2024 is going to be a shitshow for both major parties. Biden is likely going to remain in the dumps, the GOP and Trump are always shooting themselves in the foot one way or another (more recently with deciding to pull out of presidential debates), and Kyrsten Sinema's bi-partisan fever dream are all going to pile together into a quagmire where people would be begging for some kind of voice of reason.

Having a strong Green candidate would be beautiful. Not another lukewarm Jill Stein or Howie Hawkins. Someone with a background. Someone with bitey dogs. Someone who has seen war. Someone like Chris Hedges.

I might make an effortpost on why I think Hedges is a socialist's best bet in 2024, along with my views on why he's better than Cornel West for the role (since West is, bless his heart, still simping for Democrats), and other factors that make him an all-round decent option. I also like his laugh here.

Regardless, do y'all have some cursed 2024 ideas for the lathe?

  • CommCat [none/use name]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Hedges is cringe, he's a Christian Socialist, his ideal of revolution is to literally self sacrifice (get yourself beaten to death). He is anti Leninist, he was on a Left Forum panel with Wolf and someone else I can't remember, and while the two others were neutral-pro Lenin, Hedgees bashed Lenin and the historical Communist experience. I'm sure he's also extremely hostile to AES countries.

    His most cringe moment is of course during Occupy Wallstreet, he was painting the black bloc as senseless nihilistic violence before the current rightwing turned them into boogeymen. Wonder if he still thinks black bloc is guided by Zerzan and the Unabomber lol. He actually wrote that swearing at cops is an act of violence.

    • Nakoichi [they/them]
      ·
      edit-2
      3 years ago

      Nah, JT from Second Thought and then he can make Hakim and Yugopnik cabinet members. I want to hear the three of them awkwardly hitting on each other at a whitehouse press conference.

  • PrideBoy [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Chomsky in 2024: because biden wasn’t old enough! :chomsky-yes-honey:

  • wtypstanaccount04 [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

  • SeventyTwoTrillion [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Yeah, while it's clear now that outside of exceptional circumstances that a socialist will never be allowed to win electorally, I feel like it's valuable to have somebody out there who can just pitch left wing ideas while the Dems and Reps crumble and struggle to reform themselves. Doesn't hurt either way and we can always use more people on our side if we're gonna struggle towards revolution in this century.

  • Melon [she/her,they/them]
    hexagon
    ·
    3 years ago
    For those who want to know the context for Hedges' bitey dogs CW: ANIMAL DEATH

    One day, Hedges' wife Eunice Wong was walking their two greyhounds. When the bunch came upon another person walking a very tiny Shih Tzu/Bichon Frise crossbreed, Wong informed them that she did not know how her greyhounds will behave, so the other dog walker picked up their little doggy and let Wong pass with the greyhounds. Right when the Bichon/Shih Tzu dog was set back down, the greyounds rapidly turned around and attacked the little dog. The little guy died. The greyhounds are still alive, though, but are required to wear muzzles while in public.

    • ButtBidet [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Ya I'm sorry, but Chris Hedges does have a bit of a stupidpol vibe

      • Melon [she/her,they/them]
        hexagon
        ·
        3 years ago

        I keep seeing this being said about Hedges, so ima address these concerns eventually in an effortpost. He's nowhere near as problematic as a crank like Dore or whatever.

    • Melon [she/her,they/them]
      hexagon
      ·
      3 years ago

      Hedges' heart is in the right place and he has fewer brain worms than Bernie

    • Melon [she/her,they/them]
      hexagon
      ·
      3 years ago

      If voting didn't matter, why are Republicans suppressing it and Dems letting them do so

      • Speaker [e/em/eir]
        ·
        3 years ago

        It "matters" in the sense that it gives the peons the sense that they have a say in governance, but it doesn't actually have any material effect, and the illusion of choice is an illusion precisely because you'll get whoever they give you no matter how much you vote or campaign or volunteer or demonstrate or whatever.

        • Melon [she/her,they/them]
          hexagon
          ·
          3 years ago

          That's not the complete picture. Voter suppression and low turnout are intentionally created by the party monopoly, it is only as strong as the party monopoly is. Parties aren't established anywhere in the Constitution, the party institutions are an improvised auxiliary wing of governance that are in a far more precarious position than what is typically acknowledged.

          They are aware that downfall is possible. That's why they throw everything they can against counter-hegemonic organizing, even going after toothless old farts like Ron Paul (in his case because he invented an astroturfed right-wing political machine that sought to end imperialist ambitions).

          • Speaker [e/em/eir]
            ·
            3 years ago

            Sure, I agree, I just don't know that you're gonna topple that monopoly with :vote: rather than some kind of revolutionary violence.

              • Vncredleader
                ·
                3 years ago

                Sure sucks that they are the only template and nothing else exists

                :starry-plough:

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

    • ssjmarx [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Voting doesn't really matter, but I would argue that campaigning does. Normal people don't get their political ideas from terminally online leftist shitposters, after all.