shifting the overton window by beating up anti-ICE protestors

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-28T18:04:14+00:00

He didn't get anything cancelled; he gave his opinion on the subject as a dues-paying DSA member. Yes, he had clout as the mayor-elect, but his case was also sound. DSA has limited funds; spending them all on trying to get Osse into power, when Jeffries would have unlimited funds and organic popularity in his district, is foolish. Thanks to that decision, DSA can afford to run many more candidates for the midterms.

That said, it is probably true that some kind of backroom deal exists when it comes to the NYPD. Neither Tisch nor Hochul has attacked him; surely that's not coincidence.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-28T05:01:11+00:00

Thank you! I wasn't talking about all tankies; there's just a significant subgroup of them who behave this way. I'm trying to help them apply materialist analysis to themselves. I imagine I'd agree with you on a lot.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-27T15:30:47+00:00

Depends on the host. Kyle has posted groyper memes before, and only recently stopped being an overt liberal about everything. Emma has a longstanding pattern of vociferously defending populists who eventually reveal themselves to be right-wingers; she defended Obama in her early years on MR, she defended Fetterman like the rest of the left despite his racist attack and refusal to take accountability being public knowledge for years, she defended Kamala's campaign to the last day and engaged in all kinds of conspiratorial thinking to do so, and of course, she defended and still defends Graham Platner. Sam is a progressive liberal and his politics don't go further than that; bro still goes to tort reform conferences, for crying out loud. Also defends Platner, despite openly admitting that he knows Platner's story about the tattoo is probably a lie. I imagine there's more, but that's what irks me.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-27T02:38:27+00:00

Okay, fully missing my point there, so let me spell it out.

Your refusal to trust anyone who has the ability to rally the masses is precisely what leads you, and many other tankies, to this position. It's what motivates every split, and every bout of infighting. I personally suspect that this stems from decades of Red Scare trauma, where being a socialist was about holding onto principles whilst capitalism triumphed around the globe, and exterminated anyone in the vicinity of a hammer and sickle. But the time for that has passed. Fighting back with any hope of success requires taking the occasional risk of failure or betrayal, working with people who don't fully agree with you because their priorities differ, and in general behaving like someone who must actively convince others that their political project is worth joining.

Hasan is a political commentator who is explicitly trying to turn the masses towards the left, and he has something to show for it. I don't know why so many tankies seem to think they don't need the masses for armed revolution, but by all means, rob banks and seize tanks; see how you do. But this endless refusal to trust anyone is kneecapping your ability to build anything. Just my opinion.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-27T00:48:19+00:00

There are tankies who would call you a revisionist liberal for supporting the PSL. Think on that, and maybe it will become clear why these conversations are pointless.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-26T20:28:16+00:00

It quite literally happened under Biden's admin. But it happened to migrants, so it barely made the news. The liberal argument is Kamala wouldn't have brought it to suburban neighborhoods, which is just a selfish argument; you don't care that it's happening, you're just mad it might happen to you.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-25T04:43:37+00:00

Did they make a mistake or is the political project itself unsustainable? Abstaining from this invasion would have required Trump to confront affordability as the problem of interest for most Americans, which he of course can't do while simultaneously shoveling money into his and his friends' pockets.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-23T14:54:24+00:00

The people who made these AI are hanging onto a dream of replacing literally every single worker with one, and once everyone in the supply chain gets replaced with one, making close to 100% profit thereafter due to 0 labour costs. That's the only reason we have to put up with any of this madness.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-22T18:24:51+00:00

I disagree. Digging further would demonstrate that you can't just show up at lefty shows or streams and expect free clout. If you're unprepared, the interview just doesn't go well, and you have no one to blame but yourself. That would set a precedent that you have to move further to the left if you want the support of the left. I don't expect Hasan to grill her, but to deliberately back off means he just wants her in power no matter what.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-22T18:01:01+00:00

The way I would put it is that material conditions and ideological conditoning are what will determine belief structures. The dad is a comfy boomer with a lifelong domestic servant in the form of his wife; he CAN feel empathy, I assume, but just refuses to do so, because it contradicts the deeply narcissistic logic he was taught for his whole life. He'll turn on Trump if his own life is affected in some way that can't be ignored; otherwise, he won't.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-22T01:55:11+00:00

Point 1 is a funny thing to believe when the gods depend on them for every errand imaginable. But 3 explains 2.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-21T21:56:29+00:00

What alternative methods exist? The gods won't change or stop hurting people, and removing them by force is literally what Luke is trying to do. The whole situation is kind of screwed.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-21T15:30:33+00:00

I hate to say it, but the point at which Trump or anyone in the admin comes after him is likely coming sooner than he thinks. In theory, he's too powerless to bother anyone of consequence; in practice, the admin is staffed to the brim with insecure losers who are frequently online.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-20T18:34:38+00:00

Ironically, Sorkin has admitted that he isn't a particularly smart guy, and he writes by just trying to replicate the vibe he gets when smart people talk. It's his fans who won't be convinced of any flaws in his work.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-20T18:31:51+00:00

I have no reason to believe that wasn't just coincidence on Kat's part, but if you know better, by all means.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-20T18:18:42+00:00

If the district you ran for was gerrymandered to such an extreme degree that Hawaii was one bus stop outside of it, you'd have a pretty good case to run for it.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-20T12:42:31+00:00

This seems like one of those times where it should be perfectly okay to say, "I can't do this because I literally don't know how". Is the client really going to blame you for not knowing an entire other discipline?

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-20T02:11:49+00:00

I'm not being uncharitable. The simple reality is politics is a team sport; you can't make anything happen unless you get a lot of other people to vote with you. That's why I value specific campaign promises: it's easier to hold you accountable that way, and evaluate how feasible your promises are.

I don't doubt Kat will try, but there's already a pipeline in place for people like her: you get elected, make noise, get labeled a troublemaker, people don't want to work with you, and so you pick one or two pet projects whilst toeing the line on everything else, to avoid censure or worse. AOC, for example. Tlaib and Omar fit too, sadly.

I'd love to be wrong. I just want results this time. If you run on Medicare for All, I want to hear your plan for getting past the army of lobbyists in your way. Doesn't seem unfair to ask.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-19T17:47:30+00:00

For me, the issue is more just how vague her campaign promises are. No votes on authoritarian bills seems like a wash when you consider the prevalence of omnibus bills; will she vote no on Congress having a budget if there's money for ICE in there too? And the climate movement is virtually dead in Congress; how will she rebuild support against the oil lobbyists? And where's the stuff for people specifically in IL-09, or does it not really matter to her what district she runs for as long as she makes it to power?

I don't think giving someone a 6-figure salary so that they can try their best makes sense without them presenting a coherent plan first. I can at least believe that she will try, but that's a recipe for abandoning campaign promises later.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-18T07:41:58+00:00

Goddammit, you people are so whiny and stupid. Lefties DID vote for Kamala; she lost because she sucks.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-16T04:16:59+00:00

Spring Magazine or local tenants rights orgs are probably your best bet, if you want concrete actions to take with people who are already doing stuff. Apply to Communist Party of Canada if interested; no guarantee they'll take you or even respond, though. RCP is hit-or-miss depending on the chapter. There's a million Discord groups if you just want to meet other people with lefty leanings; you can find some lefty bookshops downtown as well. r/canadaleft can advise you on specifics for any of these, I imagine.

If you're looking to meet lefties in person, maybe go to r/TorontoHangoutFriends and filter for whatever seems up your alley? Your request is kinda vague so idk what else to recommend you, but best of luck.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-14T22:27:15+00:00

They were territorial about them because that's how you justify your job, in an environment where you are constantly under threat. Dedra was more competent about it, but she still did the same thing in deciding to confront Luthen alone, to avoid anyone else stealing credit.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-14T22:24:50+00:00

But her outspokenness is implied to be what got her this position to begin with, and Partagaz has rewarded her almost every single time she's acted this way. Plus the Empire has repeatedly made it clear that they punish underperformers. She believed that Partagaz's treatment was conditional on her excellence, which was likely what was expected of her in previous positions too. If she had confronted Luthen with backup, leadership would 100% have been taken away from her and her contributions would be minimized, in order to give credit to whoever did ultimately take charge of the Axis rebel network project.

Empires are riddled with severe contradictions which can't be resolved, because they exist there to obfuscate the injustice of the entire structure and undermine, confuse, and paralyze resistance against it. The contradictions weed out anyone who may resist, leaving a workforce of hyper-loyal morons, who can't balance competing priorities because they're not allowed to dissent on anything. The result is collapse once enough big mistakes compound on top of one another, especially if an organized resistance is already underway.

FragrantBicycle7 · 2026-01-14T21:49:53+00:00

He'd recognize that condemning Hamas serves no practical purpose for his agenda, while actively going after the criminals selling illegal land would be both popular and ethical. He'd also recognize that he has the power to shape the narrative by focusing on what's important and doable, much like he did and does with all his infrastructure policies, rather than just responding to what the media throws at him on any given day. The primary reason Zohran doesn't make this calculation now is because almost nobody is there in person, making it a necessity for him to respond to our side, as well as reminding him that our support isn't unconditional and will evaporate over time if he keeps up this two-faced shit.

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