out of business! Period. That’s the only language these oligarchs understand and we better start speaking their language. To quote Wu Tang “Cash Rules Everything Around Me”. And since we currently have no choice but to live in this immoral system we have to use it to our advantage or we’ll be killed by it.
I think this conversation and others on this platform highlight how there’s no one right way and that every idea is essential. We need all of these methods to make positive change, especially since we need both short-term and long-term change to truly make a difference in how the system works. Some will be persuaded by protests, and others will be influenced by creative policies. What matters is finding the ideas and methods that speak to you and going from there.
Change requires a lot of different approaches, but I believe it’s crucial that we focus on non-violent strategies. History shows that sustained, strategic, non-violent movements have a real chance to shift power and create lasting change. It’s not about being ‘nice’—it’s about being smart and resilient. Violence often gives those in power an excuse to crack down, and we’ve seen how easily that can backfire on movements for justice. There are powerful ways to hit the system where it hurts without resorting to violence, from boycotts to grassroots organizing to policy change. We need everyone who believes in a better future to find the method that aligns with their values and contribute to the fight for real change.
So, yes, I agree. I love the fight and sense of urgency. Even if a miracle occurs and every person who identifies as leftist or Progressive AND Democrat organizes around eliminating money, it wont be enough. At this point, we know that the donors are now funding candidates from both parties, in the same races. I think we will need all the Independents and SOME portion of MAGA in order to turn the tide. If our messaging is party free, we have a shot. This issue is not party specific, it applies to virtually our entire body politic. The coalition we need, is the entire working class, upper middle class and the financially challenged. Its damn near everyone except like 10 guys with all the money. I dont know how that happens in time, now. I feel pretty powerless, even though I do what little I can. If I had one appeal it would be lets not attack fellow regular folks, lets get them on our side for this one thing. We can worry about the rest later. This guy presents a real existential threat and its at the hands of legalized bribery. I know I have better luck if I am not combative with MAGA, but ask questions, so we can get to the issue we all agree on. Ask them, honestly, if you guy wants to drain the swamp and find corruption, how come no mention of campaign finance reform or legalized bribery? You might be surprised to learn its the first time they have thought about it, because the trillion dollar propaganda machine has really done its job. Just a thought… anyway, yes love the sense of urgency, but now what? We are out of time for committees, working groups, building culture, etc. All great stuff, but the call is coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE… If not now, when? We know one thing, its either ballots or bullets. I preffeer ballots, but if it goes the other way, well, it goes the other way. IDK man, Cenk has been screaming the British are coming for years now and not enough people, it seems, have been listgening. Well they are here…
This is why the Populist Plank is great. It’s bringing in people from all walks of life to fight for common causes, including getting money (legalized bribery) out of politics. It’s also building a coalition of people in government who agree with what you and all of us are saying. Who knows, perhaps those coming on board will trailblaze a new party that can get voted in with the mass support of the public on all sides of the aisles and issues and actually get shit done. It’s worth a shot!
